1). Working Title: ‘Know Thy Enemy’ –
Further Context on this document and its title can be found here.
2). Aims and Objectives.
There has recently been an explosion of online programs and apps that will allow a user to input text and output visuals based on that text. Examples of these include: online programs such as Craiyon, Dalle-2 and Midjourney. Some of the apps include: Wonder Ai and Dream. In only a few short months this new way of creating art has opened ways of bringing art creation to the masses. Whereas, undoubtedly these programs and apps have many positives, there is no possibility that the creative arts industry and many others will remain unchanged. Software engineers have already begun to lament the birth of ChatGpt, a language model which will not only answer questions but also write code. As a photographer I personally became quite despondent when I realised that I no longer needed to visit a misty forest at dawn in order to obtain misty forest at dawn photographs. This led me to question my whole existence as a photographer and wonder if ‘Ai’ and digital art would to some degree effectively kill art. A short survey among the Creative Arts Team at South Devon College, confirmed my initial hypothesis. The consensus was that Ai will negatively impact on both the creative arts industry and many jobs within it. Therefore, I would like to investigate ways in which ‘Ai’ art can be leveraged and combined with human art to mitigate these effects. Essentially my question is: can there be a brand new form of art that not only embraces ‘Ai’ art, but at the same time still very much relies on traditional forms of art?
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” Chapter III: “Planning Offensives” in “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu.
My aims for this project include:
- Identify ways to keep humans relevant in the modern day creation of art.
- Keep fully informed of the rapid new developments happening in the field of ‘Ai’ generated art.
- Explore ‘Ai’, digital and human generated art combined, with a view to developing a new form of art where one cannot exist without the other.
- Reveal something hidden either via human interaction or as a result of a digital interaction but with the proviso that one cannot be fully comprehended without the other. For example, projection mapping over an object, or discovering something revealed through the use of augmented reality. Knitting a colour a coded jumper based on temperature data. Using thermochromatic materials and threads to change colour when exposed to wifi.
- Produce art hidden in data (Data Art), alongside physical things that are normally hidden from view for example WiFi signals, radio signals, magnetism etc. The visible human project is also something that I’m keen to investigate because there are hidden human stories behind the data presented.
My objectives for this project include:
1). Discover the current thinking about the impacts of ‘Ai’ generated images on the creative arts industry.
2). Incorporate the use of the latest ‘Ai’ tools such as ChatGpt and have conversations with it about my project work. These conversations might include questions about how the effects of ‘Ai’ and digitally generated art might mitigated or exploited.
3). Understand historical examples where technology has radically changed traditional ways of working in art and design and how this has been mitigated. ‘The further back you look, the further forward you can see’ – Winston Churchill.
4). Discover hidden phenomena and areas where text to image has yet to fully penetrate, for example: time, sound frequency, different parts of the light spectrum, hidden tiny details at macro or microscopic level, the hidden results of long exposure photography and the Schlieren effect.
5). Become more conversant with Blender, Touch designer, Processing, generative art and data art with a view to juxta posing it alongside physical art to make hybrid art pieces. Gain an understanding of how to work with an Arduino for the purposes of producing human interactive pieces.
6). Examine different and unusual materials such as lenticular printing, lenticular lenses, infra red photography, polarising filters, heat sensitive papers, thermochromatic materials, gallium and ferrofluid.
7). Gain a greater understanding of immersive art, projection mapping and interactive art with a view to producing some form of interactive installation, yet to be decided. Identify collaborations that will help close any gaps in my knowledge.
8). Establish to best way to present my work and the form it will take – this will largely depend upon meeting the objectives above.
3). Context
“Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.” – Christian Lous Lange
Historically, in seeking to improve ways of working has driven inventions that have rendered old skills and ways of working obsolete. For example:
The printing press, invented in 1440, revolutionized the way books and other printed materials were produced, making it possible to produce multiple copies of a work efficiently. This had a significant impact on the distribution and consumption of art, as it made it possible to produce and distribute reproductions of works more widely. The printing press, while it revolutionised the way books and other printed materials were produced, also made it easier to produce reproductions of artwork, thus reducing the demand for some types of hand-produced art.
Photography has made it easier to capture and reproduce images, reducing the demand for some types of hand-drawn or painted artwork.
Computer software, such as Photoshop and Illustrator, has made it easier for artists to create and edit digital art, again reducing the demand for some types of traditional art techniques. The increasing use of digital media, such as websites and social media, has made it easier for artists to share and promote their work, but it has also increased competition and made it harder for some artists to make a living from their art.
Currently, based on what we know historically, automation and the use of machine learning algorithms, such as Dalle-2 and Midjourney, could certainly make certain tasks and jobs in the art world redundant or less necessary in the future. The question is how do we as individuals and artists become the exploiters of these technologies and not the exploited?
As noted by Banksy: “The people who truly deface our neighborhoods are the companies that scrawl giant slogans across buildings and buses trying to make us feel inadequate unless we buy their stuff.” I mention this quote here because there are both individuals and companies already successfully employing the use of these new technologies, but not always for the good of humanity. If they can do it, then surely we as artists need to do it as well, in order to maintain our relevance?
