Works Progress Defenestration

the french images above ↑ (a woman facing away from her two children; two women), get 'edited' (or rather like. recomposed) into the american ones below ↓ (two images of women facing their children).

from the article (Americanizing French Fashion Plates: "Godey's" and "Peterson's" Cultural and Socio-Economic Translation of "Les Modes Parisiennes" by Karin J. Bohleke):

In contrast, French mothers in Les Modes Parisiennes are frequently completely disengaged from the children depicted with them: they look elsewhere and even turn their backs (see Figures 1-2). Again, this is a function of the contrived poses necessary to depict certain key stylistic features of garments. However, this is one aspect of French fashion plates that American editors found unacceptable: when the French mother is looking at her children, Peterson's frequently re-engraved the plate in its entirety (see Figures 3-6). But when the mother's pose has her ignoring the very objects that give her life its meaning. Peterson's was more likely to re-engrave the children without this unacceptable mother, or another French fashion plate woman whose gaze was basically in the right direction was substituted (see Figures 7-8). Concerned that French plates might send the wrong message regarding a woman's ultimate role, American editors eliminated the unacceptable depiction. There are consequences to this substitution: French plates depicted appropriate garments in a suitable setting, thereby instructing their readers in the social etiquette of dress through context; American substitutions resulted at times in socially absurd juxtapositions, such as a ball gown on a clifftop boardwalk (see Figures 9-10).

GOOD.

'Put our foot down': Bay Area music venue bans troubling trend

Thee Stork Club has banned the use of AI in promotional flyers

By Dan Gentile, Senior Culture EditorSep 13, 2025

Thee Stork Club in Oakland, Calif.Ed U. / Yelp

As artificial intelligence creeps into almost every facet of daily life, one Bay Area music venue has decided that the generative revolution will not be televised, at least on its social media channels.

Earlier this week, Thee Stork Club posted a lengthy Instagram announcement about the trend of AI-generated concert flyers, declaring “NO MORE A.I.” The post placed the blame at the feet of “indie labels, party promoters and everyone in between,” stating that the practice of using AI devalues the work of designers and just is overall “not very punk.” The post racked up over 8,000 likes, with venues like Bottom of the Hill and Little Hill Lounge in El Cerrito chiming in, as well as a nod of support from poster convention Flatstock.

Co-ownerBilly Joe Agan told SFGATE that the frequency of AI flyers ramped up significantly in the last four months.

“We’re just skeeved out by it and decided to kind of put our foot down,” said Agan. He noted family connections to several illustrators, adding an extra layer of sympathy for creative freelancers and the dangers AI poses to working artists. And on a more superficial level, much of the work bears sloppy AI signifiers.

“Some inconsistencies will be there, like a character’s hands or teeth, or the background being the same texture as a character. It’s just weird artistic decisions that wouldn’t be done by a human being,” he said. He also cited “fried elements” to the image, with some detailslooking smudged and not as crisp as if created by a human. The club has now been paying for AI scanning software that tells a percentage chance that the image was made using generative AI, which can sometimes even identify the specific algorithm that created it. For now, it’s fighting the trend, but Agan acknowledges that it might be inevitable.

“We’re going to lose this war with AI. There’s just too much money and interest behind it. I’m sure at some point people will just accept that this is a tool that people will now use, and that hiring humans to create stuff is not sustainable at some point in the future. That’s a pretty dark future,” he said.

In the meantime, the venue shared a list of poster artists it recommends who are willing to work on a sliding scale of $50 to $100. In addition to some locals, Agan said he’s enlisted some very high-level artists who often create posters for bands like Metallica and the Grateful Dead, but are willing to work at a reduced price under pseudonyms.

Although some devil’s advocates might say that AI use democratizes the ability to create high-quality promotional materials, Agan feels like the aesthetic just isn’t in line with the club’s ethos.