We live in a hybrid age in which humans and technology are merging more and more. Nontransparent algorithms guide our perception. Human replication in the digital space creates distorted parallel worlds with seemingly unlimited positive as well as negative potential. It is uncanny. An ambivalent feeling of fascination and unease at the same time.

AI:STHETICS reflects in an artistic encounter with the topic of the uncanny its effect of fascination and unease. The designers themselves serve as motifs and stage themselves in distorted visual worlds. The aesthetics are located at the tilting moment of the known, the familiar and the unknown, the hidden. In an audiovisual installation, this exploration of the uncanny is not only made visible, but also made tangible for the viewer in a holistic experience.

In a 6-minute audiovisual performance, viewers are drawn into a world of uncanny-fascinating visuals in the realms of artificial hybrids, digital avatars and fused realities. An ancient arched cellar surrounds the dismal mood of the immersive installation and enhances the effect and aesthetic experience of the uncanny. The ancient murals provide a contrast to the technical progressive installation, which consists of screens and projection surfaces. The synergy of visuals, audio, location and the installation itself creates a wholesome experience of the uncanny and its ambivalent effect of fascination and unease.

AISTHETICS_logosmall_fabianheller

Design
Fabian Heller
Karen Kircher

Audio
Julian 'Kenji Araki' Bertschler


Client


Awards

Art Directors Club (ADC) / Berlin
1x Gold in Experiment
1x Gold in Exhibition
1x Silver in Motion Design
1x Distinction in Recent Technology
Featured in ADC Virtual Gallery

Comments of the ADC Jury
"The work plays in a disturbing-aesthetic way with the uncertainty we all feel due to the increasing omnipresence of AI in design. Reminiscent of the deformations in the works of Francis Bacon or moments from dystopian films like 12 Monkeys, the imagery cleverly plays with the balance between irritation and fascination. From content research to the generation of 3D scans, digital mappings, visuals and sounds to the spatial multi-screen installation, the work contains everything one could want from a final project."
"A clever concept with a very unique, captivating and for an AI generated work extraordinary visual language, which touched us deeply with its dystopian beauty."

The One Club for Creativity / New York
1x Merit in Capstone Project
1x Merit in Experiential Design

CCA Creativ Club Austria / Vienna
1x Bronze in Student of the Year