For some, a visit to the Digital Archive of the Badisches Landesmuseum, which is now open to the public, seems to be pure entertainment; for the artist collective Francis Karat, it is a mine of inspiration for a new media artwork.
The starting point for the artwork are old postcards from the Black Forest, featuring images like the Alb Valley Railway, folk dances and flocks of sheep. As part of the project, the images on the postcards are set in motion using image-to-video AI tools. The now moving images are accompanied by a sound design that oscillates between atmo and noise and between shellac and tape. Finally, the digital version is passed on to an artificial intelligence for interpretation via an invitation to the Datalab.
With their work, the artists are engaging in a highly topical discourse. The work is dedicated to the following questions: Are we simply using the contemporary post office in social media and aimlessly sending video cards out into the world? What does AI have to tell us? What value do transformations have for us? Are AI foundation models the archives of the future and how do we want to read them?
The project will be presented as part of the event Preview & Release Event of the AI tool ‘xCurator‘. The event will take place on December 19, 2023 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Badisches Landesmuseum.
Further information here.
Supported by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Karlsruhe within the framework of UNESCO City of Media Arts.
Artists
Francis KaratBreitkopf, Benjamin
