PROJECTS



The generative AI-based virtual reality work <8pm and the Cat>, produced by the Art & Technology Lab (AT Lab) at the Korea National University of Arts (K-Arts), has been officially invited to the Venice Immersive competition section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.

The piece tells the story of Haru, a cartoonist who loses their partner in a sudden accident in Itaewon. Director Choi Min-hyuk, a Master’s student in Multimedia and Video at K-Arts’ School of Film, TV & Multimedia, uses AI-powered real-time image and monologue generation technology to translate the grief of losing a loved one and the altered space-time of absence into a flow of emotions, inviting audiences to join Haru’s journey of mourning and remembrance.

Recognized as one of the most prestigious international festivals in film and advanced media, the Venice International Film Festival selected <8pm and the Cat> as the only Korean entry among works from 27 countries in this year’s Immersive section. The festival described it as “a creative and moving work that uses artificial intelligence in a poetic and delicate way to evoke deep emotions.”

<8pm and the Cat> was developed through a global exchange course organized by AT Lab in collaboration with students from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), where the prototype was created. It was later completed through the lab’s flagship production course and Creative Advancement Program.

Through this achievement, K-Arts AT Lab has once again demonstrated the global competitiveness of the university’s convergence-based education.