Urbanity of Images: An Ecology of Vision in the Modern City

Darío Negueruela del Castillo

In 2024, the project expanded its interdisciplinary exploration of multimodal foundation models, integrating theories from urban studies, semiotics, philosophy, and visual studies. Building upon and updating previous work, new collaborations enriched our understanding of these models’ latent spaces and their cultural implications.
Reconstructing the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili
Using a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) approach and advanced prompt engineering, we successfully reconstructed alternative narratives of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili with higher fidelity to the original style. This work, in collaboration with Andrea Alfarano, leveraged generative AI to delve deeper into early modern paradigms of vision. Additionally, we developed a new analytical framework based on embodied cognition applied to the reconstruction of Narrative Immanent Spaces. This framework was validated with Professor Alberto Pérez-Gómez, a renowned expert in Hypnerotomachia Poliphili and architectural history.
Machinic Mimesis and Recursive Translation Loops
We advanced our previous work on machinic mimesis within stacked multimodal machine learning models performing recursive translation loops between image and text. Updated computational and qualitative assessments were presented at XCOAX, highlighting the evolution of the generative autonomous loop. We discussed the implications for machinic agency and aesthetics, emphasizing the uncanny articulations produced through this mimetic process.
Implicit Urban Theory in Multimodal Models
Continuing our investigation with Iacopo Neri, we examined how multimodal foundation models interpret complex urban environments without domain specific training. Our findings revealed that these models inherently grasp urban dynamics, offering fresh insights into cityscapes and their underlying structures.
Latent Space as Multidimensional Potentiality
In partnership with Ludovica Schaerf, we investigated the latent space as both a multidimensional space of potentiality—drawing from Gilles Deleuze’s philosophy—and as an extensive cultural archive. This dual perspective emphasized the latent space's role in storing cultural data and enabling new, unanticipated connections and creations.
Advancing Digital Art History
In collaboration with Ana María Zapata Guzmán, we initiated a theoretical framework to update digital art history by incorporating contemporary notions and methods from visual studies. This effort addresses the rapid qualitative changes in the world of images, proposing new strategies to analyze and interpret digital art within today’s complex visual culture.