OPENINGS
04 The Future of Cinema
If there is one thing we acknowledged during The Future of Cinema opening March 15th, at our @generativecenter is that we must FIND DEEPER—be better prepared. Fully experience our creative imagination, not just collectively, but profoundly personally. Settle the soul in our dreamtime, unhinge our definitions, and root our findings in the spiritual knowledge born of our ancestral survival instincts, the breeding ground of all that opens the way back to the necessary sacred, and embody this in practice.
No less urgent is the need for coming generations to understand that the world we have seemingly faked into being, through the tally of obtuse political and social pulverisation, is merely a stage in the possible flight of the human soul—whether inscribed in the digital phantasm or the analogue exchange of energy.
In the words of Erik Davis:
"Technology is neither a devil nor an angel. But neither is it simply ‘a tool,’ a neutral extension of some rock-solid human nature. Technology is a trickster (…) it beckons us through the open door of innovation and trusses us in the prison of unintended consequences.”
No less urgent is the need for coming generations to understand that the world we have seemingly faked into being, through the tally of obtuse political and social pulverisation, is merely a stage in the possible flight of the human soul—whether inscribed in the digital phantasm or the analogue exchange of energy.
In the words of Erik Davis:
"Technology is neither a devil nor an angel. But neither is it simply ‘a tool,’ a neutral extension of some rock-solid human nature. Technology is a trickster (…) it beckons us through the open door of innovation and trusses us in the prison of unintended consequences.”
04THE FUTURE OF CINEMA
Saturday, March 15, 2025
Generative Center
@Cerchio 91
Via Besso 42 a,
6900, Lugano Besso
Switzerland
6900, Lugano Besso
Switzerland
13:30 - 15:00
Round Table open to Audience Participation
Join speakers Kevin Lee, Stefano Knuchel, Kevin Merz, Felix A. Bachmann, Artur Schmidt, and more as we explore the future of cinema in an open discussion.
15:30 - 17:00
Patchworks on the spot - tunes handling by 9th Card.
Based on immediacy research, the overlapping and reworking of multiple sound sources.
In synch with Fresh Festival 2025
A Homage to David Lynch
VJ and Music Performance: Featuring 9th Card and generative artists, this live performance invites audience input, celebrating the visionary legacy of David Lynch through sound and visuals.
Audience Challenge: Submit your Lynch-inspired ideas form below (e.g., surreal scenes or emotions for prompts) via our website by March 12, 2025. Selected entries will fuel the VJ performance, making you part of the art.
17:30 - Follow-Up
A casual wrap-up session to reflect and connect.
In collaboration with
Abstract
The history of images is a tale of metamorphosis. Painting once held dominion over captured visions, until photography seized the moment, fixing time in silver and light. From still frames to the flickering reels of silent cinema, the illusion of movement was born, only to be revolutionized once more by sound. The ascent of the seventh art was marked by magic, spectacle, movements and story, from the Lumière brothers’ L’Arrivée d’un train à La Ciotat—a fleeting yet indelible motion—to Méliès’ celestial voyage, a timeless vision piercing the imagination opening layers of perception. Each innovation has met resistance, and today’s AI-driven creation is no exception.
The history of images is a tale of metamorphosis. Painting once held dominion over captured visions, until photography seized the moment, fixing time in silver and light. From still frames to the flickering reels of silent cinema, the illusion of movement was born, only to be revolutionized once more by sound. The ascent of the seventh art was marked by magic, spectacle, movements and story, from the Lumière brothers’ L’Arrivée d’un train à La Ciotat—a fleeting yet indelible motion—to Méliès’ celestial voyage, a timeless vision piercing the imagination opening layers of perception. Each innovation has met resistance, and today’s AI-driven creation is no exception.
To some, it’s a radical departure from filmmaking’s soul: the camera’s capture of a sculpted moment, as Tarkovsky framed it. Yet, AI defies categorization—neither animation nor tradition, it generates singular images and sequences by interpreting patterns and meaning, reshaping how we conceive visual storytelling. It is a literary argument, as prompting becomes the cornerstone for a relationship with large language models that seem to have “intent.”
This is no mere tool; it’s a revolution accelerating through the boundaries of cinematic creation.
The Future of Cinema
Our round table will unpack cinema as a "language" and explore how AI is rewriting its rules. We’ll dive into creativity as a living force, storytelling as an emotional bridge, and our readiness for this seismic shift. Can generative AI make films? At the Generative Center our AI-crafted short film The Wolf of Curio proves an example, and our 10-episode series on Swiss myths and legends charts a path ahead.
We’ll examine the stories this tech unlocks today and predict how a hybrid AI-human approach is redefining filmmaking. Expect an honest look at its limits—technical, ethical, artistic—and practical insights: workflows, tools, and future possibilities. This is a call to creators and visionaries to help shape what’s next.
The dialogue flows into a live DJ and VJ performance in homage to David Lynch, whose surreal, boundary-defying artistry—from dreamscapes to layered realities—echoes AI’s bold potential. Lynch inspires us to embrace the unknown.