Alex May
Exploring the Digital Canvas: Artistic Journey at the Intersection of Memory, Technology, and AI
We are excited to welcome Alex May, a visionary British artist whose work seamlessly blends art, science, and technology. With an impressive portfolio that spans across digital and traditional media, Alex's practice delves into the human experience in the digital age, raising profound questions about memory, identity, and perception. His innovative works, ranging from algorithmic photography to interactive robotics, explore the dynamic relationship between technology and the physical world, pushing the boundaries of what art can be.

Alex’s artistic journey is deeply intertwined with his fascination for the evolving role of technology in our lives. From his early experiences experimenting with computers, to his ongoing exploration of AI and quantum biology, his work invites viewers to rethink the intersections of human consciousness and machine intelligence. His international exhibitions at institutions such as Tate Modern, Ars Electronica, and MIT Museum, as well as his collaborations with scientists and technologists, have established him as a pioneering figure in digital art.

As part of the AI Hokusai - Art&Tech Research Project, Alex brings his unique approach to the exploration of AI-driven creativity. Drawing inspiration from Hokusai’s manga series, he seeks to probe the nature of how algorithms “see” the world, exploring themes of identity, bias, and the essence of visual representation. We spoke to Alex about his creative process, his thoughts on AI’s role in art, and what he hopes to achieve during his residency.
Let’s dive deeper into his artistic vision and the exciting intersections of technology and storytelling.
Alex May
Alex May is an internationally recognised artist known for his innovative exploration of the intersection between art, science, and technology, with a focus on creating multi layered works that resonate with the human experience in a rapidly evolving digital world.
His body of work utilises creative software he has written and a wide range of digital new media forms including video sculpture, algorithmic photography, interactive robotics, photogrammetry as memory, 3D printed sculpture, virtual and augmented reality apps, video projection mapping, generative algorithms and biological sonification, with roots in experimental performative software, video and sound art.

May’s international exhibition profile includes Ars Electronica (Austria), ZKM (Germany), MIT Museum (USA), Tate Modern (UK), HeK (Switzerland), The Nobel Prize Museum (Sweden), LABoral (Spain), WRO Media Art Biennale (Poland), The Francis Crick Institute (UK), Eden Project (UK), Science Gallery Dublin (Ireland) and Bengaluru (India), ZHI Art Museum (China), and the Beall Center for Art + Technology (USA).

He gives lectures and talks about his work and many aspects of digital art, art/science collaboration, and digital preservation at venues including the Royal College of Art, Chelsea College of Art (in conversation with curator Robert Storr), UCLA, TEDx Bucharest, and the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona.

How would you describe the central themes or messages in your art practice?

-My art explores the intersection between memory, technology, and the human experience. By combining a wide range of digital and traditional technologies into hybrid forms, I aim to capture how our perceptions of ourselves, society, and history are continually reshaped by the tools we create. I am fascinated by how technology extends our reach beyond our physical form while confronting us with timeless questions: what does it mean to exist, connect, and face the unknown?

Can you tell us about your creative process? How does an idea become a finished piece?

-It varies. Sometimes I will need to do a lot of research ahead of time, especially on the more complex art/science projects where I need to understand key aspects of the research taking place. Other times ideas come when listening to music. I have an extensive note taking system where I store ideas and notes from things I've read or watched, which I use to revisit trains of thought.


I generally work in an intuitive way. I put a lot of information into my brain and then trust it to guide me through to the parts that resonate with me the most.


At some point a work goes from idea to production, and then it's usually a case of just ploughing through it until it's complete and ready for exhibition.

Alex May
"Technology and art are mirrors to ourselves, and we must remain aware of how they alter our reflection."

What is one project or piece that holds special significance to you, and why?

-This year I completed an arts fellowship with the Institute of Advanced Studies at the University of Surrey here in the UK. I was working with scientists researching quantum biology, which is searching for instances where fleeting quantum effects may be taking place inside living organisms. From DNA mutation, magnetoreception, to oxygen transfer in our own lungs, there are many biological systems that seem to operate utilising quantum effects.


In response to this research, I created a video sculpture (a physical sculpture with a video screen as part of the form) called “A Cabinet of Intangible Curiosities” that referenced the way that 18th century aristocrats would have private collections of exotic artifacts gathered by explorers from around the globe, cataloged and arranged to present a vivid view of a strange and undiscovered world.


