Neural Network Neuroses & the Augmented Reality Century Painting

© St John Montgomery-Frobisher, 2017. Inspiration: are we creating the future with new technology or is that technology now in the process of increasingly controlling our lives? Machines which think for themselves may be a double-edged sword but what if the structure of their thinking mimics our own brains? Could machines really think the thoughts that we think? Could they think in the ways in which we think? At that point will they still complement human endeavour or will they compete with it. Of course, the impact of technological change on the economy, and our place therein, is a longstanding and recurring theme of the industrialized world. Yet, there has always been an intangible human dimension of creativity, even inspired irrationality, to ensure our irreplaceability in many spheres. Will that situation endure? Meanwhile, AI promises to enhance our real-time experience through seamless integration of information with our physical interactions with the real world but is this hybrid world simply augmenting the world we experience or altering the very wiring of our brains? Essentially, this work visually explores these ideas by using colour associations, opacity / transparency and the relative proximity of shapes to represent how technological change is simultaneously connecting us to, and alienating us from, our essential nature. Materials: the painting utilizes proprietary, professional quality, acrylic paints, acrylic-based spray-paints and UV-resistant matte varnish on Windsor & Newton Professional Linen Canvas. These canvases come hand-stretched and stapled on the reverse and incorporate heavy duty stretcher bars made from pine and adjustable pro-stretchers at the corners. Packaging, delivery and additional information: this artwork includes an artist signed Certificate of Authenticity and ships with insured worldwide delivery. The artwork is securely packaged using conservation-grade glassine paper, archival board corner protectors, 50-micron polyester wrap, bubble wrap and cardboard sheeting before being enclosed in an artwork-specific double-walled cardboard box. Please note that while every effort has been made to ensure that the colours of the original artwork have been faithfully reproduced in the listing, variations may be experienced between the image reproduced on your monitor and the artwork itself.