IDFA Festival Uses AI To Prove We All See Documentaries Differently

World's leading independent documentary film festival, IDFA, launches ‘Perspectives Are Beautiful’, a campaign created by WE ARE Pi that uses stunning AI-powered artwork to celebrate how we all see documentaries differently.

Created in-house by WE ARE Pi in collaboration with installation artists collective Circus Family, the campaign used a bespoke AI scanning algorithm to analyse documentaries being showcased at the 2021 festival and transform them into Rorschach-based art.

​Seth Josephs, design director at WE ARE Pi says: "We best know Rorschach as a psychological test where people are asked to examine inkblots and share their interpretation of what they see. Famously, people often see wildly different things in the same image”, says WE ARE Pi design director Seth Josephs. “We wanted to take what people love and know about Rorschach art and use it in the context of film. Because much like viewing a film, there is never one perspective, but many."

We best know Rorschach as a psychological test where people are asked to examine inkblots and share their interpretation of what they see. Famously, people often see wildly different things in the same image. We wanted to take what people love and know about Rorschach art and use it in the context of film. Because much like viewing a film, there is never one perspective, but many.

To create the campaign an AI parametric algorithm scanned the films colour brightness/luminance, duration, and location. The Data was then translated into ink patterns with a specially constructed robot that released the ink patterns into a tank of water. By mirroring these explosions of colour, the machine created stunning dynamic Rorschach Inkblots. In the campaign film, these explosions can be seen building up to a crescendo of visual splendour.

The ‘Perspectives Are Beautiful’ campaign is a continuation of IDFA’s partnership with WE ARE Pi, and the film festival’s ambition to elevate its position as an artistic institution within the documentary space. It follows last year’s 'Real Emotions. Real Film.', which explored the beautiful range of human emotions by putting tears under the microscope. This year’s campaign rolls out in cinema, social, print, outdoor and PR. 

IDFA is an international documentary film festival that takes place each November in Amsterdam. Every year, the festival presents a program of around 300 creative documentaries and interactive documentary projects, accompanied by performances, conversations and debates with filmmakers, protagonists and special guests.

For those that would like to explore all the perspectives on display at IDFA 2021, the festival dates this year are 17th Nov - 28th Nov. In order to ensure safety protocol for the coronavirus, the festival will now include screenings, talks and workshops both in physical locations across Amsterdam, and online via their website. You can learn more at www.idfa.nl/nl/