.......Same as it ever was........

Abstract

Same as it Ever Was explores the persistence of racial stereotypes through AI-generated imagery and historical dialogue. Drawing on video stills from the moving image work peaches (2023), the project exposes AI generated imagery that replicate societal biases embedded into the training data of technological systems.

These images are paired with a remix of James Baldwin and Margaret Mead's seminal conversation, Rap on Race (1970), bridging historical and contemporary discussions on race and identity. The work engages in transcoding—reinterpreting cultural signals and materials—by transforming historical dialogues and visual tropes. Through this interplay of past and present, analog and digital, Same as it Ever Was examines the cyclical nature of racial discourse and the enduring impact of systemic bias questioning the relationship between technological innovation and cultural continuity.