Generative Alternatives: GenAI Realism from the Image Provinces in Kristoffer Ørum’s #freedomlibertyandhiphop

In #freedomlibertyandhiphop (#frihedlighedoghiphop) (Ørum, 2023-) Kristoffer Ørum artistically employs generative AI (GenAI) images generated via Stable Diffusion to explore what would have happened to the Danish worker’s movement and late 20th-century culture if early hip-hop culture had been adopted rather than politics of austerity. Ørum’s project employs GenAI as a co-creative partner to depict a realistic yet slightly surreal alternative version of Danish and Nordic culture and politics, highlighting the types of realities and realisms generated by GenAI platforms. By provoking and countering the built-in tendencies of GenAI toward a form of Anglo-American monoculturalism, Ørum unlocks new possibilities for critique, while GenAI is transformed into a tool for reflecting on alternative possibilities. Beyond its humor and critical reflection on Denmark’s recent history, #freedomlibertyandhiphop hints at how we can design and think about GenAI in the future—as a creative and reflective tool.