By Joe Crystal (@iamjoecrystal)
A brief look into the integration of Ai generated imagery and how it’s informing new visual experiences - for better, or for worse?
In particular, we are focused around the works of the acclaimed German multi-media graffiti artist BOND TRULUV. A pioneer within bridging the gap between new technologies and good ol' fashion painted walls.
The series of screenshots below were taken from a recent Instagram post of @bondtruluv where he publicly shared his work flow, which started from searching an Ai image generator - a topic that has become a recent trend amongst industries.
The following screenshot shows the algorithms best interpretation of the users prompts. Bond then proceeds to render this algorithmic art using his familiar medium of the spray can. The last screenshot is the final output and shows Bond bringing his more recognisable style and techniques back into the context of the Ai piece.
As a graffiti writer myself, the Ai lettering displays ignorance, which in my opinion is a good thing for now - however, just as we condition our own eye through the exposure to work that is of a higher level than our own. The algorithm is no different, and through continually inputing data sets of increasing refined style and taste, the computer will be soon creating outputs that don’t feel as naive within their execution.
“Bottom line: I just hope real life experiences are not dying out.”
The Instagram caption that Bond posted alongside this piece offers an interesting insight into his own mindset on such topics, I have copied it below, enjoy.
“log out, go paint something, meet friends, do something silly and laugh about it.”
“I´m oscillating between fear and excitement when it comes to the recent evolution of a variety of new AI image generators. Fear because of the disruptive and dystopic potential, not only for the creative industry and the already often rather precarious situation of visual artists but also culturally, where we continue to outsource our core features increasingly to algorithms. And yet there is excitement for these new tools and ways to implement and experiment with them. Merge them with own ideas and expand our own graphical explorations, since after all, they only generate what is ours already.
With new technologies there often comes a certain - healthy - distrust. Photography didn´t die with the rise of digital cameras and people adapted to it. Analog photography still is around.
Anyways; what's technically possible will be done if there is money to be made. Whether we like it or not. And I have the feeling that techy trends become shorter overall so we'll probably look back soon, shaking or head about this.
Bottom line: I just hope real life experiences are not dying out. They are becoming less important, it seems though. This being said: log out, go paint something, meet friends, do something silly and laugh about it. My two cents.”