I will leave this section with what I believe is one of the most prescient of quotes from an artist called Kirby Ferguson
“We risk being the first generation in history that leaves a less creative legacy to the next generation than the one we inherited from our parents.” – Kirby Ferguson
This quote suggests that technology and modern ways of working could be leading to a decline in creativity, and that future generations may be left with a less creative legacy as a result. My central question is therefore – by looking deeper into human hybrid art, combined with physical and digital ways of working, can we potentially avoid this?……..for the time being at least…..
4). Methodology
Research – I will undertake a comprehensive program of study including both primary and secondary research. As I am examining the effects of algorithms, I will also use ChatGpt as part of my ongoing research. I will document the conversations that I have with it. This is so its input and impact can be observed and measured with regards to my project work. I intend to produce questionnaires and collect raw data. This data will not only be used to inform my project but potentially used in generating art from it. I want to discover what working artists think about ‘Ai’ generated art and how they intend to mitigate its effects. I will thoroughly research the impact and predicted impact of ‘Ai’ and digital art. This will be done by examining a wide range of media including but not limited to: books, journals, television, newspaper articles, culture past and present, YouTube videos, artist research, artist interviews etc. I want to examine how artists are currently exploiting this new technology and identify what techniques they are using.
Document – I will ensure that there will be a dedicated area in my blog specifically devoted to documenting all of my research. I will ensure that all of my questionnaires and raw data is both well documented and it’s use in my project highlighted.
Experimentation – I will use my pre-existing knowledge of photography and art and design to test ideas and visual concepts related to my research. These experiments will allow me to explore generative art, data art, animation 3d, motion reactive art, light, colour theory as well as to develop a visual language for the project. I will test my theories against my research via a series of questionnaires, online polls and social media.
Learn – I will endeavour to take a least one generative art and coding tutorial per day. The idea is that as I learn more about this medium the more adept I will become at both understanding it and producing it. The best imagery I will use for experimentation and examine ways of bringing it into the physical dimension.
Collaborate – I am not a computer programmer and I am entirely new to generative art, so I will need to identify potential collaborations, so any gaps in my knowledge can filled.
Reflection – I will ensure that I regularly document all of my research and all of my experimentation.
Installation – I will work to identify the best media to use for my project work including research into sound and immersive installations. It is difficult at this stage to know exactly what the final piece/pieces will be until I have conducted the research above. However the final results will consist of a mixture of human art, ‘Ai’ generated art and digital art in such a way that one cannot exist without the other.
Final Evaluation – once I have completed my work I will evaluate it again in order to ensure that it appeals to its audience and make any necessary amendments.
5). Outcomes
At this stage in my journey it is difficult to say exactly how I will present this project. This is largely because I have huge technical gaps in terms of what I would like to achieve and what I am currently capable of achieving. I particularly admire the digital generative art work of Refik Anadol and also the physical large scale works of David Spriggs. If my abilities were limitless, or I had access to an unlimited knowledge base, I would produce an awe inspiring large scale interactive installation combining the physical traits of David Spriggs work married together with the digital generative work of Refik Anadol. I acknowledge that at this stage, this can only be a ‘pipe dream’ due to my knowledge and resource limitations. However, I will be working hard to make this a reality.
In the event that I simply cannot gain the required knowledge or access to materials, funding, suitable space etc. I will endeavour to produce a large series of lenticular prints based around the idea of hidden or unseen things, as per my aims above. As these prints are viewed from one angle they will display my human physical art. Then, as the observer walks by, they will see the face of the print slowly animate to reveal an ‘Ai’ generated variation of it. The observer will then be asked to vote on the favourite of the two. The data from this will be used to make a piece of generative art. The resulting artworks from the project will be collated into both a physical book and digital art piece viewable on a wide variety of devices. This all may change.
6). Work Plan
A comprehensive outline of my work plan can be seen below. A more detailed version can be seen here.
Unit 1
Term 1 — Weeks 01-10
— Set up my blog, secure suitable backup, explore my creative interests.
— Research and try to identify my main areas of interest.
— Begin experimentation that responds to my research.
— Reflect and explore my capabilities with regards to creative coding.
Term 2 — Weeks 11-20
— Develop ideas and work towards clarity of thinking
— Produce a comprehensive study plan
— Continue to experiment to identify my strengths and weakness and continue to formulate ideas, reflect and research.
— Summarise my findings and formulate an initial question, produce an initial study statement.
Unit 2
Term 3 — Weeks 21-30
— Using the study plan begin more targeted research and identify materials and processes for experimentation.
— Identify and experiment with novel materials.
— Continue experimentation with chosen novel materials.
— Begin to plan for final outcomes.
Term 4 — Weeks 31-40
— Conduct primary and secondary research to ensure final outcome ideas are suitable for chosen audience.
— Begin work on final concept once research confirms the concept is sound.
— Prototype production.
— Identify a suitable location for the installation.
— Seek collaboration, sponsorship or support for my installation, including: location, screens, press, etc.
Unit 3
Term 5 — Weeks 41-50
— Refining installation.
— Final preparations for installation.
— Showcase installation.
Term 6 — Weeks 51-60
— Reflection and research regarding installation.
— Further experimental responses to the installation
— Prepare work for the final show.
— Prepare for the final assessment.
A more detailed version can be seen here
7). Bibliography
My Working bibliography can be accessed here
And Finally…for now…
Hal’s Confusion (When Ai Goes Bad)