The Berlin Hungarian Cultural Institute (Collegium Hungaricum Berlin – CHB) is participating in one of Berlin’s largest autumn events, the Festival of Lights, with a video animation based on the most popular poems of Sándor Petőfi and artificial intelligence.
CHB has been using the facade of its neo-Bauhaus-style building in Berlin’s historic city centre for years as a platform for showcasing and promoting Hungarian culture, and this time, passers-by in the area can view Dávid Ariel Szauder’s latest creation.
In his project titled Petőfi Poesieversum, 2023, the media artist
explores the theme of the symbiosis between humans and machines with animations generated by artificial intelligence, using Petőfi’s most famous poems.
Thus, his work can be understood as an interplay between literature, visual art, and technology, offering insight not only into the limitless possibilities arising from the convergence of written and visual languages but also into the potential future of human creativity.
The programme, beginning on Saturday, is carried out in the framework of the ‘Petőfi200’ memorial year with the support of the National Cultural Fund of Hungary (NKA) and in collaboration with Humboldt University in Berlin, CHB said in a statement.
The Festival of Lights is traditionally one of Berlin’s most spectacular community events in autumn. This year marks the 19th edition of the ten-day festival, with nightly projections taking place at 43 locations, including several iconic landmarks and buildings around CHB, such as the Brandenburg Gate and the main building of Humboldt University.
New Horizons for Human Creativity
AI-generated animation based on a poem is a creative process that begins with feeding AI the text of a poem. AI uses natural language processing to understand the poem’s content, identifying themes and emotions. It then translates this understanding into visual elements, selecting images, colours, and shapes that match the poem’s meaning. AI creates an animation that tells a story related to the poem and synchronizes it with the poem’s words. Human creators may review and edit the animation, ensuring it accurately represents the poem’s intent. Once completed, the animation can be shared with a wider audience. This innovative approach merges literature, visual arts, and technology to offer a captivating and emotionally resonant experience.
Petőfi200
The Hungarian National Assembly designated the years 2022 and 2023 as Sándor Petőfi Memorial Years. The ‘Petőfi200’ programmes commenced on 1 September 2022, in honour of the bicentennial of the birth of Sándor Petőfi, one of the greatest Hungarian poems of the 19th century. Numerous institutions and entities, spanning across both urban and rural areas, as well as extending beyond national borders, have actively participated in this initiative, presenting an array of diverse and vibrant events and activities.
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Sources: Hungarian Conservative/CHB
