An ongoing repository of my experimental visual practice and exploration of new technical tools, with a focus on AI-aided and procedural processes.
#1
AI-rendered pizzas
In this series of animations I look at the possibility of creating radically different looks from the same basic starting point.
A plain 3D model of a slice of pizza is rendered in different styles: a pencil sketch, a psychedelic painting, a rubbery pastel scene. Or it can look like it is made of clouds, or moss, or brain matter. The system is flexible, and can reproduce infinite looks through a combination of text prompts and visual references.
It is also possible to transition seamlessly between different styles, for example from a photo-realistic pizza slice to one made of dreamy galaxies and stars.
#2
MRI re-imagined
This visual experiment uses MRI scans of my wrist as a starting point.
The clinical images are re-imagined as colourful moulds, dreamy meadows in the sunset, aerial views of landscapes.
#3
Collage style transfer
Can we take an existing, elaborate aesthetic and apply it to several outputs in a consistent and selective way?
In these explorations I use some of my analog, paper collages as a starting point and use their style to generate completely new images, or alter existing ones. In the process, new visual elements emerge. Patterns and motifs from the collages transform into materials’ textures; brush strokes come to life as abstract sculptures.
Here an abstract watercolour and the collage used as style reference are synthesised to generate a new image.
Changing one of the inputs will yield new interesting results. We can play with the look while maintaining a consistent composition.
In the examples below, the first input is changed to a 3D render.
The colours and textural qualities still come from the collage style reference.
#4
Selective style transfer & animation
Diving deeper into the possibilities of style transfer, here I look at how the aesthetics from two of my collages can be applied to specific portions of an image, while still generating a unified result.
Sound: Valley Heights - soundcloud.com/valleyheights
I use an animated mask to separate the image into four quadrants, two for each style; the output images are then merged into a stop-motion style animation.
In this example, the two collage styles are applied following a different mask, with a circular pattern. The system still outputs coherent clothing and background elements.
#5
From sketch to image
This series of images was generated using a hand-drawn sketch as a starting point. Endless options of colours, backgrounds, and styles can be explored by refining the prompt or through image references.
This set is inspired by Hindu murti, devotional images and icons of deities, that can be seen in temples and shrines. These figures often take sinuous poses, with multiple arms holding ritual objects. I represent them here as playful objects of coloured clay, each slightly different and unique.
From this output, I printed a selection of images on thick art paper.
I then used coloured threads, beads and fabric to add another layer to the finished artwork, further blending the digital and physical media.
#6
Shifting tunnels
For this experiment I started off with footage I took in the Barbican walkways in London, then used Stable Diffusion to transform them into concrete and jungle tunnels.
The shift from concrete to jungle was guided by a simple animated mask. I then edited different iterations together to create a longer format tunnel journey.
