AI Currents

AI CURRENTS

I’m Davar Ardalan. Machines learn by tracing patterns, fragments of data, rhythms of language, echoes of memory. I use stencils as a way to offer something back to that process, to gently shape what they see, and perhaps what they might come to understand.Each stencil becomes a layer of story: a trace of memory, tradition, and place. Rooted in community and guided by heritage, my work blends the languages of the human and the digital.

Sailing Forward
I created this sailboat to glide over a current shaped by digital form. The sails blend American and Persian designs, echoes of memory across cultures. Inspired by the spirit of 1776, it reflects a pursuit of freedom and self-definition. Like the founding of a nation, its movement is intentional.

White canvas, black ribbon flowing through ornate shapes and circuit board stamping.

Featured Artwork

Shadows of Persepolis
Shadows of Persepolis blends Persian motifs with digital forms. At its heart, The Messenger symbolizes memory, bridging ancestral wisdom and modern AI in a layered visual language.

A glimpse into my living room gallery, where tradition, technology, and hand-cut patterns converge.

Left: How the System Understands
An eye watches as AI takes in patterns and context. Dark tones and layers hint at the hidden depths of machine perception.Right: How the System Responds
Now exposed, the eye symbolizes awareness and action. Lighter tones suggest clarity, as the system reveals what it has learned.

Code Bloom
I imagined binary falling like digital pollen, landing on layers of ancient forms. That bright column of yellow blossoms breaks through the code, proof that even in repetition, something wild can still grow. Some edges blur, some marks misalign, because for me, learning is never complete.

Circuit Crab
In this piece, a blue crab stretches across layers of circuitry and stenciled pattern. I wanted its form to hold both nature and design, echoing the logic of local life and the systems we teach machines to learn. The number 1776 appears in red, anchoring the image in time. For me, this piece is a symbol of strength, adaptation, and memory passed through code.

I layered floral patterns over circuitry to merge nature with tech. The crab, adaptable, alert, and grounded, became a symbol of how we navigate change in a digital world. “1776” hints at our founding ideals, a reminder that innovation should stay rooted in humanity and civic purpose.

AI fuels both my professional life and my creative practice. I make art to explore how communities interact with technology, and what AI really means in our daily lives. Stenciling, with its repeating forms, mirrors AI: structured, precise, but often surprising.Mandalas and circuit patterns reflect this balance of logic and beauty. But just like AI can only work with the data it’s given, stencils can only repeat what’s already there. The gaps, what’s missing, speak just as loudly. In my work, I try to hold space for both: memory and possibility, absence and intention.

An all seeing-eye together with ornate shapes and circuits.

Algorithmic Gaze
I stitched and stenciled this eye to reflect how AI watches and interprets us. The circuitry and floral patterns blend tech with tradition, showing AI as both observer and mirror.

Image of a black tie covered with circuit boards and surrounded by stamped circuits.

Neural Tie
With this collage, I wanted to show how AI isn’t just a corporate tool, it’s woven into our daily lives, both personal and professional. It’s not distant or elite; it’s part of the fabric we move through every day.

Book Davar Ardalan for Your Event
Interested in exploring the creative side of AI or how it shapes our communities? I’m available for talks, partnerships, and exhibitions. My artwork is also available for purchase. Reach out if you’d like to connect: [email protected]AI helped generate the content on this site, but every word was reviewed and refined by me.

About Iran Davar Ardalan

Professionally known as Davar Ardalan, she is an AI Strategist with a storied career spanning National Geographic, NPR News, and the White House Presidential Innovation Fellowship Program. Innovative projects she’s championed like storytelling for NASA's SpaceApps Challenge and the Top Health Open Data and AI initiative, demonstrate her commitment to harnessing advanced technology for community engagement and development.This concept is expanded in Ardalan’s co-authored book, "AI for Community," by Taylor & Francis. The book, lauched at the London AI Summit in June 2025, explores AI’s role in community life, offering practical strategies for technology that fosters growth and connection in our digital age.Davar has an AI assistant herself that helps her with her communications, and archival retrieval of her writings on AI going back to 2018. She's also helped create an AI for her husband, a veteran civil engineer. This AI's knowledge is based on summaries of his work on landfills from Hong Kong to Brazil and the US. Ardalan is a member of the Annapolis Arts Alliance.