Surrealistly
Visuals by Burcov
Is it possible to speak about Surrealism 3.0?
In my view, there is more than a possibility of Surrealism 3.0 emerging. In many ways, it is already here. Thanks to ever-changing technology – especially, the advent of Artificial Intelligence – the possibilities for new artistic combinations and styles are limitless. That’s why we are already seeing a new wave of Surrealist artists experimenting in breathtaking ways.
Which surrealist works have left their mark on you the most?
What I love about surrealism is its playfulness with reality and perception — particularly regarding time and relationships. Two especially influential Surrealist pieces that helped shape my development are Salvadore Dali and Renee Magritte. Their respective “The Persistence of Memory” and “The Lovers” still wow me.
Tell us about your workflow, from concept creation to realization. And what are the main limitations you encounter in the everyday use of DALL-E?
To create a piece of AI art, I begin with an idea or concept that I want to explore. Then I feed this concept, along with precise descriptors, into the DALL-E AI tool (a service of *OpenAI*), which generates several images based on my input. From these, I select the image I think best represents my concept and then begin the realization process. This usually involves using software such as Photoshop or Procreate (iPad app) to refine the generated image. The final step is captioning my AI-assisted visualized concept in a way that helps the viewer grasp my intent.
Amazing as it is, the DALL-E tool cannot read my mind, so it’s often unable to generate the concept or idea that I intend. Then, although the image it generates might be said to technically illustrate the basic concept I described in the prompts, the result falls totally flat. Then it is necessary to either begin again from scratch or find ways to refine the AI-generated image to better embody the feeling or emotion I was aiming for.
Do you think it is possible to reach a point where Artificial Intelligence no longer needs human creative input?
Until computers can understand and interpret emotions and aesthetics the way humans do, our own creative input will be essential to generating meaningful AI art. Everything depends on specific prompts to the AI tool that originate in the artist’s’ inner depths of feeling and thought. What AI is great at is helping artists jump-start or expand their creativity by providing fresh inspiration or generating ideas that might not have otherwise occurred to them.
As you know, the use of artificial intelligence in art has brought much criticism, conflicting opinions and fears. The biggest current criticism is that “it cannot be called art”. What’s your opinion on this and what ‘making art’ means to you.
To me, AI-assisted artworks can be just as valid and meaningful as those made entirely by human hands. Think back in time to when camera-made art first began to displace painted portraits and landscapes. It was widely rejected by the formal art world then, but now no one disapproves of using digital cameras or Photoshop software to create highly valued photographic art. Similarly, the unique art being made with the help of new AI tools will be used and appreciated in different ways for different reasons as the medium evolves. What AI does very well helps the artist go beyond the normal boundaries of imagination and become more visionary.
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