Thoughts
- Julian recommended that I look at the work of Zach Blas
- ßI watched the work “Cultus” (2023) which was a multimedia installation that “addresses a burgeoning AI religiosity in the tech industry”
- I’m interested in the way that the work fuses ideas about light / dark (literally) with religion and sensuality. The visuals are beautifully realised with high production values.
- The overall feel is creepy, threatening and dangerous
- It reminds me of films like Hellraiser which I’m sure I have been influenced by
- I enjoyed the critique it provides of the “AI gods” that are “already amongst us” but wonder if these kinds of work are ‘preaching to the converted’ (*joke*). What is the function of this kind of work in relation to what is currently going on – does it provide critique which is meaningful or that contributes to wider critical thought?
- I guess this is me thinking about the role of art as protest or counter culture in an age where we are saturated with ‘content’
- Even though this work is very enjoyable to watch, it has the feeling of being a pastiche. I think the reality of the situation could be presented as more horrific (e.g. AI energy use and impact on climate) or could have been more directly critical – by making clearer references to the tech industry as it is now.
- In saying all of this, I like the work – I like the fact that it is an embodiment of an abstract idea (AI consciousness)
- I like the kind of story it is presenting and plan to come back to Blas’s work in future.
Reference
Zach Blas. (2024). CULTUS | Zach Blas. [online] Available at: https://zachblas.info/works/cultus/.
