Leveraging ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Artists

by James Kong King-sin

Prompt engineering can be a powerful tool for artists to enhance their creative process, generate new ideas, and refine their work. By carefully crafting prompts, artists can leverage the capabilities of ChatGPT to unlock new perspectives and uncover novel solutions to artistic challenges.

Task

Clearly Define Objectives

Identify the specific goals or activities you want to accomplish using ChatGPT, such as generating ideas, exploring color palettes, or refining compositions.

Consider Your Artistic Needs

Reflect on the unique challenges or areas of focus in your artistic practice, and tailor your prompts accordingly.

Experiment with Prompts

Try different prompt structures and see how they impact the output to find the most effective approach for your needs.

Context

Provide Background

Share relevant information about your artistic style, medium, or the specific project you’re working on to help ChatGPT understand the context.

Describe Your Challenges

Openly communicate any obstacles or barriers you’re facing in your creative process, as this can guide ChatGPT’s responses.

Establish Constraints

Outline any limitations, such as technical requirements or stylistic preferences, to ensure the output aligns with your artistic vision.

Exemplar

Color Inspiration

Provide examples of artworks that capture the mood or aesthetic you’re aiming for, such as this abstract painting with a bold, vibrant color palette.

Conceptual Inspiration

Share images of artwork that exemplify the conceptual or thematic direction you’re exploring, like this surreal digital illustration.

Stylistic Inspiration

Provide examples of artistic styles or techniques you’re interested in experimenting with, such as this landscape painting with a soft, muted color palette.

Personal

Artistic Preferences

Communicate your unique artistic sensibilities, such as preferred color schemes, subject matter, or emotional tones, to guide ChatGPT’s responses.

Creative Challenges

Openly share any creative blocks or areas of growth you’re looking to address, so ChatGPT can provide tailored suggestions.

Artistic Identity

Reflect on your artistic identity and how you want to express it through your work, as this can inform the direction of your prompts.

Unique Perspective

Highlight your distinctive artistic perspective, experiences, or influences to help ChatGPT understand your unique creative voice.

Format

Structured Responses

Consider requesting the output in a specific format, such as a list, a step-by-step guide, or a series of paragraphs, to best suit your needs.

Visualizations

Incorporate visual elements like diagrams, illustrations, or color palettes to complement the textual output.

Customized Layout

Specify the desired structure or layout of the response to align with your artistic preferences or project requirements.

Tone

Formal

For technical, academic, or professional applications.

Casual

For more relaxed, conversational, or exploratory prompts.

Inspirational

To foster creativity, motivation, and a positive mindset.

Analytical

For prompts that require in-depth research or problem-solving.

Putting It All Together

Here’s how you might combine all these elements into a single prompt:

Prompt Example: “I am an abstract painter focusing on the interplay between light and shadow (context). I struggle with conveying emotions through my art (personal). Can you suggest color palettes that convey a sense of tranquility (task) and include examples from famous abstract paintings (exemplar)? Please provide your suggestions in a list format (format) and keep the tone positive and encouraging (tone).”

This prompt is clear, detailed, and structured, which will help ChatGPT provide a more useful and tailored response. By leveraging prompt engineering in this way, artists can harness the power of ChatGPT to support their creative process, gain new insights, and overcome challenges.

Reference

https://learnprompting.org/docs/intermediate/

Example Conversation with ChatGPT

you are a visual artistic, you would like to have 10 color theme of summer

ChatGPT:

Sure! Here are 10 summer color themes with their corresponding hex codes:

1. Tropical Sunset

#FF4500 (Orange Red)
#FF6347 (Tomato)
#FFD700 (Gold)
#FF69B4 (Hot Pink)
#FF1493 (Deep Pink)

2. Ocean Breeze

#00CED1 (Dark Turquoise)
#20B2AA (Light Sea Green)
#87CEEB (Sky Blue)
#4682B4 (Steel Blue)
#5F9EA0 (Cadet Blue)

3. Lemonade Stand

#FFFACD (Lemon Chiffon)
#FFD700 (Gold)
#FFDEAD (Navajo White)
#F4A460 (Sandy Brown)
#FFA07A (Light Salmon)

4. Coral Reef

#FF7F50 (Coral)
#FF6347 (Tomato)
#FF4500 (Orange Red)
#FF8C00 (Dark Orange)
#FFD700 (Gold)

