Art & Intelligence: The Human in the Exposure
My Position on Artificial Intelligence
In my practice, I do not use generative AI to create images. Instead, I use it as a collaborator in articulation—a tool to help translate the complex, biological dialogue of my in-camera process into a shared language.
The Closure of the Industrial Artifact
I view Artificial Intelligence as the pinnacle of the industrial era: a monumental achievement in the sorting and averaging of our collective history. It has perfected the "industrial artifact"—the desire for the static record and the standardized output. As the machine takes over the work of archiving the past, I believe the human role is evolving from operating the machine to sensing the revelation.
The Human is the Medium
My work is an exploration of this transition. I align my practice with the legacy of Minor White, who taught that the camera is a "metamorphosing machine" and that "At first glance a photograph can inform us. At second glance it can reach us."
The Way Forward
While the machine provides the "a" work—the immediate result—I am dedicated to "the" work: the active, physical labor of moving with the light during exposure. My images are not meant to be static records of a subject, but "transcripts" of a human nervous system in active dialogue with the world. I don't use the lens to record what was; I use it to sense what else can become.
When the photograph is a mirror of the man and the man is a mirror of the world, then Spirit might take over.
- Minor White