An immersive journey into the iconography of the historic
Encyclopedia, between morphing experiences and niches of wonder
Studiolo Treccani was conceived as an innovative interactive
installation for Treccani, presented at the Frankfurt Buchmesse. The
project aimed to breathe new life into Treccani’s vast archive of
historical images and drawings, spanning back to the 1930s and
containing over 36,000 unique pieces. By leveraging cutting-edge
artificial intelligence and interactive design, the installation
provided a dynamic, immersive exploration of this rich visual heritage.
The goal was to showcase the diversity and beauty of Treccani’s archive
while creating a sensory, engaging experience that seamlessly bridged
art, history, and technology.
The conceptual foundation of Studiolo Treccani revolved around
reinterpreting and revealing the hidden nuances within Treccani’s
image archive. Inspired by historical "wunderkammern" (cabinets of
curiosity), the installation divided the archive into three
categories: Artificialia (man-made creations), Naturalia (natural
wonders), and Mirabilia (marvels that blur the lines between the
natural and artificial). The installation’s design allowed users to
traverse these categories and immerse themselves in a
three-dimensional cloud of images, experiencing a continuous journey
of interconnected visual interpretations. Each transition represented
an exploration of how concepts such as “city,” “animal,” or “drawing”
evolved visually within the archive, offering a profound and poetic
interaction with Treccani’s history.
To unlock the potential of Treccani’s archive, the project utilized
two distinct artificial intelligence models. The first model
categorized each image into one of the three conceptual
themes—Artificialia, Naturalia, and Mirabilia. This classification
allowed for an intuitive exploration of the archive, grouping similar
pieces in meaningful clusters. The second model analyzed the images in
greater depth, identifying specific subjects, artistic techniques, and
stylistic details. These models were custom-built and trained
specifically to handle the unique characteristics of the Treccani
archive, ensuring an accurate representation of its visual diversity.
The data generated by these models became the foundation for creating
an intricate and mesmerizing 3D visualization.
The project’s centerpiece was the 3D cloud of images, a dynamic,
immersive environment built using Three.js. Creating this cloud
required meticulous optimization to ensure high performance and smooth
interactions, even on web platforms. This was achieved through
advanced techniques such as packing all images into efficient atlases,
which significantly reduced memory usage and enabled faster loading
times. Additionally, instanced meshes were employed to reuse geometry
and shaders for multiple instances, minimizing the rendering workload
and allowing for the visualization of thousands of images in real
time. Custom shaders further added depth and interactivity to the
visualization, creating a seamless and visually striking experience.
Together, these technologies allowed users to explore a vast, floating
tapestry of images without compromising performance or aesthetic
quality. The result was not only technically impressive but also
emotionally resonant, offering a sense of wonder and discovery.
A key feature of the installation was its ability to animate
transitions between concepts using a frame interpolation algorithm.
This technique created smooth morphing effects between images that
represented a shared theme or concept. For example, when transitioning
through the concept of “city,” the algorithm generated visually
stunning interpolations, blending one image into the next. This
process provided a fluid and hypnotic sense of movement, enabling
users to experience the evolution of a theme as a continuous, living
narrative. The interpolation added a cinematic quality to the
experience, turning the archive into a vibrant, ever-changing
spectacle.
The interactive experience was brought to life through TouchDesigner,
which acted as the central hub for managing interactions and content.
It provided real-time responsiveness to user inputs, ensuring that
every exploration felt personal and engaging. TouchDesigner also
enabled the seamless integration of the visual cloud, AI-generated
data, and interpolated animations into a cohesive and immersive
presentation.
The final result was an installation that captivated audiences with
its blend of artistry and innovation. Users were not just observers
but active participants, navigating a multidimensional landscape where
history, technology, and creativity converged. Studiolo Treccani was
more than an archive—it was a living, breathing exploration of human
knowledge and imagination, brought to life through cutting-edge tools
and visionary design.