Obvious x Stas Bartnikas: A Collaboration of Aerial Photography and Artificial Intelligence
Aerial art highlights the beauty of nature.
Art is subjective, and all artists are free to use any medium to represent how they perceive the world. In today’s world AI art is gaining traction, which you will be able to see in my collaboration with the AI artist, Obvious. Our project brings together the best of two worlds; aerial photography and artificial intelligence.
In my experience as an aerial photographer, I have witnessed the unparalleled beauty of Mother Nature and her most sophisticated artworks. I aim to take photographs that capture the feeling of being present to appreciate the wonderous landscapes of our home planet.
A visual collaboration using one of the most advanced techniques in the technological world seemed like the next logical step. The use of aerial photography and artificial intelligence creates innovative and heavenly pieces of art.
About Obvious
Obvious is a trio of French students who aim to explain and democratize artificial intelligence through art. Their motto “Creativity isn’t only for humans,” inspires them to create AI art through the use of codes to generate prints. They use an AI algorithm shared by another artist and programmer, Robbie Barrat.
The way the process works is that a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) algorithm is trained to look for patterns in a certain dataset. It then uses the information to generate copies of original artwork. Next, a second network acts as a discriminatory judge to analyze any differences between the copy and the original artwork. Any minor discrimination causes the print to be scrapped and a new one is produced.
Obvious x Stas Bartnikas
AI art has a distinct aesthetic. It has the ability to copy basic visual patterns, but produces images with indistinct boundaries. However, the legendary AI algorithms can be used for more than replicating historical art masterpieces.
In our collaboration, we aim to combine aerial photography and artificial intelligence to create artworks that speak to humanity and highlight our technological innovations.
This series invites the viewer to travel into one of the most mysterious places on earth, one of the areas most dramatically impacted by climate change, and to unveil its secrets using the eye of artificial intelligence. In this way, we draw attention to the beauty of the natural environment while conveying the possibility of its destruction and our loss. Our goal is to illuminate the narrative that we are capable of influencing the planet around us, both through the sectors of technology and ecology. We have an impact on our planet, and it is our responsibility to see that this impact does not scar future generations.
An aerial photograph of a beautiful mountainous landscape.