OLLY BROMHAM
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This is an experiment in collective imagination between the artist Olly Bromham, the unknown crowd of visitors/users of this site, and an image-generating AI called Stable Diffusion.
Visitors find prompts by the artist, querying their personal desires and dreams. They are free to respond as they like, from banal pranks to group-crafted utopian visions. For every three responses given, the AI produces a visual interpretation of the inputs, and displays it as the new background of the interface. All its outputs are logged in the Communal Daydream Archive, together with the text inputs given by its users. As a default, new visitors find the latest co-created dream as an initial background state of their interface.
The work provides a snapshot of the current state of AI-assisted image making, demonstrating not only how accessible and democratic the tools have become, but also what limitations and biases they entail. The future can not be automated, and intention remains key.
Visitors find prompts by the artist, querying their personal desires and dreams. They are free to respond as they like, from banal pranks to group-crafted utopian visions. For every three responses given, the AI produces a visual interpretation of the inputs, and displays it as the new background of the interface. All its outputs are logged in the Communal Daydream Archive, together with the text inputs given by its users. As a default, new visitors find the latest co-created dream as an initial background state of their interface.
The work provides a snapshot of the current state of AI-assisted image making, demonstrating not only how accessible and democratic the tools have become, but also what limitations and biases they entail. The future can not be automated, and intention remains key.
author
Olly Bromham is an artist and programmer based in London. He works with code, language, and found digital material to produce experiential work. His work primarily explores ideas around technology, time and artefacts.
ollybromham.com
Utopian Thinking in the dark times – Season 2: Autumn/Winter 2022 – Research Capsule by Neo-Metabolism – Editors: Georgia Kareola, Lynn Gommes, Oskar Johanson – Contributors: Damian Borovsky, Olly Bromham, Camila Chebez, Shreya De Souza, Torben Koerschkes, Max Kuwertz, Christopher Michael, Liminal Vision, Zach Whitworth, Rue Yi – Paintings: Eric L. Chen – Design: Clint Soren, dolor~puritan, Ghikhan – Published: October 2022