NVO987 | Lab
Nicholas Van-Orton

Independent Research

Relational Color · Perception · AI Image Generation

Identity: did:web:identity.nvo987.us

Research Focus

The research examines two different modes of color formation: the human, relational functioning of color and the image-based color formation of artificial intelligence.

The study focuses on how color emerges in systems where elements mutually define each other, particularly in perceptual development, where color does not appear as a fixed visual attribute but develops through experience.

It investigates how color is connected to memory, temporality, and spatial perception, and how these relationships shape visual understanding, especially in early stages of perception.

In parallel, the research examines how color appears in AI image generation, where the image is produced as the result of a computational process and color emerges as an immediate output rather than a temporally evolving experience.

The research does not aim to evaluate these approaches, but to investigate how they operate. Its objective is to understand the different logics through which relational color systems and AI-generated image structures come into being.

Foundation Documents

The research presented within this laboratory is grounded in a structured set of foundational documents that establish the theoretical, methodological, and conceptual basis of the project. These texts define the investigation of color as a generative phenomenon, examining its emergence in human perception and its transformation within AI-based image generation systems.

The documents below form the core framework of the research. The first establishes the primary theoretical model, while the second expands this framework into an interdisciplinary context with a specific focus on developmental perception and conceptual structure.

Research Questions

Documentation

The lab operates as an evolving research environment. Notes, analysis, and experimental materials are published progressively as the work develops.

Network

The NVO987 network is a decentralized research infrastructure composed of distinct but closely interconnected web nodes. The purpose of the system is to ensure that identity, research, knowledge representation, and publication function not as isolated elements, but within a unified, interoperable environment.

The network is not a traditional website, but a modular structure in which each subdomain performs a defined role. These nodes together form a system in which the research process, data, and identity are all represented in a structured and machine-readable form.

The system is based on decentralized identity (DID), semantic web technologies, and machine-readable research structures. The individual modules do not operate independently, but as part of a unified network in which every component is built on the same identity and data framework.

This structure makes it possible for research to exist not only in the form of publications, but as a continuously expanding, interconnected knowledge system that is interpretable from both human and machine perspectives.

Network Affiliation and Status

The NVO987 – Culture Visuelle Moderne et Contemporaine is an independent cultural and research association operating in France, primarily active within the cultural and artistic context of Paris, with international connections.

The official website of the association is available at:
https://nvo987.fr

The association operates at the intersection of contemporary visual culture, artistic research, and cultural studies, and positions itself as part of a broader international research and digital identity network.

Its activities are closely connected to the NVO987 ecosystem, including identity infrastructure, research data management, as well as digital publication and archiving systems.

The association aims to develop experimental and interdisciplinary projects that explore the relationships between visual culture, contemporary art, and digital technologies — particularly decentralized systems and artificial intelligence.

The association does not have institutional status in the classical academic or research institute sense. It is not affiliated with a university or an official research institution.

NVO987 operates as an open, autonomous, and experimental structure, independent from institutional frameworks, and seeks alternative forms of research, documentation, and knowledge dissemination.

The network and digital infrastructure are accessible at the following link:
https://identity.nvo987.us

Web3 Presence

NVO987 operates as two separate but interconnected entities on the decentralized web: a technological infrastructure and a cultural association.

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