Tomsk's Unconventional Helpers: How "non-ironic" Individuals Assist a Musician in Revitalizing Monuments

Revamped Article:

VIRTUAL TOMSK TAKES SHAPE: A DIGITAL ARTIST'S PERSPECTIVE

Tomsk, May 2nd - RIA Tomsk. Ruslan Salmanhanov, a bassist with the Tomsk Academic Symphony Orchestra, offers an alternative vision of Tomsk through social media. He shares video clips that breathe new life into iconic monuments not through restoration, but digital transformation. A peek into Tomsk from the eye of an AI artist - brought to you by RIA Tomsk.

An AI artist with an imaginative flair and a powerful processor

In late April, an anime-style animated video of Tomsk surfaced in local forums and social media, highlighting the artist's talent. The video introduced Ruslan Salmanhanov to a wider audience.

Ruslan is the bassist with the Tomsk Academic Symphony Orchestra, who discovered AI and started creating digital artworks last year. In November 2021, he published a shape-shifting bass video - the digital launch of his AI career.

Artificial intelligence-generated videos are no longer surprising, but not all experimenters - whether pros or hobbyists - dedicate their projects to a city, let alone individual landmarks. Ruslan, however, creates videos featuring Ded Moroz, Hare Bryntsya, Chekhov, Kirov, and other beloved Tomsk monuments. It's a nod of appreciation to the unique city as much as to Siberia itself, since the artist also publishes videos showcasing Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, and Krasnoyarsk. The result is a unique AI channel capturing the essence of Siberia.

"Patience and a well-crafted prompt are key," states Ruslan. "I learned to work with AI quickly by following tutorials from talented individuals online. When creating videos or working with AI generally, persistence is vital, as it sometimes takes dozens of attempts to achieve the desired outcome. Moreover, defining the prompt accurately is crucial since a vague description might lead to unexpected results."

The idea was to animate landmarks, wondering how they might move if they could. Now, this concept is no longer just imaginable but viewable. The results are a bit eerie, a touch magical, and undeniably Tomsk.

Ruslan's AI-driven videos of Tomsk offer a journey into an alternative cityscape, where history comes alive in unconventional ways. "I plan to expand this direction and produce exciting projects for Tomsk," notes the artist. "The buzz is building about new and surprising projects - so stay tuned!"

In conversation, the artist emphasized that AI is increasingly becoming an integral part of many sectors and may be indispensable in the future.

"I use AI everyday for every task, from cooking to managing my social media account as a musician," says Ruslan. "ChatGPT is my go-to resource – what an outstanding assistant! I even have a surrealistic humor-centered social media account, and yes, even the jokes are generated by ChatGPT."

Additional Enrichment:

A digital artist turning to AI could pursue various directions:

Historical Landmarks: He could animate contemporary or historical sites, creating virtual tours with interactive elements, augmented reality experiences, or digital reconstructions.
Street Art: Incorporating elements of graffiti, muralism, or urban art into digital form, perhaps with interactive or kinetic features that respond to user interaction.
AI Sculptures or Installations: Creating physical sculptures or interactive installations using 3D printing, CNC milling, or other fabrication techniques. These could be AI-powered and respond to environmental factors such as sounds, temperature, or light.
Animated Shorts or Features: Developing animations or even full-length films using AI technologies, mixing traditional 2D or 3D animation with AI-generated elements to create impressive visuals.
Viral Content: Creating humorous, educational, or thought-provoking content that resonates with audiences on social media platforms, positioning the artist as an influential figure and driving engagement.

Each of these directions would leverage AI's potential to create, engage, and inspire. As digital art and AI continue to evolve, we can anticipate seeing more creative and innovative projects that push the boundaries of what's possible.

Ruslan's digital artwork, showcased in his AI-driven videos of Tomsk, is not limited to the city but also includes animated sections of Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, and Krasnoyarsk, reflecting his appreciation for Siberia as a whole.
In conversation, Ruslan, who uses AI for various tasks in his lifestyle, acknowledged ChatGPT as his go-to resource and even utilizes it to generate content for his humor-centered social media account focused on fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, technology, and artificial-intelligence.
Demonstrating the broader potential of AI in digital art, Ruslan could explore other directions, such as creating AI sculptures or installations, generating kinetic street art, or developing animated shorts or features that incorporate AI-generated elements.
By experimenting with animation, augmented reality, and AI technologies, digital artists like Ruslan contribute to the evolution of digital art and push the boundaries of what's possible in the realm of strong artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence has a strong presence in Ruslan's daily life, spanning from his musical career's social media management to his creative endeavors in digital art, further emphasizing its growing significance across various sectors.