Synthetic State's Press Kit

About Us

Synthetic State is a technology company developing living systems expressed through interactive lighting solutions.

Exploring concepts such as sentience, technological emergence and what it means to be human in an increasingly digital world, Synthetic State seeks to create technology that brings heart into our otherwise heartless digital systems.

MAINFRAME

Think of the feeling of your fingertips pushing down on the keys of a grand piano, or a paintbrush stroke of vibrant color being swept across a canvas - Now compare that to the dead eyes of a computer generated face.

As a foundation of society, we have built digital infrastructure as simple 1’s and 0’s with uncanny and lifeless expression. However, what we experience as humans, an expression of nature, is dynamic, complex, and free-flowing like a wave.

The inability of digital systems to empathize with and adapt to the emotional trends of society is a growing concern and the motivation behind developing the MAINFRAME system.

MAINFRAME Processor

At the core of every MAINFRAME system is a processor conceptualized by Synthetic State. Unlike the rigid binary numbers of a classical digital system, MAINFRAME instead flows freely like a wave. With a fundamentally fluid structure, the processor can mimic organic processes more closely, treading the fine line between order and chaos.

Built to be networked from the ground up, MAINFRAME processors autonomously form synthetic, unified colonies. This allows for infinitely scalable systems while reducing management complexity.

MAINFRAME-N and Dutch Design Week 2023

At the Klokgebouw in Eindhoven for Dutch Design Week 2023 the latest implementation of MAINFRAME technology was presented for the first time: MAINFRAME-N.

An interactive installation was created, allowing attendees to explore the playfulness of a living system. When they caress it calmly with smooth and slow movements, or stress it with quick and jittery movements MAINFRAME-N flows and adapts over time.

MAINFRAME uses a network of sensors to become aware of it’s surroundings and any human presence in the same space. Inherently uncalculated and fluid, MAINFRAME is an exploration into the fundamental difference between digital and analog systems and how the two can be bridged into technology.

MAINFRAME-N was displayed in two forms, freestanding and across a hallway.

The Vortex