“These were puppets bathed in the immaterial colours of the years, puppets which exteriorised Time, Time which by habit is made invisible and to become visible seeks bodies, which, wherever it finds them, it seizes upon, to display its magic lantern upon them.”
Marcel Proust
In Search of Lost Time
Volume VII: Time Regained
The image of the magic lantern is used throughout In Search of Lost Time in many ways: to show the passage of time, as a way to capture the differences in perception, and new ways of looking at the world. The narrator often compares new experiences to the magic lantern because it in so many ways colors his perception.
This is why I have chosen to name this section of the site, The Magic Lantern. Generative AI is a filter of human experience on several levels. It is trained with our human experiences and it is our human prompts that coaxes “light” from the algorithms. This has raised a lot of questions for me:
Does AI generated art elicit pleasure?
Whose art is this?
Do I get any pleasure from the act of “creating” this art?
Am I present in this work? Is Marcel?
I will leave the answers to these questions in the viewers hands. Although, I will say I enjoyed the process of prompt engineering–it felt like kneading digital clay.
The Process
I first selected several key images from In Search of Lost Time. Next, I briefly described the scene to ChatGPT 4o and asked for a description of the scene. I then requested an image based on that scene. After the initial image was generated, I continued to refine the image by asking for a series of adjustments, either to apply a different aesthetic style, mood, or tone. These are some of the more intriguing results.
Marcel and The Madeleine
Prompt: Describe the famous moment in In Search of Lost Time when Marcel takes a bite of the Madeleine and experiences involuntary memory for the first time.
Response:
In Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, the moment when the narrator, Marcel, experiences involuntary memory occurs early in the first volume, Swann’s Way. Marcel is feeling despondent and disinterested in his surroundings when his mother offers him a Madeleine dipped in tea.
As he takes a bite of the small, shell-shaped cake, he is suddenly overwhelmed by a flood of memories from his childhood in Combray. The taste of the Madeleine, combined with the tea, triggers a vivid and emotional recollection of his past, bringing back details of his family’s home, the village, and the people he knew. This moment of involuntary memory is profound and serves as a central theme throughout the entire work, illustrating how sensory experiences can unlock memories long forgotten.
Proust describes the experience with great detail, emphasizing the physical sensations and the unexpected rush of recollections that transport Marcel back to a different time and place. This involuntary memory contrasts with voluntary memory, which requires conscious effort and often lacks the same depth and emotional impact. The Madeleine episode becomes a symbol of the power of involuntary memory and the intricate connections between sensory experiences and the past.
Prompt: Use this description to generate an image of this event. Focus on Marcel and give this image a very intense emotional feeling similar to the late impressionist painters or early modernist painters in 1900s France.
Response: Here is the image depicting Marcel from Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time experiencing involuntary memory as he takes a bite of a Madeleine dipped in tea. The scene captures the intense emotional feeling with a style reminiscent of late Impressionist or early Modernist painters of the 1900s France. I hope it evokes the profound moment from the book as described.
Prompt: Recreate this image and apply a cubist element to the style while maintaining the overall emotion of the piece.
Response: Here is the recreated image with a Cubist element applied to the style, maintaining the overall emotion of Marcel’s intense experience of involuntary memory. The composition balances the Cubist style with the emotional impact of the scene.
Magic Lantern in Combray
The first set magic lantern images, I tried to describe the scene. I was unhappy with the results so I asked the LLM to generate a description of the scene I desired and then generate an image based on that scene. The results were much closer to the scene I desired.
Church of Saint-Hilaire
Response: Here is an image of the interior of the Church of Saint-Hilaire in Combray from Marcel Proust’s “In Search of Lost Time,” depicted in a modernist French painting style with deep, rich colors. The interior features Gothic architectural elements, tall arches, intricate stained glass windows, and detailed stonework. The light streaming through the stained glass casts vibrant, colorful reflections throughout the space, creating a serene and reverent atmosphere, with an emphasis on the play of light and shadow, capturing the depth and richness of the church’s interior.
The Hawthorns
Elstir’s Studio
Hotel Room in Balbec
Response: Here is an image of Marcel’s hotel room in Balbec at midday, based on Marcel Proust’s description in “In Search of Lost Time.” The room looks directly out to the sea with large windows. The furnishings include armchairs embroidered with metallic filigree and pink flowers, emanating a cool and pleasant odor. Sun rays from different exposures break the angles of the walls, projecting reflections of the beach and creating a vibrant, colorful scene on a chest of drawers. The sun festoons a square of provincial carpet and scatters petals of silken flowers on the chairs, casting a warm, radiant light throughout the room. The atmosphere is serene and reflective, capturing the play of light and the tranquil seaside setting.
Time Regained:
Prince de Guermantes’ Party
