FAR-OFF REALMS

Art&Culture, Photography

Suspended between vintage past and surrealist future, The Brigadoon Dispatch is a portal to new realms of creativity.

s READ MORE

CLOSE

FAR-OFF REALMS

WORDS BY Olivia Finlayson

AI is on everyone’s minds and lips. Since Chat GPT bleep-blooped its way onto the scene, we’ve all become eerily acquainted with AI’s mind-bending boundlessness. And as impressive as the game-changing chatbot is, we’ve stumbled upon AI-generated artwork that leaves Chat GPT in its dust.

The Brigadoon Dispatch by artist Ryan Taylor is a portal to an otherworldly realm. A dimension caught between a vintage past and a fantastical future. A world where surrealist beasts roam the streets, prowl the factories and surface from the depths of sacred lakes to commune with impeccably dressed women.

You’d be forgiven for thinking The Brigadoon Dispatch was Gucci’s latest campaign. Richly textured, layered, moody and luxurious, Taylor’s work begins with prompts given to AI software. These prompts, precisely written by the artist, blend artfulness and technical commands.

Taylor: “It’s essentially a précis writing exercise – the input needs to be evocative yet concise to conjure the right results. It’s a mix of high-level control and whimsical luck for what you may get.”

These unexpected results serve as fuel on the flames of Taylor’s creativity, laying the groundwork for the magic of The Brigadoon Dispatch. It’s an aesthetic Taylor describes as ‘surreal-documentary-absurd-whimsical-fantasy’—and no one could disagree. Each image is paired with its own brief, eccentric story, suffusing each scene with fresh wonder. “I let the images sit and stew in the back of my head until I can clearly conjure a creative story for each one,” tells Taylor.

A dreamscape to get lost in, The Brigadoon Dispatch—with its bubblecats, two-legged pouffs and transcendently soft furs—stirs feelings hard to articulate. A longing to belong to its strange and wonderful world, and the tug of nostalgia, like you’ve been there before.

—
@the_brigadoon_dispatch

Prints available at Etsy
etsy.com/ca/shop/TheBrigadoonDispatch

CLOSE

Art&Culture, Community, Design, Photography, Publications

DOG-FRIENDLY: TAKE THE LEAD

We are thrilled to introduce Dog-Friendly, a collection of city guides for dog-loving people, created together with our long-time contributor, photographer Winnie Au, and fellow enthusiasts, indie publisher Hoxton Mini Press. Available for purchase here.

August 25, 2021

Art&Culture, Design, Publications

PACK OF DOGS

Have you ever imagined Amy Winehouse or Nick Cave as a Chihuahua, Neil Young as a Vizsla, or PJ Harvey as an Afghan hound? That’s exactly what San Francisco-based artist Michael Gillette has done through his unique illustration project, blending beloved, iconic music legends, both past and present, with their dog counterparts. Pack of Dogs, our first foray into book publishing, is a celebration of pup and pop culture for music and dog lovers alike.

August 25, 2020

Photography

JUMP FOR JOY

Photographer Rebecca Rinaldi knows that to capture a dog’s true essence, play is the key ingredient.

July 13, 2023

Accessories, Design

PLAY DATE

An antidote to mass-produced dog accessories, MiaCara’s range of carefully crafted toys are designed to surprise, endure and delight.

July 12, 2023

Photography, Publications

REALLY GOOD DOGS

Photographer Randal Ford’s fierce clarity draws dogs’ personality to the fore to reveal each animal’s “true essence”.

June 8, 2023

Accessories, Design, Travel

JET SET PET

Moving your buddy from A to be B becomes an exercise in style, comfort and convenience with Cloud7’s Travel Collection.

June 2, 2023

Photography

NATURAL INSTINCT

In his series ‘Kinetic’, San Diego-based photographer James Lee celebrates dogs at full speed.

May 7, 2023

Photography

POODLE ELITE

Jouk Oosterhof photographs Amsterdam’s beloved family members (with a dash of lifestyle accessory).

May 3, 2023

Community, Photography

TEAM EFFORT

What started as a fundraising effort to save photographer Kristoffer Paulsen’s beloved dog Josie, morphed into Melbourne’s most in-demand pet portraits.

March 31, 2023

Community, Photography, Publications

KINGDOM OF HOUNDS

For decades, legendary Irish documentary photographer Tony O’Shea has captured the country’s annual drag hunt, and a country’s rich history along with it.

March 24, 2023