Neural Artefact Black

Neural Artefact Black is arguably the world’s first built physical public art-bench that is generated directly in 3D with a custom fine-tuned (via dreambooth) stable dreamfusion model and fabricated in an artisanal way with 100% upcycled wood. Commissioned in March 2023 by Arts House Ltd (on behalf of Singapore’s National Arts Council) and completed in July 2023, Neural Artefact Black (or ‘Re-Store’) forms part of the Civic District Placemaking and Public Art Bench project called ‘Benchmarks’ (https://artshouselimited.sg/cvd-whats-on/benchmarks/benchmark-details/re-store and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_fEpYoz368). The art-bench is sited in front of the Asian Civilisations Museum and along the historic Singapore River, thus situating itself conceptually among the antique Peranakan wooden furniture collection in the former and the long-disappeared small wooden boats (sampans) on the latter. The artistic intention is to blend learnt features of both types of artefacts – digitally with their scanned imagery, and materially with the use of abandoned wooden furniture and retired boats.