This month’s artistic excursion has been produced by our very own Andy Teasdale. You may have noticed recent hype surrounding A.I. art generators and the furor that it has brought to the artist community – some have embraced it while others have filed lawsuits. Andy decided to grab it by the teeth and produce a full collection of work.
The themes of the pieces encompass the topics of machine intelligence, creation, birth, mind & consciousness. Is it art? – we’ll let you decide…
The exhibition will be on display from 25th February until 14th April (Good Friday) 2023 and has been masterfully printed by Lampeter’s Y Stwidio Brint.
For those of you who don’t know any other side of Andy beyond the guy who keeps the Mulberry Bush’s shelves stocked, he happens to have had an internationally successful career as VJ, stage designer, and projection engineer.
And now, to get you in the mood, here’s a short poem composed by A.I. in the style of Chaucer for this exhibition:
Whan that newe technologiese doth springe, Folks feele a mix of bothe hope and drede,
As with the printynge press and photographie, And with the internet and social mede.
With printynge, came a wider scope of lore,
Yet caused concern for those in power’s keep,
Who feared that knowledge spread too much and more, And broke the chains of hierarchy and steep.
And photographie, too, caused great delight, In capturing life’s beauty and its art,
Yet some did worry, with good reason’s sight, That it could deceive and tear truth apart.
And now, with text prompt to image AI,
The same concerns arise from folks anew,
Of spreading falsehoods and deep-faked supply, And of its impact on our point of view.
Yet, history shows us, too, the good they bring,
A democratization of knowledge’s power,
New art and new ways to spread a message’s wing, And possibility that each new hour.
So, let us talk of potential, the boon and the bane, And strive to use these tools with care and heart, To make the future brighter, without any strain, And play our part, to make a better start.
