New York Exhibition
Plagialphabet: 30 frames of stolen time
© Elie Kupsc
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Dérivé de ma collection Plagialphabet: 30 frames of stolen Time explore l’ethique de l’art génératif
· Lieux: Broadway - Timesquare NYC· Support: Ecran géant incurvé
· Date: 1-7 Avril 2024
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Art Innovation Gallery
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• Case Study Video - Motion and Sound Design: Vincent Duret
• Video recording: Art Innovation Gallery
Case Study Video
Concept: The Spark
"Plagialphabet" emerged as a critical response to the AI art generation debate. The project challenges our perception of creation in an age where artificial intelligence can generate images in seconds, choosing plagiarism as its medium to question the boundaries between inspiration, appropriation, and creation.
Research: The Collection
Drawing from over 2,000 carefully selected public domain images and engravings, each element was methodically chosen from historical archives. While AI can instantly access millions of images, this project embraced the human approach: careful selection and thoughtful curation. This research phase spanned several weeks, building a curated visual library.
Design: The Blueprint
The concept crystallized around creating a visual alphabet where a bird, symbol of peace, would soar through each letter. This central motif would transform across the characters, creating a fluid animation that speaks to freedom and transcendence. Each character needed to function both independently and as part of a flowing sequence, transforming the static nature of typography into dynamic motion while maintaining the project's commentary on creation and appropriation. The bird became both subject and metaphor, floating above the constraints of conventional design, much like creativity itself soars beyond the boundaries of automated generation.
Process: The Craft
The labor-intensive process of tracing and recomposing began. Selected images were meticulously transformed into typographic characters, each designed to maintain visual coherence while telling its own story. This phase spanned hundreds of hours, deliberately contrasting with AI's instant generation capabilities.
Sequence: The Flow
Thirty unique characters were crafted to function both as letters and as frames. Each transition was carefully considered, ensuring smooth movement from one frame to the next in the 8-second animation. The typography came alive through frame-by-frame animation, adding temporal dimension to the visual narrative.
Display: The Unveiling
The project found its home at Art Innovation Gallery in New York City. What began as a commentary on plagiarism and AI art evolved into a celebration of slow craft and intentional creation. "Plagialphabet" stands as a testament to the value of human craft in the digital age, where the journey of creation becomes as significant as the final piece.
30 frames of stolen time:
To Conclude
Plagialphabet is a visual rebellion where I deliberately spent hundreds of hours doing what AI does in seconds. Each frame was built out from multiple public domain images, meticulously traced and recomposed into 30 typographic characters to create an frame by frame animation.
While AI debates rage on, this isn't just about plagiarism - it's about embracing the slow craft in a world obsessed with instant results. Time spent circling around. Time invested in creative decisions. Time that shapes not just the final result, but ourselves.
Trust the process, take your time, grow with your work. If these images were AI-generated, there would be no story to tell.
Peace out 🖤🕊️