Nicolas Frois - Van Gogh paints you

Van Gogh paints you! is an interactive installation located in a museum in Chile. The installation allows visitors to select one of three Van Gogh paintings, which triggers a camera that records an 8-second video of the visitor. An artificial intelligence algorithm applies style transfer based on the selected painting to this video.

In this project, my role was to lead the hardware setup and software development, including designing its architecture. The rest of the team was responsible for developing the style transfer algorithm and installing it in the museum.

An interesting design problem:

The main objectives of this project were:

● To create a memorable interactive installation that would engage visitors and increase their interest in technology, the art, and the history of one of the world's most famous painters.

● To demonstrate in a practical way the artificial intelligence research being developed at the time (2019) at a local university, UTFSM.

The first key decision in the design of this installation was to put the visitors themselves at the center of attention. Recording the visitors directly and letting this video play on loop allows visitors to feel part of the museum, leaving a mark on the place. This creates two things: a sense of belonging and a kind of competition to be the last person to use the installation.

Another important design consideration was leaving out any explanation of the results. Apart from the name of the installation, there was no indication of what was happening, or why this experience was recording you. This creates a sense of suspense and surprise that makes you focus your attention on what the software is doing behind the scenes.

The installation generated a warm welcome from the visiting public, especially the children, who were clearly enjoying the results it displayed. Furthermore, through a concrete example of the use of AI, it allowed the advancements in research in this field generated at the UTFSM to be showcased, thus fulfilling the objectives set for the design of the experience.

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