Reading and Video Assignment Response
According to Golan Levin’s article and his speech, the development of technology and algorithm has been transformed much of the human activities into a form of interactive art. Not only allowing people to “communicate” with the machine in various forms but also see another sort of interpretation of their activities under the scope of the computer vision. Take for instance of the use of body gestures, sounds, and other human behavior as input and through a complicated transformation process, people are able to be their own actor in the new pattern of art and perceive it through innovated ideas. As the machine is able to simulate human behaviors, I wondered whether advanced technology is able to let machine self-generate new form of art without the intervention of human through learning by itself.
Presentation: Faceless Portraits Transcending Time by AICAN + Dr. Ahmed Elgammal
Faceless Portraits Transcending Time was presented by HG Contemporary, New York during February 13 – March 5, 2019. This was an art collaboration between an artificial intelligence named AICAN and its creator, Dr. Ahmed Elgammal. “The exhibition shows two series of works on canvas portraying uncanny, dream-like imagery generated by AICAN excavating the ageless themes of mortality and representation of the human figure” (HG Contemporary). The two series have examined into two different topics of human-machine collaboration: first, “the joint effort between man and machine as a historically specific moment in the chronology of image-making”; second, “a focus on how artificial intelligence serves as a mirror to reflect human (sub)consciousness”.
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- AICAN
AICAN is a complex algorithm that draws from psychological theories of the brain’s response to aesthetics and using art historical knowledge to create new artwork without human intervention. It can be working without an artist collaborator which will automatically choose a style, subject, composition, colors, and texture of its work. Due to this combination of knowledge with its independent creativity, AICAN facilitates a new way for artists of the past and present to engage in dialogue across centuries of art history.
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- Summary
The best way to avoid being judged on the merits of a work of art is to make it novel and unexpected. While machine learning can chronologically arrange artistic portraits of styles including Renaissance, Baroque, Realism, Impressionism, etc., it can strengthen its ability and create a new form of art through learning by itself. In addition to this remarkable achievement, technologies such as AICAN can predict upcoming art trends based on current popular art techniques and styles, which makes AICAN and similar artificial intelligence a valuable business in the future art field.
Presentation Link
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1K2i6qw1hEAVK-20pA37dUQO68Vrh4Hxd4dHyp1hM7CI/edit?usp=sharing
Reference
HG Contemporary, New York, Faceless Portraits Transcending Time. (2019). [PDF]. Available at: https://uploads.strikinglycdn.com/files/3e2cdfa0-8b8f-44ea-a6ca-d12f123e3b0c/AICAN-HG-Catalogue-web.pdf
Bogost, I. (2019). The AI-Art Gold Rush Is Here. [online] The Atlantic. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/03/ai-created-art-invades-chelsea-gallery-scene/584134/