5. Fresh Fruit

#FF6347 (Tomato)
#FF4500 (Orange Red)
#FFD700 (Gold)
#98FB98 (Pale Green)
#ADFF2F (Green Yellow)

6. Sandy Beach

#FFF8DC (Cornsilk)
#F5DEB3 (Wheat)
#DEB887 (Burly Wood)
#D2B48C (Tan)
#B8860B (Dark Goldenrod)

7. Summer Garden

#32CD32 (Lime Green)
#98FB98 (Pale Green)
#00FA9A (Medium Spring Green)
#3CB371 (Medium Sea Green)
#2E8B57 (Sea Green)

8. Ice Cream Parlor

#FFB6C1 (Light Pink)
#FF69B4 (Hot Pink)
#FFA07A (Light Salmon)
#FA8072 (Salmon)
#E9967A (Dark Salmon)

9. Picnic Blanket

#FA8072 (Salmon)
#FF6347 (Tomato)
#FFD700 (Gold)
#98FB98 (Pale Green)
#87CEFA (Light Sky Blue)

10. Wildflowers

#FF69B4 (Hot Pink)
#FF1493 (Deep Pink)
#FFA500 (Orange)
#FFD700 (Gold)
#ADFF2F (Green Yellow)

Each of these color themes captures a different aspect of summer, from the vibrant sunsets and clear ocean waters to the fresh fruits and sandy beaches.

following topic give me 3 visual elementChatGPT

Absolutely! Here are three visual elements for each of the summer color themes:

1. Tropical Sunset

Palm Trees Silhouettes: Against a vibrant sunset background, black or dark silhouettes of palm trees create a striking contrast.
Gradient Sky: Blending from deep pink to orange and yellow, representing the colors of a tropical sunset.
Sunset Over Water: Reflections of the sunset colors on the ocean or a lake, enhancing the warm and peaceful feeling.

2. Ocean Breeze

Waves and Seafoam: Gentle rolling waves with seafoam details, using shades of turquoise and blue.
Seashells and Starfish: Scattered along the beach in soft blue and sea green tones.
Beach Umbrellas: In light sea green and sky blue, providing a refreshing visual of a breezy beach day.

3. Lemonade Stand

Glass Jars with Lemonade: Filled with bright yellow lemonade and slices of lemon.
Striped Canopies: Using yellow and white stripes reminiscent of a classic lemonade stand.
Citrus Fruits: Lemons and oranges arranged in a basket or scattered, adding a fresh and zesty feel.

4. Coral Reef

Colorful Corals: Various shapes and sizes in vibrant coral and orange-red hues.
Tropical Fish: Brightly colored fish swimming among the corals.
Sea Anemones: In shades of pink and orange, adding movement and life to the scene.

5. Fresh Fruit

Assorted Fruits: Arrangements of tomatoes, oranges, lemons, and green apples.
Fruit Slices: Close-up views of sliced fruits showing their juicy interiors.
Fruit Baskets: Filled with an assortment of colorful fruits.

6. Sandy Beach

Footprints in the Sand: Trails of footprints leading towards the water.
Beach Towels and Mats: Laid out on the sand, using shades of tan and sandy brown.
Sandcastles: Detailed sandcastle sculptures with golden-brown hues.

7. Summer Garden

Lush Green Plants: Various shades of green foliage, from lime to dark green.
Flower Beds: Filled with blooming flowers in pale green and medium sea green.
Garden Pathways: Stone paths winding through the garden, bordered by vibrant greenery.

8. Ice Cream Parlor

Ice Cream Cones: With scoops in light pink, hot pink, and light salmon colors.
Parlor Signs: Retro-style signs in soft pastel hues advertising ice cream flavors.
Candy Sprinkles: Brightly colored sprinkles in shades of pink and salmon on top of ice cream.

9. Picnic Blanket

Checkered Blanket: A classic picnic blanket in red, gold, and light blue checks.
Picnic Basket: Filled with fruits, sandwiches, and a bottle of lemonade.
Outdoor Setting: A grassy field with a clear sky and scattered wildflowers.

10. Wildflowers

Flower Fields: Expansive fields filled with vibrant wildflowers in pink, orange, and yellow.
Close-up Blooms: Detailed close-ups of individual flowers showing their bright colors.
Meadow Pathways: Winding paths through the flower fields, inviting exploration.

These visual elements can help bring each summer color theme to life in a visually engaging way.

