October 8, 2023
Industrial Pollution's Enigmatic Allure
Industrial facilities, often associated with pollution and environmental concerns, can still serve as unconventional subjects for artistic expression. Smokestacks emitting colorful plumes of emissions and chemical reactions that create captivating patterns in the sky may not align with conventional notions of beauty, yet they possess a distinct visual allure. When we observe industrial sites through an artist's lens, we witness an almost deliberate interplay of color, form, and texture. Everything is immersed in chemical compounds that react unexpectedly, resulting in vibrant hues within plumes of smoke. Steam and mist interact with volumetric ambient light to produce otherworldly atmospheres that evolve by the minute.
During the development of these images, a thought arose: How might the aesthetic serve as a striking backdrop for something else, such as a fashion lookbook? To delve deeper into this concept, I've crafted a dedicated website that explores the interplay of juxtaposition and contradiction, challenging established notions of beauty.
Website: Industrial Pollution x Fashion
Below, you'll find the initial image series featuring industrial facilities that led to the idea for the lookbook. The mechanical precision of machinery and the geometric patterns of infrastructure can be breathtaking in their own right.
Gallery:
Posted by bsflash
Disclaimer: All imagery in this post is generated with AI tools.
June 26, 2023
Painting Images with Words
Introduction
I've always been fascinated by the endless possibilities that emerge at the intersection of art and science. Therefore, the recent advancements in AI technology, particularly AI image generators like Stable Diffusion developed by the research group CompVis at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, have not left me unaffected. Through my experiments, I realized that Text to Image, also known as text2img, resembles screenwriting or even poetry, where words become brushes painting vivid images.
Writing for the Screen
The challenge lies in crafting the right narrative or "prompt" to evoke the desired visuals. Like a storyteller weaving a tale, I narrate scenes and descriptions to the AI image generator. Every word and phrase becomes crucial, shaping the outcome of the AI-generated images. It's like describing a painting to another artist, providing them with the necessary details to recreate the vision. But beyond the process of feeding words, the true magic of AI image generation, lies in the CFG scale and the Denoising strength — both settings that grant the software, to a certain degree, the ability to interpret the so-called "Tokens", which are essentially chunks of text, much like gazing at clouds and recognizing familiar shapes. Similar to our mind identifying an elephant, a face, or a house in cloud formations, the AI model processes the tokens through advanced machine learning algorithms, discerning recognizable visual elements. It then begins to create or "hallucinate" out of clouds of noise, piecing together the interpreted tokens, thereby transforming the text into the described image.
When it comes to the limits of Text to Image, it boils down to the famous quote by Wittgenstein: "The limits of my language mean the limits of my world."
Taste and Aesthetics
The sense of aesthetics and taste are indispensable in creating captivating experiences across various artistic mediums, such as photography, painting, graphic design, fashion, and even in everyday presentations.
While AI image generators possess remarkable capabilities, they remain incapable of replacing the artistry and intuition of experienced artists. In my line of work, my sense of aesthetics plays a pivotal role in developing, refining, and enriching images, regardless of the technology employed. Understanding what makes images aesthetically pleasing is crucial, and the absence of this skill is evident in amateur artists' work, a deficiency that technology alone cannot remedy. While AI can replicate various styles and produce more or less impressive pieces, it lacks the inherent understanding of artistic principles and the discernment of when and how to utilize them, something that experienced artists cultivate over time.
Similar to a storyteller's unique voice and style, our artistic vision infuses images with emotions, meaning, and individuality, making them more relatable and appealing to the audience. AI can be a powerful tool in aiding the creative journey, assisting with ideation and production, but I don't foresee it fully guiding the process anytime soon. True creativity and insight go beyond the mere imitation of past artworks.
Confidence - and The Struggle with the Simple
Despite impressive advancements in image quality, notable challenges persist in seemingly simple tasks.
AI image generators often grapple with tasks we take for granted, such as rendering hands with natural gestures, texts, signs, or creating straight lines. These challenges serve as a reminder that AI is not perfect and may never be. Their performance heavily relies on data quality during training, leaving them susceptible to gaps or biases in the data that significantly impact the generated results.
Furthermore, AI and its developers lack a comprehensive understanding of the world, similar to everyone else. Observing things from a distance can lead to a misleading sense of comprehension, necessitating a closer examination beyond surface observation.
For instance, when the AI industry attempts to predict the future of another industry without an inside view, it may overlook seemingly simple intricacies that can easily deceive. True understanding goes beyond superficial observations and requires a deeper comprehension of the subject matter.
Conclusion:
The adventure into AI image generators has been an eye-opening exploration of technology's potential in the "creative" realm. It's a process where words transform into art, where clouds of tokens can become sometimes meaningful and captivating imagery.
However, despite the AI's capabilities, it is still not where it should be in order to be take serious by professionals. Our sense of aesthetics, our artistic vision, and our deeper understanding of principles remain invaluable. While AI offers exciting possibilities, there is still ample room for growth and improvement.
Nevertheless, AI is here to stay, and I will keep my eye on its continued evolution. Below, you will find a selection of examples created with Stable Diffusion during my experimentation with that technology.
Examples:
Posted by bsflash
Disclaimer: All imagery in this post is generated with AI tools.