History Month 2024: Really fake
We are halfway through the Month of History with the theme 'Really Fake'. Have you attended lectures? Or visited museums related to this theme? Fake, just like 'Fake News' and the influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on our society, is a topical theme. Throughout the entire month of October, you can upgrade your knowledge on 'Really Fake' with a full program. See the link at the bottom of the blog. Do you have fake stamps in your collection, and if so, which ones?
Ireland
Imagine Ireland (2024)
In collaboration with AI artist Kasia Ozmin, who created her visionary interpretation of an imaginary Ireland, An Post’s surreal crypto stamps continue to push the boundaries of stamp design with Irish artists. Des Morley, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at An Post, says of An Post’s first AI-generated stamp collection: “We have a long history of applying innovation to our business – in this case, digital innovation meets one of our most traditional products: stamps.”
Speaking about the stamp design, designer and AI artist Kasia Ozmin says: “AI’s place in art should be a tool, not a replacement for human creativity. It enhances what we, as artists, can achieve, allowing us to explore new areas of imagination and expression that were previously inaccessible. The concept behind these stamp images was intentionally designed for people who might not be familiar with generative art. At first glance, the images evoke recognizable Irish landscapes, but upon closer inspection, they raise questions. As part of my exploration of imaginary habitats, I envisioned a place where the advanced capabilities of AI seamlessly blend with the familiar Irish landscape. This imaginary world reflects a lifestyle that honors both heritage and the possibilities of the unimaginable.”
The traditional 'N' national rate stamp (€1,40) depicts the future of transport in Ireland. The 'W' international rate stamp (€2,20) for worldwide shipping explores new possibilities for urban and rural settlements and challenges our perception of housing by offering a futuristic solution. Stamps will be available for purchase from 26 September 2024.
As a limited edition, booklets containing the crypto stamp are also available online at www.anpost.com/cryptostamp. Each crypto stamp is linked to a unique Non-Fungible Token (NFT) on the Blockchain and associated with a unique PIN code. Booklets cost €9,00 and also include the paper stamp. Collectors and enthusiasts can claim their digital stamps by scratching off the PIN code in the booklet and then following the instructions on how to store the crypto stamps in digital wallets. There, the stamps can be stored, kept, and traded online until the end of 2027. Source used: IrishTechNews.ie
The Netherlands
Digi Art (2021)
The Hague – PostNL has a remarkable first. On October 28, 2021, PostNL became the first postal company in the world to issue stamps designed by a computer algorithm (AI). The Digi Art issue was designed by the computer based on a collection of 1.500 stamps from the period 1852–1920. The five stamps have the appearance of classic stamps, but they are not. The computer algorithm created unique designs using familiar elements such as a center image with a border, a strip at the bottom for text, ornaments in the corners, and a perforated frame. Generative art The stamp design was created using artificial intelligence (AI). Artificial intelligence is used for applications such as facial recognition, self-driving cars, and smart thermostats, but also for generative art. In this AI application, the computer algorithm creates an original artwork or design. This is also what happened for the Digi Art stamp issue. This is the world's first stamp sheet developed using AI.
Independent learning
The algorithm used can learn independently. This means that the algorithm discovers the structure in the given input itself and therefore receives no instructions for the desired output. That output consists of a large series of images created because the algorithm is engaged millions of times in creating and evaluating images itself.
A nudge in the right direction
The Digi Art stamps are the brainchild of Tim Ottens, a data scientist at PostNL. He oversaw the self-learning nature of the algorithm. Ottens: “In the beginning, it looks like nothing, but then you slowly see the outlines of stamps emerge. With every evaluation, we tweaked the program to give the algorithm a nudge in the right direction. At a certain point, we compiled a list of results and made a selection from them. Nothing was adjusted since – even the colors were chosen by the algorithm.” Source used: PostNL Press Release.
Typically Dutch (2024)
The design for Typisch Nederlands – cows was created by senior graphic designer Adam Lane, executive creative director Edwin van Praet, and concept director Huub van Veenhuijzen of Total Design in Amsterdam. Using artificial intelligence, they created a design featuring figurines in the shape of Delft blue pottery.
Artificial intelligence. AI refers to computer learning systems. These AI systems are capable of making extrapolations, taking decisions, making choices, and devising interpretations based on large amounts of data and algorithms. Developments in the field of artificial intelligence are progressing rapidly, and applications can be found everywhere: from facial recognition on smartphones to self-driving cars, and from smart thermostats to deep fakes (digitally manipulated images, sound, and text). A distinct discipline within AI is generative art, in which the computer algorithm creates an original artwork or design.
In the Typisch Nederlands series, stamp sheets featuring dogs (February 12), horses (March 25), songbirds (May 13), and cats (August 12) will be released in 2024. Source used: PostNL.
Stamp album by Joost Veerkamp
Joost Veerkamp (Diemen, 1953) is a Dutch illustrator, graphic artist, and Clear Line draftsman. Veerkamp studied printmaking at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam.
He collaborated with a number of writers, including Gerrit Komrij, Hugo Claus, Rudy Kousbroek, and FB Hotz. He also wrote and published his own books, of which the Stamp album is perhaps best known of Joost Veerkamp. In addition, he worked for de Volkskrant, NRC Handelsblad, and Vrij Nederland. Veerkamp is the designer of the Dutch postage stamps Cattle Breeds (2012) and Windmills (2013).
Nowadays, he creates independent work and carries out commissions. Veerkamp has his own publishing house called Editions Obscures, which produces his maps, prints, and books, and lives and works in Zoelen. His style, together with that of Joost Swarte, is called the Clear Line. Veerkamp has worked for, among others, De Arbeiderspers, Vrij Nederland, NRC Handelsblad, de Volkskrant, the Municipality of Hilversum, Maatstaf, Propria Cures, and De Amsterdamsche Boekenmarkt.
Summer stamps (1970)
You can find the story of the 1970 Summer Stamps, better known as the computer stamps, on the back page of Collect Magazine 120: https://postnl.turnpages.nl/DS/public/slot00011/index_html5.html?init=init_html5.xml&
It's a shame the crypto stamps are so expensive. 9 euros for the NFT, and with the paper version for just one stamp, it's difficult to build a collection. That's no longer collecting, but more like investing.
PostNL also has a crypto stamp alongside the Irish one, but this crypto stamp costs no less than 10,80 euros. I consider it a missed opportunity for the European postal services, but issuing a crypto stamp is probably an expensive undertaking.