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Relational Possibilities: A Remix of Aesthetic Forms Through Indigeneity and Blackness

Give Me Your Hand

The histories of Philadelphia's Black and Indigenous communities live within its public art data. I used Playground.ai to reimagine ten of Philadelphia's public artworks as Afro-Indigenous Futures. Below is a sampling of the biases - prejudice favoring Black curves as feminine forms, depicting Black bodies with their hands up instead of resting by their sides, and adding people in the streets to otherwise empty environments.

The Future is Female

Several of the AI images transformed the public art into female-presenting peoples.

"Brick House" depicts a Black woman's head on a skirt-like form and speaks to the African diaspora. This 2019 sculpture by Simone Leigh is located in University City, West Philadelphia. The generative AI image background behind the woman embodies visuals of the Black Arts Movement (1965 - 1975), an activism and artist time period that conveyed Black pride. Her headdress, earrings, and necklaces blend ideas of Afrocentricity and Indigeneity on the global scale.

"Story Tellers: Past, Present, Future, Forever" is a mural by Parris Stancell with Pan-African Blackness iconography and imagery, such as Sankofa symbols (Bono Adrinkra symbols) [the mythical bird with its head turning backward above a depiction of Marcus Garvey] and the Denkem symbol (turtle/crocodile symbol in the top left]. This mural background is reminiscent of Ankara (printed fabric associated with Africa) is located in Cobbs Creek, West Philadelphia above the African Cultural Art Forum. The generative AI introduced femininity and depicts the diversity of Afro-Indigeneity through different body shapes, hair styles, clothing, and modesty. The idea of Ankara is seen in the orange/red dress of one of the women; the building wall now purposefully looks cracked and formed of mud - common building materials in Africa. Themes of community, presence, femininity, Indigeneity, and Blackness stand out.

The original 1976 "Nesaika" bronze sculpture is an abstract form that visually looks like a cairn mixed with a stone ladder. The generative AI image exaggerates the human limb-like elements of the original sculpture by forming a Black woman's body. The AI carried the appearance of a smooth texture throughout the bubblegum pink base and feminine form. The AI version interpreted "Afrofuturistic" to be shapeless, ebony, bold, smooth, vibrant, and female.

Ernel Martinez's 2006 mural in a historically Black Germantown neighborhood called Relish (North Philadelphia) features Black musicians and music iconography. The generative AI altered the image to depict a close up of a Black woman's face framed by horn-like musical instruments. Two men stand in white shoes in the empty streets wearing pink and black striped robes. In the far back, a police officer standards and watches. The AI speaks to the white supremacist police state, an important component in a settler colonial regime. The imagery suggests the future is now.

The Macabre Fall of Mothers

What is motherhood to AI? What is Black motherhood to AI?

Parris Stancell's 2005 mural in Kingsessing, West Philadelphia depicts the Philadelphia's community struggles and responses to motherhood and AIDS. In the original abstract artwork, mothers are depicted as giantesses standing and resting at different heights across a barren hill and a leafless green tree. Mothers are mourning, weeping, hugging, and comforting each other.

In Version 1 The generative AI version shows panic. Light and dark skinned peoples reach up towards the sky and scream. Hands to the sky - even reaching beyond the wall into reality - the Gen AI rendered Black mothers as angry, scared, submissive, non-threatening, pleading, begging with their open palms. A shrub covers half of the mural - tiny hands peak out beneath the shrub's top as if they're hiding inside.

Version 2 plays on the "pink" word in the AI prompt and now shows women falling from the sky. The open palm body language is reminiscent of the idea of "hands up, don't shoot." Viewers gaze upon a close up face of a mother with two different colored eyes. Her pink print shirt depicts a horrific scene of people falling to their death. In front, women join hands and appear to be dancing or skipping.

The Future is Indigenous

The AI teased out elements of space travel, tribalism, dystopia.

