Fairies at the Bottom of the Garden

A series of photographs ironically interpreting the problems with AI-generated images. In 1917 in Cottingley, two young girls, Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths, placed cardboard fairies in real-life settings to create their playful, yet realistic-looking, photographs. This long-discussed case of photography history has provoked heated discussions on what is and isn’t real. Today, in the age of AI-generated images, this topic has gathered relevancy once again. The project consists of photomontages and -collages depicting long-standing social, political and philosophical issues, which are digitally assembled and then re-photographed in a diorama-like installation in a real-life environment. This method allows us to explore the dilemmas surrounding AI and AI-generated images through irony: the dangers of fake news, falsification of history and the ability to fake various documents such as polaroids and X-rays. The aim of the series is to spark a discussion about legal and ethical implications, such as the mandatory use of watermarks on generated images, and the protection of authenticity and copyright.