Unobtainable Cities (via archiGAN, a collaborative project with Emily May) is officially one of 100 finalists for Architizer’s 2020 One Drawing Challenge. It has been recognized for its architectural storytelling and can be seen online here.

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Let’s face it: modes of production are being more efficient by the minute and we can’t stop it. We’ve developed 6-axis robotic arms that can 3-D print walls of a home. We’re surrounded by embedded smart sensors and intelligent systems that use our behavioral data to tell us what to conserve and when. Frankly, who isn’t speculating about the future of the infrastructure built by AI architects?

Through the use of Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) models, we have collected and trained over 500 images of architectural renderings and drawings. This drawing is a collage of images produced by the machine itself, and our personal stitching of an AI-built future entwined with nature.

Unobtainable Cities captures the atmosphere of the overwhelming enormity of a future where our lives are increasingly being designed for us, engulfing us in the thought of creating a superior intelligent entity, which ultimately writes our own fate.

archiGAN is a project that uses Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) to produce images of fictional architecture or infrastructure for which we write accompanying speculative captions. By using machine learning frameworks, we play on the uncanny nature of these machine-learned images to reflect, through a satirical lens, on our relationship with technology and alienation from nature. As digital art grows in popularity, machine algorithm tools are now largely used to produce and aid in generative art.

We often reflect on the aesthetic merits of this type of art production: how does our creativity play a part alongside increasing computational intelligence and the digitalization of our world? Can machine-learned art exist without human intervention at all? Moving towards the future of artificial intelligence, our work aims to incite reflections within the viewer about the power of human experience as an artistic medium as well as the nature of artistic creation.

This image was part of a series that was shown on Pragmata Collective's "Person and the Otherness of Nature" exhibit.

Trial colony #0341 “Beacon”:

Having become a sort of relic on this planet, this abandoned gateway was built as an ode to the human species’ triumph in infrastructural technology. Old architectural tropes die hard.


This image is part of a series that's being shown online for PRAGMATA collective's "Person and the Otherness of Nature" exhibit.

Trial colony #5311 “It’s Always Rainy on Loner-orb”:

Often dubbed “The Planet to Live on if You’re an Introvert,” Loner-orb, with its Eternal Rain, creates the most sublime atmosphere for you to brood, stay in, read a book and work from home, forever! Each floating pod is equipped with dark and stormy views and high-speed internet.

WOW @ XXXÆA-666's act of rebellion against 【🦾the system 🦾】in his riveting new dance called:

. . . ”Ĥ̷̡̥̦͙͔̪̫̼̉̆͠E̶̢̧̞̙̖̲̰͕͒́̄̌̚Y̶̨̞̰̠̱̙̝̟͚̰̽̌̊͊͒͊̏̑̅͗ ̴̡̧̠͒̊̐̉̾̌̾͊͘͝D̷̡̹̤̓́̋̎͐̊͑̂̌̚A̵̹̯̫̰͂͐D̵͔͙̭̰́̆̀͌̈́̀͒̚͜ ̸́͆̉͜Y̶͔̭̺̬̱̭̓̆̄̀̃͛Ŏ̷̰̺͈̞̘̖̭̼͊̉̕͝U̵̢̞̤̪̦̭̗̫͔͎͂͛͊̏͌̇͐͊̐͝ ̴͇̺͕̟̤̤̗̣́ͅW̸̨̤̿̃̆̆͘I̸̲̥̭͋͒́͗̂̈͝L̸̨̫̭̙͔̦̭̈́͜͜͝ͅL̷͚͙̅͗̒́͠ ̷̢̖̘̥̠̩̦̫̣͍̓Ṋ̵̨̡̦͙͉̇̓̀̉͝E̷̛̛͔̣̍̔̃̈́͌̓̚͝V̸̛̩̻̋͊̃Ȩ̵͓̪͖̭͆̄R̵̢̫͇̤͙̗̘͈̰̣̉͂ ̸̼͓̹̓͐̔F̴̙̲̫̦̘̣̀̋̋̌̔̚Ì̶̪̺̫̰̟̭̜͈̌́̂̿̿̽͜N̷̢̧͇͖̗͉͎̚D̷͚̪͍̒͌͒͌ ̶̪͕͈̯̠͑̌̏̄͐̏͛̍Ṃ̸͙͎͎͆̇̔̉̔͌͝Ê̴͍͈͚͎̮̯̟̼͆̒̔̍̿ ̷̧̘̳̝̒͒̈́͌B̴̡̢̫͓̘͚͈̜̳͙̍̀͛̎̎͗̊̈̏͠Ư̵̮͎̭̤̬̟̰̈́̽͐̌̍̓́̏͋T̷̢͚̯̯̣̬̦̍̇̈́͜͝ ̶̨͙͕̞̗̤́̽̄̃͋́I̶̧̡̥̬̥̦̜̼̍̓͂́̑͛͝͝'̷̝̌͒͐̐̓̐̋͘D̸̛͎̹͙̝̖͔̄́̋̐̈̂͘̕͜͠ ̴̡̣̙̞̈́̀͋͐̑L̸̡͓̪̠͙̪͒̊̓̓̆̓͗̈́͝I̵̢͕͖̲̤̼̺̒͛̇͒̓́̄̒̄̚ͅḰ̷̘̫̫̭̘̥͑̇̿͝͠E̴̛̙̫̺̪͕̹̦̭̓͆̿͘ ̶̪̑̀̈́́̃͗͝T̷̩̱͍̤͈̈́̊̃͌͗̈ͅO̷̧̧̤͔̺̖̤̯͙̔̉̀̋̚ ̷̨͉̞̜͖̌͐͆͊̔́͝Ş̸̢̻̱̠̀̒͘ͅȨ̸͉̣̺̬̣͚͗͜ͅẾ̷̩̤̍̇̚͠ ̵̰̹͈͔͍̤̯̍̀ͅỶ̶̡̧̙̹͖̜̬̳̂̂́̅͜ͅO̴͍͊͋̃Ų̴͖̬͔̯̘̖̳͂͋ ̸̧̦̠͔̗̳̗͇̹̃͌̾̔̒͐̆͜͠《̸̝͕̣̙͗̐̉̏̽͌̆͜T̵͇̥̞̙̍̋͠ͅȒ̵̤̳̠͐̀̓͘͠Ÿ̴̼͓͇͓̤͎̣̝͉́́̒̓̂̈́》̶̖̠̣̺̤̟̭͖̥̠̎̍͐̿̄̎̈́̚ . .