Presentation

Searching for Hiroshige is a series of works inspired by traditional Japanese woodblock printing methods. The basis for this series relies on an attempt to identify the visual language that underlies this particular art form. What characterises a traditional Japanese woodblock print? What makes it different from western etchings and how can I translate these with contemporary techniques? These were some of the questions that guided the process. This artwork is part of a series of visual works that combine traditional generative algorithms with contemporary neural network techniques. To create these images I first make my own tools using software as my main medium. I write programs that execute algorithms. The images generated from these software tools are then fed into a Convolutional Neural Network in order to explore the formal structures and apply further stylistic features. The particularity of this process is in mixing a variety of techniques. The creation of the image starts from a very abstract idea and develops from concept to text (as code) to digital form and eventually finding its final state as a printed work of art. Each of these processes make for a unique artwork.