The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been a wake-up call for much of Europe. Here in the United States, we understand World War is a possibility, but all too often fail to imagine that war could make its way to our shores. Our population lacks a public memory of at-home war, and perhaps this makes us feel more distant from foreign wars, and foreign atrocities.
I’d like to bring your imagination closer to the truth. War can happen anywhere, and nobody is safe unless we are all safe. What follows are “imaginings” of our most iconic city, New York City, at war, generated by several State of the Art text to image generation models. Generating these was heart wrenching, but eye opening. My hope is that these instill empathy over fear, but be warned, these images could be triggering.
War torn NYC
