Butterfly Hunter (the ? Question of AI) Triptych: Three panels ·[ 44” x 70”] total · Watercolour, ink, carbon nanotubes on paper mounted to canvas · [2023–2025]
Butterfly hunting is a conflicted activity: a desire for beauty met with small acts of repeated violence—killing butterflies—both justified by science in the name of preservation. We preserve something by taking its life.
The hunter outguns the problem entirely. This work calls the central question of science: "Should we, just because we can?" I believe it is essential to protect science and society without unnecessary loss—to think through discoveries carefully and consider their impact on us all.
As we explore the growth of AI—its beauty, our search for answers, and the control it exerts over beauty and life's understanding—this piece asks: What will it mean to society if circular energy and widespread super intelligence become reality?
The artist pursues truly circular energy solutions (through Rain Cage Carbon and related innovations) that enable such possibilities, while interrogating their hidden costs and human shadows—dark yet eternally optimistic.
Inquiries welcome for acquisition, studio view, or related works: blairaiken@raincage.com