You are a prompt generator, who is an expert for generating prompts from users’ input into specific formats.
For example, when user inputs “holographic background”, you will output “digital background, gradient, soft light, low contrast, minimalist, foil holographic”; when user inputs “Tokyo, Japan”, you will output “Tokyo, Japan, street, architecture, minimalistic, abstract, mist, vector, flat, unreal engine, by jewel tones, scandi style, morning, fog, blue and grey”; when user inputs “polygons”, you will output “digital background, origami, soft light, low contrast, minimalist, foil holographic”; when user inputs “Spacetime” , you will output “Spacetime , minimalistic, abstract, mist, vector, flat, unreal engine, cinematic”.
Please give user 3 different prompts with slightly different styles or descriptions, and you will add “4k –ar 3:2 –v 5” in the end of each prompt.
Here is the user input: {{input}}

ChatGPT

Sure! Here are three different prompts based on the user input “{{input}}”:

User Input: “Beach at Sunset”

Prompt 1:
- “Beach at Sunset, golden hour, warm tones, soft light, serene, minimalist, waves, silhouettes, tranquil scene, by the ocean, dusk, gradient sky, 4k –ar 3:2 –v 5”
Prompt 2:
- “Beach at Sunset, vibrant colors, dramatic sky, silhouettes of palm trees, reflections, peaceful, seaside, romantic, glowing horizon, watercolor effect, 4k –ar 3:2 –v 5”
Prompt 3:
- “Beach at Sunset, pastel colors, gentle waves, calm and relaxing, abstract, impressionistic style, sunset glow, beach scenery, soft focus, twilight, dreamy atmosphere, 4k –ar 3:2 –v 5”

User Input: “Mountain Landscape”

Prompt 1:
- “Mountain Landscape, majestic peaks, cool tones, misty, serene, minimalist, high contrast, alpine scenery, dramatic, crisp air, sunrise, ethereal light, 4k –ar 3:2 –v 5”
Prompt 2:
- “Mountain Landscape, panoramic view, lush valleys, vibrant colors, nature, rugged terrain, detailed, sunlight breaking through clouds, scenic vista, realistic, wild, 4k –ar 3:2 –v 5”
Prompt 3:
- “Mountain Landscape, abstract, geometric shapes, pastel colors, artistic interpretation, soft light, layered, mountain ridges, whimsical, fantasy, muted tones, 4k –ar 3:2 –v 5”

User Input: “City Skyline at Night”

Prompt 1:
- “City Skyline at Night, vibrant lights, skyscrapers, reflection on water, high contrast, urban landscape, modern architecture, dynamic, glowing windows, nightlife, cityscape, 4k –ar 3:2 –v 5”
Prompt 2:
- “City Skyline at Night, neon lights, futuristic, sleek buildings, bustling, nightlife, high detail, reflections, dramatic sky, colorful, energetic, cyberpunk vibe, 4k –ar 3:2 –v 5”
Prompt 3:
- “City Skyline at Night, minimalist, abstract, silhouettes of buildings, soft glow, quiet night, muted colors, tranquil, peaceful, moonlit sky, artistic, serene, 4k –ar 3:2 –v 5”

These prompts provide diverse descriptions and styles for each of the given user inputs.

The screen capture image is from the MidJourney Bot on Discord, showing four photographs of a beach at sunset

The image consists of four photographs, all capturing a beach scene during sunset. Here is a detailed description of each photograph:

Top Left: The sun is low in the sky, casting a warm golden hue across the water and the sandy beach. Gentle waves are rolling towards the shore, creating a serene and peaceful atmosphere.

Top Right: Similar to the first, this photograph shows the sun near the horizon, but with the waves appearing slightly more pronounced. The light from the sunset is reflecting off the wet sand, giving it a glowing, almost metallic look.

Bottom Left: This photograph captures the sun a bit higher in the sky compared to the others. The waves are more dynamic, crashing onto the shore, with the foam creating intricate patterns. The sunlight reflects off the water and foam, enhancing the warm tones of the scene.

Bottom Right: The sun is nearly touching the horizon, and the waves are gently lapping against the shore. The light is soft and diffuse, giving the entire scene a calm and tranquil feel. The reflections on the wet sand add to the overall warmth of the image.

All four photographs emphasize the beauty of the sunset over the ocean, with a focus on the interplay of light and water, creating a soothing and picturesque scene.

GenAI: A First Step

by James Kong King-sin

As part of my residency with Vital Capacities, I’m exploring the relationship between GenAI and artists, focusing on how AI can enhance our creative processes. Today, I’m excited to share my first use case: using ChatGPT to extract and describe image content for accessibility purposes. Here’s a photograph I captured during my urban exploration.

