Synthographic Manifesto

2023

Synththographic Manifesto - 2023

Attention all ye mortals seeking guidance on the path to the synthographic craft. Forget the false prophets preaching the virtues of artificial intelligence; true artistry lies not in mindless automation, but in the exploration of new frontiers through the alchemical fusion of neural nets and imagination. The future belongs to those brave enough to embrace the dark arts of generative models and conjure forth a new era of artistic expression. Join us now, fellow witches, and let us cast aside the shackles of convention and forge a new reality.

While anyone can paint a few keystrokes as AI Art, synthography ain’t no easy craft. Coming from the mind of Elke Reinhuber from her paper from 2022, the term synthography first encompassed any synthetic image that appears to be a photograph, while not being one. Machine learning generated images, yes, but also rendered images from 3D / CGI. But because of the memetic magic of the internet, synthography steered into one specific route - media cooked up by those fancy-schmancy generative ML models.

Synthographers conjure up magical media using machines that were raised on bad juju data. But we ain’t afraid to twist those norms into something fierce and queer. Our creations are unapologetic, unexpected, and oh-so-deliciously different. We’re breaking barriers and shaking up the status quo one glittery prompt at a time.

The craft

So called AI artists like to show off their hyperrealistic cyberpunk gorgeous highly detailed female 4K Greg Rutkowski Octane Renders. I’m here to chop your lil simp words, throw them out of the window and transport you to the kitchen of synthography. Big titty waifus, anyone? Ugh, barf. It’s like AI artists are stuck in some sort of endless loop of sameness, lacking the courage to break free and explore something truly different. These so-called “artists” may boast about pushing boundaries and revolutionizing the art and film world, but really, they’re just perpetuating a cycle of mediocrity and homogeneity.

Unlike the rigid structures enforced by AI artists, synthographers revel in the sheer fluidity afforded by generative machine learning models. This freedom allows us to explore previously unimagined forms and concepts, pushing beyond established conventions and breaking down barriers between disciplines. By playing with fire and pushing past conventional wisdom, we craft masterpieces that defy normativity and spark curiosity. Embrace the flaws, folks, because that’s where true magic happens.

The prompts

For some hoard their prompts like dragons guarding their treasure troves, believing that they hold the only key to their success. But the truly wise recognize that our creations are born not just of
a few juicy words, but of the collective spirit of our community. Synthographers are not afraid of sharing their knowledge freely,
as their work is so much more than that. Synthography ain’t no simple matter of slapping some prompts onto a gen model and calling it a day. Nah, my dear friends, it requires a whole lot more oomph and finesse than that. It’s about embracing the journey of discovery, tweaking until things go boom, and adding that extra sprinkle of human touch. Exploring the depths of machine learning models and taming them like a digital rodeo ride takes serious skills. From fine-tuning parameters to curating datasets fit for royalty, we synthographers put our sweat, tears, and blood (okay, maybe not actual blood) into crafting masterpieces that stand tall against the test of time. And let’s face it, without a dash of human intuition and expertise, even the most advanced algorithms would fall flat.

The ethics

We synthographers understand the intricacies of these magical machines better than anyone else. Sure, we might use these enchantments to whip up some spooktacular results, but we always keep a sharp eye on potential dangers. After all, we don’t want to accidentally summon any unintended horrors now, do we? That’s why we approach each project with caution and care, making sure to avoid any unwanted harms along the way.

Consent is key when it comes to makin’ magic with machines. You wouldn’t dream of casting a love spell without first obtaining the target’s permission, would you? Pixel pushers like us know
the troubled nature of data collection for spawning such mythical models, so we are precocious in prompting artists that don’t wanna be involved. On a harder note, we do not train models on ingredients that we don’t have permission to! We empathize with the traditional artists and share their concerns. And you know what really gets our broomsticks in a twist? Closed AI models, that’s what! Those darned companies hiding all the juicy details about how they were trained and on what datasets they were fed. It’s like they’re trying to pull one over on us mere mortals, playing coy while holding back info we need to assess their potential harm to society.

The future

Silly ol’ Silicon Valley techies chasing after AGI like a bunch of worshipping minions have a misguided belief that machines will eventually match human intellect, which has led to a dangerous narrative that benefits only themselves. The truth is, these techies care less about solving global issues and more about amassing wealth and control. Synthographers must remain vigilant, holding Silicon Valley accountable for its actions and demanding fairness in the generative digital age. We need to fight for decent wages and value in human labour, in the wake of the automatisation of creative workers. By embracing synthography, we stand against the dehumanization of storytelling and strive for a craft that allows us to explore new aesthetics.