Creating Art with Artificial Intelligence | An Interview with MA + KE lab

Can you tell us about your background and how you first got into AI art?

MA+KE lab  is a design laboratory operating at the border of art and design. We, as a bigger collaborative creative team, as there are already 3 of us – Martin, Kevin, and Nele, have been openheartedly using AI as a team member since last spring.

We have used artificial intelligence to create magical, hyperrealistic, and dreamy interiors for our previous NFT series “Paralleelium”.

The First Ai-related project, happened a little over a year ago when Midjourny was just taking the first steps in generative art. We started by using Ai as inspiration, as a separate artist to get ideas. In a course of a year, the collaboration expanded and changed, we learned how to teach AI certain visual ideas and started to generate art with more of a coder mindset than before. AI transformed from a mystical deity into a high-tech tool, and most of it was related to our own understanding and skill, so as with any medium, this technological marvel, takes a bit to adjust and understand. 

In our work, we have always ventured into two parallel worlds - in the field of contemporary art, the output of which is art prints and related NFTs, and we have interwoven these themes with pattern collections and furniture items that can also be seen in the physical world. The real and virtual worlds are intertwined on many levels through art.

We have been curious and open to new technologies, and we believe that this is necessary for the modern artist. Also, the use of new trends and technologies can make the field of art more interesting and dynamic.

The world of NFTs allows you to easily connect the worlds of art and technology while providing a good opportunity to support artists and use it as a new investment opportunity. We are working together with Kanvas.AI, which is a unique and first art platform in the Nordics and the Baltics that offers Tezos blockchain-based technology and also a secondary market for NFT art.

MA+KE lab NFT collection "Endless Ocean" is proudly represented on the nft.kanvas.ai platform.

How do you approach the creative process when working with AI technology?

The process in itself is not about the creativity of the AI, but our creativity before AI.
It is a lot of trial and error and getting used to how you can use the tools for your purposes. It is still a developing technology and for now, it's fun to find out ways how to work with, rather than forcing us to adapt to something artificial-looking. 

It takes some time to get used to, but with this project, we did with the AI, we got a hang of it after a week or so, and we sort of gave it a language where we understood each other's goals and aesthetics to get to the same outcome or similar mood we wanted to achieve. 

What are the biggest challenges you face when creating AI art, and how do you overcome them?

KEVIN PINEDA (photographer) 

One of the biggest challenges I guess also comes from us as creatives - questioning if this AI technology will overcome our roles as a creative human beings, or how it might affect our jobs even as a photographer / or let's say a model in the fashion industry for example related to this project we did. 

We had to think of ways how to bring it back to the human aspect like in 360 degrees, to make sure we give it back the control to us humans, rather than the AI. 

It's just a matter of reshaping or rethinking how we want to work with AI at the end of the day, either we using it as inspiration to help us create more visualizations, moodboards or is it something of an end product for our art or design? 

We all have our reasons for using AI and it might be different from other people what is art or what is their creative process with working with AI. 

MARTIN TONTS (graphic design /illustrator) 

NELE KONT (textile engineer/ set designer) 

Can you walk us through a recent project, from concept to completion, and the role that AI played in the project?

The MA+KE lab works are based on a creative idea that values ​​both art and environmental awareness. The Endless Ocean project is our fourth collection focusing on the beauty of the ocean and its importance in the ecosystem. Through art and storytelling, we also try to draw attention to the topic of preserving nature.

In the works of MA+KE lab, you can always find unusual, spectacular, or dreamlike interiors - something that could exist in a parallel universe. To achieve balance, we create illustrations by hand, collaborating with artificial intelligence to bring together the dreams of man and machine.

Our first series of NFTs “Parallelium” also introduced different realities - spaces that seem like distant memories, but at the same time familiar in many ways. The second chapter, "Endless Ocean", moves deeper into the parallel worlds, inviting us to free ourselves from the constraints of the material world and get a sense of time - the Parallel Moment - the multiplicity of colors and possibilities that surround us. "Endless Ocean" embodies the ceaseless movement of water and time, the all-encompassing force that brings life to our planet. The Endless Ocean series features 52 unique pieces of digital art that allow you to experience and explore these parallel universes.

The focus of the Endless Ocean NFT series is on orchids found in the meadows of northern Europe, all of which have been put on the endangered species list due to habitat loss and climate change. We hope that "Endless Ocean" will raise awareness about these plants and also give the idea that it is never too late to make a difference.

Inspired by the cooperation with Fotografiska Tallinn, we decided to take the next curious step together - is it possible to create an entire pattern collection and a mini fashion clothing collection entirely with the help of artificial intelligence?

It was also a new venture for us and testing how much artificial intelligence could go along with our original creative ideas. The creative idea we based on the same theme of the ocean, since at the same time we were already maturing the Endless Ocean series of NFTs.

In the pattern collection, however, we shopped to use Ken Liu's science fiction and fantasy stories as input and inspiration. It was the strange coral species that seemed like a very appropriate topic to ask the AI ​​to generate a pattern from.

A total of 20 colorful patterns were completed during the work. A keen eye will find a rich world of unusual corals in the works, including species such as Carchesium polypinum and Campanella umbellaria that fascinate with their intricate forms. The border between reality and dream is gradually disappearing.

In colors, we have always been strong, and rather extravagant, which works as a good contrast to melancholic themes and carries the beginning of hope and positivity. In the case of the Endless Ocean color range, we were also inspired by the trend tones that spoke to people in the design world this year, which could also be seen in the color range of Kaubamaja's spring campaign. In the patterns, we did it all in a slightly more neon mood to give the collection an even more otherworldly mood.

During the collection creation, AI ​​also went along with the game, because "it" also became more and more playful during the process. In addition to generating patterns, he excitedly began to modify the forms of jackets, masterfully deconstructed cuts and very excitingly put something different together again. One and the same image as input.

