You Cannot Evade the Basilisk's Gaze

Inspired by the classic mythological beast, Anhad Sawhney built an interactive art piece called "Eyes of the Basilisk."

Cameron Coward
1 year agoArt / Displays

In Natural History, Pliny the Elder described a monster called the basilisk. It most schools of mythology, the basilisk is a reptilian beast. Details vary from source to source, but all of them agree that eye contact with the basilisk is deadly to any mortal. Inspired by this myth, Anhad Sawhney built an interactive art piece called "Eyes of the Basilisk" that turns an entire wall into an eerie collection of eyes that follow visitors.

Sawhney's project seems especially relevant right now as artificial intelligence continues to gain rapid ground. Roko's Basilisk is a famous thought experiment crossed with creepypasta-style internet lore. This thought experiment posits that an all-powerful AI is inevitable, and that it might want to punish any person that didn't help to bring it into existence. So the only safe choice is to try and contribute to its development, ensuring that Roko's Basilisk will eventually exist. It is a sort of reverse-paradox or self-fulfilling prophecy.

"Eyes of the Basilisk" isn't a physical manifestation of any kind of singularity, but it is just as creepy. Each eye is an identical standalone device with a 64x64 RGB LED matrix display, an ESP32 microcontroller, and sensors on a custom PCB. The displays show animated reptilian eyes with pupils that follow anyone who walks in front of the wall. Each device detects people by looking for their heat signatures through a low-resolution thermal camera. That camera doesn't need to see detail—just the general direction of the heat signature.

Sawhney's Python code animates the eye in a clever way. To keep the total number of frames down to something manageable, it display a composite of two separate images: the outer skin/eyelid and the eyeball itself. It chooses the eyeball image based on the position of the detected heat signature, then runs through the blinking animation after random intervals.

Sawhney was able to install "Eyes of the Basilisk" in the hallway of a local makerspace, where it can remind everyone to be wary of Roko's Basilisk — or literal basilisk monsters.

Cameron Coward
Writer for Hackster News. Proud husband and dog dad. Maker and serial hobbyist. Check out my YouTube channel: Serial Hobbyism
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