~ Photo Cafe' ~ Photographers - Episode #44!
~ Chat Transcript ~
30th of September, 2023
"20 Questions to.. Tutsy Navarathna!"
H.12:00 PM SLT
[The following Episode #45 will be on:
14th of October 2023]
[12:05] Duraya: Hello everyone to the new place of our bi-weekly Photo Cafe’ and welcome to a new and as I think exciting and interesting artist interview.
[12:05] Duraya: Our guest today is tutsy Navarathna!
https://my.secondlife.com//tutsy.Navarathna
[12:06] Duraya: Welcome tutsy to the Photo Cafe, we are very glad to have you here today!
[12:06] tutsy Navarathna: I’m very happy to be here
[12:06] Duraya: to have more time for the questions from you, our fellow photographers we reduced the house-questions‘ to seven only.
[12:07] tutsy Navarathna: good seven is a good number
[12:07] Duraya grins, my favourite number
[12:07] Duraya: They had been sent to you tutsy in advance so you could prepare a bit, thank you for your answers.
[12:07] Duraya: After the house-questions I will open the floor for everyone. Please make sure you withhold your curiosity a bit but make a note about your queries.
[12:08] tutsy Navarathna: and don’t forget my English is very bad
[12:08] Duraya: I will translate, my French is very bad too, will be fun
[12:08] Duraya: As always we will do the c (comment), q (question) and r (retrieve) – routine. Type the letters in open, c and q will make you appear on my discussion tracker in a neatly arranged order, r will get you off. Please type done ore something similar in open so I can continue.
[12:09] Duraya: Before I start with the questions let me introduce tutsy to you:
[12:09] Duraya: He is French, painter, photographer, director of short films, documentaries and Machinima.
[12:09] Duraya: His films presented around the world at various festivals have won numerous awards.
[12:09] tutsy Navarathna: yeahh!!!
[12:10] Duraya: He has also done many exhibitions and photo installations in SecondLife: Nitroglobus Gallery, Berg by Nordan, Metales, Itakos Gallery, La Maison d’Anelie, Voir Gallery, Galerie des machines, Vibes Gallery…
[12:10] Duraya: In search of new forms of expression, he is now working on the creation of images and animations with the help of AI.
[12:11] Duraya: His current expo “Enigmatic Cultures” is on display at Selen’s gallery from 9th of September to the end of November!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Royale/211/208/1602
[12:11] Duraya: So still time enough for us to go and see it!
[12:11] tutsy Navarathna: an exhibit about Asia, China , India and Japan
[12:12] Duraya: This was a short glimpse of you tutsy, ready to let me dig a little deeper and to answer my questions?
[12:13] Duraya: 1: Who are you? Define yourself in 3 words or a motto.
[12:14] tutsy Navarathna: To quote Rimbaud in ‘Une saison en enfer’ (a season in hell): One evening, I sat Beauty on my knees. – And I found it bitter. – And I cursed her.
[12:16] Duraya: 2. What motivates you to create?
[12:16] tutsy Navarathna: You’re going to laugh, but the first memory that comes to mind is when I was a teenager and hated getting up early, so I decided to think about a profession where I wouldn’t have to get up early
And being an artist seemed like a good deal. Sometimes things start out very unexpectedly!
[12:17] tutsy Navarathna: I’m still wondering what else motived me
[12:17] Duraya: not unusual at that age, just it’s not ‘firefighter’, you will find out tutsy, maybe
[12:18] Duraya: 3. Does art help you in other areas of your life?
[12:18] tutsy Navarathna: I’m rather privileged in that, up until now, my life has been occupied mainly by creative activities, painting, photography and video for the most part! I’ve even been able to make a living from it, mainly thanks to video and TV.
[12:19] Duraya: congratulations on that tutsy, you are really lucky
[12:19] tutsy Navarathna: yes i know its a great gift
[12:20] Duraya: Next is : 4. What skills do you need for your work and how do you develop them?
[12:20] tutsy Navarathna: I could quote Jack London: ‘You can’t wait for inspiration to come. You have to go after it with a sledgehammer.’
Many great artists have said that an artistic work is 5% inspiration and 95% work.
So yes, to get something ‘right’ with any medium, you need a lot of skill and hard work.
[12:21] Duraya: On we go: 5. Show us your favorite photo of someone else, and tell us why is it so.
[12:22] tutsy Navarathna: I’m very embarrassed by this question because there are millions of wonderful photos out there!
Anyone can one day create a “magnificent photo”. I’m more interested in a work of art, an exhibition, an installation. In a general work on form and content, and in the emotions and energy you get from such a visit.
