Revolutionary Artificial Intelligence Experience Opens at The Dalí Museum on Dali’s Birthday
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (May 9, 2019) – The Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida is celebrating Dali’s art and legacy with “Dalí Lives,” a groundbreaking artificial intelligence (AI) experience that reimagines Salvador Dalí in the present day. Visitors can learn more about Dali’s life, his work and his larger-than-life personality from the person who knew him best: the artist himself. The much-anticipated “Dalí Lives” will be a permanent installation and opens exclusively at The Dalí Museum on May 11, what would have been Dali’s 115th birthday.
Dalí wrote, “If someday I may die, though it is unlikely, I hope the people in the cafes will say, Dali has died, though not entirely.” The Dalí Museum has fulfilled his prophecy.
“Dalí Lives” employs machine learning to create a version of Dali’s likeness, resulting in an uncanny resurrection of the mustached master for visitors to experience. The charismatic life-sized Salvador Dalí will greet visitors on a series of interactive screens throughout the Museum, personally welcoming guests to The Dalí, addressing present- day conditions, and speaking about the motivations behind his masterpieces. Dalí will even snap and share selfies with guests before they leave.
The Dalí partnered with Goodby Silverstein & Partners (GS&P) of San Francisco to bring the master of Surrealism back to life. The project began by sorting through hundreds of interviews, letters, quotes and existing archival footage from the prolific artist. GS&P then used more than 6,000 frames and over 1,000 hours of machine learning to train an AI algorithm to learn aspects of Dali’s face. The AI then generates a version of Dali’s likeness to impose on an actor’s face and expressions, followed by meticulous sound engineering to sync Dali’s actual words with the new footage. The result is over 45 minutes of new footage from the reimagined Dali, spanning 125 videos, for thousands of combinations, so each visitor may experience completely different interactions with Dali.
“What ‘Dalí Lives’ adds is a sense of emotion,” says Dr. Hank Hine, Director of The Dalí Museum. “If visitors can empathize with this man as a human being, then they can relate to his works much more directly and much more passionately. It’s a special entry into Dali’s spirit, allowing visitors to engage with the artist in a completely revolutionary way.”
This project, inspired by Salvador Dalí himself, demonstrates The Dalí’s commitment to staying on the forefront of technology. Just as Dalí explored myriad media and new artistic avenues to express himself, The Dalí Museum continues to use cutting-edge technology to educate visitors about Dali’s life and works to further preserve his remarkable legacy.
To see additional sample video content, and for more information on “Dalí Lives” and The Dalí Museum, visit TheDali.org/DaliLives.
For videos and images, click here.
ABOUT THE DALÍ
The Dalí Museum, located in the heart of beautiful downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, is home to an unparalleled collection of Salvador Dalí art, featuring more than 2,000 works comprising nearly 100 oil paintings; over 100 watercolors and drawings; and 1,300 prints, photographs, sculptures and objets d’art.
The building is itself a work of art, featuring 1,062 triangular-shaped glass panels – the only structure of its kind in North America. Nicknamed The Enigma, it provides an unprecedented view of St. Petersburg’s picturesque waterfront. The Museum has attracted the world’s attention, and among the other distinguished awards it has received, it is the first and only museum in the Southeastern United States to be recognized internationally by the Michelin Guide with a three-star rating.
The Dalí Museum is located at One Dalí Boulevard, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701. For additional information contact 727.823.3767 or visit TheDali.org.
ABOUT GOODBY SILVERSTEIN & PARTNERS
Goodby Silverstein & Partners is an internationally awarded creative company whose mission is to create experiences that reach millions and even billions, but seem to speak to one of us alone. They call this effect “mass intimacy.” GS&P has created commercials and digital experiences for BMW, Pepsi, Budweiser, Frito-Lay, Comcast, E*TRADE, The New Yorker Magazine, Adobe, and got milk? They are also well-known for artistic installations ranging from OK Go videos to the Cheetos Vision app to the #IAmAWitness anti-bullying emoji (the first emoji for a social cause).