Frieze London to feature AI artworks from Yinka Ilori

New research commissioned by Bombay Sapphire explores the nation’s attitudes towards technology when it comes to being creative. In the recent findings, more than 52% of respondents hail technology as an enabler of self-expression, stating that smartphones, apps and social media encourage them to be more creative on a daily basis.

Inspired by this insight, the gin brand reveal a new collection of AI artworks created in collaboration with pioneering artist and designer Yinka Ilori, which will be presented at this year’s Frieze London. This series of compelling new works truly embodies Yinka’s characteristic style, facilitated by cutting-edge technology, showcasing the possibilities that can happen when technology is part of the creative process.

In a modern world where we all have daily access to tech in the form of smartphones and laptops, one in four people considers technology to be an on-the-go “creative outlet” for whenever inspiration strikes, which means we’re more able to flex our creative muscle than ever before.

33% of those surveyed estimated that they only spend up to two hours per week being creative, but whether we realise it or not, we are already scratching the surface when it comes to using tech to express ourselves. 50% of respondents say they take photos on their phones every day, whilst a further 24% use technology and Apps to edit photographs for their social media. 

When asked which occupations are considered creative, 21% of research respondents selected the likes of graphic design, App development, content creation and coding further supporting that we are starting to see the meeting of mind and machine as genuine creativity, although people still consider more traditional methods to be more creative, with 46% opting for the likes of painting, creative writing and poetry.  

Now, Bombay Sapphire aim to shed a light on the topic further with a new series of works that play to the notion that human creativity supported by technological ability can indeed create something truly special. Yinka Ilori explores the medium of AI through this collaboration, working with the tech to discover the possibilities within his distinctive illustrations.

Like Yinka’s artworks, which are inspired by his British-Nigerian heritage, the AI method is based on the power of colour and shape memory. The process includes feeding Yinka’s visuals into an intelligent algorithm alongside a range of striking images from Bombay Sapphire, making this a truly unique and collaborative project.

“The beauty of AI is its ability to generate new content based on its memory of the illustrations, which were fed into an algorithm,” says Yinka. “There is something quite fascinating about this process as a huge part of my practice involves investigating how existing colour can be used to tell new stories. This way of processing and projecting makes me extremely excited for the future and how it will shape the way I decide to tell my stories and look back on my memories.”

“The bespoke algorithm has been generated as a unique depiction of a collaboration between Bombay Sapphire and Yinka,” adds Marco Marchesi, researcheEngineer in artificial intelligence and mixed reality. “Yinka’s work and the brand images were two different genres and worlds that needed to collide. When you think about it, both evolution and the creative process are ways of colliding things. Throughout this project we’ve seen the system start to think about what it has seen before – it is essentially ‘dreaming’ about the artwork.”

The new AI artworks will debut at this year’s Frieze London, displayed at the gin brand’s onsite lounge from 3^rd until 6^th October. The lounge will offer five Bombay Sapphire guest serves created in partnership with London’s top bartenders, demonstrating the creative potential within every drop of Bombay Sapphire gin. Participating bars include Artesian, Oriole, China Tang, Kwãnt and Satan’s Whiskers. Consumers can also enjoy each guest serve in the corresponding partner bar for the next three months. This is the third instalment of the global partnership between Bombay Sapphire and Frieze Art Fairs LA, New York and London.

The editorial unit