Geumgangsan in Seoul in 2126... AI and Green Future 'City Landscape Painting'

Artist Lee Yi-nam's media art installation "Seoul 2126: The Landscape Express" offers a unique vision of a futuristic Seoul, where advanced technology coexists with traditional Korean aesthetics. The 9-minute video, created using Google's Gemini AI, imagines a Seoul of 2126 adorned with elements from classical landscape paintings, particularly the works of Jeong Seon.

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I wanted to paint a 'city landscape painting' by adding Jeong Seon's landscapes to future Seoul.

The artwork presents a striking contrast: soaring skyscrapers and flying vehicles share the urban landscape with traditional pine trees lining the roads and train tracks colored with the vibrant hues of "dancheong," traditional Korean decorative painting. The majestic peaks and valleys of Geumgangsan, as famously depicted by Jeong Seon, are woven into the fabric of the futuristic city, creating a "city landscape painting."

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A hundred years from now, cities will change drastically. But in such times, humans and nature become even more important. I believe that even as cities develop, we must not lose our humanity and must live in harmony with nature.

Lee, known for reinterpreting classical art through digital media, explained that the integration of Geumgangsan into the Seoul cityscape is a way to merge reality with artistic imagination, similar to the approach in traditional "sansuhwa" (landscape painting). "A hundred years from now, cities will change drastically," Lee stated, "but in such times, humans and nature become even more important. I believe that even as cities develop, we must not lose our humanity and must live in harmony with nature."

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The fact that the AI naturally realized things I hadn't thought of is what I liked the most.

While collaborating with AI, Lee found it to be an "unexpected" and valuable co-creator. He described instances where the AI generated surprising visual elements, such as pathways and tunnels between mountains adorned with dancheong patterns, which he hadn't initially conceived. "The fact that the AI naturally realized things I hadn't thought of is what I liked the most," he said. Lee also used AI to research Jeong Seon's life and works, engaging in a dialogue with the AI to shape the artwork's direction, stressing the human role in guiding and selecting AI-generated outputs.

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Of course, if it's not in the direction I want, I would guide the AI to 'offer advice in a different direction.' Humans must be the main actors, accepting what should be accepted and discarding what should be discarded.