Algorithm-Generated Image Series
In the processes of generation, selection, production, and display, the motivations underlying the works are continually questioned and reexamined. The experimental nature of these comprehensive processes does not lie in any breakthrough or innovation in the sense of visual objects. The works are, first and foremost, algorithm-generated images, only secondarily creative endeavors. Thus, it may be difficult to demand or impose meanings that transcend past human creative experiences. However, for the creator, the processes of generating visual outcomes mark a disruption and reconstruction of traditional working modes.
Based on the premise of using artificial intelligence applications to generate images from predetermined concepts, the works are divided into two parts. The first part is grounded in precise and concrete instructions, while the second part is rooted in abstract, lyrical expressions. In the former, the processes approach highly controlled manipulations of the key elements needed to construct scenes and figures. In the latter, the same expressions can result in stark contrasts across different experiments, while different expressions may lead to only subtle changes in the works’ tunings.
From this foundation of experimentation, exploration, reflection, and revision, the materialization of the works seeks to emphasize the essence of the processes themselves. The materials symbolizing electronic displays imply the virtual nature of the artificial intelligence algorithms at play. Even though the generated visual images are materialized through printing, production, exhibition, and perception, their immaterial and intangible qualities—spanning from digital creations to physical observations—remain inseparable from the works’ fundamental motivations and operational mechanisms.
At the same time, the inclination toward modular components in the production process highlights the industrialized characteristics of algorithmic creations. The homogeneous methods of industrial production are essentially identical to the generation methods of algorithmic artworks, both governed by fixed logics that control batch production. Even when there are stark visual contrasts between different outputs, the underlying logic of production and generation may remain the same. Under the influence and control of digital technologies, the boundaries between creation and production, generation and manufacturing, are gradually becoming blurred.