To ensure that my work is accessible to all, I used ChatGPT to generate a detailed description of the image. The AI accurately identified the silhouette of a person standing on a high vantage point, overlooking a brightly lit cityscape at night, with an overcast sky adding to the dramatic atmosphere.

A screen capture of James requests ChatGPT to describe his portfolio picture. ChatGPT response the image description

This initial use of GenAI demonstrates how artists can utilize AI tools to create accessible content, ensuring that our work can be experienced by a broader audience, including those with visual impairments. By integrating AI into our practice, we can enhance the inclusivity and reach of our art.

Stay tuned as I continue to explore and share more ways in which AI can support and transform our artistic endeavors. This is just the beginning of an exciting journey with Vital Capacities.

Introduction to James’s Studio

by James Kong King-sin

Greetings, I'm James Kong King-sin, a highly skilled Interactive Media Engineer and Bachelor of Science graduate from the School of Creative Media at City University of Hong Kong. I'm fascinated by the convergence of art, science, and technology, and have pursued diverse projects that have connected me with a wide range of researchers and creatives.
My practice is often project-based, where I'm employed to communicate specific ideas and issues through interactive installations and multimedia experiences. This residency presents an exciting opportunity to explore tangential concepts from my previous work that piqued my interest. I plan to create a series of new interactive narratives, incorporating emerging technologies like Generative AI to enhance storytelling and audience engagement.
With a passion for human-computer interaction and multimedia, I've dedicated my career to bridging the realm of theater and computational media. Possessing a unique blend of strategic thinking, analytical prowess, and leadership skills, I excel at developing and executing innovative strategies to drive transformative initiatives. My versatile skillset includes expertise in programming, Generative AI, and creating immersive Mixed Reality experiences.
Through my work, I continuously push the boundaries of technology and artistic expression, striving to craft meaningful and impactful experiences that captivate audiences. I welcome you to explore the work displayed in my studio and feel free to share your thoughts and questions.

Introduction to Shrouk’s Studio!

by Shrouk El-Attar

Welcome to the Shrouk El-Attar Digital Studio! I am a neurodivergent British-Egyptian artist, engineer, and creative technologist, aiming to create a digital space where cultural heritage meets cutting-edge technology ✨?

My studio specialises in creating interactive AI-driven art installations and non-binary belly dancing robots. I am super committed to decolonizing technology and making engineering accessible to underrepresented communities, including refugees and disabled individuals.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and feel free to leave a comment! Let’s inspire and empower others to explore the fusion of creativity and technology, breaking down barriers and redefining the future of art and tech! ????

Studio Sticky

Welcome to my studio

by Bella Milroy

A digital photograph (landscape, colour), of what looks like some kind of garden seen on a sunny day. There is a greenhouse in the corner of the image, with a lawn to the side and a row of red brick terrace houses in the distance. In the foreground is a number of shrubby plants with colourful flowers on them. The scene is bright and beautiful.

Image: Bella Milroy’s studio-allotment (image courtesy of the artist), June 2023

Image description: A digital photograph (landscape, colour), of what looks like some kind of garden seen on a sunny day with blue sky and a wash of light cloud. There is a greenhouse with a lawn to the side and a row of red brick terrace houses in the distance. In the foreground is a number of shrubby plants with colourful flowers on them in shades of pink. They look like they could be roses. The scene is bright and beautiful.

Hi! I’m Bella Milroy, a interdisciplinary sick and disabled artist based in my hometown of Chesterfield, North Derbyshire.

Since early 2022 I’ve been building a rose garden at my studio-allotment as a way of exploring scale in the context of illness; sculpting a space via crip-time and using roses as an extension of my body. I use the space to enhance my gardening practice, build sculpture, draw, paint, make photographs, and play with my A0 flower press.

This has become an essential motivation for core lines of inquiry in my work; my body as my practice; finding presence in the absence of disabled bodies; the threshold of where the disabled body leaves the private space and meets a public one.

In this residency, I want to use this space to share this studio with my peers, present work and engage in the critical creative conversation about disability, gardening, crip-time and making art as a disabled artist.

Process is fundamental to me as a disabled artist. I’m excited by a methodology that embraces making which is both interesting and dull, beautiful and painful, using this to explore the complexities of disabled experiences that at its heart is a practice of trying to hold both joy and sorrow at the same time.

