Anthurium: Transmutations
This project began with a single painting of a red anthurium created on a quiet January morning. Soon after, two additional paintings followed, forming a small series. As part of the artist’s regular practice, the works were photographed for documentation. What began as a routine process unexpectedly opened a new line of inquiry.
Between image and algorithms
During the long winter evenings that followed, the artist started experimenting with freely available artificial intelligence tools, initially using them to animate the still images. The intention was simple: to introduce movement and explore what might happen when a painted image is given a temporal dimension. As the experiments evolved, so did the complexity of the project. The resulting video work emerged through an ongoing dialogue between the original paintings, algorithmic interpretation, and human decision-making.
Presented across three separate screens, the installation returns the moving image to its point of origin: the three painted anthuriums. A single horizontal video is fragmented and redistributed across the screens, creating a visual conversation between static and moving forms, between material and digital realities.
Question about authorship
At its core, the work raises questions rather than offering conclusions. Is artificial intelligence a creative threat, a tool, or something in between? What happens to authorship when an artwork passes through multiple layers of transformation? While the paintings remain the artist’s original creation, the moving image is shaped through technological processes, and the final installation is further realized through collaboration with the producer. Authorship becomes shared, fluid, and increasingly difficult to define.
Want to know more?
You can view original paintings at ELEVEN TEN STUDIO, Burgweg 7, Basel.
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If you are intrested to acquire video installation, original painting or have any additional questions about the project, please contact Albert Riedlin.