Onirica () is an audiovisual work that explores the dimension of dreams, interpreting through synthetic languages the creative ability of the human mind during sleep. Through the use of algorithms capable of translating textual content into images, Onirica () brings tales of night visions back into the domain of the visible, proposing novel reflections on the relationship between human and artificial intelligence, between tool and creator.

Dreams are experiences that have united and fascinated humanity since its origins. An increasingly common protagonist of scientific research, dreams are the subject of studies. It is precisely thanks to the collaboration with two dream banks, the first from the University of Bologna and the second from the University of California Santa Cruz, that Onirica () came to life. The work transforms into a collective experience the dreams of volunteers who participated in research sessions at the two universities. Selected from a base of 28,748 dreams, the plots flow one into the other as a series of short films.

This continuous synthetic stream of consciousness finds its final aesthetics through the close collaboration between human being and artificial intelligence: while the machine proposes endless possible translations of the stories into images and voices, all aesthetic and conceptual choices remain in the hands of the artist.

The dream texts analysed within the work come from the following datasets

DreamDataBank (DDB)
“M. Bosinelli” Laboratory of Psychophysiology of Sleep and Dream
“Renzo Canestrari” Department of Psychology” Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna.
Thanks to the laboratory manager Miranda Occhionero.

DreamBank, Psychology Department, University of California Santa Cruz
Conceived by George William Domhoff and Adam Schneider

From Tuesday to Sunday from 5 to 11 pm (last access at 10.30 pm)
To access the audiovisual installation is required the free registration to the event.
Ticket: Onirica()