Yellowknife dance company set to perform on Broadway
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
How AI, robotics and late artist Morrisseau are helping fight art fraud
Social Sharing Famed Indigenous artist Norval Morrisseau was browsing a Vancouver gallery with his longtime friend Cory Dingle around 1993 when a painting stopped them in their tracks. The pair asked who created it. The answer? "Norval Morrisseau." The trouble? The artist had never seen the work, let alone painted it. "We had a little chuckle and we left," Dingle recalled. "Then, I said, 'What do you want to do about this?' He said, 'You know, you can't police the world.'" Morrisseau, who died in 2007, was a self-taught, trailblazing artist known for his pictographic style and membership in the Indian Group of Seven. He was the first Indigenous artist to have his work shown in a contemporary gallery in Canada and now his paintings sell for millions. But the incident Dingle remembers proved to be an omen. At least 6,000 fake paintings have since been uncovered, costing Morrisseau's estate $100 million in losses. The phenomenon amounts to what police have called the biggest art fraud in world history. Canadian artist's estates thinking of leaving Canada, says Morisseau estate 2 years ago Finding fakes is time consuming work. It requires co-operation from galleries and private collectors, a trained, critical eye cast on anything purporting to be made by the late artist and the patience to keep pursuing justice through the court system. But now a new tool has emerged to help the battle: artificial intelligence. Bogged down by the enormity of the task at hand, Morrisseau's estate, which is run by Dingle, partnered with two art-loving professors to build software nicknamed "Norval AI" about three years ago. It can analyze art pieces and determine the probability that they're a genuine Morrisseau. "Because the fakes were so terrible ... we got to a point with our AI that it was so good at picking them out," Dingle said. "There was no problem." Yet the estate knew fakes were still out there. They were just getting harder to detect because court hearings were revealing the tell-tale signs of a fake Morrisseau — thinner paint lines, for example — which allowed fraudsters to make their works even more convincing. Enter Chloë Ryan. The then-engineering student loved making large-scale abstract paintings. Even though such works could sell for a decent amount, they often take weeks or months to create, narrowing the odds that she could make artistry a viable career. She could make prints of her pieces, but they just weren't the same because they lacked the texture of a real painting. The conundrum became a source of inspiration for Ryan, leading her to start tinkering with robots and paint on her Montreal balcony. She eventually developed Acrylic Robotics, a company that uses technology to paint pieces at the behest of an artist. The process starts with an artist painting with a stylus on a drawing table, which acts like a massive tablet. Amazon Web Services software analyzes and logs every movement, detecting millions of details in the piece, including the strokes, brush pressure, pigment and speed. "We like to think of AI as a powerful magnifying glass," said Patricia Nielsen, AWS Canada's head of digital transformation and AI. "It can detect those patterns and the anomalies that might be invisible to the human eye ... so art experts, historians, can dig in further." With that data, Acrylic's robotic arm can then paint a replica so precise, Ryan says it's indistinguishable from an original — exactly what Dingle needed to put Norval AI to the test. A mutual connection put him in touch with Ryan last August. Shortly after, they got to work. Because Morrisseau isn't alive to paint images on Ryan's tablet, Acrylic's robot (Dingle affectionately calls it Dodo) had a more complicated feat to accomplish. Dingle would send Ryan a hi-resolution image of one of Morrisseau's works. Acrylic Robotics would then have an artist learn about eccentricities of his style and paint the piece before Acrylic's robot would give it a try. Everything the robot painted was analyzed by the estate and Norval AI. The two sides have been going back and forth for about a year, picking out errors in the robot's execution and poring over new works. Early editions had several spots where both the estate and Norval AI could tell the robot had stopped a long stroke to pick up more paint — something uncharacteristic of Morrisseau. "If you look at one of our works randomly on the street, you wouldn't be able to say that's made by a robot, but we can't yet do all art under the sun because there's a lot of techniques that we haven't yet built in," Ryan said. "We can't use every tool in an artist's arsenal yet. If an artist is out here finger painting, obviously we can't do stuff like that." Concerns of harming artists Newer editions of the Morrisseaus are about 69 per cent accurate and expected to improve even more. But Dingle admits, "I have kind of been holding back on getting to 100 per cent." He's scared of developing anything too perfect before he and Acrylic Robotics have found a foolproof method for ensuring a Morrisseau recreation can't be passed off as the real thing. It's a concern Ryan shares. "The worst thing that could happen is that we release this without consultation with groups that have been harmed by art forgery and this technology is used against artists," she said. WATCH | Winnipeg Art Gallery painting part of Morrisseau fake investigation: Painting in Winnipeg Art Gallery collection part of investigation into Norval Morrisseau fakes 1 year ago A case investigators have called Canada's largest art fraud investigation has revealed one of thousands of paintings falsely attributed to renowned Anishinaabe artist Norval Morrisseau was once on display in Winnipeg's biggest art gallery. They're currently exploring markings or other features that can be embedded in pieces to denote they're not originals. Once they settle on an ideal method, they'll have an avenue to disseminate recreations of Morrisseau's work — responsibly. While some might think that's the last thing an estate plagued by forgeries would want to do, Dingle sees it as a way to bring Morrisseau's work to the people who would value it most. "There's two schools named after Norval. There are healing institutions. There are academic institutions. There are remote Indigenous communities," said Dingle, sitting in front of a rarely-shown Morrisseau.
Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Venus Williams to return to tennis in DC Open
Venus Williams is back on the tennis scene, ready to compete for the first time in more than a year, and while she smiled or laughed frequently Sunday while discussing her return at the DC Open, there was something that would make her even happier: if her younger sister Serena were along for the ride. 'I keep saying to my team: The only thing that would make this better is if she was here. Like, we always did everything together, so of course I miss her,' Venus said when asked about a recent video on social media that showed Serena swinging a racket. 'But if she comes back, I'm sure she'll let y'all know.' That, of course, was said with a wide grin. Serena, 43, hasn't played since the 2022 U.S. Open, when she declared she was 'evolving' away from the sport she dominated for stretches on the way to 23 Grand Slam singles titles and an additional 14 in doubles with Venus. 'I don't know what she's going to do. I don't ask those questions,' Venus said a day before the hard-court tournament in the nation's capital begins. 'I think we always hit the ball, because that's who we are. We're always hitting.' She said it was during a recent practise session of hers that Serena showed up and joined in for about 15 or 20 minutes. 'She can take six months off and she clocks it clean,' Venus said. 'You can't teach that kind of talent. She's just so good.' They both were the best around at one point. Both reached No. 1 in the rankings. Venus, who turned 45 last month, won seven major singles championships, two at the U.S. Open and five at Wimbledon. Her last tournament was in March 2024 at the Miami Open, where she exited in the first round. It's been so long that the official WTA Tour website lists her as 'inactive.' 'This is very special for me to come back and play tennis,' Venus said. 'I think it's a surprise for the fans — and a surprise in general, as I hold my cards tight.' Sure does. It came as a bit of a shock to the tennis world when her appearance in Washington via a wild-card invitation was announced a week ago. Her team had reached out to DC Open chairman Mark Ein via text in April to gauge whether he'd be open to having Venus at an event she last entered in 2022. He said he needed two seconds to reply: 'Of course.' 'She's such an icon of the sport — and, importantly, both on and off the court,' Ein said in an interview. 'So anytime you can have her engaged and have the spotlight on her and everything she's done and continues to do, it's hugely positive.' What did she miss the most while away from the tour? 'All the times that I had and, of course, the adrenaline, all those things,' Venus said. 'Just the pure fun of playing the game, the fun of the challenge, overcoming — when you play, you overcome so many challenges: your opponents, the conditions, a lot of times you have to overcome yourself. Those things are very exciting.' When asked why she's getting back on court, Venus offered a simple response: 'Why not?' As for whether this is a one-stop tour or she plans to play elsewhere, she wasn't prepared to say much. 'I'm just here for now, and who knows?' Venus said. 'Maybe there's more. ... But at the moment, I'm focused just on this. I haven't played in a year. There is no doubt I can play tennis, but obviously coming back to play matches, it takes time to get in the swing of things. I definitely feel I'll play well. I'm still the same player. I'm a big hitter. I hit big. This is my brand.'
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Ottawa Bluesfest wraps up with big crowds, big names and a milestone for one volunteer
After nearly two weeks of live music, scorching temperatures and some of the biggest names in entertainment, Ottawa Bluesfest is taking its final bow Sunday night and closing out with Canadian artist Kaytranada on the main stage. Before the final set begins, organizers are already calling this year a banner edition of the beloved summer festival thanks to massive crowds, big performances and a personal milestone for one longtime volunteer. 'We've avoided a lot of weather and we're very, very lucky,' said Mark Monahan, executive director of Ottawa Bluesfest. 'Amazing crowds, great performances and just a great final day to wrap it up.' For Glenna Gosewich, this year hits a little harder in the best way. It marked her 30th year volunteering with the festival. 'Some days, it feels like it's been 50 years. Some days it feels like five,' she said. 'I've been lucky to see the evolution of the festival, and I think about that a lot.' Bluesfest Volunteer Glenna Gosewich getting ready for the final night of Bluesfest on Sunday, July 20, 2025 (Katelyn Wilson/ CTV News) Gosewich now leads the team responsible for artist transportation, making sure performers get to and from the venue. 'Sting was a big one for me, being able to drive Sting on the way in from the airport,' she said. 'He was great and throughout the years, it's been people who have achieved a lot of success.' Despite soaring temperatures, so far more than 250,000 people have made their way through the gates. This year's nine-day lineup stretched from country to classic rock, with top acts like Lainey Wilson, Shania Twain, Green Day, Def Leppard and Sean Paul drawing tens of thousands each night. While the music draws the crowds, organizers say it's the people behind the scenes who make it all possible. 'The volunteers are the backbone of the organization,' said Monahan. 'There's over 2,000 volunteers but it's so many different people who have also been working here.' The impact also stretches beyond the stage, with an estimated $40 million dollars in economic spin-off. Downtown businesses also saw a boost. 'After 11:30, whenever the train came in, we would see the rush come in so we've been preparing for that every night,' said Kirsten Larkin, a hostess at Aulde Dubliner & Pour House. With Bluesfest wrapping up under hopefully clear skies, fans are already speculating about next year's lineup. Monahan isn't spilling any secrets yet but says roughly 70 per cent of Bluesfest performers are returning acts. As for Gosewich? 'I'm a classic rock person. If Mark brought in Springsteen, Don Henley, or Peter Gabriel… I'd be in heaven.'
