Where You Lived, And What You Lived For is a short film based on historical, scientific forest images from the archives of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

The images were originally created to study and research various aspects of forests and forestry. In this video work, the images are brought to life again through AI. The voiceover, also AI-generated, is based on several sections of the book "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau. The work explores aspects of what "back to nature" might actually mean in an artificial world. 

This work is based on an old ID photo of my father that I found in the pocket of an old jacket. I scanned the image, appreciating both his Mona Lisa-esque smile and the lines of the card, which created a subtle 3D effect.

I used an AI generator to transform it into a moving image, and after each generation, I continued to extend the process. The result evolved into a sort of breakdown of the image into pure lines and light—a feedback loop or an apparent inability to create anything further. The final piece presented here is a combination of the original photo and the reversal of the AI process.

a rough or unfinished drawing or painting, often made to assist in making a more finished picture.