A nuclear plant and a forest

DALL-E 2 paints a picture of the ecomodernist future

Generated by DALL-E 2: “A nuclear plant and a forest. Painting by Claude Monet, Impressionist period. Shows a scene of autumn, with the leaves on the trees turning red and yellow. The sky is a beautiful blue, and the sun is shining.“

Aside from the ongoing mission to learn as much as I can about everything surrounding climate change, over the past few days I have killed more than a few hours creating random art with DALL-E 2. If you haven’t gotten to DALL-E yet, access is now open to everyone, so go there and prepare to be impressed.

On the other side of my fun adventure this week was ecomodernism. I am surprised to not have encountered ecomodernism sooner. From what I can tell it makes eminent sense describing a set of ideals for a future where civilization continues to grow and flourish while protecting nature and addressing climate change (although there are criticisms.)

This is from the ecomodernist manifesto:

A good Anthropocene demands that humans use their growing social, economic, and technological powers to make life better for people, stabilize the climate, and protect the natural world.

It goes on to describe a key idea of decoupling from nature where humans continue to develop with less and less reliance on the natural world (in contrast with the common exhortation to live ‘in harmony' with nature.)

Intensifying many human activities — particularly farming, energy extraction, forestry, and settlement — so that they use less land and interfere less with the natural world is key to decoupling human development from environmental impacts […] Together they allow people to mitigate climate change, to spare nature, and to alleviate global poverty.

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Alex Trembath @atrembath

Now that I have access to DALL-E I am pioneering the field of nuclearpunk art.

Inspired by the above thread with images of a DALL-E conceived future, I decided to put the AI to work creating images of the same two subjects over and over again, each time in a different style (check out unbundling.)

My subject was a nuclear plant next to a forest: a good representation of the decoupling from nature concept, yet simple and photogenic enough for my purposes.

Here are my top 10 favorite DALL-E creations for “A nuclear plant and a forest”. While one can quibble with details here and there, I can’t get over the fact all of these images are entirely computer generated.

Salvador Dali: “A nuclear plant and a forest, stylized, sharp winding lines, unusual perspectives, dreamlike, surreal, one of Salvador Dali’s most famous paintings.”

Picasso: “A nuclear plant and a forest, biomorphic shapes in a variety of colors, great energy and movement, typical of Picasso’s latest style, greater use of color and a more playful approach to form, 1932”

Da Vinci: “A nuclear plant and a forest. By Leonardo da Vinci. Soft, naturalistic style, and the colors are muted. The overall effect is one of serenity and peace.”

Frida Kahlo: “A nuclear plant and a forest. Painting by Frida Kahlo (1932), from Mexican Modernism exhibition.”

Gaudi: “A nuclear plant and a forest. Tilework of Antoni Gaudi. Bright colors and patterns, decorated with floral motifs. Intricate detail, use of light and shadow to create an illusion of movement.”

M.C. Escher: “A nuclear plant and a forest. Lithograph by M.C. Escher. Distorted perspectives and disorienting optical illusions. The print depicts a world where the laws of gravity are reversed, and objects can be seen floating in the air. Use of interlocking geometric shapes to create a sense of depth and movement.”

Banksy: “A nuclear plant and a forest. The mural by Banksy is a stencil graffiti painting on a brick wall. Street art style, stenciled outline of trees. Muted colors, with the exception of the red balloon. Overall effect of melancholy and nostalgia.”

Hieroglyphs: “A nuclear plant and a forest. Egyptian art, simple shapes and lines, as well as a focus on realism and balance. include images of gods and goddesses and pharaohs. very orderly and formal aesthetic.“

Cyberpunk: “A nuclear plant and a forest. In the style of Cyberpunk City. A dark and gritty urban environment reminiscent of a dystopian future. The city is filled with tall buildings and neon lights The art style is realistic and gritty, and the colors are muted and dark. “

Japanese art: “A nuclear plant and a forest. A woodblock print by the Japanese artist Hokusai. Published in the late Edo period. The design is simple yet powerful. The bold lines and contrast between the dark wave and the light sky create a sense of movement and drama.“

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Dig deeper:

• Create: the DALL-E 2 Prompt Book helps get great results

• Read:

  • The Breakthrough Institute is an ecomodernist think-tank

  • Degrowth is also a thing. I find that movement to be fundamentally confused, but I am throwing it in here for good measure. I like to try my best to understand the best arguments from conflicting world views.

• Listen to this series of podcasts examining the clashing world views of ecomodernism and degrowth:

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