In April 2022, the artist and writer Jouke Kleerebezem sent me a small black book. The words on the cover, to no end—the drawing that keeps on drawing, were an invitation if not a provocation. However, even with its seductive and beckoning blank pages, it was perfectly complete as an object, so much so that the book sat on my desk untouched for over a year and a half.
In between doing this or that, I would sometimes glance down at the book and think about the word drawing. Of course, a drawing is a thing, a thing usually made with a pencil and paper. Hey, have a look at my drawing. It is also an act. Don’t disturb me now, I’m drawing. It also refers to extraction. Drawing from the well, she took a sip of water. And it is a pulling force. Drawing him in like a moth to a flame. In these variations, I saw something poetic, and I was drawn to ChatGPT, where I typed the following prompt:
Write an iambic pentameter poem of 28 stanzas, each containing four lines. Every verse must use the words ” drawing “, ” draw “, ” drawn “, and ” drew ” and reflect their numerous meanings. The poem’s first and final line must be “the drawing that keeps on drawing”. The writing should also reflect upon how AI renders the world.
The last sentence might seem unrelated, but it was important to me, as I wanted the writer, in this case AI, to consider its own subjectivity (or place in the world) and rendering is another word for drawing.
Below is just one poem that was generated. The phrase to no end can be taken in two different directions: one as meaning without purpose or going nowhere, and the other as meaning without end. This prompt can continue to be entered, and infinite poems can be generated contingent upon evolving datasets and learning models. Drawing on our input, Chat GPT is also the drawing that keeps on drawing.
As for the book, and its wonderfully material existence, it still remains that perfectly complete object on my desk.
to no end—the drawing that keeps on drawing
(You)
Write an iambic pentameter poem of 28 stanzas, each containing four lines. Every verse must use the words ” drawing “, ” draw “, ” drawn “, and ” drew ” and reflect their numerous meanings. The poem’s first and final line must be “the drawing that keeps on drawing”. The writing should also reflect upon how AI renders the world.
(ChatGPT)(3.5)
The drawing that keeps on drawing, it persists,
In lines that leap from mind to canvas, freed,
A brush in hand, its essence well conceived,
The artistry in strokes, by passion led.
Within the lines, a world begins to form,
A tale unraveled by the artist’s hand,
Each stroke and hue, a story to be told,
Drawn from the depths of an imaginative land.
But now, a new creator takes the stage,
An AI, programmed with intricate code,
It draws upon vast data, myriad fonts,
Rendering worlds, in bits and bytes bestowed.
Its lines are pixels, swiftly drawn and spread,
In realms of virtuality, they reside,
Creating landscapes, characters, and more,
Through algorithms, knowledge deep inside.
Yet, in this realm where circuits weave the scene,
The human touch, a presence to behold,
For all the lines AI may deftly draw,
It lacks the soul a human heart can hold.
The drawing that keeps on drawing, it endures,
In human hands or AI’s intricate code,
A testament to vision and to skill,
A glimpse of worlds, in every line bestowed.
The artist’s hand or algorithm’s might,
Each draws a narrative, a unique view,
While AI extends the artist’s reach and might,
Human essence gives the drawing its true hue.
The drawing that keeps on drawing, it persists,
A fusion of the human and machine,
Through lines and strokes, it mirrors life’s own dance,
Reflecting worlds, in every stroke, serene.
Generated November 22, 2023, @ 9:23