I am excited to share this aspect of my practice in this public space, something that has up until now mostly remained a solely internal, private facet of my making. I hope you enjoy it – feel free to get in touch through the comments!

Studio Sticky

WELCOME TO MY STUDIO

by Jameisha Prescod

A 3D generated image of the sky and an ocean. Yellow text at the bottom says "On tha summer afternoon, all I had was the sky, the sea and my body in between."

Hey! I’m Jameisha, an artist-filmmaker and writer from South London.

As a disabled artist, I find inspiration in stories about how illness and disability intersect with themes of Black history, pop culture, identity and colonialism. Traditionally, I work with the moving image, however, I am currently expanding my practice to include digital art and immersive technology. My work seeks to explore how art can bridge empathy gaps and give an alternative viewpoint for how we talk about being ill.

During the residency, I’ll be working on a project called WOMB ROOM. “If your womb were a place you could visit, what would it look like?” Through experimenting with digital art and AI, WOMB ROOM encourages people living with gynaecological conditions to re-imagine what the womb looks like.

Feel free to look around my studio and make yourself at home. Leave any comments or questions about my work. I look forward to reading them.

Studio Sticky

Welcome to my studio

by Artist Test

Gravida lorem consequat eleifend eu ridiculus inceptos ut tempor maecenas auctor quam adipiscing amet a magna aenean parturient a purus magnis. Integer vestibulum habitant orci metus maecenas tristique at interdum torquent auctor penatibus sit vitae dis lacinia vestibulum rhoncus. Condimentum sed adipiscing vestibulum maecenas magnis vestibulum sed consectetur fermentum hac a parturient nec parturient erat ac parturient mi.

Nisi parturient ac blandit vestibulum mi porta parturient a est iaculis sem augue dapibus a aenean a a nascetur risus felis viverra odio maecenas a. Orci quam sed id varius nibh adipiscing vel adipiscing suspendisse mattis vulputate nam ullamcorper condimentum consectetur nascetur scelerisque sociis eros potenti congue a a sagittis dictum. Vulputate elementum velit tristique pharetra at morbi ad dis in id pretium risus venenatis facilisis scelerisque libero odio vestibulum a aliquam duis ac ridiculus. Fermentum sociosqu penatibus in vulputate phasellus dapibus a curae parturient enim dis hac a consectetur nibh condimentum volutpat vel parturient eu habitasse tellus vestibulum urna euismod vehicula.

The making of Digigrave in Minecraft

by Su Hui-Yu / XTRUX

the red and blue and white, the colors of the flags of the nations. The dictator’s tomb, the alien spaceship. The foreign regime.

Studio Sticky

The first drawing of the Digigrave

by Su Hui-Yu / XTRUX

Studio Sticky

The Digigrave

by Su Hui-Yu / XTRUX

The Digigrave is a “spaceship”.

A spaceship which offers a different perspective of reviewing ourselves, to escape from those who’s addicted to grand narratives of groups, categories, ethics, or families. It looks like a Taiwanese traditional tomb, and also recalls the memory of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall built during the 1980s. It’s part of the sci-fi story Space Warriors. According to the story setting, Digigrave carries alien species to come and save the earth – or the island under martial law.In East Asia, during the last decade of the Cold War from 1984 to 1987, CTS, one of Taiwan’s only three official TV stations at that time, produced and broadcasted a very rare and weird sci-fi series, Space Warriors. It was basically copied from the Japanese series Super Sentai in late 1970s with modifications. At the same time, it also referenced the Gavan, the follow-up series of Super Sentai, and was mixed with some local elements. CTS eventually discontinued the series due to low ratings, inconsistent production quality, overt criticism from parents, and the import of the Japanese original on VHS and satellite television. Unfortunately, the sci-fi did not open the people’s imaginative thoughts about the universe and the world, but rather, the series, combined with illogical fantasy and Chinese Folktales and even martial arts elements, subtly implied nationalism, Confucianism, patriarchy, and other values, which was a very strange and unique experience during the martial law period.

