An interactive workshop by Arup J. Paul

How can visual arts and innovative, generative AI technology be used for a dialogue on environmental protection? Based on his art project FastestGrowingForest, the artist and creative technologist shows in this interactive workshop how generative AI works in the visual field and what potential its use has. Participants become artists themselves and contribute in the creation of an AI model that creates images.
The workshop is divided into two parts of 45 minutes each. In the first part, participants learn interesting facts about color theories, composition and painting techniques. Inspired by forest images and equipped with pens, markers and brushes, the participants paint images themselves, which are incorporated into an AI model, from which AI-generated forest images are created in part 2 of the workshop (on Saturday).

As a continuation of Friday’s workshop, in the second part participants will be introduced to how generative AI works and will learn, for example, what a diffusion model is. The analogue forest images painted by the participants the day before have been digitized and incorporated into the AI model. With prompts participants create new digital forest images. The aim of the workshop is to develop a fundamental understanding of AI and its creative potential while at the same time initiating a dialogue about forest protection to promote environmental awareness.

Arup J. Paul is an artist and creative technologist. In his project #FastestGrowingForest, he combines classic painting techniques and the latest generative AI technology to draw attention to the importance of forests, which are increasingly threatened by rapid urbanization and the effects of climate change.