Representaional Frames (Cont)

I recently stumbled on an article I had saved about an art exhibit in my area about making art out of the data of everyday life, and I realized that's what I have been doing all along: If you become a collector of life you can develop your own "internet" ("internette") that naturally creates its own hyperlinks through the process of encoding—like the encoding of memories. Per Cory Doctorow, we can't rely on the internet for the integrity of history and memory. This is where art can be used as both storytelling and memoir.

There was another interesting article about Elizabeth Clare Prophet, who apparently died in 2009. I was reminded of the late 1980s when I had a friend who followed her, which was songwriting grist for me. One of the songs was Path of Salvation, which referenced "the violet flame" that she used in her teachings. I see it as just another manifestation of the demon-haunted world that Carl Sagan warned about.

The artwork used in the article was a kind of photorealist work (who knows it could have been generated by AI—there was no byline) that has the perfect mood, just beyond exurbia into the hinterlands of that demon-haunted world. There was another song I wrote in the mid-90s, Movin' To Montana, which wasn't about her, but rather the Unabomber, and a wink at Frank Zappa's song of the same title about a dental floss tycoon. I thought that Montana was that comfortable hinterland. It was almost a joke at the time, but now in the 2020s it has new gravitas—a gallows humor. I can only imagine what Zappa would have been saying. He died about the time I was writing those songs, amid Waco and the Branch Davidians in 1993. 

 

I thought I'd try ChatGPT to extrapolate the facts: "Write a story about a ranch in Corwin Springs, Montana formerly occupied by Elizabeth Clare Prophet".

A partial result: 

"The once-vibrant Summit Lighthouse Ranch in Corwin Springs, Montana, now lay in tranquil repose, its history steeped in the teachings of its former occupant, Elizabeth Clare Prophet. The vast expanse of the ranch, set against the majestic backdrop of the Yellowstone River and the soaring Gallatin Range, echoed with whispers of spiritual gatherings and meditative retreats. Years ago, the ranch bustled with followers seeking enlightenment, their voices blending with the murmurs of the wind and the rustle of aspen leaves. Now, the buildings stood quietly, their walls imbued with a sense of serenity and the lingering energy of past prayers and chants. Wildflowers bloomed in abundance, reclaiming the meditation gardens, while deer roamed freely, undisturbed. As the sun set, casting a golden glow over the land, the spirit of the ranch seemed to breathe, holding within its heart the echoes of Prophet's legacy and the promise of peace for those who wandered its paths." (This goes perfectly with this image...What I like about AI thus far is the possibility for the uncanny...) 

I then described the image and it returned this sketch, as if it was a schematic that we would have put on the Golden Disc in interstellar space to be picked up by civilizations on other planets. 

 

Other generated images approximated it from a description. It's an interesting way to scout locations and to storyboard possible films and used as representational frames, at technique Walter Murch used.