Man/Machine: Working with A.I. and other tools.

The work in these folios emerged out of a relationship between an artist and “a machine”.

This work has been created using software, and Artificial Intelligence as tools.

Why the work, now?

Our own history is shaped by the fictions we tell ourselves. We grow into our personal stories embellished by age, grace, time and fading memory. Our collective history is no different.

Truth is now fungible, relative and subjective. This is as much cultural and political as it is inter-personal. No longer is there a common touchstone of absolute truth. But, has there ever been one?

My work over the past decade has explored the fictions of history. Fictions that feel real but may not be. Glancing at an image reveals a surface iconography of feeling, of nostalgia, of past history. But looking closer, the flaws can reveal hidden meanings and mysterious reflections.

My visual work exists in that grey zone between artifice and traditional photography.

Our creative tools are constantly evolving. Automatic cameras, robot sculptors, 3d printing, augmented reality, have enabled artists to push the conversation about creative “purity” into another murky zone. Where do the tools begin and the artist’s intentions end?

These works are made in a relationship with the “machine”. Shaping the input and output and using photographic sensibilities, techniques and history, I explore the use of Artificial Intelligence (Stable Diffusion, MidJourney) to expand my visual thinking as I adjust, rephrase, add modifications, specifics and tailor the output until it feels right.

Prompts, poetics, descriptives, technical modifiers and formatting contribute to the end result which are adjusted, shifted and changed then filtered through additional software.

The work continues my exploration of art, science and technology to better understand the blurring of truth and fiction.

Jeremiah Chechik 2023

Tools include Photoshop, Lightroom, Fractal Architect, Boris, Luminar Neo, Stability Diffusion, Mid-Journey, ChatGpt-4, Dalle 2, Unreal Engine, Topaz, World Creator 2, Adobe Substance. The Monochrome work is printed using the Piezography process with handmade carbon inks by Jon Cone on Hahnemühle fine art papers. Some works are printed on copper coated aluminum or glass.