Fantastic worlds in the museum

It is almost a pity that one will probably never enter these futuristic-looking rooms in reality. For they are all created by artificial intelligence (AI) on the computer. Such image creations by artificial intelligence (AI) is certainly a topic that can and should be discussed controversially. But what is undoubted is that with its help, there are few limits to the imagination of its users. It is not unusual to have to look twice before you can be sure whether an image was created on a computer or taken with a camera.

Joshua Vermillion is one who is testing out the already diverse possibilities of artificial intelligence. Primarily using the programme MidJourney, he gives free rein to his fantastic ideas of spatial design.

This is how Vermillion creates his fascinating art exhibitions in virtual museums. Before that, he did this analogue for a long time. "Over the last twenty years, I have designed and produced exhibits and, above all, installations," Vermillion tells us. "The fascinating thing about them is how we can use them to change an environment and the experience of a space, but with a small footprint, so to speak. It's much easier to add a spatial installation to the interior than it is to redesign the actual architecture.

"The idea is to question AI- as a creative medium: what can it do differently than in photography or painting?" – Joshua Vermillion

Now Vermillion gives free rein to his bubbling ideas for art exhibitions on the computer. "I'm trying out ideas with AI that wouldn't be easy to realise, that might not be possible to build, or that would take me a lot more time to model, draw, render and prototype," he explains. "The idea is to question AI- as a creative medium: what can it do differently than in photography or painting?

Vermillion is certain AI will continue to evolve, there's no stopping it. "Things are going to get very interesting, and very fast. I think the biggest change we will see is the way we will communicate with AI," the artist says. "Now you can tell the computer what you want to see through speech and it will create an image. I think these new possibilities for human-computer interaction are just scratching the surface of how we'll use computers creatively in the future."

„"When photography was new, artists thought it would destroy drawing and painting. In the end, that wasn't the case; instead, it has carved out its own place in the visual arts and developed its own theory and practice. I would guess that creative media produced using AI will be similar."– Joshua Vermillion

Could it happen that AI will one day replace photography? Vermillion doesn't believe so. "I hope it won't replace photography, and I don't think it will," he says with conviction. "When photography was new, artists thought it would destroy drawing and painting. In the end, that wasn't the case; instead, it has carved out its own place in the visual arts and developed its own theory and practice. I would guess that creative media produced using AI will be similar. For me, it's not about replacing photography, but rather about what this tool or medium can do that the others can't," he says.

Homepage: vermillion.faculty.unlv.edu

Instagram: joshuavermillion