Abstract
Keywords:
Machine Learning, Variational Autoencoders, Computer Assistance, Image Generation, Latent Space, Natural Language Processing, Image not taken, Decisive moment, Counterfactuals, Text to Image
This paper seeks to explore and critically analyse the emergent genre of digital image creation proposed as ‘Synthography’. Drawing upon previous foundational texts by the author, this paper aims to delve into the theoretical implications and practical applications of Synthography. The text discusses the new possibilities in visual arts driven by the advancements in digital tools and artificial intelligence, which redefines the traditional concepts of photography. It explores the process of 3D modelling and its role in product photography as well as the concept of the ‘uncanny valley’ by using the example of a synthetic recreation of a wild boar through Synthography. This theory, which refers to the discomfort experienced when a representation is very close but not entirely identical to the real thing, has significant implications for this new genre. The interplay between the ‘real’ and the ‘synthetic’ in Synthography often walks this fine line, leading to innovative, yet sometimes unsettling, visual experiences.
- Elke Reinhuber is a media artist, educator, researcher and Associate Professor at SCM City University of Hong Kong. In her work she explores different modes of presentation and strategies of storytelling to emphasise the parallel existence of multiple truths of the here and now, anchored in expanded photography and spanning into several disciplines such as time based media, immersive environments, Augmented and Virtual Reality as well as performance. Her award winning artistic research was presented internationally, at conferences, exhibitions and festivals. https://www.eer.de
- Sebastian Pelz is an independent author and AI consultant with an interest in the advancements of text and images since the Renaissance – but particularly in the digital age, anticipating a future yet to come.