I presented the work to the researchers at their annual quantum biology conference and it was praised for presenting a complex and highly theoretical subject in a novel and engaging way that brought a new perspective to the public and the researchers themselves.

How has the integration of technology influenced your work or artistic vision?

-It was always there. There was a profound feeling I had back when I plugged my first computer into our family TV. I could type things and they would appear on the screen. This sounds like nothing today, but it marked the point for me when a screen went from a passive interface, a piece of furniture that we just sat in front of and consumed content, into something that I could directly control and explore. It didn't matter that the graphics were low resolution and it was slow, it felt new and full of potential and I knew that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. A grand claim for an eight year old, but I still stand by it.

How do you see the concept of “authorship” evolving with the rise of AI and digital tools in art?

-There is never going to be a clear distinction made, but Duchamp's “readymade’s” already challenged the question of authorship of the artist, and we are just scratching around in the post-modern and meta-modern landscape where we live now.


My feeling is that there is an innate human desire for intention in art. The output from AI tools is dazzling at times, but our brains rapidly become accustomed to new styles and techniques. With the public access to many of these tools, what will set apart the use of them? The strong ideas and intentions of creative people will shine through, once we've adjusted to the spectacle of this new technology, and it will be a little clearer who is responsible for what elements.

Alex May
"My art explores the intersection between memory, technology, and the human experience. By combining a wide range of digital and traditional technologies into hybrid forms, I aim to capture how our perceptions of ourselves, society, and history are continually reshaped by the tools we create."

What drew you to apply for this residency?

-I very much liked the core concept of exploring cutting edge creative use of AI through a specific historical art lens, namely Hokusai.


Through the residency I wanted a practical opportunity to use AI tools with the intention of making an artwork that interrogates something intrinsic about how they operate.


Art and technology are mirrors to ourselves, and we must remain aware of how they alter our reflection.

What do you hope to achieve or explore during your time in this residency, and what impact do you want your work to have on viewers?

-I'm taking Hokusai’s process of trying to capture the essence of the things he drew - especially in his Manga series - as inspiration. I want to explore using AI driven image segmentation, where the algorithm takes an image and attempts to draw around and label the various parts that make up that image, such as ‘person’, ‘sky’, ‘trees’, etc. I'm interested in how the algorithm has been trained to understand the essence of what makes up these objects, even if sometimes it can get it quite wrong.


I plan to use image segmentation with video to extract labeled elements and produce a series of images and videos from them using my existing algorithmic photography techniques.


The end result should propose questions about how these algorithms see the world, with all their inaccuracies and innate biases. As in Philip K. Dick's novel “A Scanner Darkly”, how technology sees us has profound social and personal implications of how we are categorised and represented.

How do you envision artificial intelligence as a collaborator in your creative process?

-As someone who has historically implemented all of the core algorithms for my artworks myself, I am acutely aware that I am inviting a somewhat faceless collaborator into my work. As with any collaborator they will have their strengths and weaknesses, and I hope some surprises along the way.


Personally I'm less interested in generative AI in this instance. I think conceptually it's a powerful tool, but for this residency I'm focusing on utilising AI to perform largely automated tasks that would have traditionally taken a lot of manual work. In the long term, I see this area as the most useful and important application of AI algorithms.

In what ways do you think AI can expand the possibilities of visual storytelling?

-It depends on the type of stories you want to twll. Generative AI is great for pre-production and early idea stimulation. It's useful for fleshing out ideas and research. When it comes to generating finished visuals, it's amazing what an individual can do with these tools, and if you're looking to have a completely invented world, it's perfect for that.


However, for non fiction, documentary type work, integrity of the image would still seem to be of prime importance.


Whatever the technology, good storytelling will always win out over a bad story even with a flashy presentation.

Alex May
"I’m interested in how the algorithm has been trained to understand the essence of what makes up these objects, even if sometimes it can get it quite wrong."

What advice would you give to emerging artists navigating the intersections of art, technology, and the digital space?

-Don't worry about choosing one technology over the other. There is no right choice other than the one that allows you to manifest your ideas into a workable and sharable state in a reasonable amount of time. Technologies are born and they die, and sometimes you just find yourself on the wrong boat. I've been there a bunch of times. Just get on with the important bit: the art.