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Meet dmstfctn’s installation The Models at ART CITY Bologna

Art and Technology
January 16, 2025
The Models Prima assoluta Tecnopolo Bologna

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What The Models is

The Models is an interactive audiovisual installation, developed by the London-based duo dmstfctn during their artistic residency at the Tecnopolo in Bologna. The installation, curated by Sineglossa, will make its international debut on February 7th at the Tecnopolo in Bologna, where it will remain on display until February 9th, 2025.

The Models comes from a challenge posed by Sineglossa on the subject of fake news, which is being reignited these days with the statements made by Meta, which intends to eliminate fact-checking from its platforms. Is it possible to fight conspiracy theories with the wonder created by artists? The challenge is inspired by the thesis, contained in Wu Ming’s book Q di complotto, that these fantasies spread because human beings tend to be more passionate about awe-inspiring stories than scientific texts or reports. From this, dmstfctn decided to combine wonder and truth through an installation that, by recovering the cultural heritage of the Museums of the Emilia-Romagna Region, brings to the stage digital masks animated by 3D engines, capable of improvising an endless array of theatrical sketches in the style of the Commedia dell’Arte. Guiding them are artificial intelligence models fine-tuned by the artists using the Leonardo Supercomputer – models that, with texts inspired by classical archetypes, give life to characters who confabulate, invent truths, repeat voices or make banal mistakes. Characters that exhibit the Large Language Models’ tendency to display behaviours that are at times deceitful and adversarial, and other times all too friendly or subservient. The masks, equipped with a voice thanks to text-to-audio technology, react to the input of the audience, who through their smartphones will have the opportunity to interact with the work by introducing scenic objects depicting superstitions and conspiracy theories to stimulate and guide the improvisation.

Event programme

The opening event includes a talk on debunking and magic with Federico Ferrazza (editor of Italian Tech magazine) and Mariano Tomatis (wonder injector, writer and illusionist), and it is to be preceded by pre-booked guided tours of the Leonardo Supercomputing Centre, one of the most powerful High Performance Computers in the world, located at the Tecnopolo in Bologna.

On Friday February 7th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the event will be anticipated by the conference Un futuro necessario – La cultura in viaggio con l’AI tra tradizione e innovazione digitale on Digital Humanities and Digital Heritage, organised by the Clust-ER Innovate, Create and Build of the Emilia-Romagna Region, in collaboration with ART-ER. Free entrance prior mandatory registration

The Leonardo Supercomputer | Guided tour

 February 7th, 2025, h. 16.30
Botte INFN Tecnopolo Manifattura Data Valley Hub, Via Stalingrado 84/3, Bologna

CINECA opens the doors of the Leonardo Supercomputing Center, the most powerful supercomputing system in Europe and the fourth in the world. With the guidance of CINECA’s technical staff, it will be possible to visit the supercomputer whose functionalities were made available to the artists for the development of theThe Models installation.

Free admission, limited spots, reservation required

THE MODELS | Talk & opening

 7 febbraio 2025 h. 17.00 – 20.00 

Greetings from ART-ER, CINECA, Emilia-Romagna Region
Talk with Federico Ferrazza (Italian Tech director) and Mariano Tomatis (wonder injector and writer). Modera Federico Bomba (Sineglossa)

The explosion of generative AI has intensified the spread of disinformation, casting doubt on the very concept of truth. We’re often told we’re living in the ‘fake news era’ because, while false news isn’t new, it’s now easier than ever to create and spread. The need to tackle this problem has led to the emergence of figures, tools, and skills to ‘debunk’ and refute false content. However, those who believe in conspiracy theories are often unwilling to accept the ‘boring party poopers’ who coldly cite numbers and sources. According to Wu Ming 1, to win over the hearts and minds of the diehards, we need to craft new stories that retain the core truth. Will countering conspiracy with wonder be enough? Federico Ferrazza (director of Italian Tech) and Mariano Tomatis (wonder injector, writer, and illusionist) engage in a dialogue, presenting three replicas of eighteenth-century machines designed to exhibit paradoxical behaviors. These devices, through ingenious tricks, challenged the rigid distinction between truth and falsehood proposed by the Enlightenment. This theme resonates with modern automatic detectors of fake news and AI-generated texts. Moderated by Federico Bomba, the esteemed president of Sineglossa.

Free admission, limited seats. Registration strongly recommended.

Opening hours

 February 7th, 2025, h. 18.00 – 20.00 
 February 8 – 9, 2025, h. 10.00 – 18.00 Free entry
  Botte B4, Tecnopolo Manifattura Data Valley Hub, Via Stalingrado 84/3, Bologna

How to get to the Technopole

The Tecnopolo Manifattura Data Valley Hub is currently undergoing construction.

  • On foot: head to the address via Stalingrado 84/3, then
    • To take a guided tour of the Supercomputer, simply follow the signs for BOTTE INFN CINECA.
    • To attend the talk and installation opening, follow the signs for ‘ECMWF’, take the right ramp, and you’ll arrive at the parking lot. The event is hosted at BOTTE B4. 
  • By bus: From Bologna Centrale Station, take the Tper 25 line to the Casoni or Manifattura stop on Via Ferrarese. Route via Google Maps
  • By car: You may find parking spaces at the CINECA parking area, located at the Tecnopolo Manifattura (90 free spaces). You can also find parking spaces in the commercial area across from the Tecnopolo headquarters and in the streets surrounding the event venue.

dmstfctn at ARTalk City

 February 8th, 2025, h. 11.30
  Accademia di Belle Arti, Bologna, Aula Teatro

Free admission

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