Client: Chevron
Location: San Ramon, CA, United States
Completion date: 2024
Project Team
Art Direction
Marcus Guillard
LMNL Studio
Designer
Eduardo Teran
LMNL Studio
Narrative Direction
Jamie Shaw
LMNL Studio
Lead Technologist
Sorob Louie
LMNL Studio
Curation
Artsource Consulting
Overview
LMNL Studio proudly presents “Landscape, Dreaming,” a groundbreaking generative art installation commissioned by Chevron for their new headquarters. Spanning a striking 30-foot curved video wall, this immersive piece is a testament to innovation and artistic excellence, blending technology, human presence, and natural beauty in an unprecedented manner.
Concept and Execution:
At the heart of this installation lies a custom-built AI model, meticulously trained to interpret and transform the essence of the regional landscape. By integrating photographs of the local environment taken at dawn, midday, and dusk, the AI has learned to discern and replicate the unique palettes, flora, and topographies that define the San Ramon area. The result is a dynamic, real-time generative landscape that evolves with the natural light and ambiance outside the building, offering viewers an ever-changing visual symphony.
Human Elements:
In a celebration of Chevron’s workforce, every pixel particle in this digital tapestry is a cube whose “faces” hold portraits of the employees who inhabit this space. These portrait-bearing cubes create a mosaic that honors the human energy driving Chevron’s innovations and operations.
Goals
Project Goals: Landscape, Dreaming
State of the art generative work: To create a cutting-edge generative art installation that merges technology with artistic expression, showcasing the seamless integration of AI and human creativity.
Dynamic Environmental Reflection: To develop an AI model capable of interpreting and reflecting the local landscapes of San Ramon in real time, capturing the natural changes in light and scenery throughout the day.
Human-Centric Design: To honor and celebrate Chevron's workforce by incorporating employee portraits into the artwork, embedding their identities into the visual fabric of the installation.
Symbolic and Historical Connection: To weave Chevron’s rich history and symbology into the artwork by utilizing archival materials and historical artifacts, creating a narrative that connects past, present, and future.
Innovative Use of Technology: To leverage advanced AI technology to create an ever-evolving, non-literal landscape that offers viewers a continuously engaging and mesmerizing visual experience.
Synergy Between Human and Natural Worlds: To illustrate the harmony between human energy and the natural environment, fostering a deeper appreciation and connection for both within the context of Chevron’s headquarters.
Process
Working closely with Chevron and Artsource Consulting, LMNL hosted a workshop aimed at defining the goals of the project. Stakeholders expressed a goal to connect the energy of the people of Chevron with the energy that Chevron harnesses. LMNL was given access to the Chevron archive of images, hundreds of which were exported into a library to seed the custom AI engine developed by LMNL's technologists. LMNL also uploaded a volume of images taken around the San Ramon CA HQ as the data set for the AI engine to generate a new landscape every 2 minutes. The AI engine is now "dreaming" infinite new landscapes and using the images from the archive to create dimensional block pixels that become new scapes on the large LED screen. The piece will be enjoyed by visitors and employees at Chevron as an ever-changing, real time generated original work of art.