In this long-anticipated episode, host Peter Bauman (Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with one of the most exciting duos in contemporary digital culture, Ann Hirsch and Maya Man. They cover their collaborative projects, Ugly Bitches and Little Darlings, which explore online gender performativity.

We discuss the works in relation to the so-called "vibe shift" of the 2020s. The artists also discuss how their work, often using GANs and other AI technologies, counteracts the "girl boss" rhetoric of early 2020s NFT projects by presenting a more flawed, nuanced, and sincere depiction of both femininity and masculinity.

They detail how UB uses intentionally distorted AI dolls to comment on female failure, while LD employs shinier AI imagery to critique the "hustle grind gain success" male influencer culture. Finally, the conversation touches upon their admiration for, and points of departure from, the "Gay NFT" or Avant Schizocollage scene, with the artists expressing an interest in "ironic sincerity" in their work.

Monday's Editorial with Jess Tucker: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/jess-tucker-on-longing-for-a-face

Chapters 📖:

[00:00:03]: Intro and episode overview

[00:01:48]: How Ann and Maya met

[00:01:57]: Ugly Bitches spark and concept

[00:02:43]: Overlapping interests and prior work

[00:04:37]: Critique of women-centric NFT projects

[00:06:08]: Realism over idealization[00:06:56]: Vibe shift and gender extremes online

[00:18:03]: Problem with “all women are beautiful”[00:19:32]: Training GANs and diffusion for concepts

[00:25:12]: On the Solana “gay NFT” scene[00:30:37]: Code versus curation; hashlips pipelines

[00:31:35]: Software choices: canvas, DOM, possibilities[00:33:24]: Sincerity versus irony in online scenes

[00:34:34]: Heart: earnest, feminine internet culture

[00:37:27]: Annie and ironic sincerity[00:41:17]: Parallels, coming-of-age, and what’s next

[00:42:49]: Expanding the Ugly Bitches universe

[00:43:36]: Maya’s StarQuest: dance, AI, autobiography

[00:47:06]: Hints at darker future work

[00:47:12]: Closing thanks and future reunion[00:48:25]: Final goodbye