Creative Dialogues | Episode 2: Anna Ridler & Lex Fefegha | Runway Studios
TLDRIn this episode of Creative Dialogues, artists Anna Ridler and Lex Fefegha discuss their experiences with AI in art. They emphasize the importance of understanding AI as a complex system rather than a mere tool, and the necessity of craftsmanship in creating meaningful art. Ridler shares her project involving tulips and AI, highlighting the human element in AI decision-making. Fefegha draws parallels between gardening and AI, noting the unpredictability and appreciation of the creative process. Both artists advocate for the storytelling aspect of art and the potential for AI to diversify beyond a 'homogeneous thing'.
Takeaways
- 🤖 AI is not just a tool, but a complex way of understanding the world, according to the speaker.
- 🕒 The speaker finds the time constraints of AI projects challenging, emphasizing the need for more than just a few days to submit work.
- 🎨 The speaker values the process of working with machine learning, considering it as a system of different interconnected parts.
- 👀 The audience's understanding of the technology is important to the speaker, who aims to convey the capabilities of AI through their work.
- 🌷 In a Netherlands project, the speaker used GANs to generate a 'tulip look', highlighting the importance of presenting the data set as an artwork.
- 🎥 The speaker's film aimed to visualize dreams, showing the human element in AI decision-making.
- 👎 The speaker noticed a change in audience perception when AI involvement was revealed, suggesting that some may value traditional craft over AI-generated work.
- 🌱 The process of creating with AI is compared to gardening, requiring planning and acceptance of unpredictability.
- 🎨 The speaker emphasizes the importance of storytelling and meaning in art, which is crucial for it to become a piece of art.
- 📸 The speaker's artwork 'The D' captures black men in South London, inspired by a photographer who documented early British hip-hop.
- 🌐 The speaker hopes for a future where AI in art is as diverse as photography genres, rather than a monolithic entity.
Q & A
What does Anna Ridler find appealing about working with machine learning in her artwork?
-Anna Ridler finds machine learning to be a beautiful and complex way of understanding the world. It's not just about applying it as a tool to artwork but thinking about it as a system and a series of different systems.
How does Lex Fefegha perceive the time frame given for submitting work in the context of AI?
-Lex Fefegha mentions receiving an email stating there were 2 days to submit work, which they find not to be plenty of time in the world of AI, implying that AI processes can be time-consuming and intricate.
Why did Anna Ridler decide to present her tulip dataset as an artwork itself?
-After creating a dataset of 10,000 photographs of tulips, Anna Ridler realized it was important to present this dataset as an artwork in its own right, leading to a massive installation that showcases the process and effort behind AI creation.
What was the reaction of a viewer when they learned the film they were watching was made with AI tools?
-Initially, the viewer was impressed with the film, but after learning it was made with AI tools, their opinion changed to disliking the film, indicating a possible bias or misconception about AI's role in art.
How does Anna Ridler relate the process of using AI in her work to gardening?
-Anna Ridler compares AI to gardening by emphasizing the need for planning and creating the right conditions for something to happen. She also acknowledges the unpredictability and the need to appreciate the outcome, even if it's not perfect.
What was the inspiration behind Lex Fefegha's artwork 'The D'?
-Lex Fefegha's artwork 'The D' was inspired by a photographer named nsky, who captured early British hip-hop and black culture. Lex wanted to reflect on and contribute to this legacy using his own medium.
What does Lex Fefegha believe is essential for an image to become a piece of art?
-Lex Fefegha believes that for an image to become a piece of art, it has to have meaning and tell a story, emphasizing the importance of narrative and context in art.
How does Anna Ridler view the future of AI in the art world?
-Anna Ridler hopes that AI will not be seen as a homogeneous thing but as a diverse space with various applications and styles, similar to the evolution of photography into different genres like portraiture and documentary.
What is the significance of the human role in the AI decision-making process according to the artists?
-The artists emphasize that there is a human being involved in the AI decision-making process, suggesting that the human element is crucial and should be acknowledged in AI-generated art.
How do the artists address the misconception that AI automatically makes one great at creating art?
-The artists clarify that AI is not a magic tool that automatically enhances one's ability to create art. They stress that skill and understanding of the medium are still essential for creating meaningful and impactful art.
Outlines
🤖 AI as a Complex Understanding Tool
The speaker expresses a deep appreciation for machine learning as a sophisticated method to comprehend the world, rather than a mere enhancement or filter for their artwork. They emphasize the importance of the context in which their AI-generated work is presented and exhibited, highlighting a project in the Netherlands involving generative adversarial networks (GANs) and tulip photographs. The speaker also discusses the human element in AI decision-making and the impact of revealing the use of AI tools on audience perception. They stress that skill and craftsmanship remain crucial, comparing the AI creative process to gardening, where planning and conditions set the stage for unexpected outcomes. The narrative touches on the importance of storytelling and meaning in art, using 'The Dends' artwork as an example, which captures black men in South London, inspired by early British hip-hop culture.
🌟 The Future of AI in Art: Beyond Homogeneity
In this paragraph, the speaker anticipates the evolution of AI in the art world, hoping for a future where AI is not seen as a monolithic tool but as a diverse and expansive space for creativity. They express a desire for AI to become an integral part of various artistic disciplines, such as portraiture and documentary photography, and to avoid being pigeonholed into a single, uniform application. The paragraph suggests a vision where AI is embraced for its potential to enrich and diversify artistic expression, rather than being a one-dimensional addition to the creative process.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡AI
💡Machine Learning
💡GAN
💡Art Installation
💡Dream Visualization
💡Crafting Skill
💡Gardening
💡Perfection
💡Documentary Photography
💡Meaning
💡Homogeneous
Highlights
AI is not just a tool to speed up processes but a complex way of understanding the world.
The artist finds excitement in AI as a system and series of different systems.
Audience understanding of technology capabilities is a significant focus of the artist's work.
The importance of how the work is installed and exhibited in a certain context is emphasized.
A project in the Netherlands involved generating a look using a GAN with 10,000 photographs of tulips.
The artist realized the importance of presenting the AI dataset as an artwork itself.
AI decision-making involves a human being in the chain, as visualized in a dream film.
The audience's perception can change based on the knowledge of AI usage in the artwork.
Crafting skill remains important, and generative AI is not a magic tool for automatic greatness.
AI and gardening share similarities in planning and the unpredictability of outcomes.
The artist does not seek perfection in AI art and warns against that expectation.
An artwork called 'The D' captures black men in South London, inspired by early British hip-hop.
Craft in art is about the story and meaning behind the image to make it a piece of art.
There is a shift from photography to portraiture, documentary, and landscape photography.
The artist hopes AI will evolve into a diverse field, not a homogeneous one.
The future of AI in art should not just be about technical proficiency but also storytelling.