- Art & Design
Artificial intelligence can no longer be ignored in the architecture and design sector. Thanks to the recent evolution, there are more and more possibilities to digitally generate images purely based on a textual description. Nowadays, more and more architects and interior designers are using such programmes to create visualisations. Imagicasa spoke to visual artist Ariadna Giménez, who took us through her process.
The designer tells us her experience with artificial intelligence was not always positive, though she was always very interested in it. ‘When I was in my final year of high school, I wrote a dissertation about how technology affects our minds. It was a long piece on how our minds become shallow as technology and social media take up more and more of our time.' Since then, her views have changed considerably, although she is still very much aware of these ideas. Giménez began her studies in Fine Arts and switched to Graphic Design after two years, after which she studied a master's degree in Advanced Architecture. Some time ago, AI-generated art and design became very popular and Giménez became really curious about what all the craziness was about. Midjourney, an artificial intelligence programme that produces images based on textual descriptions, formed the starting point for her fascination. Although she is currently still working as a graphic designer at a start-up, she is also working hard on her personal project Gaudism, in which she can put all her creativity. Gaudí has always been a big inspiration for her. As she grew up in Barcelona, she has always taken the Catalan architect's work for granted. However, Giménez does not like all aspects of his work. He worked for many wealthy families, and at the time it was a trend to show their wealth and prestige through ornaments. 'I myself am not a big fan of all those ornaments, I am much more minimal and that is why I stress that I do not try to copy his work, but I take what I like and give it a minimal and contemporary touch. What I do love is the inspiration from nature, natural forms and especially that feeling you get when you see his work. It looks like something that is not man-made, but rather comes out of a fantasy world.’
‘I work with fewer ornaments than Gaudí and give it a minimal and contemporary touch'
She builds her Gaudism identity by letting common lines shine out throughout her designs. The sense of fantasy, natural organic shapes, resemblance to nature, and a neutral colour palette with a touch of pink here and there are the common threads. Her biggest challenge? The day she will start making building plans, but that moment is still far away now. Until then, she mainly wants the audience to understand that her work is not exactly like Gaudí's, because it lacks all the mathematical and technical complexity he added. She mainly wants to translate the essence of Gaudí's work, the floral and natural motifs, into a contemporary minimalist expression of natural forms. 'I focus on consistency and identity above all. I make sure the setting ticks all the checkboxes: a space with neutral tones, organic curves and openings, and the idea of a cave or something from nature, a special place that makes people feel like they are in a fairy tale,' she concludes. Imagicasa will certainly follow her future creations.
Do you want to know more about Gaudism? Read the full article in Imagicasa Winter 2022.