Final Project Guidelines

Course: Thinking Machines

Duration: 5 Weeks

Project Overview

Critique existing, generative and digital art

Objectives

• Explore: Find actual existing artwork that speaks to you.
• Generation: Using a generative AI, attempt to create something that looks like artwork that speaks to you.
• Artistry: Using computer graphics to communicate something you fell using digital art.
• Critique: Critically engage, evaluating the merits, message, and technique, of each of the above works of art or approximations.
• Collaborate: Share your work via a technical report on GitHub pages.

Project Requirements

1. Exploration

• Choose 4 pieces of existing visual art and compile them into an initial report.
• Can you find scans or photographs of paintings from musuems?
• Are there digital photographers whose personal style resonates with you?
• Are there digital artists whose work you respect and admire
• For each piece, write 100-200 words on how they make you feel.
• Get instructor approval by Friday, 18 Oct

2. Generation

• Using generative AI to create graphics.
  • Evaluation public generative AI frameworks like OpenAI, Llama, Gemini, and more.
  • Perhaps use these LLMs to generate images or to generate code which generates images.
  • Document your process to achieve art that makes you feel as close to how the your 4 initial pieces of work made you feel.
  • For each piece, write 50-100 words on how they make you feel, and 50-100 words on whether the AI was an artist, you were an artist, or some combination of the two.

3. Artistry

• Using PIL and the techniques we have seen in this class, potentially with the assistance of Gemini, create 4 graphics.
• Document your process to achieve art that makes you feel as close to how the your 4 initial pieces of work made you feel.
• Do not delete any code, only add to a notebook until you achieve your goals.
• For each piece, write 50-100 words on how they make you feel, and 50-100 words on whether PIL was an artist, you were an artist, or some combination of the two.

4. Critique

• Compose your 12 pieces of visual media and 12 short writing pieces into a cohesive Colab document
• Add an introduction of 400-500 words to describe your goals and philosophy.
• Add a conclusion of 400-500 words summarizing what you've learning.
• Include prose explanations, code snippets, outputs, and visualizations.

5. Technical Implementation

• Use Git and GitHub for version control.
• Host the final report using GitHub Pages.
• Ensure well-documented and clean code.

Timeline and Milestones

Grading Rubric (100 Points Total)

Effort

100

The final project should demonstrate your ability to thoughtfully consider art, machines, and humans.