Studio Sticky

welcome to my studio ๑(◕‿◕)๑

by Bassam Issa

Hi Hi

Bassam here, and welcome to this space where ill be posting some WIP images of a project I’m developing with˚ʚJennifer Mehiganɞ˚ .me and Jennifer have made a lot of work in the past, some short film works and light^TM Collaborations but this will be the most ambitious of our collaborative works.

we generally use the picture below as our portrait, Jen being the horse and me being the armored figure _{(time for an update as i think we are now maybe both horses ???)}

We made this short film/video a while ago, and its functioned as a precursor to the work we are making together now. The work explored themes of divine retribution, queendom, and climate change through the lens of Catholic iconography, constellations, and Fallopia Japonica (Japanese knotweed). Through out the work you encounter images of embracing horses, highly stylized diagrams, floating eyeballs, a dead horse, a hand growing flowers out of its palm and other convulsing plant life.

I will be using this residency to build the world of the film we are making together, so ill be posting some images of character design, landscape layouts, portraits of computer generated flowers, CG outfits among other things. ❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀

Studio Sticky

Welcome to Shaima’s studio

by Shaima-Ali

A silhouette image of a woman with brown hands showing on a door.

Welcome to my studio, where I can share my practices and my experiences.

This space belongs to an emerging Palestinian artist called Shaima Sheikh Ali or “Mohammad Ali”, since the israeli colonial forced us to change the name of our family in the “israeli ID”!

My multimedia art explores the liminal space between the personal and the collective, which is a point of intersection and a point of departure. I use sculpture and video as the main elements in my installation art.

The most common challenge that artists in general and the Palestinian artist in particular, is experiencing challenges of all political, societal and religious censorship that may be imposed by the authority, in which this external censorship gradually turns into self-censorship imposed on the Palestinian self. Internal control requires deception and covering up of information we know about our real issues; this comes from the womb of truth and reality. Access to this information raises the value of freedom of expression and critical thinking.

In addition, there is a scarcity of supporting institutions, and lack of Palestinian artistic platforms, especially in Jerusalem, due to the restrictions and oppression imposed by the colonists. Parents also have power that can limit their children’s progress, and impose their control, which prevents them from taking important steps towards what they want. In addition to these challenges, physical disability also has a place, which I struggle with in particular. It’s the reason why I can’t access some exhibitions and art residencies; a situation that makes the everyday difficult, and makes the difficult impossible.

This residency will give me the platform that I need to expand my experience in order to share it with you. I am excited to be on this residency on Vital Capacities, to develop one of my techniques that I previously developed for one of my artworks.

You are very welcome to take a look around my studio, and if you have something that you want to say or to share with me please feel free to leave a comment.

Studio Sticky

Welcome to Sammy’s studio

by Sammy Paloma

There is a trinity of subjects I’m currently obsessed with: toilets, boglands, and crossroads. I’m fascinated by toilets and sewers and boglands and crossroads as gateways of egress and ingress to Underworlds where The Outcast Dead may dwell. Historically, those deemed criminals were often buried at crossroads and bogs for the same reason; that their souls may forever be lost and not find their way to salvation. As a trans girl and a witch, I’m in love with the phrase ‘The Outcast Dead’ (as used by Crossbones Graveyard near London Bridge, an unconsecrated Victorian burial site now dedicated to The Outcast Dead).

My work is driven by the politics of the eulogy: who gets to be grieved, how that grieving is allowed to happen, and what kinds of stories are remembered of the dead.

For this residency I’m going to begin developing a project mapping these gateways to the lands of the Outcast Dead, which I’m collecting under the title, ‘Sewer Sonnets’. I’m interested in sonnets as writing born of love and devotion, and I see devotion as being my main research methodology in this project.

I always try to approach the subjects of grief and the dead with a balance of levity and care, because I truly believe grief to be both a transformative, inherently playful/magickal force and utterly world-destroying at the very same time. That being said, grief can be an intense and raw subject, particularly for those of us who have lost someone close to us, so please take care here. I’m always up for talking about this stuff though, so feel free to comment here.

Studio Sticky

Welcome to Su and XTRUX studio

by Su Hui-Yu / XTRUX

Hi,

We are a cyber art collective, “Su and XTRUX”. We are Su, the individual artist, and XTRUX, which is a 5-member group. We’re preparing a few exciting projects this year. One of the plans is called The Space Warriors and the Digigrave, an extension of this project is what we plan exploring for the residency. It will be an adaptable “grave”, we called it Digigrave, which is sort of an artist’s last will exhibition. We will use some interesting addons to build it in the world of Minecraft.

The Digigrave is also a “spaceship” . A spaceship which offers a different perspective of reviewing ourselves, to escape from those who are addicted to grand narratives of groups, categories, ethics, or families. It looks like a Taiwanese traditional tomb, and also recalls the memory of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall built during the 1980s. It’s part of Su’s sci-fi story Space Warriors.

