On the occasion of the 66th edition, Spoleto Worlds Festival and the Carla Fendi Foundation Celebrating 15 years of partnership. This year, the Foundation is renewing its interest in science with the introduction of Everything Is a Number. An interdisciplinary project that explores the connection between music and mathematics through to generative computational art through machine learning processes, questioning human creativity and its future developments. In “Everything is a Number,” reflection on the interaction between art and science finds space in the artistic expression of Gabriel Gianni (also guest on the latest edition), with an installation inside the former baptistery of golden manna in Spoleto. At the Teatro Caio Melisso – Spazio Carla Fendi, a series of meetings was coordinated by Kirino Conte On Sunday, July 9, the last edition of the Spoleto Festival.
mathematics world Paul Zeleny President of the Global Association for Artificial Intelligence Research Francis Rossi They will talk about mathematics as a source of creativity and about the ethics of artificial intelligence. On this journey between numbers and algorithms, music historian Sandro Cappellito He will present his musical derivation by commissioning a performance by a talented pianist.
«»Everything is a number” will explore the role of the algorithm in the deep relationship between creative thinking, music and mathematics. Artificial intelligence is leading us to an exciting and disturbing moment at the same time, a fourth industrial revolution, the development of which we do not yet know». Thus he explains Maria Teresa Venturini Fendiat the helm of the Carla Fendi Foundation, which we reached out for an interview.
In Everything is Number, Gabriele Gianni’s work is the result of a creative process of computational art. The work is located inside the former baptistery of golden manna In Piazza del Duomo in Spoleto and created with AI, can you tell us that?
The Carla Fendi Foundation presents Everything is Number, which aims to explore the deep connection between music, mathematics and creativity. Specifically, Gabriele Gianni’s work is about generative computational art, which is much talked about; The foundation has been dealing with robotics and technology for quite some time. In this installation, artificial intelligence has created the images, the sounds and above all the content, starting with the artist’s questions. Those of artificial intelligence are mathematical answers, but if we also want philosophical answers, they express their opinion in a way: hence the link between creativity, music, mathematics and then the evolution of the algorithm, and therefore of artificial intelligence itself. Gabriele Gianni’s work speaks of computational generative art as well as its production and we see it in the four niches of the Unconsecrated Church in Piazza del Duomo, which once contained statues. Based on the artist’s input, the AI entertained hypotheses, designing, and producing images that replaced what was there and is no longer seen today. In this way, the space is reinvigorated in a suggestive atmosphere that is also driven by sound. In a series of forms we see the statue in existence, in the process of its birth: from raw marble to worked marble to finished marble.
There is currently a lot of controversy surrounding artist authorship, I guess, I predict in my own small way that artist will definitely find ways to interact with and work with AI. At the same time, there will be those who will continue to prefer manual labor, it is free will.
Since 2017, he has served as President of the Carla Fendi Foundation. Since then, the Foundation has opened up to science, understood as intuition, research, and a new form of art, making its activity more casual. Where does this drive to science come from?
That’s right, the institution works in cultural and social fields and it really seemed to me to focus on science. Science has always led to profound social changes and in this age, as it also interacts with our bodies – think research on microchips – it presents us with a whole new world.
Attention, that towards science, which is becoming more interesting in light of the latest innovations in the field of artificial intelligence. We are discovering that technology can be a great ally of human action but also a competitor at the same time. What do you think of human-machine interaction and how do you hope this interaction will develop?
In my opinion, what we are living through is a very wonderful period, because it makes us understand what the world will be like. Artificial intelligence has always been created by humans, and like all things it would be nice if it didn’t get out of hand, it could potentially cause a lot of damage. I think well-defined regulations are needed, which all governments should provide as quickly as possible. For some time, there have already been think tanks within various institutions, such as American or Asian ones, which provide round tables among philosophers, scientists and technicians to discuss this, and naturally the personality of the politician is also important. We’ll talk about this with Professor Francesca Rossi.
The Carla Fendi Foundation celebrates 15 years of partnership with Festival Dei Due Mondi in Spoleto. Fifteen years filled with projects in film, theatre, music, performing and visual arts, and science. On the stage of the closing concert of the Festival dei Due Mondi Spoleto, in his presence and that of the Artistic Director of the Festival dei Due Mondi Monique Veute, Maestro Antonio Pappano will award the Carla Fendi STEM 2023 Prize. In a way it symbolizes your work on the basis of which there is a very rich sectional research. An assessment of this first past and a wish for the future?
Yes, after the many awards given to women this year, the prize will be for a young female astronaut chosen from more than 22,000 nominees from around the world as a protege of the European Space Agency (ESA). The foundation’s past is very rich, and it began specifically with the founder, Carla Fendi, from her passion for Spoleto and her friendship with the maestro. Giancarlo Menotti who was the founder of the Spoleto Festival. I started it and was always inspired by its dynamism, so I opened up to science and also because I am interested in exploring new worlds and we are connected by literature and art. for example Mahler & Lewitt Studios Spoleto, from the housing scattered in the city center. We cooperate with them now permanently, the technical director is Jay Robertson And this fact established it Marina Mahlerdaughter Anna Mahler And the nephew of the brilliant musician Who Carol LeWittwife Sol LeWitt, who lived in Spoleto in fact here is also his studio. Saturday, July 8 there will be open studios for artists in residence at Mahler & LeWitt Studios coming from all over the world. Among them are some artists and scientists who apply science and technology in their research and I’m not just talking about audiovisual production. After that, we also opened up about sustainable fashion, which goes with music, writing, and visual arts mostly. I think the crossover is the fruit of our time, it is a mirror of our time. Therefore, in a festival as important as the Spoleto Festival, we try to present projects that, in addition to arousing our interest, reflect the new world.
the desire. I have a wish, it has already come true and I will talk about it later! It’s a beautiful project on an international scale, and it’s very close to my heart.
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