Neural Monumentality
THE ARCHITECTURE OF MONUMENTS IN A TECHNOLOGICAL POSTHUMAN WORLD
Academic | Architecture Thesis | Fertile Crescent, Middle East | 2023
Design using artificial intelligence (Midjourney, DALL-E, RunwayML diffusion models), 3D modeling, rendering, graphic design, 3D printing, and model making of a monument.
In recent years, artificial intelligence has been increasingly disrupting creative fields such as the arts, music, writing – and architecture is not an exception. As this novel technology makes its way into the design process, this thesis explored the advent of posthuman architecture.
The thesis involved the understanding of the generative methods behind deep learning diffusion models, such as Midjourney and Dall-E, and their application in the design of a tangible architectural object. To explore these methods, it was determined to design a monument, which was defined as an archaic object capable of representing a multitude of different architectural styles and cultures.
Our design process involved generating images in Midjourney by prompting basic architectural traits from a variety of cultures, interpreting the results, modeling them in 3D, and feeding model snapshots back into Midjourney. With each diffusion, the architectural and cultural features of the monument began to become estranged and defamiliarized, challenging our preconceived interpretations of architecture, and ultimately conveying its posthuman design aesthetic.
Designed in collaboration with Spencer Reay and Tam Nguyen.
Thesis Studio: D[3] Data, Dreams and Diffusions by Prof. Matias del Campo.
