Artist creates AI-generated art as a tribute to her Madras memories

CHENNAI: Artists, in general, love to experiment with various mediums for their work – be it paint, sketches, mixed media and so on. Of late, we have noticed the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) artists who create outstanding work that looks 100 per cent hand made. In Chennai too, there are artists who turn to AI to create some unique works. Though there are AI interpretations in various themes, for the first time, city artist Srishti Prabakar has developed a carefully curated series on Madras through AI.

“I’ve been working on different aspects of colours and the city for a few years now. Every year, I look at new ways to include the lesser known things, tangible and intangible heritage in the city while experimenting with colours. So this year, I wanted to do something different - it was about small memories that are close to me or things that I wish I could have witnessed/experienced in person. I decided to use AI as a tool to showcase this,” says Srishti.

The theme she chose was quite simple - colours, memories and Madras. “It was about the things we see frequently like the market, the beach or the park but with something specific to highlight - so Thanneerthurai market, the beach on New Year’s Eve or the tower in Anna Nagar Tower park.”

When you look at any of her AI works on Madras, her intention was for it to be an inclusive experience of sorts, something that triggers or evokes all the senses. ”What you see, smell, hear or touch. For example, the piece that I made of the Thalapakatti biryani kadai. When I see it, I’m reminded of the bright yellow bulb, the smell of the biryani, the sound that the plate makes against the biryani anda, the background sounds of the market, and maybe, my hands are carrying bags back home from the market as well!” the artist elaborates with a smile.

Srishti took quite a while to accustom to the medium and make it speak the way she wanted to. “I wanted to use the medium which otherwise is about the future, to showcase what could have been, instead of what it could be. At the end of the day, when someone looks at these pieces, I want them to be able to identify that it was made by me,” she sums up.