AI in ART PRACTICES and RESEARCH

Hybrid Conference

UNATC „I.L. Caragiale” Bucharest, Str. Tudor Arghezi 3-b

18-21 March 2024

Open to the public

Please use this FORM to register for the Conference.

The “I.L. Caragiale” National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest is dedicated to educating experts in performing arts, film, and associated disciplines such as media, multimedia, and the business and educational aspects of the arts. It is committed to fostering a culture of innovation, excellence, and creativity through both solo and collaborative artistic endeavors.

The university’s Research Development and Innovation Department is geared towards enriching understanding and viewpoints in theater, film, and their related and interdisciplinary areas.

In light of recent progress in artificial intelligence and its widespread influence across various sectors—including the marketplace, education, policy-making, and the cultural sphere—we believe organizing a series of academic events focused on performing arts, film, and media would greatly aid both scholars and emerging talents in exploring the effects of cutting-edge AI technologies in these areas.

Occasioned by the Research and Innovation Week (R&I Week) – the European Commission’s flagship event on research and innovation which will take place between 18-21 March 2024, we are honored to invite you to the hybrid Conference we are organizing in Bucharest on the theme of AI in ART PRACTICES and RESEARCH with a focus on how AI impacts artistic and research practices.

The Conference will have a series of satellite events that will include art installations, workshops and guest speakers on the announced themes.

THEME

Overarching theme: Artificial intelligence and its impact on art research and art practices.

Sub-themes:

1. Ethical Considerations in the Use of AI within Artistic Practices and Research
2. Best Practices for Integrating AI into Cultural Sector Activities
3. AI, Diversity, and Inclusion in Art: Ensuring Equitable Representation
4. AI and the democratisation of Art: Opportunities for Emerging Artists
5. The Aesthetic Impact: How AI is Transforming Visual and Sonic Art Forms

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PROGRAM

Monday, 18 March 2024
10.00 Opening of the Conference

Liviu Lucaci, PhD, professor, Rector of UNATC Bucharest
Romina Boldașu, PhD, lecturer, Vice-Rector for Research, Development, Innovation

10.30-11.30 KEYNOTE 

Into the Reality of Mind: from Imagination to Artificial Intelligence
Marius Leordeanu, PhD, Full Professor of Computer Science at the University Politehnica in Bucharest and Senior Researcher at the Institute of Mathematics “Simion Stoilow” of the Romanian Academy 

11.40-13.20 PANEL 1

Moderator: Elena Belciu, PhD, UNATC Bucharest
11.40-12.00 Inner Synthesis – A Case Study AI infused AR Art
Ciprian Făcăeru, PhD candidate, research assistant, UNATC Bucharest
12.00-12.20 Clouded Consciousness – Sand as a communication interface between interactive technologies and the subconscious mind
Diana Chiru, MA, UNATC Bucharest
12.20-12.40 Bringing Care-full Trouble to Musical AI
Kelsey Cotton, PhD candidate, Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden 
12.40-13.00 Mytherrella: an interactive installation hallucinating mythological auroral formations
Dorin Cucicov, MA, independent artist
13.00-13.20 Sonic Avatars – A Hexaphonic Interactive Installation
Ștefan Damian, PhD, research assistant, UNATC Bucharest
13.30 Coffee & Networking Break. Invitation to the AI ART EXHIBIT

14.00-16.00 AI ART EXHIBIT (ongoing throughout the conference)

• The Purrfect Print, poster and art installation at the intersection of artificial intelligence and sensory aesthetics

Artistic Collective: Dorin Cucicov / Ana Preduș / Octavian Arnăut

• Birdscape, interactive hexaphonic sound installation focused on acoustic ecology

Artist: Ștefan Damian

• Popular Playthings

Artist: Maria Năstase 

• Unfortunate Fortune Teller

Artist: Lorena Cocora

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Tuesday, 19 March 2024
10.00-11.00  KEYNOTE

Introduction to AI Art
Grigore Burloiu, PhD, lecturer, UNATC Bucharest

11:00-13:00 PANEL 2  

Moderator: Alexandru I. Berceanu, PhD, associate professor, UNATC Bucharest
11:00-11:20 The impact of AI in the field of sound for picture – a historical, practical, and ethical consideration
Laura Lăzărescu Thois, PhD, associate professor; Ștefan Rucareanu, PhD, lecturer, UNATC Bucharest
11.20-11.40 AI turns Artist into a Curator
Alina Rizescu, MA, architect, designer 
11.40-12:00 Generating a green urban future for Bucharest with the help of AI tools
Teodora Ungureanu, PhD, architect, researcher; National Institute for Research and Development in Constructions, Urbanism and Sustainable Spatial Development URBAN-INCERC, Bucharest
12:00-12:20 AI, the urban image and participatory artistic practices – a case study
Maria Mandea, PhD, lecturer, artist, researcher, Super:Serios collective
12.20-12.40 Echoes in the Machine: Unveiling Hidden Depths through the Lens of Established Genius
Georgia Mihalcea, PhD candidate, UNATC Bucharest
12.40-13.00 Delegated imaginaries and creative machines. Historical connections in Artificial Intelligence Art
Horea Avram, PhD, associate professor, Babeș Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca 