It’s a bit like talking to someone who opens you up and makes you feel a bit more intelligent or a bit less stupid!
That said, as far as SL is concerned, I’ve seen some wonderful installations and exhibitions, such as those by Deborah Lombardo. Here’s a URL of one of her photos, but it’s worth browsing her stream.
[12:24] onceagain (manoji.yachvili): Deborah is superb
[12:24] tutsy Navarathna: Deborah Lombardo has made very great installations in SL, but often with name of Harbor galaxy
[12:25] onceagain (manoji.yachvili): c (later)
[12:26] Duraya: okay, last but one!
[12:26] Duraya: 6. Show us your favorite photo you took, and tell us why is it so.
[12:27] tutsy Navarathna: I could say the same thing as before. But I’m going to look like a pain in the arse. So I’ll make an effort. In all subjectivity this is one of the first images made with an AI “Kronos and his children” this image surprised me enormously by its composition, its expressionist side, its interpretation of my desire and the surprising result of a relatively simple prompt. Of course I did a lot of post-production work on it.
[12:29] Duraya: and the last, not an easy one though:
- Do you think using AI is true creativity?
[12:29] tutsy Navarathna: the most controversial question
[12:29] A. (ava.darkheart): Q
[12:30] tutsy Navarathna: I’m certainly not going to be the one to solve the countless questions raised by AIs in every field, be it economic, ecological or artistic.
What I can see today from an artistic point of view is that, as always and with any medium, there are people, artists who are trying to bring a real personal vision using AI and others who are having fun with it, with or without artistic pretension. For the new generations, it’s often no longer just a question of consuming art, but of making it. And image generators are absolutely fantastic for giving the impression that you are a great artist.
I’m not making any value judgements here. Everyone has the right to experience the thrill and ecstasy of creation, and that’s good for everyone.
The future of art in the face of AI will probably be a mixture of experiences, where the use of AI and traditional art will coexist. Human artists will continue to explore new techniques and approaches, while AI will bring additional creative possibilities, particularly in terms of visualisation and experimentation.
Ultimately, it seems that AI is enriching the art world by bringing new perspectives and creative opportunities, while stimulating discussions about ethical issues and artistic recognition.
Artists will always be at the heart of artistic expression, but AI can become a fascinating collaborative partner to explore new frontiers of creativity.
[12:31] Harmony Evergarden: C
[12:32] Duraya: Thanks a lot tutsy! Clear words on the last topic too!
12:32] tutsy Navarathna: Thanks to you for inviting me
[12:33] Duraya: So I already got some qs and cs on my board today!!!
[12:33] Duraya: okay, first one to comment is onceagain please
[12:35] onceagain (manoji.yachvili): I know that this is Tutsy’s evening but please allow myself to talk just for two seconds about Harbor… to say that she is an exquisite person, she gave me some of her photos to make a personal permanent exhibition of her works on my land… she is a true artist.
[12:35] onceagain (manoji.yachvili): and she is one of the few artists that I would have the pleasure to hang on my wall in RL…the works, not her. Done
[12:36] Duraya: thank you 🙂
[12:36] tutsy Navarathna: good to give more info about Deb
[12:36] Duraya: Ava, you have a question for tutsy – please go ahead
[12:39] A. (ava.darkheart): I certainly won’t be the one to solve the myriad questions that AI raises in all fields, be they economic, ecological or artistic.” That is what you told us. I mean, damn yes, BE THE ONE. Because you have been introduced as a photographer, short film director, docu, etc… And so you know how many people are already being kicked off the stage, from their jobs, from the art world, and have been replaced by teleprompters. You do not have the feeling of contributing to putting the wolf in the sheepfold? So again, please, be the one.
[12:40] A. (ava.darkheart): and by the way, i loved the last exhib about Asia, China , India and Japan. Done
[12:43] tutsy Navarathna: Thank you A. Ouhlala I think the question is far too vast to answer here. it requires a long debate. We’re in a world that’s totally turned upside down. Overall, I think it’s a totally crazy universe that’s being prepared, if the various ecological problems give us enough time.
[12:45] Duraya: sometimes I think the development is so fast that we can rarely discuss one before the next appears.
[12:45] tutsy Navarathna: all technological revolutions have had harmful effects on many people and this one is even more violent
[12:47] tutsy Navarathna: We’re all taking part in this, if only by being here to talk virtually.
