The creation that cannot be replaced by "perception" AI technology, in this century old factory building in Shanghai, AI | Memory | Factory
The art exhibition "I perceive, I exist" recently opened at the Shanghai Huamao Center on the North Bund. Curator Zhu Yujie said that as the city's past gradually fades into time, the best way to awaken it is to recreate the city's memories through sensory experience.
Shanghai China Trade Center bears the memory of the city. It was once the site of the famous star perfume factory. In 1907, the "star toilet water" was born here. In 2022, Huamao Group settled Shanghai Huamao Center at No. 177, Gaoyang Road, the former site of Star perfume Factory, preserving the appearance and interior walls of the century old building. On the former site, it planned to build a business integrating historical culture, architectural art and fashion art, and continue the artistic gene of Star perfume Factory in a new way.
The exhibition focuses on "perception" and tells new stories of century old architecture, connecting viewers with their perception of architecture and time. Artist Chen Xin uses easel painting and installation to explore people's aspirations and deficiencies in emotional experiences after entering the digital age. Her exhibit "Listening to the Wind" brings the power of growth with the posture and breath of plants. Wang Jiacheng is skilled in using transparent materials such as glass to create works that maintain emotional connection and dialogue with viewers. Her work "Jingzhen Morning" focuses on Eastern philosophy and aesthetics. Yuan Xiaotian's "Flow No.1" uses metal wire mesh as the material, reflecting a soft and tough sense of contradiction. Wan Duoyun's sculpture works and flat paintings start with painting methods, inspiring subconscious images.
The participating artists discussed the application of perception in artistic creation and the impact of AI technology on creation. Wang Jiacheng stated that the ambient temperature during the creation of glass artworks is very high, and the temperature in the factory can reach over 50 degrees in summer. Due to the heat, the creator may fall into an unconscious reaction, so she will prepare the manuscript of the work's lines in advance. However, there may still be minor accidents in actual creation. In Wang Jiacheng's view, these small accidents have actually created infinite possibilities for art. Yuan Xiaotian interpreted his metal wire mesh works and said, "At first glance, people will feel that it is very soft. When they get closer, they realize that it was originally made of metal, which is also a manifestation of perception - whether what you see is the true essence of the work."
The participating artists unanimously believe that the expression of personal thoughts and emotions in artistic creation cannot be replaced by AI technology. Wang Jiacheng said, "3D printing can already make glass products, but the feeling of 'printing' is greatly different from handmade artworks. Printed glass products are more neat and regular, just like cutting diamonds, with obvious design marks on how many faces and cutting points there are. In handmade glass creations, every randomly fired piece, even specific to each arc, is the product of my on-site perception."
