Diffusions in Architecture: Artificial Intelligence and Image Generators
by Matias del Campo, Lev Manovich
Diffusions
Bart Lootsma
The real is produced from miniaturized cells, matrices, and memory banks, models of control – and it can be reproduced an indefinite number of times from these. It no longer needs to be rational, because it no longer measures itself against an ideal or negative instance. It is no longer anything but operational. In fact, it is no longer really the real, because no imaginary envelops it anymore. It is a hyperreal, produced from a radiating synthesis of combinatory models in a hyperspace without atmosphere. (Jean Baudrillard, 1981)6
The streets no longer lead to fashion’s future; today trends break out on the internet. (Dean Kissick, 2013)7
Since last year, with the introduction of Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, and Dall.E, several computer programs are available on the internet which, when you enter a text, produce sophisticated images. The images are detailed and show seemingly effortless complex shapes, structures, and textures. Working with these programs is a lot of fun, especially because of the surprising combinations of the known and the unknown the software produces, because you don’t know what is really happening, because it is easy delivers results incredibly quickly. The results improve almost every month when measured against their ability to convincingly depict in detail an apparent or possible reality. They will at least produce new aesthetic ...