The Art of the Battle
No, really, the event I went to is called 'Art Battle.' Here’s what I saw.
These dreamy paintings were all completed in 20 minutes. And no, the artists didn’t secretly use AI.
Well, I don’t have proof that all the competitors in the “ArtBattle” event I recently attended are human. Perhaps the eventual winner of the evening is actually a cybernetic organism, made by Big Art to steal away the some prize money.
But I highly doubt that. AI is too busy outputting millions of images trained on other artists’ work, while raking in obscene profits. These AI companies hardly need to attend an art event in a beer-soaked bar to stay afloat.
And yes, there’s even a humanoid robot out there that has been trained to paint—but it wouldn’t stand a stance against the artists that battled this particular evening. They all took a concept from their brain and translated it onto the canvas in a mere third of an hour.
I’m sure the artists had ideas ahead of time, although some of the paintings from the competition could be recreated by tossing paint at the canvas like Jackson Pollock. But when each 20-minute round was over, there was an amazing piece of work where a blank surface just was.
I almost had an artgasm
I went alone to this event, because I have no friends. Also, the venue was literally down the street from me, so I had no excuse not to go. Even if I got really drunk, I could still find my way home in a straight line—assuming I walked the right direction.
Because the place was filled with liberal arty types of all ages, I managed to strike up a few brief conversations—including with this guy, who is currently on a 100-day hunger strike in the name of creativity, and those who create.
Instead of standing in the little space I carved out for myself to watch the artists and drink beer, I joined the tornado of people circling the artists as they worked. Each time I went around, I could see their work taking shape more.
Here is a crappy time-lapse movie I made to try to explain what I saw (time-lapse videos with changing patterns/flashing may not be suitable for those with epilepsy.)
And here are a few stills from the event, just so you can actually see some of the work in progress without hurting your eyes or triggering a mild seizure:
I’m old (almost 50!) and drain quickly in cramped social situations, so I did not stay for the entire duration of the Battle. I left after the second round, with the four winners of the first two 20-minute sessions moving to the final.
If I had stayed, I would have been there until 11 p.m., a whole three hours! Besides, my $20 of spending money for the weekend was already in my stomach in the form of IPAs.
Another aspect of the Battle is that the guests can vote for their fave creation each round by scanning a QR code and following simple instructions. One of the artists I voted for in the first round went on to win the night… just sayin’.
That winning artist will apparently be competing against other champs from around Southwest Ontario, an event that’s scheduled to take place in my city in July. Unfortunately, the event page suggests it will be at a venue further from me, so I’ll have to take a bus (or find a friend… preferably one with a car.)
Oh, and another thing—guests can bid on the art pieces after each round. This is especially cool if you’re a collector, because you know it’s an original–you just watched it being made.
Join the Battle For Art’s Sake
By the way, ArtBattle is not just an Ontario thing. They are held all across the world, the first apparently hosted in NYC during 2001, according to the event website. There’s even a leaderboard of best live artists from the past couple of years.
It would be cool to see an ArtBattle in a far-away city, but my bank recommends I stay close to home for the time-being.
In the meantime, if you have a Battle coming up in your city and you haven’t experienced one yet, go for it! The worse that can happen is you knock over a can of paint while filming a crappy video.
This is really cool. Would love to do something like that!
I will be looking for an Art Battle. I'm an art museum freak and this sounds perfect. I have a couple of artists in my family and one of my greatest joys is being on the receiving end of their work.
AI makes me nervous. Now I have to use it for my screenshots to be developed and instead of Google Assistant, which is gone. It is literally forcing its way into our phones.
Thanks for the photos and this piece :)