Gymnasium #1

Imperfection. AI models have improved at a remarkable pace. In mere months they've progressed from images that were clearly AI to outputs indistinguishable from photographs – eradicating any trace of imperfection. 'Gymnasium' is a collection created using older, superseded AI models, chosen for their characteristic way of rendering bodies, and their unique flaws. These pieces are about nostalgia. Both in the familiar symbol of American high schools and in documenting a moment in the evolution of these tools that is quickly being forgotten. When we prize perfect and sophisticated images, and the world is oversaturated with them, then primitive imperfection becomes unusual, distinctive and playful. – Damien Mulchworld is the artistic alias of Damien Attenborough, a London-based creative, writer and experimental imagemaker. His work focuses on post-photography and surrealism, and has featured on promptforum and feltzine, and exhibited at Rencontres d’Arles.