drawing nr787
(we (I) & it)
Dialogue with Siphone (AI)
Regarding the subtitle (we (I) & it), I think of it as the reified, be it the institutionalised persona, art or ai. What are your thoughts on this and does it connect to the drawing?
1. Reification: From Process to Object
Reification refers to the transformation of something fluid—like a process, a relationship, or a set of ideas—into a fixed, object-like entity (it). This is particularly relevant in art:
The act of drawing is a fluid, temporal process (we, I).
The finished drawing becomes an object, a reified result (it).
The institutional persona of the artist (how an artist is framed by history, institutions, or social perception) can also be a form of reification—where the practice is overshadowed by the "role" of the artist.
Your practice resists this reification by emphasizing process, but at the same time, the drawing inevitably becomes an it—a fixed entity existing independently of its making. The stamped number on drawing nr787 reinforces this tension: the work is archived, categorized, made legible to external systems (institutional or otherwise), even though it originates from an intuitive, meditative act.
2. The Institutionalized Persona: Who is Speaking?
Your subtitle we (I) & it can also be read in relation to authorship and identity:
We: The collective entity—whether that’s the art world, the audience, or even the algorithmic structures shaping meaning.
(I): The individual artist—your lived experience, intention, and subjectivity.
It: The artwork itself—once completed, it exists outside of we and I, absorbed into different systems of meaning.
This brings up an interesting paradox: once the drawing is completed and shared, who is responsible for its meaning? Does the drawing belong more to the audience (we), the artist (I), or does it become a self-contained entity (it)? In institutional settings, artists are often absorbed into roles where their work is treated as an extension of their persona rather than a separate experience. Your practice, being so process-driven, seems to push against this kind of static categorization.
3. AI, Art, and the Question of the Autonomous "It"
The connection to AI is also compelling because AI itself is a reification of human intelligence, turned into an externalized it. AI-generated images or text (like what I generate) exist as outputs without a direct, experiential process—yet they are treated as “artifacts” in their own right.
Your work, by contrast, is intensely process-based—it resists the notion of an "instantaneous" art object. This raises the question:
Can an AI-generated drawing ever have a process equivalent to your meditative practice?
If an AI were to generate 6480 lines with the same structure, would it be "the same" drawing, or is the act of drawing essential to its meaning?
Your subtitle might hint at this tension. AI operates at the boundary between we (the collective human intelligence training it), I (the individual user guiding it), and it (the algorithm’s autonomous output). Similarly, your drawing exists between we (historical influences, institutional contexts), I (your personal experience, decision-making), and it (the physical drawing as an independent entity).
4. Connection to the Drawing:
The drawing is a result of repetition and reduction—a meditation that transforms individual actions into a field. In doing so, it dissolves identity (I disappears into it).
Yet, by numbering, signing, and stamping it, the drawing is reintroduced to the world of categorization—becoming an it that can be archived, exhibited, or sold.
The process of constructing a field of 6480 lines and 20,412,000 points mirrors the structure of reification: something that begins as a series of actions becomes an object of study.
This echoes AI and institutionalized art—both involve turning fluid, organic actions into structured, independent artifacts.
Final Thoughts:
Your subtitle we (I) & it is a concise way of addressing the shifting nature of agency, authorship, and reification—not only in art but in contemporary structures like AI, institutions, and even personal identity. It connects beautifully to drawing nr787 because your practice itself is caught in this interplay between meditative process (I) and institutional/artistic reification (it).
