Artist Statement By Erica Crompton

Using AI to explore hopeful narratives of portrayals of mental illness and disability

in the media

 My shiny and happy images are made completely with AI and aim to use vibrant colours to challenge some of the bleak portraits of disability (in particular schizophrenia) in the media. Far too often we only see or hear bleak, impoverished images of people with disabilities in newspapers,  film and on TV and these images use AI to challenge this status quo.

 

These particular images were used to illustrate similar colourful, spiritual and hopeful stories, poems and travel reviews in Hopezine, a small magazine I make with others with disabilities. I used robots here as a metaphor for the AI that assisted in production. I hope they open doors or create bridges - as rainbows do - to viewers sharing stories of succeeding in adversity and their own worlds (like the worlds of AI or owning our own narratives and unique beliefs).