Mashinka Hakopian's AI coffee reading film explores Armenian tasseography and data justice

The 2024 short film by Mashinka Firunts Hakopian, titled ԲԱԺԱԿ ՆԱՅՈգ / ONE WHO LOOKS AT THE CUP, focuses on training a language model for coffee readings in both English and Armenian. This work merges traditional tasseography with algorithmic technology to investigate themes of erasure and data collection. It utilizes audio from six readings within the SWANA diaspora to form a dataset, complemented by visuals of coffee grounds. While interpreting symbols like a megaphone and heart ventricles, ancestral discussions unfold. Tasseography has been a practice in the SWANA region since the sixteenth century, particularly among Armenians after the genocide. The film, directed by Atlas Acopian and featuring a score by Lara Sarkissian, will be shown from 17 November to 17 December 2025. Hakopian serves as an Associate Professor at ArtCenter College of Design.