Yaacov Agam Inspired Work –

Over many months now I have been wrestling with a myriad of ideas.  In my Study Statement I was keen to develop a new form of hybrid human, digital and AI art.  I also wanted to include an element of mystery and discovery whereby elements of the work were hidden.

During my search for inspiration I came across two artists that particularly resonated with me, namely:  Alexander Calder and Yaacov Agam.  I particularly liked the idea of movement and mobile art seen in Calder’s work.  Indeed I was so taken with his work that I went to visit the Tate Modern to see some of his pieces there.

However, Yaacov Agam’s work really did inspire me.  In his Artist’s statement he says:

“My aim is to show the visible in a perpetual state of becoming”.

I think this is a beautiful way in which he describes his work. However, I personally would liken it to, showing the visible in a perpetual state of change.

Given the nature of the subject matter that I’m exploring, his work for me very much aligns with this notion of change as well as ‘becoming’.

Below is a short video of some of his work.

Yaacov Agam

An Experimental Making Session

Having submitted my Research Paper and from this produced an outcome using both AI and augmented reality, I can now physically create.  I want to move my work slightly away from the AI and digital realms into the more physical space.  I can feel the two very distinct worlds of digital, physical and AI beginning to meld together.  The ideas aren’t fully there yet, but I do feel progress is being made on some level.

Below are two Yaacov Agam inspired prototypes.  The idea of a mobile was Calder inspired.  To blend the two was my idea.  Agam’s work generally involves viewer participation, by introducing the idea of mobiles (Calder inspired), I feel something slightly different emerging.

My plan is to produce something physical where in the first instance the viewer doesn’t need to be active.  They can remain passive yet still enjoy the ever changing physical nature of the work.  However should they wish to experience the work in its entirety (i.e. the hidden element), then the viewer will have to become very active.

At this stage I am exploring the best ways to design the piece. For example what materials should be used? How should the piece be assembled? Ultimately will the changing images be visible in the piece?

I like the idea of change because the world is currently undergoing a rapid period of change with the emergence of the new AI technologies. I believe that humanity is at a pivotal point where these technologies could hugely enhance our lives or completely destroy us.

Piece Number #1

Please ensure to watch till the end to see the outcome of this experiment.

As an aside, the music in the first part of this video is AI generated.

Problem Solving

There were a number of issues relating to this first prototype.  It soon became clear that cutting and folding had to be precise.  Making a hole actually in the black and white images to hang them was ill conceived.  Having the black and white images move freely within the circle was visually confusing. The whole piece worked better when the black and white images were secured.  I used my own hand drawn work that was then digitised for the piece.

The final result although far from perfect was an example of physical human and digital art with elements taken from Agam and Calder.

Piece Number #2

Please ensure to watch till the end to see the outcome of this experiment.

In this second prototype I decided to use thread to fasten down the the central images.  In the first piece I found that the mobile piece worked better when it was held in place as opposed to moving freely.  I have used tentacle style imagery in the past to represent the way AI is moving into all of our lives.  I felt that the threads might in this instance represent an AI web in which we may not wish to get entangled.

Please note these are early prototypes used to test whether or not the Agam style of art will work when used as a mobile countering the need for viewer participation.

Out of pure curiosity, I wondered what the mobile might look like shot with a slow shutter speed as it slowly moved.  Below is one of the images from that experiment.  This could also prove to be another interesting line of experimentation.

Slow Shutter Experimentation

I felt that this was actually quite an interesting experiment, particularly with the shadows that were created.  Overall, I think that with my new found augmented reality knowledge, coupled with what I’ve learnt about mobile making will help me enormously going forward.  I still feel that there is much to explore and I would like to push both the bounds of augmented reality and mobile making further.

I feel that I’ve changed enormously from Unit 1 in terms of both my approach and thinking.  I feel that my work is now much better informed due to the production of the research paper and I am looking forward to continuing the next leg of the journey.