NULL IDEAL, my second exhibition, represents a marked advancement in the detail, direction, and cohesion of my work. Recent advancements in the field of deep learning have enabled more ambitious concepts and true collaboration of artist and data. It is with great pleasure that I release this 14-piece collection as a more ideal display of my capabilities.
Methodology
I see data in my surroundings and picture forms produced from its embeddings, whether that be decaying leaves from my yard in the Detritus pairing or plastic containers from my pantry in Polyethene 0 and 1. After I have decided on a source, I go about composing a training set, which may either involve taking hundreds of photos of objects I can get my hands on (expanding with augmentation) or pulling images from the internet. I often take advantage of object detection and color-matching techniques to curate data in the ladder case. I then train and tailor a deep neural network to be responsible for supplying the “essence” of the source data to the forms I will create. I create these forms in any way I decide, whether that be painting/ drawing and scanning, folding from paper, photographs, etc. Any given work may have dozens of different techniques behind neighboring forms, all made cohesive by the deep net. In this way, I collaborate with the data. Though this process requires a digital output, I prefer that my work be viewed in a physical form, and I explain in the signature section how I ensure the uniqueness of each print.
Signature
I am creating an ecosystem around my works where anyone can verify their authenticity without my or another body's input. Each piece is signed with a traditional signature and a public key, as well as a timestamp marking the exact second the work was completed. Owners of my works are given a certificate of authenticity in the form of a private key corresponding to the public key. Messages can be encrypted with the public key that can only be decrypted with the private key. Via this relationship a variety of robust authentication methods are possible. I will maintain a secure webserver to enable signing, making duplication impossible. This technology is adjacent to what allows NFTs to function, so imagining these as physical NFTs is not entirely misplaced, though my process requires little computational / energy draw and is proprietary to my works alone. My larger canvas works use RSA for this process and my household items (scarves, vases, etc) use elliptic curve encryption.
NULL IDEAL
A precious metal, the element of kings. From the Earth it is mined, and within our bodies it lies. A conductor of electricity, and a key component in all life. Gold is the metal of the Sun, and the color of our blood.
As the leaves decay and the colors fade away the hope of springtime still remains.
Lightning flashes In the sky And for a moment Everything is clear Then it's gone And we're left With only the memories Of what we saw
Plastic is the new skin It's what we're made of And it's what makes us beautiful It's what keeps us together And it's what makes us whole And it's what keeps us alive.
Slowly, steadily, the wax melts away drip by drip the flame flickers the light dances in the darkness the shadows stretch the years vanish into the past