Creative Research
Matthias' research practice focuses on visual culture and creative disciplines within the popular media landscape and materializes in writing, producing, and publishing.
Other Images
Contextualizing Generative Imagery in (Visual) Culture
"Other Images" introduces the aesthetic dimensions of image synthesis as a discipline and provides both an overview and contextualization of this technology within (visual) culture and touches on the questions of what it means to be in the midst of a paradigm shift and how to navigate through an ever-changing media environment?
No Thoughts, Just Vibes, 2023
The essay No Thoughts, Just Vibes explores the role of vibes as a concept in the context of our algorithmic culture and machine learning processes. In a long-read format, it introduces the notion itself, distinguishes it from other similarly used terms such as style or mood, and elaborates on the relevance of vibes in the field of artificial intelligence.
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A Short History of (Generative) AI Art, 2023
The longform essay A Short History of (Generative) AI Art provides an introduction to the field of generative imagery by offering an overview of the major technological developments in the field. It also contextualizes AI-generated imagery as a distinct image category and highlights the aesthetic characteristics of this new medium.
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Algorithmic Culture Content, 2023
In a condensed form Algorithmic Culture Content contributes to the discussion around the phenomenon of “cultural flattening” in our media landscape through both recommender and generative AI systems. It addresses the emergence of content as a media form and discusses how algorithms influence the way we produce and consume media.
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Hidden Spheres, 2023
Video, 00:22:15, 1080 x 1080 resolution
The work Hidden Spheres provides a deep dive into the inner workings of a generative machine learning model by revealing the otherwise invisible structures of a deep neural network. For this work, a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) was trained on a dataset of planetary imagery using the StyleGan3 architecture, and then inspected using its interactive model visualization tool.
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An astronaut riding a horse in photorealistic style, 2023
Scratch ink on pigment print, framed, 200 x 200 mm
The work An astronaut riding a horse in photorealistic style focuses on both the imaginative and arbitrary aspects of AI-generated imagery by presenting an essential technical element of the image production process as the artwork itself, thus offering a glimpse into the inner workings of generative AI.
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Arbitrary Imitations, 2023
Pigment prints, framed, 210 x 300 mm / Artist book, edition of 10, 105 x 148 mm
The work Arbitrary Imitations addresses the commodification of images through artificial intelligence and the resulting perception, that the emergence of algorithmic social media feeds as well as generative AI systems, have led to a devaluation of cultural production, creating a media landscape of aesthetic relativism.
Computational Colors, 2023
Video, 00:09:30, 320 x 1480 resolution
Bypassing the distinctive aesthetics of AI-generated imagery, the work Computational Colors offers a monochromatic view on the capabilities of generative AI, while also addressing the transition from one era of (generative) AI art to another.
In-Between
"In-betweenness" as a method for cultural and artistic production.
In / Between exploring the boundlessness of creative disciplines as we find ourselves in a creative industry that is becoming increasingly infinite and fluid. Driven by the drastic evolution of our media environment in the last decade, today's creative disciplines are merging into a single category.
Anyone, Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, 2019
The short essay "Anyone, Anything, Anytime, Anywhere" explores how the Internet and digital media have reshaped creative disciplines, challenged traditional boundaries, and changed the way we create, consume, and appreciate art and design.
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In / Between includes personal and collaborative image- and object-based works that can be assigned to the space between two opposites such as flat & spatial, fact & fiction, original & appropriation, abstract & concrete, as well as to the space within the terms themselves.
Collaborators include materials researcher Charlotte Werth, textile designer Madeleine Sahl, object designer Carsten in der Elst, and graphic designer Gregor Maria Sahl.
Design & Art
Exploring the ongoing debate about art versus design.
Since the traditional criteria of functionality and autonomy are no longer sufficient, the paper emphasizes the need to consider various factors such as context and symbolic systems when categorizing creative works. The definition of clear characteristics is complicated by the merging of art and design disciplines, which are shaped by various working methods, sub-disciplines, educational paths, points of view, and a general break with tradition.
Project Sans Souci
A typography-oriented exploration of apparel.
The first edition, titled „Serious Type - Serious Quotes“, features T-Shirts with slogans and quotes that challenge the common practice of using text as decorative element.
In Collaboration with Graphic Designer Gregor Maria Sahl
(Self-)Publishing
Exploring artist books as a creative medium.
Contemporary designers and artists are increasingly fascinated by the creation of printed matter and the processes involved. Many now view the production of printed materials as a fundamental aspect of their creative practice. Artistic publishing has evolved from a medium to a practice in its own right, with items such as artists' books, T-shirts, and prints considered works of art in their own right.
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Matthias' creative practice is based on an integrated approach that flexibly combines creative disciplines, methods and ideas. There is no prescribed approach, as each project requires a different iterative process to come to life and successfully fulfill its purpose. Grounded in research and informed by current cultural phenomena, Matthias brings together intuitive ideas and experimentation in a strategic way, working collaboratively to develop creative concepts and implement them in a highly aesthetic manner. His practice ultimately translates into commercial brand identities, publications, digital interfaces, marketing and service strategies, as well as artistic research projects.