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[LONDON – 27 SEPTEMBER 2019] – New research commissioned by BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® explores the nation’s attitudes towards technology when it comes to being creative. In the recent findings, more than 52% of respondents hail technology as an enabler of self-expression, stating that smartphones, Apps and social media encourage them to be more creative on a daily basis.
Inspired by this insight, the gin brand continues its global mission to Stir Creativity by today revealing a new collection of AI artworks created in collaboration with pioneering artist and designer Yinka Ilori, which will be presented at this year’s Frieze London. This series of compelling new works truly embodies Yinka’s characteristic style, facilitated by cutting-edge technology, showcasing the possibilities that can happen when technology is part of the creative process.
In a modern world where we all have daily access to tech in the form of smartphones and laptops, 1 in 4 people consider technology to be an on-the-go ‘creative outlet’ for whenever inspiration strikes, which means we’re more able to flex our creative muscle than ever before.
33% of those surveyed estimated that they only spend up to 2 hours per week being creative, but whether we realise it or not, we are already scratching the surface when it comes to using tech to express ourselves. 50% of respondents say they take photos on their phones every day, whilst a further 24% use technology and Apps to edit photographs for their social media.
When asked which occupations are considered creative, 21% of research respondents selected the likes of graphic design, App development, content creation and coding further supporting that we are starting to see the meeting of mind and machine as genuine creativity, although people still consider more traditional methods to be more creative, with 46% opting for the likes of painting, creative writing and poetry.
Now, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE aims to shed a light on the topic further with a new series of works that plays to the notion that human creativity supported by technological ability can indeed create something truly special. Yinka Ilori explores the medium of AI through this collaboration, working with the tech to discover the possibilities within his distinctive illustrations.
Like Yinka’s artworks, which are inspired by his British-Nigerian heritage, the AI method is based on the power of colour and shape memory. The process includes feeding Yinka’s visuals into an intelligent algorithm alongside a range of striking BOMBAY SAPPHIRE images, making this a truly unique and collaborative project.
“The beauty of AI is its ability to generate new content based on its memory of the illustrations, which were fed into an algorithm,”says Yinka.“There is something quite fascinating about this process as a huge part of my practice involves investigating how existing colour can be used to tell new stories. This way of processing and projecting makes me extremely excited for the future and how it will shape the way I decide to tell my stories and look back on my memories.”
“The bespoke algorithm has been generated as a unique depiction of a collaboration between BOMBAY SAPPHIRE and Yinka,”adds Marco Marchesi, Research Engineer in Artificial Intelligence and Mixed Reality.“Yinka’s work and the brand images were two different genres and worlds that needed to collide. When you think about it, both evolution and the creative process are ways of colliding things. Throughout this project we’ve seen the system start to think about what it has seen before – it is essentially ‘dreaming’ about the artwork.”
“As a brand we have recently worked with artists to explore different creative ideas and concepts, but this is our first foray into the world of AI-facilitated art,”says Victoria Morris, Global VP, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE. “For us, the process really demonstrated that human creativity is the driving force behind technology-created art, but cutting-edge innovations such as computer algorithms provide an exciting medium to discover new creative possibilities.”
The new AI artworks will debut at this year’s Frieze London, displayed at the gin brand’s onsite lounge from 3rdto 6thOctober. The lounge will offer five BOMBAY SAPPHIRE guest serves created in partnership with London’s top bartenders, demonstrating the creative potential within every drop of Bombay Sapphire gin. Participating bars include Artesian, Oriole, China Tang, Kwãnt and Satan’s Whiskers. Consumers can also enjoy each guest serve in the corresponding partner bar for the next three months. This is the third instalment of the global partnership between BOMBAY SAPPHIRE and Frieze Art Fairs LA, New York and London.
ENDS
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ABOUT YINKA ILORI
Yinka Ilori is a London based multidisciplinary artist of a British-Nigerian heritage, who specialises in storytelling by fusing his British and Nigerian heritage to tell new stories in contemporary design. Humorous, provocative and fun, each piece of work he creates tells a story. Bringing Nigerian verbal traditional into playful conversation with contemporary design, Yinka Ilori’s work touches on various global themes that resonate with different audiences all over the world.
ABOUT THE AI PROCESS
Artificial Intelligence generated images from an amalgamation of carefully selected BOMBAY SAPPHIRE images and Yinka’s artwork, using Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN), a deep-learning technique used to create photorealistic images. Comprised of two neural networks that compete against each other, these were tuned to be able to create original abstract artwork inspired by Yinka and the brand imagery, making this a truly collaborative project between artist and brand. The end result is a series of striking new works that truly embody Yinka’s characteristic style, facilitated by pioneering new technology.
ABOUT BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® AND CREATIVITY
Launching the ‘Stir Creativity’ campaign in 2018, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE is leading a global mission - a call to arms for everyone to engage with their creativity and unlock their creative potential. From advocacy programmes including World's Most Imaginative Bartender competition running in the US for the last 11 years to hosting The Glasshouse Project, a global advocacy programme bringing together the world's top bartenders in a series of creative workshops designed to push the boundaries of cocktail creativity.
For eight years, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE has run The Artisan Series, an art competition created by the brand to provide emerging artists with an international platform. The brand has also partnered with well-known artists and creators such as Tracey Emin, Thomas Heatherwick and Tom Dixon for the BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Designer Glassware Competition.
About BOMBAY SAPPHIRE®
BOMBAY SAPPHIRE is the world's number one premium gin by value and volume (IWSR). Based on a 1761 recipe, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin is created by perfectly balancing a unique combination of 10 hand-selected exotic botanicals from around the world. The BOMBAY SAPPHIRE distillery at Laverstoke Mill has won a BREEAM award for sustainability and is the home of the unique Vapour Infusion process, where the natural flavours of the botanicals are skilfully captured, resulting in the fresh and vibrant taste with which BOMBAY SAPPHIRE is synonymous.
BOMBAY SAPPHIRE has recently been awarded the prestigious Double Gold and Gold medal at the 17th San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC).
The BOMBAY SAPPHIRE brand is part of the portfolio of Bacardi Limited, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited.
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