MultipliCity is a phygital immersive installation in which hand-drawn spherical panoramas and 360° generative AI are key elements in exploring and representing the enigmatic interplay between myth and reality in urban environments, with a specific focus on Venice.

It explores the mythological allure of cities that have become icons throughout history. These cities, such as Venice, enchant visitors with their physical dimensions, historical narratives, and cultural significance. The power of mythical cities is so strong that those who have visited the place unconsciously begin to wear a new pair of glasses. That is why you can still see Venice when you are in Amsterdam, Aveiro, Stockholm, and hundreds of other Venices around the world. How these cities influence residents and visitors, and how they develop new perceptions and interactions in other places?

Pairs of immersive panoramas, created from handmade equirectangular drawings sketched on-site, identify and correspond to specific locations in the city of Venice and a series of parallel cities.

Venezia. Piazzetta San Marco | New York City. Madison Square Gardens
A generated view of New York City | A generated view of Venice

Venezia. Calle Larga San Giacomo dell’Orio | Amsterdam. Oudezijds Voorburgwal
A generated view of Amsterdam | A generated view of Venice

Venezia. Giudecca, Molino Stucky | Stockholm. Södermalm, Münchenbryggeriet
A generated view of Stockholm | A generated view of Venice

Then, the hand-drawn panoramas are combined with immersive generative AI to create new visual representations of the mythological Venice(s). Through this hybrid workflow, in which hand-made drawings are used as visual prompts for influencing the image generation, MultipliCity aims to explore the intersection of art and technology.

Origami paper mini-domes are then used to install the hand-crafted and AI-generated immersive panoramas, creating a strong sense of immersion. Visitors are invited to walk through the suspended domes and find the possible points of connection between the juxtaposed paper environments.
The installation also opens up a second level, revealing additional views. All panoramas are available in the virtual dimension, accessible through a QR code and explored by users with their smartphones or tablets. Virtual environments allow us to see what cannot be captured by the naked human eye, and have the potential to reveal places and details in a different way than how the physical senses perceive them.

360º drawings from observation
HB pencil on A4 paper + a touch of Photoshop

360º AI generated images
Skybox AI by BlockadeLabs, Model 2 (API)

The set of hand-drawn and AI generated panoramas is available here.

The installation was presented during the collective exhibition Circuitos in Lisbon, 16-19/07/2024, in the context of the joint PhD program in Digital Media-arts of Universidade Aberta and Universidade do Algarve.

Special thanks to the-best-advisor-ever António Araujo, the professors of the PhD program, my amazing colleagues, Ruben Ferreira (cover picture), Rachel Gouveia and Patrick Santos for being my super models!