RISHABH KANTHED - Planet Photography

What is Planet Photography?

It is an alternate reality fantasy world where everything happens through photography, light and images via direct & indirect ways.

Artist Statement

Through my curiosity in Artificial Intelligence (AI), I started giving prompts to AI (Adobe Firefly) & the results led me to fantasize about the self reflexivity of AI. Using imagination, fantasy and comic as tools in the context of metaphor, I fabricated a story questioning the self-reflexivity of AI and photography theories.

Through these experiments I arrived at a work - which is a multi-tone, hybrid media, photo-comic-novel in book format titled as "Planet Photography". The plot journeys through Chloe and her puzzled state about her future regarding what to pursue after schooling. Around the same time a master artificial intelligence was being developed which later on find its way to conquer the Exposio city & its population on the fantastical 'Planet Photography! by the means of weaponizing the image.
Does perception as a weapon, stand a chance to fight against AI?

Core Idea of the Story -

Multiple sub-conflicts leading to the main conflict that questions the AI about its self reflexivity.

I started my research in order to work with aspects of world building. I build my narrative over existing stereotypes and elements of existential reality, and distorted them wherever necessary, to create an alternate reality fantasy world so that it becomes engaging for the reader.

For example - I distorted the penta-prism of the DSLR camera into icosahedron as a celestial body called Cosmic Prism that refracts the sun light into rainbow light on the Planet Photography which happens once every year when the Cosmic Prism comes in between the Planet and the sun. And on this day, the people on this planet celebrate the Festival of Divine Light.

I went on a field trip to Kochi, Munnar and Coimbatore for inspiration and studying various elements of our existential reality. I carried out various experiments and intensive research using the combinational approach of system design and speculative design to surface out a graphic meta narrative.

I worked with speculative fantasy fiction to flesh out and fabricate a fantastical story in order to make a hybrid media, photo-comic-novel in a book format.

Experiments by giving prompts to AI

(Via Screenshots)

When I gave prompts to AI (Firefly) that included words "artificial intelligence" to see how does AI self reflects, what I saw was that AI considers itself to be of a humanoid form, but in reality it is a machine learning algorithm running on a server and this humanoid form is a human construct, to which AI is conditioned to project as itself. This led me to question the self-reflexivity of the AI, which later became the core of the story.

I tried to place AI in the category of common tools (like a paint brush) used to create art, and made an attempt to construct context of the tool being self-reflective or performative, and whether the tool is also an artist, even if it is for an ephemeral period?

Brush as tool that creates art on its own after giving a certain prompt.

Prompt/initiation - bring a brush dipped in colour to a certain height and release on a surface.

One doesn't have control on the shape of splash created by a free falling brush dipped in colour. The splash like art created by brush on its own. So is brush (a tool) becomes an artist for that ephemeral period?

Mirror adds a layer to represent self reflexivity of the brush creating the art on its own.

Camera as tool that creates art on its own after giving a certain prompt.

Prompt/initiation - Camera put on timer mode

One doesn't have control on the movement of leaves by wind and so the photograph captured by the camera is on its own and have unique position of leaves that one cannot pre-define. So is Camera (a tool) becomes an artist for that ephemeral period?

Window pane used as reflective surface for camera to self-reflect on art created by itself.

Is Artificial Intelligence (AI) an artist or tool a to create art?

Prompt/initiation - artificial intelligence fantasising about planet photography

Just like other tools, the prompt, in this case, is given in words. AI generates a set of 4 images corresponding to the text.

But whenever the AI has to show itself, it represents itself as a humanoid. But in reality AI is a machine learning algorithm running on servers, then how can it represent itself as a humanoid. The visual self of AI, then, is questionable and so its self reflexivity. This is probably because of the fact that it is a human construct that is conditioned to represent its form as a humanoid.

Considering AI as a tool to create art, it has an ability to learn and refine. Also after giving a prompt, one doesn't have control over the output, and for that ephemeral time, is AI an artist?

*I also attempt to make a silent comparison of my fantasy of planet photography with AI's.

Considering Body as a tool to create art.

(I gave myself a similar prompt as AI)

Prompt/initiation - My fantasy about planet photography.

My fantasy includes a 3D modelled cosmic prism and a digital sketch of planet photography. They are represented by the tools with which they were created (laptop and computer monitor).

The mirror is used to add the layer of self-reflexivity and also the middle placement is to put me amidst my creation.

Idea of removing clothes is used to remove the layer of identity and reflecting the self as is.

Watch is kept as a tool used to visualise time. Specs are kept as they visually support the act of creation.

The blue and red lights are used create a fantasy/sci-fi effect.

Dimly lit reflection of the studio to show studio as a tool to create this image.