Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg’s The Substitute is an immersive video and sound installation that digitally resurrects the extinct male Northern white rhino using artificial intelligence and state-of-the-art visual effects.
On March 19, 2018, the last male northern white rhino, Sudan, died, bringing his subspecies to the brink of extinction. Scientists extracted Sudan’s DNA, stored it in lab freezers, and proposed experimental de-extinction projects using his genetic material. In this context, Ginsberg created The Substitute, digitally resurrecting a northern white rhino. This artificial rhino is divorced from the natural habitat where its living counterparts once roamed. Confined to a virtual white room, it is unaware of its surroundings. It appears highly pixelated and distorted. Using data generated by AI, the rhino learns to navigate the room. Its form is created using CGI, and its sounds