A unique collection of human and machine co-generated falconry paintings at Katara – the Cultural Village puts a spotlight on falconry – “a living heritage in Qatar and the Gulf which connects the region culturally and historically”.
Titled 'Keep Flying: AI (artificial intelligence) Art and Arabic Heritage', the exhibition opened on Wednesday and will run until May 31 at Katara’s Building 19. It is supported by the College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar and Katara.
“Besides the horse, the falcon is another (Qatari) cultural symbol which was originally used for hunting, but later on evolved and became a heritage. It represents the symbol of strength, endurance, and sharp vision,” Dr James She, an Associate Professor in the College of Science and Engineering at HBKU Qatar, told Gulf Times.
Titled 'Keep Flying: AI (artificial intelligence) Art and Arabic Heritage', the exhibition opened on Wednesday and will run until May 31 at Katara’s Building 19. It is supported by the College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar and Katara.
“Besides the horse, the falcon is another (Qatari) cultural symbol which was originally used for hunting, but later on evolved and became a heritage. It represents the symbol of strength, endurance, and sharp vision,” Dr James She, an Associate Professor in the College of Science and Engineering at HBKU Qatar, told Gulf Times.
Following his successful ‘Keep Running: AI Art and Qatari Heritage’ exhibition in 2021 at the Doha Fire Station, Dr She’s latest show features 15 artworks that were produced using the AI technology Style Transfer.
The exhibition aims to show the distinguishable features of falcons and falconers in a new way while preserving their original aesthetics and sentimental values.
Seeing an end of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr She said the exhibition also mirrors a return to normalcy where people can “Keep Flying” as its title suggests.
“Although we humans have been impacted by the virus (Covid-19), but I think our spirit, just like their (Qatari and Arab) culture, we keep flying, we are trying to find ways to resume (to normal),” he said.
According to Dr She, the exhibition reflects the Arab’s zeal in preserving their identity and tradition despite present technological advancements and amid their evolving economy.
The exhibition, organisers noted, exemplifies how emerging AI technologies can empower a computing machine to learn about important subjects and artistic styles, and then perform with the creative decisiveness of a human artist.
As a university professor, Dr She, whose interests focus on AI and multimedia for art, media, culture and human creativity, underlined the importance of continuous research of new AI technologies.
“Now we have a new AI technology, we create all these artworks in a new pop art style, it is not like a traditional painting, it is not like the AI trying to duplicate (something), this is something new,” he added. “I’m using the AI to identify a new style that human eyes will see as a pop art, we analyse key theories and different art styles in a modern or pop art style.”
