Category: Exhibitions

The Bloomcore 100

In a small frenzy of activity over the last two months I’ve curated 100 AI-generated and AI-assisted images for a virtual exhibition on Etsy. Here’s my ‘exhibition’ title and description:

The BLOOMCORE 100:

Part PROspective, part purge, this curated collection of recent work is the result of AI fabrications that exist as a result of Deidhre’s actions in hi-tech, mathematical and philosophical spaces, about which she has little clue #self loop #strange loop.

The works are a selection from [an estimated] 100k AI images I have made over the last 12 months. The notion of AI curation as part of my creative practice is entertained here.

About Bloomcore

According to the leaked list of Midjourney AI styles bloomcore is “Aesthetic celebrating the beauty of blooming flowers and nature”. It’s one of the many current trends under the botanical aesthetic umbrella.

The spiral for me into bloomcore began with granny chic, then cottagecore, then cottagepunk, then forestpunk and the rudimentary naturecore. For me, a generic love of flowers as motif and symbol.

Every image on DeidhreWauchopStudio at Etsy has a floral element. That was not my intent, it just happened, and I only noticed that I was making that selection at about listing #88. I suspect that the majority of the rest of the 99,900 generated images also have blooms of one sort or another.

Why blooms?

When I retired from my day job I embraced gardening, for the visuals more than the welcome contemplative act of watering, weeding, planting and propagating. Then my garden took over my artwork. Add AI into the mix and there has been a blossoming.

I use the kikyomon as a signature and certain flowers have a meaningful construction in my work. I love the maximalist nature of big, showy blooms, so too the tiny petals of the smallest blossom, especially those that have separated and are lone dots of colour on hard patinated surfaces.

The purge

A blooming purge was in order so I have set up DeidhreWauchopStudio with AI artwork digital downloads. Miles of magnolias, a wealth of wildflowers and dahlias for days.

My reasoning is that these images are artworks that satisfy a progression in my practice. On the one hand they expunge some of my maximalist tendencies; on the other they reveal to me where I’m headed.

I’d love you to visit and view.

Should you wish to own a little slice of my life at the moment I’d love you to get a 50% discount in the next week using discount code BLOOMCORE50. All proceeds of downloads go to my garden and more material blooming. I guarantee that any proceeds will not add to inflation and will support the environment. 🌸 🌸 🌸

AI curation

Just as CEOs of AI companies are warning that AI may bring about the end of humanity, I’m contemplating my role in generating AI-based works.

So many AI issues still to deal with! Putting aside the existential risk to humanity for a brief moment, today I’m attending to some of the positives for my artistic practice in the use of AI.

For reference the digital collage work below, Spoons for them 2023, has been made with the help of AI.

Spoons for them 2023

The role of the artist as curator

It occurred to me that, in the generation of AI images, I am an artist acting as curator. I’m assembling and displaying images, giving them context and meaning. It’s creative, hence the curatorial mode of practice becomes part of my creative process.

There is a familiarity here with other aspects of my practice. In my digital collages I work with multiple images, actions, patterns, marks and blends that are digitally generated and/or manipulated. I use digital tools and I make choices about the use of these tools and techniques which help develop the meaning or narrative in the work.

Much of the AI work I’m doing at the moment involves using my own work as a starting point, curating a series of prompts, curating outputs and then feeding back to the Bot in a lengthy loop of generation.

The images in Spoons for them 2023 come from a complex set of prompts, potentially no two alike. I have collected and catalogued many more generated images of spoons, and the ones selected above fit the concept and intention of the work.

Curating an exhibition of AI work

The blurring of curatorial and creative practice in this space lends itself to exhibition. I can see a future where Bot and I exhbit our work. The creative intention is mine as Curator, the execution is primarily Bot’s as Lead Fabricator, and the Artist attribution exists conceptually—and shared by both of us.