Synthetic Shakespeare
A psycho-geographic exploration of Shoreditch, London
This project introduces the imaging power of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GENAI) to the words of William Shakespeare (1564 –1616).
Text, themes, and lyrics written or performed in the years 1597-99 (when the poet was living and working in the London district of Shoreditch), are used as prompts in a Creative Cybernetic process.
This collaboration between creative entities: living, dead, organic and computational, aims to reveal something of the Genius Loci – the persistent Character of Place – that impacts and moulds the emotions and behaviours of individuals who pass through it.
The focus on a specific locale allows us to explore the creative energy located at the nexus where four creative dimensions intersect: the organic (human), computational (GENAI), cultural (Shakespeare’s canon) and the urban landscape (Shoreditch).
On Shakespeare Day, 2025 we staged a fusion of classical literature and artificial intelligence, introducing AI to Shakespeare.
Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air;
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.
Something Rich and Strange in the News
An ummissable '7 mins read' in one of my favourite online publications: Made in Shoreditch A chance to go into slightly greater detail about the motivations and processes. If you have seven minutes to spare, please take a look!
A lovely piece in Absolutely Magazine culture and art section, April 2025. Thanks to mlpr for the PR and Generative AI for the snappy title.
The Independent ran a short but sympathetic piece too; picking up on the spooky collaboration between various creative agents: living, dead, computational, and organic.
Not only the nationals... the venerable Hampstead and Highgate Express ran this very generous piece too.
A webinar hosted by Emma from Spark.
Summarised by AI as follows:
"Matthew, a Ph.D. candidate in creative AI, discussed the potential of AI as a creative partner and shared his work on Shakespeare's historical character Mercutio.
He also explored the use of AI tools like Midjourney and Runway for generating images and animations, highlighting the importance of understanding the limitations and potential of these tools.
The team also discussed the challenges of controlling AI-generated imagery and the importance of staying informed about the latest developments in AI tools."
All true. Well done AI.