𐠀𐠰𐠦𐠡𐠩 (anthropos)

Anthropos comes from two root words in the ancient greek:  ἀνήρ (anḗr, “man”) and ὤψ (ṓps, “face, appearance, look”). Literally translated, it means something like “One who looks like a human”. 𐠀𐠰𐠦𐠡𐠩 is how the word was written before the greek alphabet and paper were introduced using the Cypriot syllabary, where the letters would typically be etched into marble or clay. This piece is a reflection on what 𐠀𐠰𐠦𐠡𐠩 means today in the burgeoning era of AI. We’re creating a bifurcation between our digital and physical representations of self – presenting ourselves one way on the internet while living completely different lives in reality. All the while, we are creating algorithms to teach computers and AI who we are – but is what the computer sees truly 𐠀𐠰𐠦𐠡𐠩? The style of the image is an homage to the progression in forms of writing, representing simultaneously how far we have come and how far we have yet to go towards creating our AI descendants.

This piece was designed to be printed at the massive size of 48″x36″, where all the fine detail can be properly displayed and appreciated. The image is printed at 300dpi from a ~150 million pixel digital image meaning the entire print looks fantastic from afar while having incredible small details when inspected up close. The image shown in the product sample has ~100x fewer pixels than the final printed image, so I included a few close ups to help you appreciate the true quality of the product. The white parts in the image are printed transparent, reveling the shiny metal underneath for an incredible shimmery-metallic finish. The image below is an example of one full-resolution portion of the final print (click on it to open the high res version).

Since the piece is largely covered in shimmery metal, it will take a variety of appearances depending on the lighting of the room it is displayed in. The best lighting configuration I have found for it is a room with lots of ambient sunlight or diffuse angled lighting from the ceiling. A dark room with little lighting will have the piece take a more ominous appearance, where you catch only shimmers and glimpses that follow you as you walk by. I really enjoy how the piece changes in character from day to night.

Since the ink is actually infused into the metal, this product is built to last multiple lifetimes. The ink won’t fade or lose its brilliance like you might experience in cheaper prints where the ink is deposited on top of the material. It is even durable enough to be hung outside in a sheltered area, as the final surface is cured to protect against dirt and splash water. The product is surprisingly light for being printed on metal so it can be hung without too much extra effort. The mounting rails are roughly 1″ thick, so the metal will float out slightly from the wall, providing depth and fullness to the piece.

You can get the piece here.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask me at caleb@calebgannon.com. You can also order via email to make sure everything goes smoothly if you’d like.