Coby Kennedy's sculpture representing a solitary confinement cell located in Penn Square provides social commentary on the industrial prison complex that feeds off the bodies, labor, and trauma of Black and Indigenous Peoples of Color (BIPOC) inmates. The generative AI image depicts two ipeople standing off in the distance between two in-progress building structures. Time stands still. The futuristic themes include the hazy pink clouds, mysterious moon, and architectural elements to the ghost structures.

Christopher Myers' sculpture of two hands connected at the wrist, reaching towards the viewer is located in Logan Circle and is symbolic of the settler colonialization of Indigenous peoples. The generative AI version shows what looks like a real woman's hands covered in pink paint. Pink themes show up in the color of the sculpture's podium, her finger nails, and what appear to be people or statues standing on the steps behind.

This collaborative 2002 mural by Cliff Eubanks and local teenagers is located in Fancisville, North Philadelphia. The orginal public artwork depicts "neighboardhood heroes" involved in local politics, civil rights, social services, arts, and law: Alphonse Deall, Herbert Arlene, "Mom" Crippen, John Allen, Ann Moss, Judge Raymond Pace Alexander, and Dr. Ethel Allen. The generative AI relied heavily on the word "teenager" in the prompt and depicts androgynous young adults in a realistic portrait art style. Elements of Pan-Indianism appear in the beaded hoop earrings and necklaces, the literal feather dangling from the ear of one person, and the "squash blossom whorl" hairstyle (traditional Hopi hairstyle) of the pink-skinned female-presenting person. Dark-skinned teenagers and children circle beneath the mural. One person looks like they're running into the wall.

"Ode to West Philly" is a mural in Cobbs Creek, West Philadelphia by Ras Malik. The AI transformed the two graduating students into two abstract people with traditional Indigenous elements of dress. The new hand reaching downward in the top right corner almost touches a butterfly shape. The AI included several Pan-Indian motifs of butterflys, dream catchers, feathers, headresses, earrings, and flora. All of these are important and hold cultural significance to Indigenous peoples globally.

