The 18 chapbooks presented below were developed in Spring 2023 by first-year undergraduates from the CMU School of Art in an introductory new-media art studio course taught by Professor Golan Levin. One of the units in this course is concerned with the artistic use of “AI” tools for generating images and text. In order to prompt students to experiment with these tools and develop an understanding of the “grain” of this medium, students were asked to use tools including ChatGPT and Midjourney to generate illustrated chapbooks. These artist books were then physically produced through Lulu.com, an online print-on-demand service.
The purpose of this project is for arts students to learn how to guide AI systems to produce a compelling cultural object—and for them to navigate digital systems to realize this object through a real-world publication process. In order to generate their books, students had to learn how to guide AI tools like ChatGPT (for text) and Midjourney (for images), an indirect creative process that is very different from their usual way of working. Additionally, students learned how to use Adobe Indesign to lay out their books, and how to use a digital print-on-demand service, a publication method of great practical value.
The use of generative AI tools in arts pedagogy is new, poorly understood, and controversial. This project engages arts students with experimental tools that are only a few months old, and whose very existence is fraught with new forms of potential infringement and abuse. Our hope is that this exercise will not only be instructive in the aesthetics and mechanics of using these new technologies, but in their ethics as well.
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Unseen Forces by Anastasia Jungle A book on motion detection falsities: a collection of generated CCTV motion detection screenshots with inclusions of generated “recognized,” objects. [Purchase | Download] |
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Insula Solaria Fructuum Furniture Familia by Suanna Zhong A book of fictional fruit native to Solar Island, and made-up furniture, inspired by real Bauhaus furniture, made out of Solar Island fruit. [Purchase | Download] |
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Your Walrus Catalog: Exceptionally Terrific Gift Ideas by Jennifer Zhao This is a computer-generated humorous catalog of a variety of miscellaneous walrus-related items with different prices, designed for gifting purposes. [Purchase | Download] |
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House & Garden: Simple to Spectacular by Kate Hyun A magazine that takes imaginative, fictional homes and brings them to life. Each spread showcases a different theme, with the houses centered around a single object that serves as the centerpiece of each design. [Purchase | Download] |
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The Moon Rabbit by Michelle Oh An illustrated children’s fairy tale about a moon rabbit that visits earth to celebrate the new year. I was inspired by old British illustrated children’s books, particularly the melancholy stories with bitter sweet endings I couldn’t quite understand as a child, but still made me feel some type of way. [Purchase | Download] |
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PLAYBOY: Intergalactic Edition 2305 by Emma Im A compilation of photos and texts about alien beauty standards in females, and attempts to explore a little deep into the personal life of aliens from intergalactic worlds. The project was specifically inspired by the recent movie I watched, “Arrival” featuring Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker and many other talented actors. The movie deals with attempts to communicate with a creature from space, which prompted me to speculate about the beauty standards of extraterrestrials. [Purchase | Download] |
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Mythical Delights: A Cookbook for Enchanting Creatures by Yunqiu Liu In a world where magic and mythical creatures abounded, there existed a connoisseur of culinary arts who dared to explore uncharted territories. Through her trials and tribulations, she discovered that the flesh of dragons, the tendon of unicorns, and the eggs of griffins, when prepared with precision and care, produced dishes of unparalleled excellence…. [Purchase | Download] |
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Idiot Book by Aidan Hong This book is a guide to idioms, exploring the figurative phrases and expressions that are a part of everyday language. It covers a wide range of idioms from different cultures and languages, explaining their meanings and origins, as well as how they are used in context. The book features clear explanations and engaging examples, making it an ideal resource for language learners, writers, and anyone who wants to improve their understanding of idioms. Whether you’re a native speaker or just starting to learn a new language, this book will deepen your appreciation for the rich and varied world of idioms. [Purchase | Download] |
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The Secret Sips: Potions for the Playful Palate by Emma Deng A collection of surreal potions with their descriptions and ingredients. [Purchase | Download] |
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AI and I by Lu Yang Arthur Tang A photo book that includes a selection of photographs I took in Japan over the winter of 2022 and photos generated by Midjourney based on those pictures. The book consists of 10 pairs of images, each depicting a scene from an imaginary trip between AI and me. For each pair of pages, the left page includes an image generated by Midjourney and text written by ChatGPT. The images and text on the right are entirely created by me. [Purchase | Download] |
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As an AI language model, I do not have personal opinions or beliefs by Lorie Chen A catalog of generated information and images, covering “the unique world of data collection and information management.” While the text was minimally edited, the images are collaged by me. [Purchase | Download] |
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Spacelike by Sulli Yatabe An imaginative take on a furniture magazine published in the year 3078. This futuristic magazine has multiple curated collections, such as Spacial Staples, Cosmic Comfort, Mecha Seating, SpaceJunk, and Anti-Gravity Nightstands. Each collection focuses on creating your home’s most “Spacelike” interior. All images were produced with Artbreeder. [Purchase | Download] |
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Transformations by Solomon Wechter A short science fiction picture book about nature, God, and humanity. I was largely inspired by the movie Solaris by Andrei Tarkovsky to make a surreal, hypnotic, sci-fi story about God, hypnosis, and trees. I focused the visual style around the ‘–stop’ command in MidJourney, which prematurely halts its image synthesis. [Purchase | Download] |
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golden affirmations by Maddy Chen A calendar of gold-themed self affirmations for each month of the year. [Purchase | Download] |
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JIN: Seed of Despair by Angela Lin A graphic novel that tells the story between a hacker and a time-traveling mysterious man who claims to be from the future. [Purchase | Download] |
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THE ART OF CYBER EXPRESS: Game Art Collection by Annie Yang An art collection for a virtual video game called “Cyber Express.” This game art collection is inspired by an unfinished project on game design I developed with my high school friends. [Purchase | Download] |
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Gaze Upon Me by G Meloche A book depicting the fragility of one’s appearance. [Purchase | Download] |
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A Travel Guide to Lumina by Claire Kim A travel guide book to a fictional country called Lumina. [Purchase | Download] |