To make the process complete, fabrics with patterns made by Ai were ordered, and with the help of fashion designer Teele Koel, they were also made into physical products - bomber-style jackets and patterned kimonos.

Kimono was chosen as the base of the product for the reason that it is a timeless and comfortable garment that has a pattern in the focus of attention and can shine in all its beauty. Silk handkerchiefs and neckerchiefs are also available.

During the whole process, we also came up with the idea of ​​an exhibition - to better understand and make sense of AI, the best solution is to give people an insight, into how these dreams or images are created and lessen the fear.

How do you see AI art evolving in the next few years, and what role do you see yourself playing in its evolution?

It most directly affects the day-to-day work of designers at the operational level. New technologies allow the designer to do his work faster and at the same time improve the quality of the work and its results. Adobe Firefly, Miro AI, Canva AI and numerous Figma plugins (plugins) are just the beginning.

We rather feel, that the application of artificial intelligence also has an amplifying effect on creativity and inspires us to look for solutions in places and in ways that could not be thought of before or that could not be implemented before.

Generating ideas, validating them, and shaping them into concepts can be done more fluidly and give more chances to play around. The speed with which some activities in the design process can be solved is impressive. At the moment, we have to keep in mind, that the technical aids are still quite robust and their use is more of a playful experiment.

What every designer can do right now is to study and test different AI tools and try how it changes your work and what new possibilities it creates.

It is also a paradox in itself that the more tasks are solved by machines, the more valuable human contact and interpersonal communication become. This gives hope that the future of the human artist is still bright and gives actually more space to explore.

How do you balance the human element with the use of AI in your art, and how do you ensure that the final product reflects your artistic vision?

We like to think of artificial intelligence as a very skilled, smart, and experienced colleague, from whom you can always ask for advice and to whom you can delegate tasks and activities.

How do you stay on top of the latest AI technologies and techniques, and incorporate them into your work?

AI technologies are developing so rapidly, that changes are happening almost weekly. The series we are showing in the HAZE AI Art exhibition was done using Midjourney. Even in recent days Adobe Firefly has shown remarkable developments, so it's even hard to keep up with all the creative possibilities.

We use AI mostly as a base reference – we can get very creative interiors, and we add a human layer with illustrations.

Or we use our pattern collections and drawing as input for the AI. We don’t use AI in a literal sense, without our point of view or any interference.

What advice would you give to aspiring AI artists who are just starting out?

I would speak I guess for my team in Ma+ke lab since we did use AI in our projects and mood ideas. I would recommend for new aspiring creatives of course to keep trying and experimenting but we shouldn´t forget that we have the control at the end of the day, not AI. We can use it as inspiration or as a tool to help us visualize our final ideas and products. 
I would suggest not to depend on AI completely, as most of the new AI tools have so far emerged for the semi-automatic creation of marketing materials. 

This means that all media and creations will immediately be flooded with mediocre content and have kind of a similar aesthetic look. There is the thing, we will probably see the earliest.

This new technology can either make us or break us. So we have to be careful as well on how we use it. Creating something with our own hands has more value than computer-generated ones in my opinion, and it will never be replaced by AI. 

How do you see AI art influencing other industries, such as fashion or advertising? 
 

It has already started to affect these industries and slowly replacing some specific jobs that we normally need a workforce or teams of people / specific types of work. For example in fashion (either photographers/models / film / even graphics designers) can be easily replaced by AI, it is still early but brands are already looking for ways to cut down some costs and bypass the human aspect and creativity to make things slightly faster results than a human workforce can achieve. 

Ai is already impacting how we can create in a few seconds how normal graphic designers take some hours to draw and to create. 

I feel the effect of this will be felt after it's too late to back out and it will keep on evolving, and new industries and new skill sets perhaps will be needed for us creatives to create again, but it might take some time to turn around the clock. 

 Can you speak to any ethical considerations surrounding the use of AI in art, and how you navigate those considerations in your work?

One of the main legal issues that the use of AI in our industry raises is related to the issue of copyright. Traditionally, copyright has belonged to the designer and is also protected by the relevant laws.

Until the legislative side is more precisely regulated, we as designers have a moral obligation to ensure the ethical and responsible use of AI. It is also important to develop a legal framework that would help ensure the protection of privacy and copyright and prevent prejudice and discrimination.

We as MA+KE lab mostly plan to use AI for inspiring shapes, and drawings and as a tool for creating ideas and visualizing sets, moodboards, and interiors - the end result will still have our signature digital drawing style and mixing it with different mediums, such as photography, light and materials in a way, that elevates applied art to fine art, in a contemporary way.

For example, we have another upcoming project with Fotografiska Tallinn, where we revalue the tables in the backyard cafeteria as art pieces themselves.

The table art by MA+KE lab - Endless Ocean photography series will have 12 pieces, printed on Aluminium composite, lacquered. These prints are made by using use a mix of illustration, photography, light effects, reflections, and choice of material, such as aluminum.

The art pieces show Kevin´s photography work, during his travels to Fashion Weeks in Paris, London, Tokyo, Milan, and Antwerpen. And Martin Tõnts has illuminated these glimpses of time into a riverbed, filled with waterlilies, flowing water, and hope – the sweetness of being. The rich and colorful illustrations give a layer of grounding nature and were developed by AI technology, resulting in a unique symbiosis of AI nature art and fashion photography.

For creation, we really enjoy mixing different mediums from classical illustration, photography, AI technology, and videography.

Our work as a team is a perfect example, that one doesn´t have to be replaced by another, but all mediums and team members, even if one of them is a machine like the AI, can work simultaneously for the end result.

Have a closer look at our works on Instagram: @ma_ke_lab #ma_ke_lab