Bulgari conquers artificial intelligence

«London is one of the most important cities internationally as a witness to the world of art and innovation. Being at the Saatchi gallery with a project like this one is part of our spirit». This is how Jean-Christophe Babin, ceo of Bulgari, explained to MFF the meaning of an experiment between art and tech. Next year Bulgari will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its iconic Serpenti bracelets, which have been tangled around the wrists of the rich and famous since Elizabeth Taylor wore them on the set of Cleopatra in 1962. But if a simple retrospective might have seemed the order of the day to celebrate this milestone, the Italian jeweler in the Lvmh galaxy has teamed up with Refik Anadol, a pioneer of digital sculpture produced with artificial intelligence (Ai), to kick off its celebrations in London. «Artificial intelligence developed by the artist will take visitors through the infinite complexities of an evolving snake, showing its continuous rebirth. It is the first step in a celebration that will continue in 2023».

The jeweler commissioned the artist to create an immersive installation that is hosted by the Saatchi gallery, following an initial step in Milan’s piazza Duomo last year. The installation Serpenti metamorphosis features digital artworks controlled by an AI that Anadol calls «Charlie». Refik Anadol (1985, Istanbul) is a media artist, creative director and pioneer in data aesthetics and machine intelligence. Taking the data around us as primary material and the neural network of a computerized mind as a collaborator, he offers radical visualizations of our digitized memories and expands the possibilities of architecture, narrative and the moving body. «Charlie» was sent over 200 million images of nature and, through machine learning, created an undulating image that mimics nature’s patterns to convey serpentine evolution. Projected inside an enclosed space, the experience is multisensory, with a soundtrack also generated by algorithms. The exhibition will be at the Saatchi gallery through December 23 in gallery 3, with free entry bookable on bulgari.com.

There is no shortage of olfactory stimulation, the result of a collaboration between Bulgari and Refik Anadol with Firmenich perfume designer Sophie Labbé and Integra fragrances. The perfume formula was suggested by «Charlie» after processing 500,000 perfume molecules. Thanks to artificial intelligence, the aim is to reveal the complexity behind the ever-changing nature of the snake, showing its infinite evolutions within a sound and olfactory pathway, created with Bulgari’s fragrance know-how. «This capacity for transformation is part of Bulgari’s Dna. Holding firmly to the past and its roots for a contemporary vision, projected toward the future».

The London event was attended by numerous guests, celebrities such as Lashana Lynch, Becky Hill, Jessica Kate Plummer, Sabrina Elba, Suki Waterhouse, James and Alizee Middleton, Fabien Frankel and Tom Hiddleston. As technologies such as AI open up creative possibilities and the Metaverse becomes a more attractive space for luxury brands to operate in, more and more jewelers are experimenting with ways to transplant one of the oldest luxuries into the digital word through digital art. After all, in an effort to develop and innovate, Bulgari recently participated in the sixth edition of Vivatech (see MFF of June 16), exhibiting digital projects dedicated to its luxury products during the days of Europe’s largest technology and startups fair.

In the Lvmh pavilion, the luxury group to which the maison has belonged since 2011, the Roman jeweler presented a patented Nft ecosystem of a watch, its first Nft creations of high jewelry, and the premiere of its Metaverse concept. Three projects that brought to light the brand’s new vision, which aims to transform the luxury universe through complex and innovative technologies in the service of easy and accessible yet curated experiences. In London, meanwhile, the exhibition also features a hypnotic display of Serpenti’s rarest jewelry, recovered from the archives. From the earliest Bulgari watches dating back to 1949, to the huge 94-carat Serpenti emerald necklace worn by Euphoria star Zendaya at the Cannes film festival in 2021. (All rights reserved)