Trying to control AI's unpredictable nature.

It's fascinating how the works of @edbyus stem from their ingenious and controlled utilization of AI's unpredictable nature. They've harnessed a level of control of what one might call 'digital hallucinations' in order to develop a new unique ecosystem of creatures that echo the aesthetic of Boldtron. These creations are not only visually compelling due to their vibrant chromatic palette and structured compositions reminiscent of past works by the creative duo, but they also cleverly integrate a familiar digital gesture: the loop.

This looping mechanism, frequently encountered in meme culture through GIFs, serves a pivotal role in animating Boldtron's 'Hatchlings'. Each artwork is densely packed with intricate details that defy full absorption in a single viewing.

Here, the strategic use of repetition as a leitmotif proves its worth. By perpetually revisiting the same motions, the loop invites the viewer's eye to discover and rediscover new details in every pass, making the creatures appear alive and suspended in fluid—an effect both mesmerizing and ethereal. This subtle yet powerful use of the loop not only animates but also embeds itself into the core significance of each piece, becoming an invisible yet integral part of the artwork's narrative.

We really love these digital creatures. 🫰 Petalaceus Capitis

This collection features strange creatures that appear to come from the depths of the abyssal ocean.

→ The Vault of Wonders: Chapter 1 - The Abyssal Unseen by @edbyus

Back in the Renaissance, people loved collecting strange and rare objects in "cabinets of curiosities." These collections were like the first museums, filled with fascinating items that sparked wonder about the natural world. The Vault of Wonders brings that concept into the digital age by creating unique creatures that feel both real and imaginary.

The series is divided into 100 Hatchlings and 36 Families. Each family comprises 25 different creatures that share similar anatomical and physiological characteristics, resulting in a total of 1,000 pieces.

Meet some of these creatures and the families they are part of ↓ ↓ Coloris Pictor

When the Tools Change, The Stories Change
The Evolution of AI Aesthetics

The advancement of technology has always been a catalyst for transformation in art. From photography to digital art, each new tool changes the stories we tell and how we tell them. This is clear in three recent projects: AlignDraw by Elman Mansimov, Infinite Images ∞ by Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst, and The Vault of Wonders: Chapter 1 - The Abyssal Unseen by Boldtron. These projects show how new tools can change artistic expression and storytelling. → alignDRAW by @elmanmansimov

alignDRAW is one of the first steps in AI-generated art. The images are pixelated, blurry, and sometimes just blobs of color. It doesn't look like high-quality, realistic art, but that's not the point. Like the Wright flyer or the first photograph, alignDRAW is important because it was the beginning. Over time, people learned to see beauty in some of its outputs, recognizing the model's early success. This project shows the early stages of AI art and its potential to grow.

Manipulated Photography before Photoshop

About three decades ago, Adobe revolutionized photo editing with the release of Photoshop, a software initially expected to sell just 500 copies. At that time, digital editing was gaining interest, but most photos were still edited manually.

Professional retoucher Pratik Naik described the painstaking process in a 2013 blog post: zooming required a magnifying glass, edits lacked history states and layers, and tools like the healing brush were nonexistent.

Art directors and designers spent hours perfecting images using traditional tools like paint brushes and airbrushes. Photo manipulation, however, has a long history predating Photoshop, including early techniques like the wet collodion process for combining images on a negative.

Manipulation wasn't always for artistic purposes; "spirit photography" in the 19th century claimed to capture spirits, exemplified by William H. Mumler's controversial images of Abe Lincoln's supposed ghost.

Even before Photoshop, photography saw hoaxes like the Cottingley Fairies and staged scenes like "The Valley of the Shadow of Death" from the Crimean War, illustrating the early use of photography to tell stories or fabricate realities.

According to Mia Fineman, photo manipulation predates digital tools, with photographers historically using available means to achieve their desired images.

🖼️ Man on rooftop with 11 men in formation on his shoulders. 1930. William H. Mumler's controversial images of Abe Lincoln's supposed ghost.

🎆 End of the Year Recap

As we near the end of the year, let's take a moment to celebrate Fellowship's projects throughout this year.

↓ Post Photographic Perspectives II (Stills) In this third decade of the new millennium, we’ve witnessed breathtaking advancements in technology and culture. AI is quickly upending traditional rules and is on its way to becoming the defining medium of art in this century.

Contemporary artists take risks in their practice and themes. This exploration is vital for comprehending the ever-evolving world of visual art and storytelling.

↓ The artist Edward Hopper has made an enduring mark on the fields of visual arts and photography. Edward Hopper, the renowned American painter, is celebrated for his iconic portrayals of urban solitude, desolation, and everyday life.

