Moments in the History of Images: How Text-to-Image Models Changed Image-Making Text-to-image models have transformed the way we create images. Today, systems like Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, FLUX, Adobe Firefly, Google Imagen, Nano Banana, Ideogram, Recraft, ByteDance Seedream, and OpenAI GPT Image can generate highly realistic images from just a few words. But in 2021, this technology was still in its infancy. One of the earliest examples of this idea was proposed by @elmanmansimov in his 2015 alignDRAW paper, and it took years for researchers to develop models capable of producing convincing images. The arrival of DALL·E in 2021 marked a turning point. Rather than spending days or weeks training a GAN model, artists could generate images almost instantly through text prompts. This shorter feedback loop opened up new possibilities for experimentation, allowing artists like @hollyherndon and @matdryhurst to improvise and collaborate with machines in ways that had previously been impossible. During their early access to DALL·E 1, Herndon and Dryhurst created Infinite Images ∞, a series that explored the possibility of extending images beyond their original boundaries. The works reflect their belief that anyone should be able to create, adapt, and build upon the work of others. Produced in 2021–2022, these images were among the earliest artistic experiments with DALL·E 1, a research model available only to a small group of invited collaborators and OpenAI researchers. Today, DALL·E itself has been retired, but the technology it helped introduce has evolved into image-generation systems used by millions of people. Working with DALL·E 1 and OpenAI's experimental InPaint system, the artists developed a technique for extending images piece by piece, maintaining continuity of style and subject matter across increasingly large compositions. Rather than relying solely on text prompts, they explored how images could grow through their relationships with one another. Although today's models can produce remarkably realistic results, these early experiments show how Herndon and Dryhurst were already pushing the technology beyond its intended uses, exploring its creative potential and capacity to engage with different artistic traditions. Infinite Images ∞ draws on a wide range of references, from surreal imaginary creatures to the bright colors of Fauvism and the grainy textures of gouache painting. For the artists, the possibility of infinite images extends across the entire history of human image-making, both past and future, increasingly shaped through collaboration between humans and machines. Here are some of the works from the collection: