May 17, 2021
Pre-Capstone Reflection | week 1
In a concurrent experimental graphic design course, I have begun to explore what human manipulation of images looks like versus what procedural/computer-generated manipulation looks like. The result has been interesting, as, in some instances, the computer result looks more organic than my own version.
My favorite projects have always been those that are out there, wacky or exaggerated. This one is grounded, but still exploring abstract imagery while the commentary remains implied without many constraints. In tandem with this, web development and scripting have been an amateur interest for years. It only makes sense that these may converge into a passion for generative art.
What got me started on the deep, deep… DEEP rabbit hole of generative art and other computer-generated goodies was one of my favorite artists, Mario Klingemann (alias Quasimondo). His art specializes in generative adversarial networks (GAN’s) scripted in C+ and python, particularly one called StyleGAN. These are the cutting edge of artificially intelligent neural networks. The result is an organic, machine-hallucination of any image library its creator trains it on.
This had me thinking, what will life be like after AI? The future from here on out will be us coexisting with them. They will creep closer and closer to us until we no longer work, or they decide to enslave us.
I’m not as interested in the doomsday latter, but rather what will art look like when AI has the conceptual and practical capability to replace all human labor? Will we be launched into a renaissance of ideas and post-capitalist ideas? Where will humans fall when they are not “needed?”
Through my exploration of capstone ideas, I intend on elaborating on a graphic deliverable to address some of these topics. This may involve setting up my own GAN, or exploring some historical analysis of these types of societal shifts.
