Giuliana Cuneaz

Interview by Fanny Bauguil (linking teacher at VIDEOFORMES)

How would you describe this installation? What can you see? What can you hear? What do you do there?

La Belle au bois dormant (2023) is an interactive work offering an immersive experience powered by artificial intelligence. By lying down on the bed, the viewer can watch their own dreams transform into lyrical images, accompanied by delicate sounds.

Connecting with our innermost selves then becomes simple: all you need to do is write a sentence on the tablet placed next to the bed to bring up an animation corresponding to your own handwriting. The algorithm generates the image from a vast database, using artificial intelligence.

What is it about? 

There is no narrative, but rather an intimate dialogue with the viewer, who stands before a work that touches them deeply. La Belle au bois dormant evokes dreams — and thus ourselves: our unconscious, our deepest desires.

Is this the first time this installation has been shown to the public? Could you tell us a little about the process of creating the work to achieve this result?

This is the first time the work has been physically exhibited in France, and I’m very pleased about that. Last year, it won the People’s Choice Award at the Opline Prize international competition in Paris, but the event was held online.

Creating it was a long process, especially as artificial intelligence wasn’t as advanced in 2023 as it is today. Many thought the project was impossible. However, thanks to my perseverance and the help of a friend who is an AI expert, I was able to see it through, whilst preserving my aesthetic and linguistic identity.

I also wanted to create a truly personalised work: it acts like a palm reader. Instead of reading the lines of the hand, it interprets the handwriting of the person writing on the tablet.

Which artists (across all disciplines) or, more generally, which artistic forms inspire your creative process, and, if applicable, what references are you alluding to in this installation?

There are no direct references to specific artists, but my work seeks to transcend the limits of the visible; as such, it may evoke certain great masters of Surrealism such as Max Ernst, Leonora Carrington or Paul Klee.

As a contemporary artist, I particularly appreciate the work of Pierre Huyghe.

Could you please provide one or more web addresses where we can view your work?

The easiest way is to visit my website:

https://www.giulianacuneaz.com

There you will find a page dedicated to the work:

https://www.giulianacuneaz.com/progetto/la-belle-au-bois-dormant/

You can also find me on Instagram by simply searching for my name.

Any keywords that would suit your installation?

Dream, sign, writing, calligraphy, imagination, artificial intelligence.

Could you tell us a little about your artistic journey? At what point in your life did you become interested in digital art? Are you able to make a living from your creative work?

 I trained within Arte Povera, one of the major post-war movements. I initially worked in video, photography and sculpture, before exploring new technologies from 2003 onwards, creating dreamlike worlds using 3D.

I then became interested in nanoscience and quantum physics, and went on to make I Cercatori di luce, a three-screen film combining 3D with traditional cinematographic techniques, which was screened last year at VIDEOFORMES. Today, I’m exploring the potential of artificial intelligence, sometimes in dialogue with augmented reality.

I now make a living from my work, but it took me many years to establish myself. Being an artist requires great determination and clear goals regarding what you wish to achieve.