Mail Art News #8: More A.I.M.A.

Let's look further into the history of artificial intelligence as relates to mail art. 

July 28, 2022:  My own contribution, a series of sci-fi / fantasy intergalactic postal service images generated using Midjourney, posted on Instagram. The set of images features some stamps of planets and other objects, which are, at this time, considered artistamps, as there is currently no known intergalactic mail system. And there's also a package with a planet sticker on it. The intention was that this intergalactic service would be used for regular mail and mail art. The post was also tagged with #mailart.

 

Then on August 5, 2022, Michael Leigh started a group on IUOMA called DALL.E 2 (Formerly Craiyon and Dall.E Mini ). And there you can see some of the earliest AI mail art creations. I will post a few here, all from August 2022. 

1. awyn,  AI generated postage stamps

2. Bradford, high definition structure on dark side of the moon intaglio print postage stamp

"It yielded some interesting images.  One in particular points to a specific celestial body as the source image for the rendering; the icy moon, Mimas, orbiting Saturn."

Also from Bradford: 

3. Michael Leigh, Ken Dodd holding a cucumber and saying "The Martians Are Coming! - postage stamp 

4. Mick Boyle, AI generated postage stamps

 

 

On March 6, 2023 nonlocal variable started a discussion on IUOMA:

"Here’s a question. Is Generative AI mail art Mail Art? What does the Fluxus Manifesto say? Situationism? Neoism? IUOMA? What are the norms we want to follow here? We all use tech for our work, despite the DIY ethic. Does AI count. Here’s a bunch of Dall-E-generated art from my prompts. Is it Mail Art because I generated the prompt? Have fun with this little puzzle 😊"

From a combination of reading the comments on the IUOMA blog post and having already formed some of my own thoughts on the subject, the general idea seems to be that AI is another tool in the hands of artists, BUT if the tool of AI gets into the hands of the wrong people, then there could be serious consequences. Big tech companies that often partner with governments, in alliances where the intentions are already highly questionable, are running full speed ahead to see who can put AI to use for the most profit / influence / control.

There's still the AI mail art work of Carl Chew to discuss and these details are pending. From Adam Roussopoulos on IG: "I am pretty sure looking at dates that it is highly likely that Carl Chew was the first to introduce AI to Mailart. I do believe my rubber stamps were the first, but I know Carl dove head first into AI for Artistamps and general imagery. I have a massive AI poster he sent me as well. I’ll dig it out and photograph it for you."

I am looking forward to that and I am planning to reach out to Carl to see he can tell us on the topic. Will do a third A.I.M.A. post once more information becomes available. 

Thank you for reading and sharing.