Dream of Butterfly

Introduction 

We all dream. Dreams are a complex phenomenon that may involve multiple factors including psychological, physiological, cultural, and personal experiences. They can be meaningless brain activities, as well as reflections of deep psychological states, emotions, desires, or fears.

In the 4th century BC, the ancient Chinese thinker Zhuang Zhou dreamed that he had turned into a butterfly. He experienced another life form in a dream, which provoked thoughts about the diversity of life and challenged conventional understandings of the essence of life. Is life limited to our current physical existence, or can it transcend our physical and psychological limits? Psychologist Sigmund Freud believed that dreams are a manifestation of the subconscious. This leads us to ponder the authenticity of self-awareness: Is our self-awareness stable when we dream? Is self-awareness entirely under our control, or does it sometimes elude our understanding? The 'Dream of Butterfly' installation, through the dimensions of visual, auditory, and olfactory senses, blends video of butterflies with the state of the true self, creating a blurred boundary with the purpose of provoking people's reflection on their own existence and consciousness.

Immersive Space Course

Advisor

Mattia Casalegno

Keywords

Dream

Illusion

AI butterfly video

My Skills

Max/Msp

Projection Mapping

Interactive Installation

Behind The Scene

The installation uses video generated by Stable Diffusion, which is projection mapped onto a white cardboard, with a holographic film in between. The use of this film enhances the surreal effect of the installation by diffusing and refracting light.

Additionally, the video doesn't play in the order of frames. Instead, it's controlled by the viewer's position. The video jumps from frame to frame creating an illusion effect. The video comprises Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha channels, which are separated to create a magical, hypnotic scene. As the viewer is attracted by butterflies and gets closer, his/her own image gradually emerges on the screen, evoking an elusive sensation of wanting to touch the illusion but being unable to feel it.

When the viewer is immersed in the illusion, the music is played slowly and the scent of lavender, which is calming and sleep-promoting, is released. When the viewer returns to reality, the music plays in a hurry and releases a sobering smell of lemon.