When are you the creator of something?

When are you the creator of something?

I find it funny to see this question in the context of AI.

It's not a new question. At least, not to most people who have a background in art.

Was it art when Duchamp signed a urinal, and put it in a museum?

How about conceptual art, where the concept of taping a banana to a wall is the piece of art?

How about Sol LeWitt, Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol?

Sol LeWitt: "In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art."

Even renaissance painters let assistants do much of the painting.

What if you're not the maker, but you orchestrate the process? What if you come up with the concept? Are you making something when you're prompting?

Notes

Comic by Twonks: https://bsky.app/profile/twonks.bsky.social/post/3mqjm3xgaj22p

This is a small tribute to the Peanut-Butter Platform (Pindakaasvloer) by the late Wim T. Schippers - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pindakaasvloer

Also: an art academy degree with an interest in media theory - still paying off in 2026!