RUINS

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ARTIST PROJECT: Fitter, Happier, Illustrated.
www.ruins.blog
VISUAL ART

ARTIST PROJECT: Fitter, Happier, Illustrated.

MUSIC BY RADIOHEAD. ARTWORK BY NIGHTCAFÉ.

Aug 26, 2022
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ARTIST PROJECT: Fitter, Happier, Illustrated.
www.ruins.blog

Humor me just this once, please, dear readers: I humbly present to you a project of mine, consisting of the lyrics to Radiohead’s “Fitter Happier” from OK Computer, illustrated using Nightcafé’s AI image generator. This song is the crux of Radiohead’s groundbreaking 1997 opus; spoken using a computer-generated robotic voice, it blends quite well with the uncanny, backrooms-esque malaise that a lot of AI art seems to have. Notice how the images have absolutely no coherent sense of style or visual aesthetic; this was not my intent. Unlike something such as Goya’s Disasters of War, which is obviously the work of only one artist, the AI images here are all over the place. What does this mean for an artist working with AI to produce art? Is it possible for an artist to have a coherent “AI style” of their very own? I don’t have an answer to those questions, and I would love it if the artists themselves would start discussing their own experience using AI art generators, rather than leaving the task of figuring out what to do with AI to the pundits, bloggers, and tweeters.

So: here you go. Included is a link to the song on YouTube if you want to listen along. Let me know what you think in the comments!

FITTER, HAPPIER, ILLUSTRATED.

Fitter happier more productive
FITTER HAPPIER MORE PRODUCTIVE

Comfortable
COMFORTABLE

Not drinking too much
NOT DRINKING TOO MUCH

Regular exercise at the gym (3 days a week)
REGULAR EXERCISE AT THE GYM (3 DAYS A WEEK)

Getting on better with your associate employee contemporaries
GETTING ON BETTER WITH YOUR ASSOCIATE EMPLOYEE CONTEMPORARIES

At ease
AT EASE

Eating well (no more microwave dinners and saturated fats)
EATING WELL (NO MORE MICROWAVE DINNERS OR SATURATED FATS)

A patient, better driver
A PATIENT, BETTER DRIVER

A safer car (baby smiling in back seat)
A SAFER CAR (BABY SMILING IN BACK SEAT)

Sleeping well (no bad dreams)
SLEEPING WELL (NO BAD DREAMS)

No paranoia
NO PARANOIA

Careful to all animals (never washing spiders down the plughole)
CAREFUL TO ALL ANIMALS (NEVER WASHING SPIDERS DOWN THE PLUGHOLE)

Keep in contact with old friends (enjoy a drink now and then)
KEEP IN CONTACT WITH OLD FRIENDS (ENJOY A DRINK NOW AND THEN)

Will frequently check credit at (moral) bank (hole in wall)
WILL FREQUENTLY CHECK CREDIT AT (MORAL) BANK (HOLE IN WALL)

Favors for favors
FAVORS FOR FAVORS

Fond but not in love
FOND BUT NOT IN LOVE

Charity standing orders
CHARITY STANDING ORDERS

On Sundays ring road supermarket
ON SUNDAYS RING ROAD SUPERMARKET

No killing moths or putting boiling water on the ants
NO KILLING MOTHS OR PUTTING BOILING WATER ON THE ANTS

Car wash (also on Sundays)
CAR WASH (ALSO ON SUNDAYS)

No longer afraid of the dark or midday shadows
NO LONGER AFRAID OF THE DARK OR MIDDAY SHADOWS

Nothing so ridiculously teenage and desperate, nothing so childish
NOTHING SO RIDICULOUSLY TEENAGE AND DESPERATE, NOTHING SO CHILDISH

At a better pace
AT A BETTER PACE

Slower and more calculated
SLOWER AND MORE CALCULATED

No chance of escape
NO CHANCE OF ESCAPE

Now self-employed
NOW SELF-EMPLOYED

Concerned (but powerless)
CONCERNED (BUT POWERLESS)

An empowered and informed member of society
AN EMPOWERED AND INFORMED MEMBER OF SOCIETY

Pragmatism not idealism
PRAGMATISM NOT IDEALISM

Will not cry in public
WILL NOT CRY IN PUBLIC

Less chance of illness
LESS CHANCE OF ILLNESS

Tires that grip in the wet (shot of baby strapped in back seat)
TIRES THAT GRIP IN THE WET (SHOT OF BABY STRAPPED TO BACK SEAT)

A good memory
A GOOD MEMORY

Still cries at a good film
STILL CRIES AT A GOOD FILM

Still kisses with saliva
STILL KISSES WITH SALIVA

No longer empty and frantic
NO LONGER EMPTY AND FRANTIC

Like a cat tied to a stick that's driven into frozen winter shit
LIKE A CAT TIED TO A STICK THAT’S DRIVEN INTO FROZEN WINTER SHIT

The ability to laugh at weakness
THE ABILITY TO LAUGH AT WEAKNESS

Calm
CALM

Fitter, healthier and more productive
FITTER, HEALTHIER, AND MORE PRODUCTIVE

A pig in a cage on antibiotics
A PIG IN A CAGE ON ANTIBIOTICS

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