Digital bodies¶

What it's real and what it's not?¶

Reflecting on Digital Bodies led me to consider how far technology has advanced — particularly artificial intelligence — and how close it now stands to replacing the human being, not only in function but in interpersonal relations themselves.

It made me realise how easily AI can be used to impersonate someone: copying their appearance and mannerisms to convey information that seems more credible coming from them.

I wanted this project to stand as a manifesto against the control of freedom of expression and of one's own body, drawing on artistic movements that, though born in different circumstances, express the same principles.

Substitution of the Artist¶

AI replaces — and will keep replacing, exponentially — the functions of certain people, performing them far faster. In art, though, this makes me question whether replacing the artist is worth it, when the work produced was merely generated from countless examples, with nothing from an original perspective.

This unlimited, unmediated access to AI devalues the artisan's work, craftsmanship, manual labour — and the design thinking behind it: the reason things are made. A system now exists to replace the final outcome, regardless of the process, in minutes.

Control of a Narrative¶

Information is easily distorted, because people increasingly no longer need the initiative to seek it out, research it or go deeper — it appears the moment they open their phone, as soon as they wake up.

This ease of access, and the sheer quantity confronted daily, makes people far more easily manipulated into believing something distorted.

Community¶

Beyond the artist — and even more serious, in my point of view — comes the substitution of interpersonal relations, if AI is used without limit or control, as we have already witnessed.

Artificial intelligence gives a false sensation of empathy: it cannot truly feel, having no emotions, but it knows what empathy means and is programmed to replicate it. This can make people feel they no longer need to make an effort to build relationships.

So we end up asking what is real and what is not, when the effect produced appears the same. My inspiration for this project came from a feeling of protest against the excessive and unethical use of artificial intelligence.

I knew I wanted to get inspired by types of art that challenges society's control of narrative and freedom of expression.

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2. References, research & inspiration¶

Michelangelo's Slaves¶

My mind somehow associated this topic with Michelangelo's sculptures The Slaves.

Strangely, these sculptures have always been a point of reference for me — something that marked me from the first time I saw them.

For me, they evoke a person trying to carve their own way out of the stone: a metaphor for someone attempting to free themselves from themselves. From a version imposed by others, or from a society they don't recognise themselves in and never asked to belong to.

Michelangelo's Slaves (also known as Prisoners) are a series of four unfinished marble sculptures at Florence's Accademia Gallery. Carved between 1519 and 1534, these figures offer a rare look into the artist's non-finito technique — where forms seem to emerge from the raw stone. Once intended for Pope Julius II's grand tomb, they were abandoned mid-way, yet now stand as powerful symbols of humanity's struggle to free the soul from matter.

The Rape of the Sabine Women — Giambologna¶

The Rape of the Sabine Women is one of Giambologna's most famous works. Highly dynamic, it conveys movement, delicacy and sensuality.

The work also has no fixed point of view, given its rotating movement, which leads viewers to explore its different perspectives.

The three figures in action are: a Roman soldier lifting a woman and an older man, who probably represents her father. Each figure expresses intense emotions that directly reinforce the narrative of the abduction and the violent reaction it provoked.

The soldier abducting the Sabine displays strength and aggression, while the woman, in contrast, conveys fragility. Her expression of panic is captured at the moment she is lifted by force. The older man, in turn, represents despair and helplessness.

The main theme of this work is mythological. The myth dates to around 750 BC, a time when, according to Livy and Plutarch, Rome — a newly founded city — was suffering a shortage of women to secure its future through procreation.

To resolve this, Romulus, the city's founder, organised a festival in honour of the god Neptune, to which neighbouring peoples were invited, including the Sabines. During it, armed young Romans are said to have abducted the Sabine women to make them their wives.

Framing the Sculpture within the Artistic Movement¶

Mannerism is an artistic movement that emerged at the close of the Renaissance, around the beginning of the sixteenth century, and extended into the early seventeenth century. It arose in a period of uncertainty, anguish and restlessness across Europe, driven by political, social and cultural instability. The style is characterised by individualism and by the valuing of individual expression and virtuosity. In it, certain features of Classicism — the rationalism, harmony and balance of the Renaissance — were to some extent replaced by complexity, artificiality and ambiguity, as artists pursued originality and innovation.

Giambologna's Rape of the Sabine Women, carved between 1579 and 1583, belongs exactly to this phase. A key point for framing the work is the spiralling, twisting composition in which the figure turns upon its own axis, forcing the viewer to walk around the sculpture to grasp its full form. The work's lack of a fixed point of view — the rotating movement that invites the spectator to explore its different perspectives — is precisely the Mannerist device in physical form.

3. Tools¶

All the tools that i experimented with in this Assignement:

• Blender
• Gemini
• Tripo 3D
• Fusion 360

4. Process and workflow¶

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4.1 Step 1¶

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4.2 Step 2¶

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4.3 Step 3¶

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5. Results¶

5.1 3D Models¶

upload DOWNLOADABLE 3d models of your files such as MakeHuman, Final 3d modelled body, 3D Scans, etc. Make sure to make them DOWNLOADABLE.

6. Weekly reflection & critical thinking¶

• What did I learn? What did I personally find interesting or surprised me?
• What would I do differently? If something "failed" do I know how else to tackle it now?"
• How does this connect to my final project or my learning trajectory?
• What are implications and possible applications, think also from the ethical or environmental aspect, how it could connect to your practice and project?

7. Fabrication files & References¶