“Three Female Impersonators” is an iconic photo by Diane Arbus. In 2022, using artificial intelligence techniques, we reimagined one of the anonymous faces of the image. In addition to AI-assisted photography, we relied on the GPT-3 text model to help tell the potential stories of the subject. Inputting a simple prompt led to hundreds of different memories, reflections, and perspectives. Here’s one such example generated by the AI model:
“Well, I’ll tell you, it’s been quite a ride,” she says with a wry smile.
“When that photo was taken, I was just starting out in the drag scene. It was a different world back then. There were only a handful of us doing it, and we were all just trying to make a living.
“Nowadays, there are drag queens everywhere. It’s a whole industry. And I have to say, I’m glad I was part of the beginning of it all.
“As for the photo itself, it’s been both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it’s brought me a lot of attention and notoriety. On the other hand, it’s also made me a bit of a target.
“You see, back in the day, drag was still something of a taboo. People were afraid of it, and they didn’t really understand it. So when that photo came out, it caused quite a stir.
“There were people who were outraged by it, and they made death threats against me and the other two girls in the photo. It was a really scary time.
“But, ultimately, I think the photo helped to break down some of the barriers around drag. It showed people that we’re just like them, we’re just people trying to live our lives and be happy.
“And I’m proud to have been a part of that.”
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This is just one of the many stories that can be told. Please visit a GPT-3 interface of your choosing (such as https://beta.openai.com/playground) and enter the following prompt. You may have to re-run it a few times to get a full interview:
A long interview transcript with a 80 year old drag queen in 2022 who in 1962 was in a famous Diane Arbus photo “Three Female Impersonators.” Discussing what their life has been like ever since and their feelings about the famous photo. Witty banter back and forth with interviewer.
Tip: If using GPT-3, set the “maximum length” to 3000 for the best effect.
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Bio: ClownVamp uses a combination of AI techniques and narrative writing to explore alternative history and alternative art history. His Truth series is one of the Top 30 OBJKT projects by volume. He is an avid collector of AI art and a member of the MAIF art collective. He lives with his boyfriend and a mischievous dog in New York City.
