PROFORMA x Begehungen: Leerzeit residency programme 2021
About the PROFORMA x Begehungen Leerzeit residency programme 2021 & 2022
Developing the twin-city relationship between Manchester and Chemnitz, PROFORMA and Begehungen have created an annual artist and curator residency program which explores ideas of remoteness, duality, and interconnectedness through inhabiting digital and physical realms.
Rethinking the notion of residency as an often singular and solitary activity, our PROFORMA X Begehungen Residency Programme multiplies the potential of twinning as a creative act with artists, curators, and organizations collaborating across several sites to create site-responsive artwork and exhibitions.
Created in 2019, this year PROFORMA X Begehungen will simultaneously host two artists' residencies digitally and physically at Islington Mill, Greater Manchester, and the former Altendorf freight station, Chemnitz.
The works created for the program were exhibited at the Proforma Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2022 with support from Proforma's Venetian partners, Pas-E, PROFORMA Pavilion was a one-day extravaganza of films and performances in collaboration with Manchester, UK organizations Longsight Art Space and Venture Arts.
The artists for the 2021 residencies were Nicola Dale and Parham Ghalamdar.
Nicola Dale:
Nicola's residency will explore how idleness gives time a different shape; how the hologram gives the body a different shape and how the remote residency gives space a different shape.
Parham Ghalamdar:
During the Proforma X Begenhungen residency, Parham will use the opportunity to research the relationship between painting and the digital within the context of lockdown, physical absence, and non-productive times. He will train the AI engine to create still and moving images based on studying images of oil paintings. As the result, the responsibility and production are shifted.
An excerpt from the publication which was the core concept of the project:
"In a lecture in 1971, Philip Guston talked about the Piero Della Francesca’s murals at the Church of San Francesca in Arezzo in Italy. This series of frescoes depict the legends of finding the true cross. Guston talks about the picture plane in Piero’s paintings as “illusions” or “places” where forms of this world including trees, people, furniture, and objects come to a momentary “pause”. Guston defined this pause in opposition to objects in wax museums where there is no future to the forms and there is no given promise of any continuity.
Piero’s paintings are paused, not stopped. As if Piero’s paintings are selected frames from a much bigger storyboard. Being there in the church, where the painter himself painted those pictures, and witnessing such a phenomena was a cinematic experience in the pre-modern world. These paintings leave the door open for the imagination to fill the gap and fantasies the previous and next frames in order to form a movie in the mind of the witness.
Guston himself describes this “... metaphysical plane where the condition exists of no finish, no end, but infinite quality” as “celestial” and “cosmic”. Now, what if the still images of these paused paintings could be mobilized with random and endless varieties? What if the AI is the unseen structure that could un-pause Piero’s painting to create prequels and sequels? (AImen †)"
-Parham Ghalamdar (Summer 2021)
UNPAUSing PIERO
An artificial intelligence engine was employed to analyze the image of the "Constantine's Dream" painting by Piero Della Francesca and the reproductions of the painting by Parham Ghalamdar. The AI engine was trained for a total of 8 hours with these visual inputs to study and recognize the features and patterns of the paintings.
After this training period, the AI engine produced results that were both intriguing and unique. The outputs were stormy landscapes with triangular tent shapes that were in a state of constant flux. These landscapes bore no resemblance to the original artwork, nor the reproductions that were used as inputs. However, they were a result of the engine's interpretation of the input data, which led to the creation of an entirely new piece of art.
The stormy landscapes depicted in the outputs were characterized by their vivid and dynamic nature, which suggested a sense of motion and instability. The triangular tent shapes were a prominent feature in the outputs and were arranged in a way that created an almost geometric pattern, which was both visually appealing and intriguing.
Overall, this experiment showcased the incredible potential of artificial intelligence in the realm of art and creativity. The AI engine's ability to analyze and interpret visual inputs led to the creation of a unique and thought-provoking piece of art. It is fascinating to consider the future possibilities of AI and its ability to push the boundaries of artistic expression.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO PLAY THE VIDEO
Installation VIEW OF EXHIBITING AT Islington Mill, Salford,UK. 2021
Installation VIEW OF EXHIBITING AT freight station, Chemnitz, Germany. 2021
Installation VIEW OF EXHIBITING AT PROFORMA pavillion AT Pase Platform, Venice Biennale, Italy. 2022
With support from our Proforma's Venetian partners, Pas-E, PROFORMA Pavilion is a one-day extravaganza of films and performances in collaboration with Manchester, UK organisations Longsight Art Space and Venture Arts
PUBLICATION in digital format:
In this gallery you can see a selection of my work. I hope you enjoy.
EMBEDDED MEDIA
https://www.youtube.com/embed/O_BCk2pwuag
