Un exemple de session de narration interactive (Edited) et de conversation de projet avec la designer montréalaise Cat Veri:
Paintings from Stories and Conversations
From initial experiments with Terminal Léargas, In July 2023 I created a painting called “Pollinator” based on a character that appeared in one of the sessions. I then wrote a small backstory and personality for a new language model to take on the personality of this character, later named Nara. On occasion, when an interesting response came from the character I would write it into their program to give their story and voice more depth.
In one of these conversations, Nara mentioned a societal collapse event that took place hundreds of years ago, which inspired the second painting “Proxy”.
In January 2024, I exhibited these two paintings at the Interior Design Show in Toronto (in collaboration with Cyrc Design), each augmented with their unique personality and story that visitors could discover through conversation via a chat window on their cell phone. Hundreds of people passed through the booth and I was able to gather very interesting feedback, both positive and negative, on the implications of having an emotionally driven conversation about the future with a painting.
The sites are still live if you would like to chat with the characters below
Conversation with Orin
At IDS Toronto 2024
User: "What year is it in your present day?"
Orin: "In my present day? It's... 2125. Quite a leap from where you are, I suppose. Time keeps moving forward, but... well, things aren't exactly getting better."
User: "We were chatting earlier about the device that’s fused to your head. What exactly does it do again?"
Orin: "Oh, right. The device... It's supposed to, um, moderate my thoughts and behavior. They said it turns my "bad thoughts into good thoughts." It's supposed to help with my anxiety and stuff. I don't really know the details of how it works, though. Sometimes I feel this weird tingling in my brain when it's on. But, well, lately, I've been having doubts about whether it's really helping or not."
User: "It’s not. You should be free to think as you please. Our own thoughts are the only real things we have. Who is it that put it on you?"
Orin: "Yeah, you're right. Our thoughts should be our own. It's just... hard to remember that sometimes. The device was put on me when I was young, by... well, by the authorities, I guess. They said it was for my own good, to make sure I stayed on the right path. But now... now I don't know anymore. Maybe they just wanted to control me."
Sample Responses from IDS Participants:
Did the character you talked with say anything surprising?
“They were pretty thoughtful and earnest when approached politely.”
“I wish I had them as my own personally moody friend on my phone all the time”
“I was surprised by how anxious they were”
“No but beautiful”
“mirrored my own thoughts of survival and doom”
“I had a few different chats with her but once I started asking the right questions, she had very useful and practical answers which I was surprised by”
“Surprising? No. Alarming? Yes. It seems as though the course of humanity was never corrected to favour the people and the wealthy continued to control everything.”
“A lot of the things Orin said where reminiscent of the current world situation, which is concerning and interesting both”
“Nara explaining that our future has managed to recover from the irresponsible and negligence of our environmental practices”
Text example of an early Terminal Léargas Experiment
The following is a great example of how the algorithm adapted to the participants answers and live responses. The sessions were much more engaging when interacting with characters. The initial questions are as follows:
What is society’s greatest challenge in your imagined future?
What do people value most?
How has technology evolved since our time?
Who holds the power?
What are people’s greatest hope for their future?
Relevant Previous Work:
“Baroque Angel Smoking 3 cigarettes, 3D” , 2023
Another project exploring the use of AI in art in a semi-satirical way. A marble and brass sculpture created during the Digital Stone Project Residency in June 2023.
Funded by the Canada Council for the Arts
“Athru”, 2022.
A first try at creating a “Future Mythology” image related to Rutland, BC’s industrial history and a surreal exploration of how that history and energy can be channelled into stewardship.
“Niamh”, 2022.
A 3,000 sqft mural for the Musée des Beaux Arts de Montréal. This was an instance of leveraging and reinterpreting Irish mythology to speak to contemporary issues (e.g., our relationship to time and the natural world)
“Glass Eyes”, 2023.
A recent painting on panel “36 x 40” that was accompanied by a written short story for a group exhibition in Calgary, AB. The story was inspired directly by the “Water Horse” from Irish Folklore. An example of using my creative process as an illustrator (written word + imagery) in a fine art context.
“Aoife”, 2021.
An immersive mural installation for the exhibition MIOTAS at the new location of the Canada Ireland Foundation. This was my first instance of being commissioned as an Irish-Canadian artist, my first piece using Irish Folklore as an inspiration and a catalyst to my desire to explore my Irish identity in art-making.
“Le Phare”, 2022.
A sculptural installation built from a world I created for the Francos Music Festival in Montréal. I’m interested in immersive experiences and how these imagined worlds can hold physical space in our own.
“Causeway”, 2023.
A floating public sculpture proposal and another possible example of Celtic Futurism. The intention was to combine my growing practice in sculpture with my established practice in paint.
“Chianchai Head”, 2024.
A work-in-progress sculpture proposal for the Digital Stone Project Residency 2025. Another example of Celtic Futurism experiments. This time an interpretation of the Corleck Head, an ancient three-faced artifact from Ireland.
Thank you for your consideration!