Flora of Argelton Lane by Jacqui Kenny for @obscuratwt

Here's what we collected for our permanent collection 👇 "We are at an inflection point. I know the Metaverse is coming, I feel it, but I can’t see it yet...

Ornithographies, a photographic project by @xavibou_, stems from the desire to capture often overlooked moments and explore the boundaries of human perception.

[Collected by @Johndoe8891] This project focuses on birds, Xavi's great passion, in order to capture in a single time frame the shapes they generate when flying, making visible the invisible.

[Collected by @pixelpete]

Knowing how great photographers perceive, conceptualize, and capture their shots can benefit your photographic journey.

In "How I Make Photographs," @joelmeyerowitz shares some suggestions on his creative process.

🧵Here are six tips taken from his book: 1. Putting story into your photographs:

Meyerowitz emphasizes the importance of putting a story or narrative into your photographs. He believes that a photograph should not only be visually interesting but should also convey a sense of context and meaning.

gngn!

We hope you're enjoying your Sunday. If you're looking for a good listen, we recorded several spaces this week.

Here are the full recordings 🎧🤍 🎙On Monday, we had @gallegosfer weekly space about the final test of the nft space as a place for art.

twitter.com/i/spaces/1vOGw…

The streets have always been an enduring source of inspiration for photographers.

@joelmeyerowitz stands out as one of the most talented, capturing magical moments through his lens.

🧵 Here's a glimpse into his 35mm color work: For Meyerowitz, street photography was about capturing the essence of life in the city, the raw energy that pulsed through its streets.

Hockey games, tennis matches, or diving competitions are the kinds of events that serve the photographer as a theatre for the hypotheses on time and space.

@PelleCass - Controlling Chaos.

a 🧵 by @artukovicjosip ✍️ Ever since Argo spoke about the possibilities of revolutionary scientific applications of photography when presenting the invention of Daguerreotype to the French Academy of Sciences, the medium was conceived and used as a tool that extends the limits of human perception.

twitter.com/i/spaces/1eaKb… Let's wait for a couple of minutes to get more people into the space ☕️

After 15 years of street photography using a 35mm camera, Meyerowitz was ready to try something new. So in 1976, he got an 8x10 inch Deardorff field camera.

🧵 A short story about how @joelmeyerowitz revolutionized color photography. Joel Meyerowitz is a pioneer in color photography, and his journey began in the early 1960s when he started shooting with Kodachrome film. However, color photography was not widely accepted in the art world at the time and was often seen as commercial or amateurish.

We'd like to highlight Fellowship collectors who have collected pieces from all 11 artists from the Post Photographic Perspectives Project. Thank you for supporting the artists and the project. Post Photographic Perspectives was Fellowship's inaugural group show celebrating a new wave of innovation in Ai images.

We believe in the future of art and aim to support a new generation of image creators.

Every week, our team handpicks 10 talented artists from the community and gives them a shout-out for their incredible work!

Take a look at this week's selection 🔥❤️ @_nataliesosa's selection

1. @joshkjack

twitter.com/i/spaces/1BdGY… Let's wait for a couple of minutes to get more people into the space ☕️

In Spring 2015, the photographer @joelmeyerowitz sat at the work table in Giorgio Morandi’s Bologna home, in the exact spot where the painter had sat for over 40 years, making his quiet, sublime still lifes. Here Meyerowitz looked at, touched, studied and connected with the more than 250 objects that Morandi painted. Using only the warm natural light in the room, he photographed Morandi’s objects: vases, shells, pigment-filled bottles, silk flowers, tins, funnels, watering cans.

Every Tuesday and Thursday we share work we love from the broader photography community.

🧵Today, we're exploring the captivating portfolio of Graciela Iturbide - a renowned Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide is a renowned photographer known for her unique approach to capturing the essence of Indigenous communities in Mexico.

Congratulations to Post Photographic Perspectives artist @charlieengman on being featured in @NewYorker's recent article, "A Photographer Embraces the Alien Logic of A.I." 🔥

🔗 newyorker.com/culture/photo-… @charlieengman has leaned into the alien logic of AI and found a way to make something that feels new. His experiments on image generation using Midjourney have yielded fleshy distortions, peculiar make-out sessions, and unfamiliar pictures of his mother.

A new book by @joelmeyerowitz titled "What Have I Seen?" explores the renowned US photographer's 60-year career, spanning from Franco's Spain to New York mannequins.

🧵He talks us through some classic images… A Crane Being Erected, NYC, 2001

‘In the history of painting, the Romantic sublime is often depicted with a ruin; the “once was” of history, the bones left over that are now a monument, a memento mori, to the past. I adopted that view in this hellish place.’