THE EFFORT is an interactive installation by Jakub Koźniewski that makes the process of image creation hard again – as it used to be before generative AI.
Could there be a spark without some friction?
A hand-crank generator powers a Raspberry Pi running a local Stable Diffusion model, directly translating user effort into pictorial output. As we’re living in an age of massive cultural overproduction fuelled by generative models, the piece poses a question: is making creation easier truly beneficial for both audiences and creators?
Would machines taking away most of the effort also take away the joy of creative struggle? Do really want to jump onto a “creative superhighway” that leads us straight to results while depriving us of the experience of the journey itself?
Jakub Koźniewski
The device is powered solely by the user physical effort. Using electric hand-crank electric generator combined with huge supercapacitor bank allows to power-up Raspberry PI 5 running local Stable Diffusion model. In the process the user is prompted with messages that, sometimes mockingly, encourage to put more effort and keep the cranking – which might take up to about 10 minutes.
Project Page | Jakub Koźniewski | Instagram | YouTube
| Hardware | Raspberry Pi 5, Raspberry Pi Pico, Super-Capacitor, Dc Converters, Stepper Motor (as generator), E-Paper Screen, OLED Screen |
| Software | Python and Micropython, Lightweight SD Model, OnnxStream library |
| Materials | Laser-Cut Steel, CnC-Machined Stone, Plywood, Resin 3D Print. |
See also Pump and Surf – Exchanging physical energy for digital information (2020) and Crank The Web (2001)