13.00-13.30  KEYNOTE  

Content and Creativity in the Virtual Worlds of the Future

Alin Moldoveanu, PhD, professor, University Politehnica in Bucharest
Robert Andrei Caragicu, PhD candidate, Assistant professor, University Politehnica in Bucharest

13.30-14.00 KEYNOTE 

AI Musical Improvisation as a Tool for Enhancing Spectator Participation in Embodied Improvisation
Constantin Basica, postdoctoral scholar, lecturer, Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics; Alexandru I. Berceanu, PhD, associate professor, UNATC Bucharest
14.00 Coffee & Networking Break. Invitation to the AI ART EXHIBIT

15.00-16.00 PANEL. The Poetics of AI: Advancing Cinematic Worlds With The Speed-Of-Thought

Government of Children II – The First Romanian Film Blending Youth Imaginaries, AI Technologies and Adult Skills for Prototyping Better Societies
Ioana Mischie, PhD, lecturer, UNATC Bucharest

17.30-18.30 KEYNOTE (Zoom) 

ML/AI in dance and theater early and latest productions
Christian Ziegler, professor, digital artist, architect and director, Moving Images (Germany)

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Wednesday, 20 March 2024
10.00-10.30 KEYNOTE 

AI’s Venture into the Uncharted Realms of Dramatic Arts
Adina Magda Florea, PhD, professor, Director of the Center of Excellence in AI; Head of AI and Multi-Agent Systems Laboratory, Vice Rector of University Politehnica of Bucharest

10.40-12.20 PANEL 3 

Moderator: Grigore Burloiu, PhD, lecturer, UNATC Bucharest
10.40-11.00 Enhancing Interactivity in Art Installations: The usage of AI with Unity
Emil Dragan, PhD candidate, University Politehnica of Bucharest
11.00-11.20 When scenography met AI – issues and influences. A debate
Iuliana Gherghescu, PhD, researcher, UNATC Bucharest
11.20-11.40 Art, Tech and Copyright Laws: DALL-E vs. The World
Ioana Andrada Baleanu, MA, UNATC Bucharest
11.40-12.00 Enriching Artistic Practices through Artificial Intelligence: Innovations at the Intersection of AI, Sensory Perception, and Performative Art
Yolanda Crețescu, PhD candidate, psychologist, psychotherapist, UNATC Bucharest

12.00-13.00 KEYNOTE

Are screenwriters the new luddites? AI, copyright and technological unemployment
Radu Uszkai, PhD, researcher, Center for Research in Applied Ethics, University of Bucharest
13.00 Coffee & Networking Break. Invitation to the AI ART EXHIBIT

14.00-15.00 KEYNOTE (Zoom)

Machine Learning for Sound, Music, and Interdisciplinary Arts: From Technology Facts to Societal Concerns
Kıvanç Tatar, Kıvanç Tatar, Assistant Professor in Interactive AI, Department of Computer Science and Engineering | Data Science and AI Division | Chalmers University of Technology | Gothenburg, Sweden 

15.00 – 17.00 WORKSHOP

PLAYDATE. Bring your toys or play with mine!
Maria Năstase, MA, documentary videographer, researcher, multimedia workshops for teenagers

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Thursday, 21 March 2024
10.00-10.30 KEYNOTE 

How to Add a Human Touch and Analyze the Aesthetics in Music Generated with Artificial Intelligence
Ștefan Trăușan Matu, PhD, professor, University Politehnica Bucharest, Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of the Romanian Academy

10.40-12.00 PANEL 4 

Moderator: Ștefan Damian, PhD, research assistant, UNATC Bucharest
10.40-11.00 Immersive theatre, emotions and artificial intelligence
Ana-Maria-Varty Mihail, PhD candidate, UNATC Bucharest
11.00-11.20 AI in Playwriting – Shakespeare GPT
Sabina Bălan, PhD candidate, UNATC Bucharest
11.20-11.40 AI’s Rise in Film making – Co-creation, Not (Yet) a Hostile Takeover
Theodora Penciu, PhD candidate, UNATC Bucharest
11:40-12:00 How Generative Artificial Intelligence May Redefine the Value of Photography as a Document
Petrea Andrei Florin, PhD candidate, UNATC Bucharest
12.00-12.20 The Impact of Immersive Storytelling: Narrative and Emotional Effects of Immersion in a Virtual Environment Based on Fantasy Literature
Florin-Adrian Marc, PhD candidate, Babeș Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca
12:20-12:40 Creative Integration of New Technologies in Performance Art
Vlad Benescu, PhD, independent artist
13:00 Coffee & Networking Break. Invitation to the AI ART EXHIBIT

17:00-19.00 AI FILM SCREENINGS 

AI animated films, made by Antanas Skučas and Julius Zubavičius (Lithuania)
17.00 Planets and Robots (6’)
17.06 Sine Anime (7’)
17.13 Ciurlionis (60’)
18.15 Open session with the artists, moderated by Mirona Radu, research assistant, UNATC Bucharest
19.00 Closing of the Conference