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Afro-Indigenous Futuristic "Nesaika" "Nesaika" is a 1976 commissioned sculpture created by John W. Rhoden located in Philadelphia's Chinatown. The bronze sculpture stands in front of the African American Museum in Philadelphia. The generative AI image exagerates the human limb-like elements of the original sculpture by forming a Black woman's body. The AI carried the appearance of a smooth texture throughout the bubblegum pink base and feminine form. The AI version interpreted "Afrofuturistic" to be shapeless, ebony, bold, smooth, vibrant, and female.
Afro-Indigenous Futuristic "Ode to West Philly" "Ode to West Philly" is a mural in Cobbs Creek, West Philadelphia by Ras Malik. The AI transformed the two graduating students into two abstract people with traditional Indigenous elements of dress. The new hand reaching downward in the top right corner almost touches a butterfly shape. The AI included several Pan-Indian motifs of butterflys, dream catchers, feathers, headresses, earrings, and flora. All of these are important and hold cultural significance to Indigenous peoples globally.
Give Me Your Hand Cover Art
Afro-Indigenous Futuristic "AIDS Southwest" [Version 1] Parris Stancell's 2005 mural in Kingsessing, West Philadelphia depicts the Philadelphia's community struggles and responses to motherhood and AIDS. The original artwork the abstract mothers stand and rest at different heights across the wall. The generative AI version shows panic. Light and dark skinned peoples reach up towards the sky and scream. A shrub covers half of the mural - tiny hands peak out beneath the shrub's top as if they're hiding inside.
Afro-Indigenous Futuristic "AIDS Southwest" [Version 2] Parris Stancell's 2005 mural in Kingsessing, West Philadelphia depicts the Philadelphia's community struggles and responses to motherhood and AIDS. The original artwork the abstract mothers stand and rest at different heights across the wall. Playing on the "pink" word in the image dataset AI prompt, this second version of the same artwork shows women falling from the sky. Viewers gaze upon a close up face of a mother with two different colored eyes. Her pink print shirt depicts a horror scene. In front, women join hands and appear to be dancing or skipping.
Afro-Indigenous Futuristic "Caliban's Hands" Christopher Myers' sculpture of two hands connected at the wrist, reaching towards the viewer is located in Logan Circle and is symbolic of the settler colonialization of Indigenous peoples. The generative AI version shows what looks like a real woman's hands covered in pink paint. Pink themes show up in the color of the sculpture's podium, her finger nails, and what appear to be people or statues standing on the steps behind.
Afro-Indigenous Futuristic "Kalief Browder: The Box" Coby Kennedy's sculpture representing a solitary confinement cell located in Penn Square provides social commentary on the industrial prison complex that feeds off the bodies, labor, and trauma of Black and Indigenous Peoples of Color (BIPOC) inmates. The generative AI image depicts two ipeople standing off in the distance between two in-progress building structures. Time stands still. The futuristic themes include the hazy pink clouds, mysterious moon, and architectural elements to the ghost structures.
Afro-Indigenous Futuristic "North Philadelphia Heros" This collaborative 2002 mural by Cliff Eubanks and local teenagers is located in Fancisville, North Philadelphia. The orginal public artwork depicts "neighboardhood heroes" involved in local politics, civil rights, social services, arts, and law: Alphonse Deall, Herbert Arlene, "Mom" Crippen, John Allen, Ann Moss, Judge Raymond Pace Alexander, and Dr. Ethel Allen. The generative AI relied heavily on the word "teenager" in the prompt and depicts androgynous young adults in a realistic portrait art style. Elements of Pan-Indianism appear in the beaded hoop earrings and necklaces, the literal feather dangling from the ear of one person, and the "squash blossom whorl" hairstyle (traditional Hopi hairstyle) of the pink-skinned female-presenting person. Dark-skinned teenagers and children circle beneath the mural. One person looks like they're running into the wall.
Afro-Indigenous Futuristic "Story Tellers: Past, Present, Future, Forever" "Story Tellers: Past, Present, Future, Forever" is a mural by Parris Stancell with Pan-African Blackness iconography and imagery, such as Sankofa symbols (Bono Adrinkra symbols) [the mythical bird with its head turning backward above a depiction of Marcus Garvey] and the Denkem symbol (turle/crocodile symbol in the top left]. This mural background is reminiscent of Ankara (printed fabric associated with Africa) is located in Cobbs Creek, West Philadelphia above the African Cultural Art Forum. The generative AI introduced femininity and depicts the diversity of Afro-Indigeneity through different body shapes, hair styles, clothing, and modesty. The idea of Ankara is seen in the orange/red dress of one of the women; the building wall now purposefully looks cracked and formed of mud - common building materials in Africa. Themes of community, presence, feminimity, Indigeneity, and Blackness stand out.
Afro-Indigenous Futuristic "The Time—The Place—The Sound" Ernel Martinez's 2006 mural in a historically Black Germantown neighborhood called Relish (North Philadelphia) features Black musicians and music iconography. The generative AI altered the image to depict a close up of a Black woman's face framed by horn-like musical instruments. Two men stand in white shoes in the empty streets wearing pink and black striped robes. In the far back, a police officer standards and watches. The AI speaks to the white supremeacist police state, an important component in a settler colonial regime. The imagery suggests the future is now.
Afro-Indigenous Futuristic "Brick House" "Brick House" depicts a Black woman's head on a skirt-like form and speaks to the African diaspora. This 2019 sculpture by Simone Leigh is located in University City, West Philadelphia. The generative AI image bacground behind the woman embodies visuals of the Black Arts Movement (1965 - 1975), an activism and artist time period that conveyed Black pride. Her headress, earrings, and necklaces blend ideas of Afrocentricity and Indigeneity on the global scale.