Workshop in the Dome
Do AI-systems facilitate the production of fulldome films, and if so, does this benefit artistic creativity?

TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

No one knows what artificial intelligence is, and will be, capable of and where it is going in the future. Not even artificial intelligence itself knows that.
Instead of getting intimidated by the uncertainty, or pondering whether one tends towards a dystopian, utopian or transhumanistic way of thinking about AI, the workshop has a pragmatic focus: It will examine whether and how AI supported, self-generating systems can improve the workflow in 360-degree fulldome films.

The question relates to the data-intensive and time-consuming processes in the design and production of high-resolution fulldome films, as they are typically shown in planetariums with digital projection systems.

AI-based systems already generate images and animated scenes the usual flat formats. It is to be expected that AI-supported solutions for the production of 360-degree fulldome films will be available soon. The workshop faculty will monitor such developments and try to implement the results with the participants.
ince its start in 2007 the international FullDome Festival has demonstrated that full dome has a place in the art and design of immersive surround media. The Festival is always open to avant-garde experimentation, at the same time giving the general audience an opportunity to participate in the development of immersive media.

AI, often referred to as a game changer, will be put to the test in a defined area. No one will regret it when AI helps reduces the time spent on designing, producing and rendering fulldome scenes. However, the question must be asked: What will I do with the time I save?

"Do AI systems facilitate fulldome production and if so, does this benefit artistic creativity?" will negotiate at this one point the relationship between human creativity and artificial intelligence.

DThe workshop invites students, young professionals in start-ups, professional producers and media artists and designers to make themselves familiar with the potential benefits of AI. Knowledge of the principles of 360-degree fulldome technology and production is helpful, but not a requirement.

The Zeiss-Planetarium in Jena, the city of light, world-famous for its optical industry and the modern planetarium technology developed here a hundred years ago, is the perfect place to come together in a workshop space. The Fulldome Festival Foundation, with its close ties to the Bauhaus Universitaet Weimar, is part of an international network of experts and aficionados of the fulldome genre that has grown over the past 18 years.

Around 30-40 people are expected to attend the one day workshop (mostly in English) in Jena, which will also be streamed live to allow those who live further away to participate. A week after the workshop, participant have a chance for Q & A follow up in a Zoom call.

Workshop Faculty:
Patrick Geiss
Graduate of the Bauhaus Universitaet Weimar, expert in AI digital design and animation in the 360-degree dome. Statement: „We are about to enter a new era, where Artificial Intelligence is slowly being integrated in many aspects of our daily life. Like any technology it is a mighty tool that can be used for creating something unique and wonderful, but also something dreadful and horrofic - depending who is using it and how. The practical task in the workshop will be is to create examples of animated artwork in 360° fulldome format.“

Jason Reizner
JJason Reizner is a media practitioner, designer and researcher based in Weimar, Germany. He develops, builds and evaluates interfaces between humans, machines and environments. His research with generative systems, ambient computing, synthetic intelligence and mixed realities focuses on interactions that bridge physical and virtual contexts. As former interim professor of Interface Design at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, he lectured in the Media Art and Design and MediaArchitecture master programs and led the EFRE-supported Bauhaus Form + Function Lab. Since 2012, he has been a founding organizer of xCoAx, the international conference on Computation, Communication, Aesthetics and X. https://reizner.org/

Prof. Dr. Michael Markert
Michael Markert is a cyberneticist and flaneur, working as a media-artist specializing in programming and Interaction Design. His research in intuitive musical interfaces and interest in spatial qualities started with a diploma in Multimedia / Design. Since then he has developed various interactive sensory devices for cybernetic installations. The focus of his work is exploring human behavior in space by using cybernetic interaction systems, typically utilizing immersive sonic and musical aspects, rather than emphasizing visual displays. https://www.hs-coburg.de/ueber-uns/fakultaeten/design/personen/prof-michael-markert.html

Partners:
Sternevent GmbH / Zeiss-Planetarium Jena https://planetarium-jena.de/
Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Fakultät Kunst und Gestaltung, Immersive Medien https://shorturl.at/inw38

Facilitators:
Liese Endler / Kate Ledina / Mohammad Jaradat / Robert Metzner / Micky Remann, FullDome Festival Team www.fulldome-festival.de

Support:
Der Workshop wird unterstützt vom Referat Medienwirtschaft und Medienstandort der Staatskanzlei Thüringen, Erfurt.