Having a generative AI tool breeds all kinds of mischief, there is no limit to the chimeras made manifest. This is how I found myself imagining the mighty Joan Crawford paired with the might Rei Kawakubo. Of course, Midjourney can’t be counted on to give you what you exactly want, but if you allow for dialogue with the AI, a curious and rewarding space opens up. And this is how we find Ms. Crawford in a Hurrell lit mezzotint of the Heian Period…

My friend Miles Thompson noted “… there’s something really amazing about connecting the singular Joan Crawford gaze with that classic Kendo / Samurai gaze.. which I didn’t even realise was so archetypal in Japanese art until now.”.

I’m thinking I should attempt the same exercise with Charlotte Rampling, since she deigns to show up here.