Still from ‘Entangled II’
I was privileged to be invited to speak again at the THU conference in Malta, this time on the main stage talking about my explorations using machine learning (AI) as a ‘creative collaborator’ in my artistic process. The talk, weighing in at a hefty 75 minutes, explored the genesis of this body of work, my early steps (and missteps) in this emerging medium, and how I’ve started integrating it into my artistic practice.
Hyperbolic Composition I with drawing underlaid (left)
The talk included a behind-the-scenes look at the inspiration, production and labour that went into the pieces for the Artist+AI: Figures and Form exhibition. I was also excited to show, for the first time, a number of my fun, early experiments that compelled me to dig deeper into the potential of these new tools.
AI musings from a sketchbook
Even though much of the talk revolved around how powerful these digital tools are, I am a firm believer in the intrinsic value of analog mediums and I am especially committed to drawing as means of visual exploration and ideation.
My sketchbooks (an armful shown below) are my visual playground – full of scribbles, sketches, sprawling mindmaps, plans and lots of coffee stains. In one of them I rediscovered the original mindmap (above) brainstorming ideas for this exhibition. Two years old, it foreshadowed about 90% of the work that was eventually produced for the show – sculpture, moving image, and prints. The seeds were planted haphazardly but grew in fits and starts over two years of technical and creative exploration until they were mature enough to exhibit.
Keep and use sketchbooks (but you have to show anyone what’s inside)
Talking about the creation of ‘Humanity (Fall of the Damned’)