faith and life
Navigating contemporary art as a Christian
Becca Nunes
When I talk to people who aren’t artists, a lot exclaim “I love art… but not any of that modern stuff!” By “modern stuff”, most people mean contemporary art – art that has been made in the last few decades.
We might think of bananas taped to walls and gallery cleaning staff throwing away art they thought was rubbish. Art that is often confusing, that does not fit neatly into historical or aesthetic categories and can be intimidating to engage with. Art that we might worry about is neglecting beauty, goodness and truth. I get it.
engaging with culture today
Honouring human creativity in an age of AI
Becca Nunes
I noticed a young artist’s face drop as she watched the projected AI-generated animation playing at the front of the church. It was a quick, fun animation made as part of a children’s talk. Most people hadn’t noticed it was AI, but the subtle tells were clear to anyone familiar with image creation.
AI-generated images and videos are increasingly appearing in our social media feeds, in advertisements, education, publishing and media – and now, it seems, even in our churches. And while we discuss how much ChatGPT should shape sermons or Bible studies, the use of AI in the artwork and design we use is often overlooked. It makes sense – when budgets are tight and time short, it’s tempting to use a tool that can turn a prompt into an image in moments. But what do we lose when we are too quick to do this?