Artificial intelligence, genuine emotion

Culture

Making the transformative power of opera visible: with this aim in mind, Stan Hema developed a campaign idea to accompany the Deutsche Oper Berlin over three seasons. This began with the 22/23 season campaign – featuring an innovative visual language for print and digital media. The image direction was carried out by AI.

The aim of the Deutsche Oper and Stan Hema was to create a surprising and risk-open cultural campaign with a visual language that breaks with established viewing habits, but within which the DNA of the opera house was nevertheless recognisable. The image ideas were controlled by a neural network fed with several hundred repertoire images by Stan Hema designer Daniela Vogel. After several hours of training, the AI could use them to generate new images.

The multimedia campaign was based on the corporate design of the opera house: concert music, motion design and the morphed images combined to create a holistic experience. ‘In this way, we are demonstrating that the opera house is in tune with the times, reflects social changes and critically questions itself,’ explains Daniela Vogel.

The idea behind the campaign was to make it possible to experience what opera feels like: anyone who attends comes out as a different person. Opera moves, delights, fascinates, shocks and inspires. And thus, AI is used to show opera in a way that contradicts conventional viewing habits.

Such big steps can only be achieved through close cooperation. The co-creation with the Deutsche Oper Berlin was an equal, transparent and open process. ‘Our design principles now live on independently, as in-house designer Lilian Stathogiannopoulou can also transfer them to other media, such as the monthly Libretto magazine,’ says Peer Hempel, lead designer of the campaign.