[12:47] A. (ava.darkheart): Yes, we need 3 months more for the talk
[12:48] Duraya: to be continued …but let’s move on to Harmony’s comment now
[12:48] Harmony Evergarden: I find that AI is a wonderful learning tool. As an artist, as a painter and as a photographer, AI helps me conceptualize and learn how to express my vision and intent, as well as learn techniques to do that. Your painting/photo/AI, tutsy, brings all those concepts together. Great work. We would do well to use all available tools, old or new, to advance our creativity and growth as artists. I am old enough to remember going to college before the advent of the personal computer, so I am all in with the advances in technology. It is just a new tool that we need to be the ones to shape how it is used going forward. (done)
[12:50] tutsy Navarathna: Exactly Harmony
[12:51] Duraya: there’s still time for a question or a comment, no holding back
[12:51] onceagain (manoji.yachvili): I recognize my total inability to write about topics of a certain depth… I’m too used to talking about them .. but I agree with Harmony
[12:52] tutsy Navarathna: but it’s true that technological advances always leave plenty of people out in the cold
[12:53] onceagain (manoji.yachvili): any innovation does that
[12:53] Duraya: there is a history to it, yes
[12:53] A. (ava.darkheart): c
[12:53] tutsy Navarathna: When I started video editing, I saw lots of former editors who couldn’t get to grips with keyboards.
[12:54] Duraya: and there is always resistance and adapting and the new gets old and common until a new challenge arises
[12:54] tutsy Navarathna: they found themselves unemployed, what we are living now is Cataclysmic and its just the beginning.
[12:56] Aneli Abeyante: medical too, many different applications like a computer.
[12:56] tutsy Navarathna: yes Harmony i agree its a new tool but imagine also how many illustrators are going to be underpaid
[12:57] tutsy Navarathna: i have a friend doing illustrations for book cover
[12:57] tutsy Navarathna: but today with AI he get half money and even less
[12:57] Harmony Evergarden: imagine how many writers can now afford quality book covers
[12:57] Harmony Evergarden: i edit for writers who can’t afford an illustrator to draw their book covers and the book goes nowhere.
[12:58] tutsy Navarathna: yes there are also lots of advantages, I agree.
[12:58] onceagain (manoji.yachvili): c
[12:59] Harmony Evergarden: on the other hand, i remember how the Kindle was going to kill off book reading and writing and sink the publishing industry.
[13:00] Duraya: we are starting the three month’s discussion now.
[13:00] Duraya: I have two more people on my board, let’s hear Ava please
[13:01] A. (ava.darkheart): I agree about the fact that a lot of innovations kick people out into the cold, all through history we have seen this, but it used to be for some progress, things to simplify life, reduce hard work, etc. but we are talking about Art here, imagination, dreams, etc, related to the use of our brain. It’s not a simple new “progress” to feed our consumerist appetite or to heal us from a virus. Done.
[13:02] tutsy Navarathna: I agree A but more and more Art is linked with societal issue and to day i think at this is the main problem.
[13:02] S y m . S k y ™ (symmetryskyline): c
[13:03] Duraya: merci, onceagain please
[13:04] onceagain (manoji.yachvili): for me it happened when desktop publishing became accessible to everyone… many thought they could do graphics work without asking a professional for advice. so every innovation sheds blood and then you have to find a way to survive
[13:04] onceagain (manoji.yachvili): but I’m sure that we will find the right “cure” for this AI and use it for something better, in the long term. Done
[13:05] Duraya: thanks onceagain
[13:05] tutsy Navarathna: I agree Once
[13:05] Duraya: one more, Sym, your comment please
[13:05] S y m . S k y ™ (symmetryskyline): I disagree, this is Exactly consumerism. Now consumerism has reached into creativity. Big tech is stealing billions of artworks to populate a pool from which “artists” can “create”. I shouldn’t say more – this is a topic I’m extremely passionate about.
[13:05] S y m . S k y ™ (symmetryskyline): And, ironically, I’m an IT professional. Done
[13:07] Duraya: thank you
[13:08] tutsy Navarathna: Yes Sym that is also a side of the problem but its not only about art, all is consumerism, everything in this world is nothing more than a desperate search to bring in more money.
[13:08] Duraya: Thank you so much tutsy for answering all the questions and thank you everyone for your contributions
[13:08] Duraya: it has been a really interesting discussion and I bet, and will be glad, it won’t stop
[13:08] Moonsoul Kiyori: Thank you Tutsy
[13:09] Kika Yongho: Thank you, really great interview! \o/
[13:09] A. (ava.darkheart): merci Tutsy 🙂
[13:09] Harmony Evergarden: thank you , Tutsy
[13:09] tutsy Navarathna: my pleasure to talk with you and thank you all that came.
[13:10] Kika Yongho: Thank you all and you will find the interview being sent in the group and online our website! https://www.photocafe.news/
[13:10] Duraya: we will meet again the 14th of October with a new interesting theme and I hope to see you all again