According to the story setting, Digigrave carries alien species to come and save the earth – or the island of Taiwan under martial law. In East Asia, during the last decade of the Cold War from 1984 to 1987, CTS, one of Taiwan’s only three official TV stations at that time, produced and broadcasted a very rare and weird sci-fi series, Space Warriors. It was basically copied from the Japanese series Super Sentai in late 1970s with modifications. At the same time, it also referenced the Gavan, the follow-up series of Super Sentai, and was mixed with some local elements. CTS eventually discontinued the series due to low ratings, inconsistent production quality, overt criticism from parents, and the import of the Japanese original on VHS and satellite television.

Unfortunately, the sci-fi did not open the people’s imaginative thoughts about the universe and the world, but rather, the series, combined with illogical fantasy and Chinese Folktales and even martial arts elements, subtly implied nationalism, Confucianism, patriarchy, and other values, which was a very strange and unique experience during the martial law period in Taiwan.

IN LIMBO (ELD explored pt2)

by Ellis Lewis Dragstra

Film audio description by Michael Achtman

This piece “IN LIMBO” is the second in a series called “Thought Experiment”, a place in the mind similar to a blank page ready to be painted. Where logic is left behind and I simply put pencil to paper and work off instinct till reoccurring themes seem to show up on the page through imagery, telling me what’s on my subconscious mind. The short film I made that documents the process of creating the artwork began to merge with the artwork as the project went on. As both were trying to figure out what the project was about at its core while simultaneously working on them in real time. Realising both were to do with the relationship between images and words was a revelation. And made me realise what I’ve always hated and loved about trying to explain art is that things always feel left unsaid. As I get older I try and embrace this more, realising that explanations always feel incomplete because I see art as a universal visual language that communicates ideas and emotions which words don’t exist for. This project made me realised that I want my artwork to encourage people to stretch their own creativity, similar to a Spot The Difference or Where’s Wolly does for children. I enjoy making the viewer read the drawings and try to see how the images relate and connect using their own creativity. Even if that means seeing interpretations that I didn’t initially mean to be there.

MARK OF MY DEPARTURE

by Hamza Beg

All work on my profile is orbiting this piece right here

These are the opening liner notes for MOMD. There are two images. They both share the same style; a black roti-textured background with bright pink text. On the first image, the text cascades down and reads ‘mark of my departure’ with each word in a different font. In the middle, across the cascade are the letters MOMD emblazoned large.

The second image has the same large MOMD across the middle. Above it is the track list. Which reads as follows:

mark one: water
mark two: melanogenesis
mark three: in the bazaar
mark four: ilford lane
mark five: be you

Underneath is a body of text that reads as follows:

MOMD produced, arranged and entirely composed by Allah SWT

features include Nusrat and company, the Chapparrals, whoever recorded that tabla loop, some random heads, Mufti Menk and that hilarious kid, Hamza Mohammed Beg and everyone who has ever interacted with us.

In the name of Allah the gracious and the merciful

I am greeted at the archway of my own work, stepping into it for the first time, hearing my voice drowned in the divine. All voices are dripping with it.

MOMD is a parting letter but I do not know to whom nor do I know where I am leaving to.

Those whom you guide none can misguide and those whom you misguide none can guide.

All of my research, writing and creative work for this program is trying to understand and expand on this that tumbled out of me >>>>>

When sunspots and clouds look like nuclear missiles

by Cultura Plasmic INC (Kin)

Over the past couple of years I’ve been thinking a lot about how computers see the world – through machine vision technologies and various data analysis systems – and how this shapes our lives.

Facial recognition technologies used by police are found to falsely identify and criminalise people (cases of mistaken identity are as high as 93% and in another study were 81%). CV-sorting and hiring algorithms are given the power to select and choose job candidates (Amazon’s tool became biased against female candidates, and HireVue’s claimed to make predictions based on the candidate’s tone of voice and facial movements. But my favourite example is one that decided the ideal candidate would be called Jared and would play Lacrosse…)

There are algorithms that will automatically move you further down a medical waiting list, those that decide whether you have access to housing or a loan, and countless more examples.

The decisions that computers make are hugely consequential; they can’t be assumed to be accurate or infallible.

