As with so many topics today, discussions about synthetic images or ‘AI Art’ are often polarised (and, at times in my humble opinion, completely bonkers!) This November, Photofusion have once again invited artist Chris Le Messurier and me to lead an online workshop exploring developments and adaptations of this divisive media. We aim to provide a measured and informed space to examine the intersections of AI, art, imagery, and technology. Our goal is to encourage participants to reflect on their own positions: Where do you stand on these issues? How certain are you about your views? How are you using AI, if at all? Should you be? Is there a default ‘look’? If so, do you lean in or resist it? What is the status of photography and art now that anyone and everyone can create images, text and even code with the help of machines? We’ll also highlight artists who are using AI in innovative and unexpected ways. Come and join us for a nuanced exploration and broaden your understanding of the questions and conundrums this sometimes overwhelming technology elicits.
You can book on Photofusion’s website where you will also find links to some optional pre-course reading.
Previously, the workshops were aimed at photographers beginning to think about utilising AI in their practice. This time, the course is open to practitioners at all levels, but who are interested in thinking about the context in which generative technology operates, and placing this in a wider discussion about aesthetics and ethics. We will also discuss why we work with various forms of contemporary and traditional media, and how generative technologies complement our practice. We will, of course, touch on some of the vitriol. For instance, in an article titled California Forever or the Aesthetics of AI Images that went viral early this year, the author, Varnelis, asks, “Why is it that so much of what is commonly called AI “art” is kitsch?” Prominent researcher/artist Lev Manovich (2024), on the other hand, insists there is no such thing as an AI aesthetic. Ben Davis in his book ‘Art in the After Culture titled “AI Aesthetics and Capitalism” (2022; 54-65) seems to implicitly disagree.
Image 2. Sarah-Jane Field (2024)
Click to book on Photofusion’s website! (Note, the workshop is online and you will need a secure internet connection to attend.)
Sign up for the course and join in the conversation or come along hear from others. Learn some new skills, hear differences of opinions, and challenge your assumptions!
Refs:
Davis, B. (2022) Art in the After-Culture Capitalist Crisis and Cultural Strategy. La Vergne: Haymarket Books.
Manovich, L. (2024) LevManovich on Instagram: … Talk title: “There is no AI Aesthetics.” https://uva-live.zoom.us/j/84085417677 Summer School Program: https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/SummerSchool2024’, Instagram. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/C83ru8XNYUj/ (Accessed: 30 August 2024).
Varnelis, K. (2023) ‘On Art and the Universal, II’, varnelis.net, 13 June. Available at: https://varnelis.net/on-art-and-the-universal-ii/ (Accessed: 30 August 2024).