Nick White Photography
Open Studios - Spring 2023
This year’s Open Studio pulls together work from recent years but also features my Bacton Seal series – as always, I find the train of thought is starting to spin in different directions. The following text indicates some of the thinking involved… (Scroll across for the images).
This series represents a recent foray into the world of AI image generation using an online tool called Midjourney – you could describe it as a dialogue between me and my artificially intelligent alter ego, Andy Inkblot.
Depending on your perspective this either represents a fantastic opportunity to explore new methods of image creation to generate new stories and unforeseen connections or, on the other hand, it just completely undermines the cultural perception of western art as being the celebration and expression of individual identity through creative genius and skill. I have the utmost admiration for the latter. I am in awe of those who have that skill and who apply it in their examination of the world, but I am also open to serendipity. In truth, the ground shifted quite a while back – those dadaists and surrealists were upsetting people well over a hundred years ago with their found objects and urinals, and the role of generative art has been established in music for many years now. Take Brian Eno for example, how do you describe his work with programming loops? Is he a composer, a curator, a technician, an editor or a combination of all these things? And, why precisely, does it matter to you so much? Why do we need to define things so?
There is more to this text, but space here does not allow it… You can read it at the exhibition.
The Open Studios also features the creative basketry of Cindy Gidney