An Experimental AI Visual Opera <PALAEROPIRA>

An experimental AI visual opera transforming classical aria into cinematic imagery with mystical voices created using ElevenLabs, also presented as a live gallery concert with improvisational piano.

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An Experimental AI Visual Opera: Palaeropira

Presented by

IUM SPACE

Artist Director

IUM [https://www.instagram.com/iumartist/]

Runtime

5 minutes

Logline

In the Artist's Palace lies an incomplete mystical score hidden within Palaeropira—not every hand may touch it, only the unmasked shall play.

Overview

Palaeropira is a 5-minute experimental AI visual opera that transforms traditional classical aria into cinematic narrative imagery. Voice narration created with ElevenLabs serves not merely as narration, but as a key dramatic element that drives the film's mystical atmosphere and emotional depth.

Two Experimental Approaches in This Work:

First Experiment: Genre Pioneering

Experimental films themed around classical music are currently rare in AI cinema. Palaeropira explores this uncharted territory by fusing AI technology with classical music tradition, proposing new possibilities for how AI art can intersect with classical art forms.

Second Experiment: Expansion Beyond the Screen

This work does not remain confined to the screen. The completed film becomes source material for a secondary experiment, where it is brought to life through live performance. Real-time collaboration between the finished Palaeropira film and spontaneous piano improvisation explores how cinematic narrative can evolve into living performance, proposing a new dialogue between AI art and human creativity.

Submission Contents:

The original completed film is submitted for this award, with the secondary experiment documented through links to live performance recordings and press coverage included as reference materials.

The Narrative

The Artist's Castle — The Incomplete Mystical Score

The piece tests its performers, choosing only those with true souls. The performer must reveal everything hidden behind the mask—flaws, traces of wounds, and the bare face of the soul.

The Journey from Castle to Sea

Those who perform Palaeropira find themselves at the border between desire and longing, shame and liberation, gradually consumed by the flames of madness. Yet the score, which no one could fully possess, finally leaves the castle and scatters toward the seashore.

Enlightenment

An artist who desperately yearned for this bewitching piece at last sheds tears of enlightenment on the beach of a remote island.

"The artist does not choose the piece—the piece chooses the artist."

Beyond the Screen: AI Film × Live Piano Collaboration

AI Art Gala Concert

August 21st, 2025 | Uncommon Gallery, Seoul, South Korea

Presented as part of IUM's solo AI art exhibition, Palaeropira evolved from film into experimental live concert, featuring three interconnected elements:

  1. Video Screening — IUM's Palaeropira AI visual opera
  2. Artist Talk — In-depth explanation of the creative vision
  3. Live Improvisation — Pianist Minji Song's spontaneous performance

The Experiment:

Within the film's narrative, musicians seek to perform the incomplete score hidden in Palaeropira's castle. In this live concert, pianist Minji Song embodied this narrative, interpreting IUM's completed film as a visual score and performing experimental improvisation in real-time while watching the video—blurring the boundary between the fictional world and reality.

Press Coverage:

Professor Nami Rhee from Hongik University commented:

"The work, with its story, visuals, and music all created by AI, provided an immersive experience like a musical film. Especially the performer's improvisational interaction demonstrated the infinite possibilities of AI art."

Additionally, audience member Hyunmin Kang responded with his own improvisational piano performance, creating a spontaneous celebration of shared artistic empathy.

Press Article:
Beyond Post, August 29, 2025
https://www.beyondpost.co.kr/view.php?ud=2025082816330655339aeda69934_30

Watch the live improvisation performance:
https://youtu.be/9JTi48t1yD4

Director's Note

As director, I orchestrated the complete production—from narrative development and character design to AI-generated imagery, music, voice, and final editing.

The voice narration crafted through ElevenLabs became central to the work's mystical atmosphere, transcending functional narration to embody Palaeropira's soul—a result that brought profound artistic satisfaction.

This work explores AI as a collaborative creative partner, where technology extends artistic intention rather than replacing human vision.

AI Tools Used

  • Visuals — Midjourney
  • Music — Suno
  • Voice Narration — ElevenLabs
  • Enhancement — VideoAI
  • Subtitles — ChatGPT, CapCut
  • Editing — Adobe Premiere

The voices created using ElevenLabs played a crucial role in establishing the work's atmospheric depth and mystical ambiance, significantly enhancing its artistic quality.

Accessibility

While the video features English dialogue and narration, Korean subtitles have been added to make the work accessible to a broader audience.

Future Development

Palaeropira will be developed into AI classical content for future performance repertoire, expanding the intersection of artificial intelligence and classical music tradition.

The plan includes transcribing Palaeropira's songs into musical scores for classical vocalists to perform, followed by screenings of the visual work—creating an integrated multimedia concert experience. This development represents a pioneering attempt to bridge the traditional classical music field, which has remained distant from AI, and to create a new classical genre born from human-AI collaboration.

These efforts are currently under discussion with DreamLife Classic, a classical concert production company.

Built With

  • capcut
  • elevenlabs
  • english
  • korean
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