Ancestry, AI and Art
Chapter 1: Ancestry
Phase 1
In October 2022, I completed a 10-day art residency in Toronto in the Arterial space downtown. After receiving an art grant from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Quebec, dedicated to exploring my ancestry and A.I. through art, I immediately embarked on this residency to give it some momentum.
I arrived in Toronto with a good number of paintings, some of which were already created and would soon be plugged into an A.I. program. I had intended to make more paintings building off of these works, but instead ended up exploring words more than paint.
3 scrolls were written, each one touches on different themes, that inevitably intertwine together: TIME, SPACE and going beyond those two notions into the HERE AND NOW.
To experience the audio versions of these scrolls please visit here: Time Space Here and Now
Ancestry, AI and Art
Chapter 2: Artificial Intelligence
Phase 2
During this multimedia integration phase, my primary use of technology was to blend different bodies of work, using Playform A.I., an artificial intelligence program. Its blending approach mirrors the merging of two worlds that once came together when my mother and father met, paralleling my own biological fusion.
Using this A.I. tool, I plugged in images of my paintings from two different bodies of work, that represent both my mother and father's cultural background. This program amalgamates this data, combining the two styles to offer a multitude of potential visual combinations.
Ancestry, AI and Art
Chapter 3: Healing Through Art
Phase 3
After selecting the most resonant elements from the Playform A.I. blending process, I then integrate them onto canvas with paint.
During this phase I also ask the question, ‘Can a painting heal? Can the intention of a piece of art be for healing and growing?’
In this phase, I attempt to explore integrating the sacred healing traditions connected to my ancestors and modern day healing approaches, through implementing sacred materials into my paintings (such as crystalline minerals and blessed water). By drawing on my ancestral figures, like the Filipino faith healers and the Pagan seers / shamans from the Northern European heritage, I tried to mirror their tendency by connect with nature and bringing its elements (earth, stone, water, etc.) into the studio.
I also interviewed various artists around the topic of healing through art. These discussions were both insightful and impactful and surprisingly, healing, all on their own. I was able to also interview a faith healer, which was fascinating. These conversations have already contributed to a better understanding on the various ways art can heal.