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AI world by Brigadoon Dispatch:
vintage photographs from the future

ART

AI world by Brigadoon Dispatch:
vintage photographs from the future

Photo credit: Brigadoon Dispatch

Text: Anna Mar

May 15 2023

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Photo credit: Brigadoon Dispatch

Text: Anna Mar

May 15 2023

SHARE ARTICLE

AI art is a fascinating field that explores the intersection between artificial intelligence and artistic expression. The rapid progress in machine learning algorithms continues to improve, and very soon we will see even more impressive and interesting examples of art. Whether it can ever completely replace traditional forms of artistic expression is debatable. But there is no denying that it opens new horizons for innovation and creativity available to everyone.

Today we want to introduce you to an interesting account, The Brigadoon Dispatch, run by Ryan Taylor, a designer, artist and entrepreneur from Toronto.

Can you tell us a little bit about you, your background and how you got interested in AI?

I studied the visual arts at university with a focus on photography, sculpture and digital media. This was just prior to when digital cameras were hitting the market and in the very early days of Photoshop — so I spent a lot of time in the dark room experimenting with developing film and photographs manually. I then completed a post grad in digital media which at the time was the general catchall term for UX / UI design. Over the years I have worked primarily doing graphic & interactive design, with some short stints in the film industry. For the last 10 years I have been doing furniture and lighting design under my own brand Object/Interface (www.objectinterface.ca). I started using AI to extend the life of my product photos for marketing purposes, but had so much fun using it, I created The Brigadoon Dispatch as a creative writing outlet.

What does AI mean to you?

AI for me, specifically the image generation, is a tool that has allowed me to combine all of my previous education and work experience into a single entity. It is a convergence of creative thoughts that I otherwise hadn’t fully been capable of executing due to logistical and budgetary constraints. To me using AI has been an eye-opening creative experience.

How is your AI art different from that of other AI artists? What makes them unique?

I’m not entirely sure, maybe you could tell me… But I think my work has an aesthetic that is somewhat real, but with just enough whimsy or surrealism to allow people to get lost in them momentarily as little cinematic vignettes. While some images a more real than others I’m not trying to trick people into thinking that they are actual photographs and the content isn’t so far detached from real life that you can still find things in them that are relatable. They aren’t glossy, they have an appeal of vintage photographic memories that most people can probably identify with and then in combination with the captions I write for each, viewers always seem to find something about them to connect with.

Could you walk us through your creative process? Which special prompts do you use to create your AI artwork?

I usually have a general theme or scenario in mind that I want to create, and then it becomes a collaborative effort with the AI by making small changes to the prompts. The prompts are mix of technical photographic commands and embellished hyperbole. I then go through a process of photo editing to select the best images that were generated whether based on overall quality or dynamic of the images, depending on if it’s something I feel I will be able to take further. I then pack them away and let them dance around in the back of my head until one day I get inspired to write a caption for each.

Opponents of AI argue that using AI to create art takes away the emotional or personal connection that artists bring to their work. What can you say in response to this belief?

The same thing was probably argued when photography was invented — with the push of a button art was dead. I like this quote by Ansel Adams which I think can be used to sum up just about any art form: “You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”

Do you think that AI is a tool that can enhance human creativity or do you see it as a replacement for human artists?

It could easily be both, but it currently depends on how the human operator wishes to use it and if the end user/consumer/audience is willing to accept it.

Some people worry that AI-generated art will lead to a homogenization of the art world, with all pieces looking the same. What do you think about this?

Well, there are also a lot of artists in the world creating similar looking or sounding work without the use of AI whether by accident or mimicry, so I don’t think that’s a completely valid argument. AI is constantly evolving and learning, so the potential options of output will continue to advance in combination with creative input from humans wanting to create unique work.

How do you see the relationship between AI-generated art and traditional art? Do you think they can coexist peacefully, or will one eventually overtake the other?

The possibilities are endless for each in their own right and then in combination it truly can become infinite. Eventually another new technology or medium will come along compounding onto everything prior and people will be asking the same thing again and again.

Creating AI art seems very easy to many people, but is it? What does it take to create an interesting image? Give advice for beginners.

My 9-year-old asked me to help him with his long division math homework, but I got stressed out and had to get his 11-year-old brother to teach him how to do it. Everyone has unique strengths and weaknesses, that being said, there is nothing holding anyone back from possibly creating great images with AI, it’s very democratic, but I think those most suited to it will be photographers, artist or designers who from experience will have a better understanding of how to manipulate it as tool and speak its language. It’s a collaborative effort working with AI — you can’t force it to try create something exactly as you envisioned it, you need to let it guide you somewhere that you may not have necessarily been expecting to open up further creativity. Personally, I think what people struggle with the most is the inability to photo edit, for example; the ability to curate or select the good usable images. It can get overwhelming and I am a victim of that at times as well.

And the last question. What new developments or breakthroughs do you expect from AI?

I have no idea; I’m still getting my head around the fact that it exists in its current form! When I first used AI it reminded me of the first time I developed a photograph in the dark room — after exposing the paper you put the blank white piece of paper in a chemical bath, and then magically right before your eyes and in a matter of seconds an image appears. AI has recreated that magical experience for me.

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