As a visual artist, I try to evoke curiosity of the audience in regards to their own inner universe and the common universe that we inhabit. I hope to encourage the audience to let their mind wander and make free associations. Free associations are the emergence of connections to experiences of the past. When we look at abstract shapes, random or natural patterns, we liken them to other things. Usually, the same people observing the same thing will initially make associations similar to each other’s, if they, however, remain with the free-associative activity, they will soon start making associations that are increasingly their own. These personal associations are unique in their relationship to the individuals world of meanings, and their memories of the past.

 

My fluid dynamic visuals are particularly inviting in this regard. I, therefore, wanted to experiment with BigbiGAN,

to see what kind of associations, this generative model would make.  Upon analyzing the features of an image, BigbiGAN  makes a guess as to what it’s seeing and then generates the image of what it assumes to be seeing. By design, the network makes use of its experience of having been shown similar images. Although devoid of consciousness and therefore meaning, the network is sharing its experiences of the past with us. 

 

The results were obtained after many experiments in Runway, which incorporates an implementation of BigbiGAN.