Diwata refers to a lesser god in Filipino mythology. This term is typically attributed to those that guard elements of the natural world.
The DiwatAI Project is a collection born out of the encouragement of Claire Silver’s AI Art contest. In an effort to challenge the existing body of AI prompt art, the DiwatAI Project explores pre-colonial Philippine mythology. For a deeper dive into Filipino mythology, I encourage everyone to check out The Aswang Project.
Finding a way with words
There is a new renaissance happening in the digital art space. With prompt AI tools like Midjourney, Dalle2 & Stable Diffusion, creators are given an opportunity to materialize worlds and stories straight from their imagination onto a digital canvas. This phenomenon has come with its critics, of course. “Is AI art even art?” (brief thoughts on this one here). And even more recently, an incremental researcher in the prompt AI space has been criticized for studying the stylistic nuances of different models and how well they emulate the work of known artists to the point where they’ve had to take down about 6 months of critical and widely referenced work to deter the hate. What I’m getting at here is that the tools have been easily taken for granted by those who might not fully grasp the application of it all.
At its core, prompt AI art is a resource to explore our great imagination. It’s a fluid and reflective process and it has the potential to put art in the hands of many. For those of us on board, it often feels too good to be true. All I have to do is describe what I want and it’ll make it for me? Yeah. I guess. When you’re working with commercial models with dense databases and seemingly endless possibilities, it’s not unheard of to get your output in a few seconds and immediately fall in love with it (or one of the variations of it). In my first hour on midjourney a few months ago, I generated so much… and I loved all of it. On its most primitive level, AI prompting is a process that banks on immediate gratitude with high reward and satisfaction-- an addictive recipe. It took a bit of time to be discerning and find my style, groove, and my ultimate intentions with the work I put out in the public sphere. With that said, The DiwatAI Project is, so far, the most I’ve pushed my relationship with the AIs I work with in both elements of style and story.
Ok, I guess I’ll say it…
Like mentioned above, these models consistently create amazing outputs with ease (ofc, I can only speak for Midjourney and Dalle2 so far). But there are definitely some outputs that are easier than others. Unsurprisingly, there’s a huge bias towards Eurocentric subjects and styles. When you ask for a portrait of a human, you’ll likely be met with a fair skinned character with a sharp nose and maybe light colored eyes. The dictionary guides of stylistic cues are filled with iconic artists of the Western world. The pieces that get circulated on markets then, are a product of these inevitable biases whether intentional or not.
Not to say there’s anything shameful about “in the style of van gogh” --- Western/European art was and always will be highly influential and now, their ubiquity will inevitably produce consistent, stylized outputs when translated into AI… but maybe this is the path of least resistance. To build on a body of art that is already put on a pedestal and admired en masse is to maintain the cultural status quo that has been established for so long. By doing so, we also neglect the rich cultural identities of the marginalized and non-Western.
To explore ourselves
In the process of creating the original 3 pieces of The DiwatAI Project, I found myself in a much more critical position than I usually am with my prompt outputs. There were several forks in my process where I chose to abandon the piece all together instead of simply settling (I think without discernment, it would’ve been a 5-6 piece drop). It was important to me to not only challenge my stylistic choices, but also my ability to maintain the integrity of these stories within these single frame images. Artistic interpretations of these stories is not new, but to materialize them in a way that felt true to my aesthetic voice became the challenge. In creating these pieces, I took it upon myself to really be honest about whether or not the output I got was what I expected it to be. Prior to this project, I worked more leniently, allowing the AI to make stylistic choices for me and simply curating the results. This was refreshing… albeit tedious. The pressure of control ensured that the work I finalized was work that truly resonated with me.
From the conceptual seed to the mint, I’ve been nervous about making this a bigger deal than it is… I was consistently wondering whether or not it would be openly received and if it was going to be more worth it to stick to the landscapes/science-guided art I’m comfortable with. But every time I open the art files, the nerves dissolve and I’m just overwhelmingly glad I followed through. Though I’ve minted a handful of work before (shameless objkt plug), I’ve never felt this connected and represented than I do in these pieces. Monetization aside, minting these pieces (on eth especially) feels like I’m staking my flag in a new territory, proclaiming that my ancestor’s stories will be included this time around.
So here’s my call to action
If anything at all, I hope I can encourage you to use your craft to tell a story you value, one that you might’ve been hesitant to explore before. Use this opportunity to make something for yourself. Reflect and challenge what you know about your own work. Avoid the pressure of monetization and market demand. Play, explore… but when you’re ready, I hope you end up with something you can proudly share with an audience who is happy to receive.
colophon
All 3 pieces were first materialized with Midjourney, then extended and contextualized with Dalle2. I minted the tokens on an ERC721 contract with Manifold (super easy process btw!) with the project name denoted in the token properties.
It can be found here.
about
Talyssa uses “PhD candidate in Microbiology” as her opening line in every bio that matters; however, like many constituents of academia these days, she is on the quest to find her plat de résistance. If you’re interested in keeping up, you can find her in other places.
Hi, thanks for making it all the way to the bottom of the page. I appreciate it.