fuse*

Data + AI

Founded in 2007, fuse* is an artistic studio dedicated to exploring the creative potential of contemporary technologies and their profound influence on how we live, think, and connect with the world.Led by founders Mattia Carretti (b. 1981, Italy) and Luca Camellini (b. 1981, Italy), the studio brings together a multidisciplinary group of artists, architects, engineers, and designers who collaborate to create innovative projects, artworks, shows, and exhibitions while simultaneously dedicating themselves to research and experimentation. Inspired by the observation of social and natural phenomena and fueled by scientific discoveries and research, fuse* works evolve through collaborations with specialists and research centers, integrating advanced knowledge and diverse ways of thinking. Known for large-scale installations and live performances, the studio constantly experiments with new relationships between the physical, digital, natural, and artificial, exploring a wide range of artistic media, including sculpture, print, video, light, and sound. Each work aims to transform the artistic experience into a powerful tool for change and knowledge-sharing, encouraging audiences to listen to and observe the world, nature, themselves, and others with renewed curiosity and empathy. We spoke to fuse* about their vision and incredible work with technology.

1. What is fuse*’s vision?

We founded fuse* in 2007 as a space for research and experimentation, dedicated to exploring the boundaries between art and science, the natural and the artificial, the real and the virtual. From the very beginning, we have been guided by the belief that contemporary technologies are not merely tools, but systems that profoundly shape our lives, increasingly influencing the way we think, perceive, and relate to one another. With this awareness, we use technology not only for its expressive potential but also as a means of inquiry.

Our works emerge from the observation of natural and social phenomena, from a deep curiosity toward scientific discoveries, and from the desire to weave together diverse perspectives through collaborations with experts across distant fields. Within this horizon, fuse* does not seek to create purely aesthetic experiences, but to develop art capable of generating knowledge, awareness, and new forms of sensitivity.

Each project is conceived as an invitation to slow down, to listen, and to expand one’s gaze: toward the natural ecosystem, the fragility and resilience of vital processes, and the possibilities of coexistence between human, digital, and non-human. At the heart of our vision lies the idea of art as a transformative experience, capable of nurturing empathy and connection.

Ultimately, we envision art as a tool for social change: not a means to provide ready-made answers, but to generate questions, encourage cross-pollination of knowledge, and open new possibilities for shared imagination.

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2. How is the studio using emerging technologies to engage with our world?

For us, emerging technologies are not simply tools for producing spectacular images, but languages that enable us to observe and translate what often remains hidden. They allow us to reveal dynamics that are too complex, too slow, or too vast for human perception, such as ecological processes, social behaviors, or even the invisible flows of data that shape our everyday lives.

At the same time, our approach to technology is never celebratory or uncritical. We are not interested in showcasing the latest tool for its own sake; what matters to us is asking why a certain technology should be used, and how it can truly serve the story we want to tell. In this sense, technology is not the subject, but a medium that we constantly question to ensure it deepens, rather than distracts from, the experience.

As said, we use technologies both as expressive mediums and as instruments of inquiry. By combining digital systems with natural and human processes, we aim to create experiences that resonate on an emotional level while broadening our awareness of the world we inhabit. In this way, technology becomes a bridge: rather than distancing us from reality, it reconnects us to it, inviting us to look again at what surrounds us with renewed attention and sensitivity.

3. What interests fuse* about using data sets and artificial intelligence ?

What fascinates us about working with datasets and artificial intelligence is the possibility to engage with complexity. These systems often contain traces of phenomena that go far beyond individual perception: collective behaviours, ecological dynamics, or cultural memories layered over time.

In Onirica (), for example, we worked with more than 28,000 dream reports collected by researchers at the University of Bologna and the University of California. Each dream was translated, processed through natural language models, and then transformed into images and sequences using machine learning and diffusion models. In this case, what fascinated us was the possibility of turning something as intangible and intimate as a dream into a shared, collective experience, bridging the gap between scientific research and artistic imagination.

By translating such information into visual, sonic, or performative experiences, we can reveal hidden structures and give form to something larger than ourselves. This is an approach that we find profoundly compelling and rich in expressive potential.

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4. How would you describe the relationship between art and innovation?

For us, the relationship between art and innovation is one of continuous exchange. Innovation offers new languages, materials, and ways of perceiving and narrating reality. At the same time, art challenges innovation to go beyond functionality or efficiency, questioning its purpose and exploring its cultural, ethical, and emotional dimensions.

We are not interested in innovation as novelty for its own sake, but in how it can expand our capacity to see, to feel, and to imagine. In this sense, art gives technology depth and meaning, while technology opens new horizons for artistic expression. Their encounter creates fertile ground where experimentation can generate new forms of knowledge and new sensitivities.

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5. What do you want the viewer to take away from your works?

Rather than conveying a fixed message, we want our works to offer an experience that expands people’s perception. Our aim is to inspire curiosity and sensitivity, to bring attention to what is often overlooked, and to spark imagination toward new possibilities. We believe art is not only about aesthetics, but also about creating cultural and social impact, building connections, and encouraging reflection. In the end, if someone walks away with a sense of wonder or with the feeling of being part of something larger, then the work has done its job.

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