“In the beauty of art, the ingenuity of mankind is exemplified; such subtle intricacies displayed in the expressions of style, movements, and emotions impeccably capture the true nature of one’s soul and its creative elasticity.” - Mary Ajide
The Call
I was awakened to the sound of my phone at 4.10 am Dublin, Irish time.
“Why would an human being call me at this ungodly hours?” I muttered to myself. With my eyes half-opened, I picked up my cell phone and spoked groggily, “Hello?” I was surprised by the eloquence of my voice, having been abruptly awoken from a deep slumber.
“Hello, I am certain I am speaking with Mary. I must apologise; I forgot that it would be the early hours of the morning in your time zone,” uttered a stentorian voice on the other end, presumably male and middle-aged.
“I need to convey to you,” the voice paused with slight exaggeration, “you have been selected as a winner of the ‘Veritas Fides Fortitudo’ award. Congratulations.”
I was dumbfounded, I thought it was a joke or prank call, so I listened without replying, or perhaps I couldn’t reply.
The masculine voice continued, “I was particularly impressed by your exemplary depiction of integrating Artificial Intelligence into Art, and importantly, the story behind the creation of the art. We, as artists expressing style, emotions, and dimensions – a community always seeking, discovering, and innovating new creative ways of expressing art – strongly believe you have conveyed to us a new expressive form of art.”
I thought to myself, “No it isn’t a joke,” I recalled that I had recently embarked on a new interest in expressing AI as a form of art. It began with my daily use of advanced machine learning to study the intricacies of interfacial surfaces, which led to my venture into AI by utilising it as an “expression of art.” I realised that an attempt at integrating AI into art had transformed into an innovative form of art movement and styles. Then, it dawned on me, 'An A.I.-Generated Picture Won an Art Prize - Integration of AI into Art: In all of her essence.'
I became astonished! I replied with a shaky, high-pitched voice, “Thank you for appreciating my concept of art. As a Chemical Engineer and more so, a researcher, I continuously research various exciting applications of machine learning and AI. Although I also notice the dangers behind the use of AI, I utterly believe that the beauty of AI can be expressed through art. This began my journey of expressing the use of AI for digital art, having been inspired by a lot of notable artists’ work.”
The Day of Creation
It was a gloomy day when I woke up. I walked the few steps to my room’s window and I slowly opened it to see the clouds heavy with rain. With a gush of violent wind from the weather, my window was shut closed, and I hoped the clouds would clear, and the bright rays of sunlight would shine through. Although, given the erratic Dublin weather, I was pessimistic about the sudden change in weather. To my complete astonishment, few hours later, the sun came out, albeit still cold, and it became a beautiful day. I was grateful.
On that random day, I began my daily tasks with a brief morning meditation and indoor workout. After setting my goals for the next day and briefly working on my research projects and other interests. I embarked on one of my hobbies – the creation of art movements and styles. This time around, I was more compelled towards digital arts. Having being inspired by famous artist of all time such as Rembrandt, who evokes through his portraits the innermost thoughts of his subjects, and other notable artist whose work I admire including Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Jean-Antoine Watteau, Frida Kahlo, Georges Seurat, Jackson Pollock Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Yayoi Kusama (Weaver & Halle, 2023), and African artists such as Wangechi Mutu, who integrates African culture with elements of science fiction. Other African artists include Thandiwe Muriu, Ntombephi Ntobela, El Anatsui, Chéri Samba, Julie Mehretu (Trancart, 2022). Their art creations are unbelievably timeless.
The inclination
As a researcher in the field of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, I often employ advances in Machine Learning to study the interfaces of water models, interfacial systems, and materials. Quite an exciting journey in itself because alongside that, I also perform molecular simulation of solid-state and solid-liquid interfaces while evaluating interfacial and solid-state bulk properties via ab-initio and classical molecular simulation, and executing parallel solid-state and interfacial-system molecular simulation, using both empirical potential and density functional theory.
Well, quite a succinct description of what I do as a researcher, albeit my other interest.
Having discovered several advantages of implementing machine learning into my research projects, I began exploring AI in particular, understanding large language models and how generative AI works, which led to me understanding the benefits and danger imposed by AI. As much as it is necessary to utilise AI as a force for good, technological advancement is certainly still required for the progression of mankind in this century and the next century to come. Its benefits can be wisely cultivated for good. I became inclined towards expressing AI as an impactful tool, where the beauty of its potential can be expressed through a new lens of an expressive form of art.
References
Trancart, F.-X. (2022) 10 artistes africains à connaître absolument !, Artsper Magazine. Available at: https://blog.artsper.com/en/a-closer-look/10-african-artists-you-absolutely-must-know/ (Accessed: 12 April 2024).
Weaver, S. and Halle, H. (2023) Most famous artists of all time, from Michelangelo to Warhol, Time Out New York. Available at: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/art/most-famous-artists-of-all-time (Accessed: 13 April 2024).
Image source: Mary Taiwo Ajide Gallery
Artist: Mary Taiwo Ajide
Collection Title: In all of her essence
Collection File: MTAG22 - Fusion of AI and Art
Reference this as: Mary T. Ajide (2024) "Veritas Fides Fortitudo" art exhibition [artwork generated using Leonardo.AI], 'An A.I.-Generated Picture Won an Art Prize - Integration of AI into Art: In all of her essence.', DOI: https://maryajide.com
In all of essence: exemplifies a woman who overcomes all trials with formidable strength. So graceful was her response to life’s ordeals; a burden so heavy to bear, yet with grace, she perseveres. Amidst the storm, she slowly blossoms – a life exemplifying resilience.
Additional message
" It is important for me to state that while it was imperative for me to express my journey of integrating AI into Art through a blog post, I was completely astonished to receive the beautifully crafted award depicted below. My exploration of the intersection of AI with various fields of study has blossomed with the fusion of Art and AI."
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