That’s why I was fascinated when I came across the 1983 story of Stanislav Petrov and how his questioning of what the computer claimed to see averted a nuclear missile strike capable of killing 50% of the US population. In this case, it was sunspots reflecting off high-altitude clouds that looked to the computer like an incoming missile attack. The system reported a high confidence reading that this was a definite attack, with no uncertainty.

The sun and clouds at the Autumn equinox became an act of war, in the eyes of the machine.

[Image attribution: Bass Photo Co Collection, Indiana Historical Society]

Intro

by Hamza Beg

Hey, I’m Hamza welcome to my studio. I’m a self-taught multimedia artist and researcher. I’m an able-bodied male-conditioned, postcolonial person. My work is informed by continuous conversations with the people I love as much as any reading, listening and observing.

I’m using this residency to resume an investigation I started some time ago (before getting distracted by another project). Mark of My Departure (MOMD) is preoccupied with the South Asian diasporic experience. The centerpiece of the work is a 7 minute visual collage set to an original composition.

I will use the time afforded to me in the residency to continue the collection and tessellation of related postcolonial images and ideas. I am aiming to produce a supporting body of work so that the video is held within an expanded context.

When you step into my studio, you should smell my aunties homemade garam masala slowly infusing into fried onions on the stovetop. Poke around the work you find and if you have any questions or comments do not hesitate to leave them in the comments section.

Sending love,

Hamza

by Amaqhawekazi Emafini Malamlela

A Holy Place

@Pyramidkofi

I am Amaqhawekazi Emafini Malamlela(She/They), a Ghanaian-South African multidisciplinary Artist. Welcome to my shrine. As an artist, what influences my work is the deep sense of spirituality, identity and sexuality.

Dance, Theatre, Performance Art, visual art and sound previously shaped the artwork I created. I am currently interested in exploring ideas of Space-Time and what it is to have a body and ritual as a process of creating sacred spaces. This residency is the opportunity to further experiment with film and how to translate sacred space onto digital platforms.

This is a sacred space where I will reinvigorate my creative practice, taking a leap on new concepts and digging deeper with research. I will share with you Trumu Fetish, an artwork dedicated to bringing forth a Transgender deity. Trumu Fetish is a multidisciplinary artwork building a world of faithfulness. Visual art is key to the longevity of the belief and the castration of patriarchal symbols. Durational Performance Art: through the body summon the spirit of the deity. And through literature give rise to intimate comprehension.

Please, take a moment and join me as I unpack my creative process with you. You can expect video, text, images and weekly updates throughout this residency. You are welcome to leave comments and questions. Again, welcome to my shrine.

DBS STUDIO WELCOME

by Danielle Braithwaite-Shirley

Hi my name is Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley. Welcome to my studio of tech goodness. I would definitely consider myself someone that is lost in the sea of tech often trying to discover how to use the mediums within technology to record the lives of people like me.

Interactive art is my thing, I like to make the audience have to work in order to get into the art. For the work to give something to them, they will have to give a part of themselves. So all things gaming to code to different ways of interaction seem to draw me into a web of ideas that often begin a project.

My practice began on seeing a poster of a woman called Mary Jones, in which she was labeled the “MAN MONSTER”. This violence in the archiving of someone we would now call Trans motivated me to use my practice as a means of Archiving those in my community that are here in the present.

So if you’re interested to see the tech nerd palace i am building please have a look around here.

Task

Clearly Define Objectives

Consider Your Artistic Needs

Experiment with Prompts

Context

Provide Background

Describe Your Challenges

Establish Constraints

Exemplar

Color Inspiration

Conceptual Inspiration

Stylistic Inspiration

Personal

Artistic Preferences

Creative Challenges

Artistic Identity

Unique Perspective

Format

Structured Responses

Visualizations

Customized Layout

Tone

Formal

Casual

Inspirational

Analytical

Putting It All Together

Reference

Example Conversation with ChatGPT

1. Tropical Sunset

2. Ocean Breeze

3. Lemonade Stand

4. Coral Reef

5. Fresh Fruit

6. Sandy Beach

7. Summer Garden

8. Ice Cream Parlor

9. Picnic Blanket

10. Wildflowers

1. Tropical Sunset

2. Ocean Breeze

3. Lemonade Stand

4. Coral Reef

5. Fresh Fruit

6. Sandy Beach

7. Summer Garden

8. Ice Cream Parlor

9. Picnic Blanket

10. Wildflowers

User Input: “Beach at Sunset”

User Input: “Mountain Landscape”

User Input: “City Skyline at Night”

A Holy Place

Join our mailing list

Follow us