Automatism

Automatism

Work created in 2025/4/5

'Automatism' is an experimental work of digital art that incorporates elements of Surrealism, exploring themes of automatism, the unconscious, and chance beyond human control. The title 'Automatism' refers to automatic thought and action in art, highlighting the Surrealist technique that values creativity emerging from the unconscious.
In this work, three elements-AI-generated text, drawing, and music-interact autonomously, presenting a creative process that unfolds without viewer intervention. Focusing on the randomness of language and the flow of the unconscious, it explores the potential of words freed from conventional grammar and meaning.
For text generation, the interface allows users to select different styles such as 'literary prose,' 'poetic expression,' 'philosophical writing,' or 'seasonal descriptions.' This enables the same algorithm to produce texts with varying styles and sensibilities, generating a succession of phrases that, while logically contradictory, possess poetic resonance-such as 'intoxicated by autumn leaves, one must carve roots' or 'the essence of illusion lies in the pathos of things.'
Visually, monochrome drawings are automatically rendered on the canvas. These drawings develop independently while also responding to the text, forming a visual rhythm that oscillates between chance and necessity. The minimal, colorless expression emphasizes harmony with words and sound, creating a space that stimulates the viewer’s imagination.
The musical element is incorporated as an algorithmically generated sonic experience that unfolds in response to the text and drawing. While each of the three elements is independent, they are all generated by a shared algorithm, offering a consistent experience amid randomness.
Through the entire work, it demonstrates the potential of creative processes detached from conscious human control and points to new horizons of artistic expression expanded by digital technology. Viewers can prompt regeneration of the work by pressing the 'Generate Prose/Drawing/Music' button, but the results are unpredictable, leaving the aesthetic experience to chance and automatism.
This is not mere random generation; rather, it is positioned as a digital reinterpretation of the 'beauty of chance' and 'expression of the unconscious' pursued by Surrealism. It also encompasses contemporary themes such as the boundary between AI and human creativity, the interplay of language, visuals, and sound, and the dialogue between 'control' and 'chance' in art.
'Automatism' demonstrates the possibilities of a Surrealist approach in the digital age, serving as a space to experience the richness and strangeness of expression born beyond the reach of human consciousness. By allowing technology to intervene in the process of artistic creation, it raises questions about new aesthetics, inviting viewers to witness the process of generation and transformation and to experience art beyond fixed meanings or interpretations.