Quote
P. Scorzin, “From descriptive storytelling to digital image generation with AI: A new digital ekphrasis?,” Studi di estetica, vol. 28 (2024), pp. 21–39, 2024 [Online]. Available: https://journals.mimesisedizioni.it/index.php/studi-di-estetica/issue/view/110
Content
Abstract
This essay briefly discusses the historical significance and function of ekphrasis in the arts and its continued relevance as an effective artistic practice. It also explores the concept of "digital ekphrasis" in the age of artificial intelligence and digital image generation. The discussion centers around popular available AI models online, such as Midjourney, Dall-e, Stable Diffusion, and Firefly. The essay examines prominent examples of AI art or popular 'prompt art,' including Refik Anadol's award-winning AI project "Unsupervised" (MoMA, New York, 2023) and the viral Midjourney prompt "The Pope wearing a Balenciaga puffer jacket" (Spring 2023). The author questions whether we can speak of a "computational ecphrasis" in the age of artificial intelligence and considers AI models as our new co-creative collaborators. The essay considers a praxeology of digital ecphrasis, exploring how efficient text instructions for AI models are used to create compelling images in a new digital aesthetic that reaches a global audience.
Keywords
#digitalekphrasis #genAI #generativeAI #digitalimage #artificialintelligence