Art is the highest form of hope ~ Gerhard Richter
Hope is a weapon ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
There are a lot of opinions and conversations about Artificial Intelligence in the art world and beyond. I want to share my thoughts. AI is here to stay and for better or worse, it is unavoidable. Does AI have a place in the arts? Maybe, but not in my work. AI can generate beautiful works by formula, but lacks the feel, touch and heART that only an artist's hand contains. That I have my hands all over my work matters to me. It means I am sharing a part of myself with my audience.
My biggest issue with AI in the arts is that it is soulless. It has no heART. These are the reasons I create. My soul demands to be expressed in the physical world. Whether I am cutting paper for my cards, making birds, painting, jotting down a haiku or sewing fabrics I care deeply about how my hands relate to my material. My heart expands when I am working.
I created the paper hare and the first of the cards over 30 years ago. I am still delighted when I find the ‘right paper’ or ‘add-on’ so they are complete and represent work I am proud of. I use simple materials, paper, fabric, paint and found objects. With each creation there 10,000 decisions (maybe not an exaggeration) to be made about color, spacing, matching or mixing, enough or more. All of these decisions are part of what brings life and personal connection to my work. When you wear one of my garments, address a card or just enjoy looking at a sculpture. I want you to know I work with intentional care. I have not gone to some unfeeling robotic source to participate with my art or crafts. I still use scissors to cut the paper forms for the cards. I like touching the paper and the details I add to each design. I don’t mind when my hands get messy and sore.
As the art world grapples with automation for its instant (im)perfectly generated visuals, faster and more convenient productions the artist's voice is lost and the work loses its heART beat… its connection to one's soul. When the thing of beauty had been calculated by a formula people tend to value the work differently and extend this disregard to include all works of arts and crafts. When we have to count fingers and seek signs to verify the validity of the work we might be looking at work more closely, but for the wrong reasons. When I am drawn to a creation and find it is AI generated I feel ripped off. The object is fake, a falsehood and a trick meant to fool the viewer.
I believe people are seeking real connections with community and humanity. Perfection is not the goal for us. Right now we need to remember our human flaws, snorting laughter and heARTfelt stories. AI has no finger prints, no smells, nothing genuine to relate us to the story that impacts and inspires artists. There is no spirit in work that does not connect to an artist’s hand.
A machine may be programmed to draw an image or write a poem, but it will never feel. Never experience what it is like to create a picture or perceive the emotions behind a poem. Never understand why art makes us weep or laugh. I am suggesting it is the heARTbeat, the human stories, love of the craft and personal emotions that give a work of art its value and human connection and that is what people have been looking for all along.
~ Art Matters ~ Community Matters ~