Objects Unknown (II)
2022
Objects Unknown (II) continues my exploration of early AI image generation models as tools for discovering forms that exist beyond conventional categories of design and function. Rather than seeking photorealism, the project embraces the ambiguity, imperfections and unexpected associations produced by these early systems, using them as a medium for visual speculation.
For this series, I generated and curated hundreds of images in search of objects that appeared simultaneously familiar and alien. The focus shifted from marine artefacts to a collection of imagined marble tools, objects that suggest purpose and craftsmanship yet resist any clear interpretation or recognised function. Their forms draw on the language of baroque ornament, architectural carving and sculptural detail, blending utility and decoration into a single ambiguous artefact.
The resulting objects appear as if they belong to an unknown civilisation: meticulously carved from stone, shaped by human hands, yet detached from any identifiable use. Some resemble fragments of architecture, others ceremonial instruments or mechanical components, but none can be fully understood through existing typologies.
The project reflects an interest in AI as a creative partner capable of revealing new aesthetic territories. By navigating large numbers of generated possibilities and selecting forms that balanced strangeness with coherence, Objects Unknown (II) explores how artificial intelligence can become a tool for imagining artefacts that have no history, no recognised purpose and no place in the physical world, while still carrying the cultural and material presence of traditional sculpture.
