I feel a deep curiosity about the mechanism of perception and how this complex interaction between the senses, the brain, and cognitive experiences plays an essential role in shaping our understanding of the world. In this process, technological innovations and scientific discoveries have always held a significant place, often radically altering the way we perceive reality, ourselves, and our relationships with others. While in the past such transformations happened gradually, following rhythms more in tune with the evolution of society and the individual, now the digital revolution accelerates these dynamics like never before, making it more complex to find a balance between the impulse of technological progress and the pursuit of genuine improvement in well-being, both on a personal and collective level.
Each work by fuse* explores these themes using various artistic languages, always with the purpose of weaving new connections between people and encouraging reflection and dialogue on complex concepts, paving the way for new perspectives and ways of seeing and understanding. Onirica fits into this path with the aim of stimulating reflection on how recent developments in Artificial Intelligence systems are writing a new chapter in the history of human-machine interaction: while technology evolves rapidly, my invitation is to pause and contemplate the implications of this evolution, reflecting on the role of technology in our understanding of humanity.
Machines can replicate patterns and rules, extending the creative possibilities of our thinking, but the ability to generate insights, empathy, and deep understanding remains a uniquely human prerogative. I firmly believe this, yet when dealing with the most advanced Artificial Intelligence techniques, a series of fascinating questions spontaneously arise about the origins of intelligence, consciousness, and human identity, opening the door to new reflections on the nature of the mind. It is interesting how these very questions drive researchers, scientists, philosophers, and psychologists to delve deeper into the dreaming process and the role of this experience in the evolutionary development of the human mind. It is precisely from this subtle connection between shared questions that the idea was born to create a work that, through extensive use of machine learning techniques, draws inspiration from a distinctly human experience: dreaming.
Onirica () thus becomes a symphony of mystery and wonder, accompanying every step of the creative process. We were struck by a feeling of surprise as we watched streams of synthetic images emerge from the depths of the system. We read with amazement enigmatic dreamlike stories and encountered sonic hallucinations, entrusting dreams to artificial actors. Throughout this journey, we learned the art of whispering instructions to machines, reshaping our language to enable them a deeper understanding. The machines themselves responded by highlighting cognitive biases and stereotypes ingrained in our society, revealing the contours of what they had been trained to know.
There is a sense of mystery that envelops us as we explore these realms, driving us to dig ever deeper: we are all fascinated by the beauty of unresolved questions and the paradoxes inherent in human nature. The mystery is then nourished by the wonder we feel when discovering something beyond our expectations, when our minds expand, opening to new perspectives, and we realize that reality is far vaster and more astonishing than we had ever imagined.
I believe the intrinsic meaning of Onirica () lies in the act of sharing this journey: an exploration that has led us to probe some of the intricate connections between human experience and the evolution of technology. This project aims to spark small sparks of curiosity in the audience’s minds, encouraging a deeper inquiry and understanding of one of the technologies that will most profoundly impact our present and future.