BCA at BEYOND

We will be attending the BEYOND 2024 conference in Salford, Manchester with J.E.S.S.

We are excited to share that we will be showcasing J.E.S.S (Just Examining Systemic Stereotypes) from our Community Portrait exhibition, at the BEYOND conference in Manchester, from 25-27 November 2024. With us, will be AI artists Arnab Chakravarty and Fergus Laidlaw.

Portrait photography creates images by elevating humans beyond their stereotypes, while Al image models generate images by flattening humans to their stereotypes.

About J.E.S.S

J.E.S.S. is an interactive installation that sparks curiosity and invites playful, hands-on exploration of how Al models interpret people. Situated within our Community Portrait exhibition exploring photography’s evolution, the installation invites viewers to interact with nostalgic tools — a hybrid of a projector and a scanner. Participants select photographs of the local community taken by human photographers and feed them into the machine.

The Al image-to-text model translates the visuals into words. It displays them on a monitor for visitors to read. This collection of disconnected phrases and isolated terms then serves as a prompt for an Al text-to-image model to try to recreate the photograph. This step-by-step conversion process – image to text to image – reveals stark contrasts between human and machine perception. It invites participants to examine the Al’s interpretation closely, exposing biases and stereotypes in its language. As viewers observe this process across various photographs, they begin to see how Al describes images and how its language choices shape the look and expression of its creations.

In our current cultural and media landscape, where Al tools like ChatGPT, DALL-E, and others are being used more frequently to represent our ideas, dreams and aspirations, J.E.S.S. prompts viewers to engage in a critical examination of the production process behind these images. By highlighting the differences between human-created and Al-generated imagery, the installation challenges us to question the role of Al in visual representation and to demand more thoughtful and responsible use of these powerful technologies.

J.E.S.S. will be transported from the Community Portrait exhibition to the BEYOND conference, allowing visitors to interact with the AI model, as well as observe and reflect on the differences in texture, context, and emotional resonance both traditional photography and AI generated photography produce. The hope is to uncover whether AI can be nudged into creating representative, imperfect images that resonate with authenticity. This exploration will highlight the contrasts between the polished perfection of AI art and the genuine imperfections found in real-world photography.

As part of their new Community Case Studies blog series, BEYOND talk to our Programme Producer, Ami Aubrey. Ami speaks about her previous experiences at BEYOND, and how the conference has helped us to grow, collaborate, and be inspired.