MATERIALIVE

Inspiration

MATERIALIVE began from a curiosity about how images behave once they are pushed beyond their familiar limits. I was interested in the point where a human figure, a tree, a stone wall, or a reflection in water starts to dissolve into something more abstract. I wanted to explore moments where reality and digital invention sit very close together, where neither fully wins. The film grew from observing these edges and letting them speak.

What it does

The film creates a flowing, shifting visual field where recognisable elements appear, disappear, and transform. Bodies, landscapes, and textures blend together. The images do not stay still or behave like traditional footage. They stretch, smear, breathe, and sometimes seem to melt. The viewer is invited to pay attention to the act of looking itself, rather than following a storyline.

How we built it

The foundation began with AI generated (Kling) footage and sequences made over a few months, focusing on creating melting and distorted forms not possible to achieve in real life. Those video clips were edited together. After that came carefully crafted datamoshing to allow frames to inherit movement and colour from one another. The process required a lot of testing, nudging, and stepping back. AI generated music (Stable Audio) was made to accompany the visuals and enhance them.

Challenges we ran into

Finding the right balance between clarity and distortion required patience. The generative tools often made everything too smooth and resolved, while the glitch processes could easily push the image into complete breakdown. I had to keep adjusting the degree of transformation so the image stayed alive but did not lose its sense of presence. The editing of the footage had to be made very carefully in order to achieve the right aesthetics.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

The film manages to carry a sense of life and movement without relying on a fixed subject or narrative. It feels organic, even though it is built from digital processes. I am proud that audiences, curators and jury members have responded to its atmosphere and emotional tone:

The film won an award at Kinomural festival, Wroclaw Poland, had premiered at 'Intelligence Reimagined: The Convergence of Art and AI' exhibition at the IEEE International Conference on Multimedia and Expo (ICME 2025), July 1st-4th, Nantes, France, and continues now playing in more festivals and exhibitions: Over The Real - Lucca Film Festival Italy, The Wrong Biennale exhibition, BIDEODROMO in Bilbao Spain, and more

That response suggests that viewers can connect to visual experience at a very direct level.

What we learned

Working on this film reinforced the idea that images are not static objects. They are processes. They develop, unravel, and reform in ways that reflect how we see and remember. I learned to trust the material and to let the image guide the next step, rather than forcing it to fit a predetermined shape. Allowing mistakes and near-failures into the work helped it feel more human, not less.

What's next for MATERIALIVE

Beyond the screening and presentations already planned for the work in next coming months, there is potential for this approach to expand into installation formats, where video images can become physical in real spaces. I am also interested in continuing to explore where the transformation can evolve to, and in fact I have a new work in preparation. And in general I continue to refine how digital and organic elements can grow together in ways that feel alive.

Built With

• glitch
• kling
• stable-audio