THE CAVERN

Inspiration

The Cavern is inspired by Plato’s Cave Allegory, revisited through today’s relationship with AI-generated images, deepfakes, probability-driven images, and the stories we build around them. I wanted to translate a heavy philosophical question into a pop-surreal visual language blending mid-century gelatin kitsch, analog collage energy, and a cosmic poem in a Sun Ra inspired vibe. The piece examines how images shape belief, how models encode bias, and how every “truth” we try to grasp is always a projection of a reality already translated by art and human sensitivity.

What it does

The film turns AI literacy into an aesthetic experience: a loop of shadows, data, illusions, and narratives presented in the form of an experimental music video. It uses pop colors, surrealist collage, jelly-like textures, and jazz-inspired rhythm to explain how our perception of reality is constructed through stories human made since the dawn of times. It makes a philosophical concept accessible through pop imagery and contemporary visual culture. And proposes a twist in the integration of Plato's Cave. Unlike in the original story, there is no "truth". But only a compilation of interpretations of truth. The Cavern is where all that we stream is consumed, created by perceptions of reality conveyed by artists, thinkers, politicians, media, bias. Not good or bad. Just as it is. And this is where resides the twist: there is no truth or real. There is only interpretation. AI is a capitalization of these perceptions. Antagonizing "real art" to AI makes absolutely no sense, because art is interpretation. The morality of this, is that: there is no spoon. Real or not real, this isn't the question. The cats in the video stand for the "digital lords". Because, as we all know: cats are the rulers of the Internet.

How we built it

The visuals were created using a Midjourney personalized model with a custom prompt framework mixing surreal collage, 1960s gelatin aesthetics, and contemporary pop sensibility crafted with the help of Chat GPT. The narrative structure follows six narrative chapters reflecting the stages of Plato’s cave, but retold through AI lens. The music was made with Eleven Labs with customed lyrics. I wanted to get something inspired by cosmic jazz, especially Sun Ra’s way of bending structure, rhythm, and perception to create an experimental visual poem with a philosophical twist. Animation was made entirely with the Dreamina 10 frame feature, and editing in Capcut where I added text, transitions and a few effects.

Challenges we ran into

None. This was the easiest workflow ever. I had this idea in the back of my mind for a while, it just felt like everything aligned to make it quick and easy.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Pushing this idea in the making! Sometimes I keep ideas in my idea-fridge too long and I forget about them. I also think the analogy between the Plato's Cave allegory and AI needs to be discussed more: and that's my purpose with this. I'm really proud of his concept because I've never heard anyone talk about it through this lens.

What we learned

The 10 frames interpolation in Dreamina was a game changer. I truly can't believe how good this is. I also appreciate the quality of the music generator in Eleven Labs. The sound is exactly what I was looking for. Editing in Capcut is so intuitive and fun. For someone coming from animation on Flash, Photoshop, After Effects and Premiere Pro, this is simply making my editing 100 % easier and efficient. I made this in less than 24 hours, which is mind-blowing.

What's next for The Cavern

I want to develop this AI Plato Cavern Allegory into posts on social media and use this as a base in talks in conferences I am invited to. I love to theorize AI - this comes from my philosophy background - and I think this is the most inspiring subject at the moment to reflect on. I am also considering a more narrative format for it. In short, this music video was the opportunity to "put it out there" before giving it more forms and formats.

Built With

• capcut
• dreamina
• eleven-labs
• midjourney