KAUST computer scientist Mohamed Elhoseiny and his VISION CAIR team developed Creative Walk Adversarial Networks (CWAN) for novel art generation. CWAN learns from existing art styles and deviates using 'random walk deviation' methods. Human evaluators preferred CWAN-generated art compared to other methods like StyleGAN2. Why it matters: The research demonstrates AI's potential as a valuable tool for artists, enabling the creation of unique and meaningful art, and explores more effective emotional language in image captioning.
Margaret Livingstone, a neurobiology professor at Harvard Medical School, lectured at KAUST's Winter Enrichment Program 2018 on how art can reveal insights into the human brain. She discussed how artists have long understood the independent roles of color and luminance in visual perception. Livingstone highlighted examples from Picasso, Monet, and Warhol to illustrate how artists manipulate visual cues. Why it matters: This interdisciplinary approach can potentially lead to new understandings of how the brain processes visual information and inform advances in both neuroscience and art.
KAUST will host a Modern Saudi Art Exhibit from Arabian Wings (Jan 11-15), an Al-Balad 24 Photography Exhibition featuring work by Marina Kochetyga and Andrea Bachofen (Jan 11-16), and an East African Tingatinga art exhibition (Jan 18-24). The Al-Balad exhibit includes a video by Dr. Lorenzo Pareschi documenting a fire in the historic district. Why it matters: These art exhibits expose the KAUST community to diverse artistic styles and cultural perspectives, fostering cross-cultural understanding.
American artist Rachel Sussman spoke at KAUST's 2019 Winter Enrichment Program about her project documenting the world's oldest living organisms. Sussman photographed 30 species alive for over 2,000 years, including trees, coral, and bacteria. She collaborated with 30 scientists to identify and document these organisms. Why it matters: The lecture highlights KAUST's interdisciplinary approach to knowledge, connecting art, science, and philosophy to explore concepts of time and longevity.
KAUST's Theatre Troupe performed Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" for KAUST audiences on November 23 and 24. The play, directed by Ph.D. students Amber Siddiqui and Daniel Binham, featured KAUST students and staff. The directors were pleased with the large turnout and plan another production for the spring. Why it matters: Arts and cultural events enrich the KAUST community and provide opportunities for cross-cultural engagement.
Artists from Switzerland collaborated with researchers at KAUST's Red Sea Research Center to photograph autonomous reef monitoring structures (ARMS). ARMS are artificial towers that capture small critters colonizing coral reefs, developed to measure marine biodiversity. KAUST has deployed and retrieved over 180 ARMS units since 2013 to study cryptobenthic biodiversity, which represents up to 70% of a reef's biodiversity. Why it matters: This collaboration highlights the innovative approaches being used to study marine ecosystems in the Red Sea and underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations in advancing scientific understanding.
This paper introduces a method using Stable Diffusion XL (SDXL) fine-tuned with LoRA to generate culturally relevant coloring templates based on Emirati Al-Sadu weaving patterns for mental health therapy. The approach aims to leverage coloring therapy's stress-relieving benefits while embedding cultural resonance, potentially aiding in the treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Future research will explore the impact of Emirati heritage art on Emirati individuals using biosignals to assess engagement and effectiveness.