Latest news with #RefikAnadol


New York Times
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Digital artwork of Lionel Messi's favorite goal sold for $1.87M to mystery buyer
A Goal in Life: Messi x Refik Anadol, the artwork created by world renowned artist Refik Anadol using artificial intelligence, and inspired by global soccer star Lionel Messi's favorite goal, was auctioned at Christie's for $1.87 million on Tuesday. The auction house has not disclosed the identity of the buyer. Advertisement All proceeds from the auction will benefit the Inter Miami Foundation, which plans to use the funds to support a variety of charitable initiatives. This includes a partnership with UNICEF aimed at enhancing education programs in Argentina, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Haiti. In an exclusive interview with The Athletic before the auction, Anadol expressed his hope the sculpture won't disappear into private hands. 'This isn't just a collaboration between two people, it's a dialogue between two disciplines,' he said. 'It's not artist meets artist; it's sport meets art. And that's what makes it so fresh and powerful.' Anadol spent several weeks creating this one of a kind digital art project using machine and AI to reconstruct Messi's most personal favorite goal in 3D, effectively bringing a 16-year-old memory into the present with technology that didn't exist in 2009. The goal itself was a masterpiece. In 2009, a 22-year-old Messi was playing for Pep Guardiola's Barcelona against Manchester United, facing his future arch-rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, only weeks before the Portuguese star's move to Real Madrid that summer. In the 70th minute of the Champions League final in Rome's Stadio Olumpico, with Barcelona already up 1–0, Xavi Hernández floated a pinpoint cross into the box. Despite standing just 5 ft 7 in (1.65 meters) tall, Messi (nicknamed La Pulga, 'the Flea' in English for his small stature,) rose above the towering 6'2' Rio Ferdinand and met the ball with a perfectly timed header, sending it curling into the far corner of the net. He leapt so high his boot flew off, but it didn't matter. With arms outstretched and a grin of disbelief, Messi celebrated a goal that would go down in history. 'It's hard to choose just one, there have been so many,' Messi told the crew who interviewed him a few months ago in an interview that has not been shared with the public until now. 'That goal is my favorite,' he smiled. 'It was the most beautiful and unique, because it was a header, I jumped really high, which is rare for me,' he explained. Advertisement 'To see a work of art born from Messi's most cherished goal not only captivate thousands of visitors but also generate vital support for children's education across Latin America and the Caribbean is profoundly moving,' Ximena Caminos, the curator who facilitated the collaboration, said in a statement after the auction. 'This sale is a testament to the power of art, technology, and sport to create real-world impact. We hope this is just the beginning — that many more around the world will have the chance to experience this emotional, immersive journey into memory, movement, and meaning.' Anadol's work has been on display at Christie's New York in Rockefeller Center since July 12, coinciding with Christie's 10th Art+Tech Summit Over ten days, thousands of soccer fans, collectors and art lovers experienced the artwork in person according to Sebastian Sanchez, Christie's manager of digital sales. The bid started at $1.5million (£1.1m). This is not Anadol's first charity sale. Three years ago, Christie's sold another mutant digital sculpture he created inspired by Gaudí's Casa Batlló for $1,380,000. A few years later, in 2024 a collection of six shirts worn by Lionel Messi during the 2022 World Cup became the most expensive sports memorabilia sold that year after being bought at auction for $7.8million (£6.1m). In terms of the future of A Goal in Life, the public displays ended with the auction. The buyer of this one of a kind 20 feet by 12 feet digital art piece will be able to work with the artist's studio to install the piece wherever they choose, providing their own hardware.


Time Out
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
An immersive floral fantasy has taken over ARTECHOUSE in Chelsea
This summer in New York City, experience the unbelievable beauty of nature—without actually having to go outside. Head over to ARTECHOUSE in Chelsea Market now until Labor Day and immerse yourself in a new botanically inspired multi-sensory exhibition, " Blooming Wonders." This pixelated ever-moving landscape featuring psychedelic pink daises, fluttering butterflies and some abstract surpises is accompanied by calming, dreamlike ambient music. The new 40-minute experience lets you hang out inside the 270-degree, floor-to-ceiling 18K-resolution digital canvas inside of the historic market's 100-year-old boiler room, while experiencing the fleeting beauty of spring and summer blooms come to life with immersive, interactive technology. While you're there, don't forget to grab a "Blooming"-inspired drink from the bar upstairs, like their take on an Aperol Spritz (think less Aperol and more "peachy" flavors). After drinks, head downstairs into the main room, find a floor cushion or open bench, enjoy some air-conditioning and get lost in the rich florals. Once you've finished the experience in the main gallery, you can head back upstairs past the bar to the small gallery on display, where you can find two different video games set up for you to mess around with. You can also get a bird's-eye view of the main room over the balcony while you're up there. Plus, it's a great excuse to partake in some shameless people-watching. "Blooming Wonders" builds upon ARTECHOUSE's established history of collaboration between artists (like Refik Anadol, Yuko Shimizu, and Vince Fraser) and outside collaborators (Pantone, the United Nations Foundation, the Society for Neuroscience, and the Nobel Prize Museum) with ARTECHOUSE's own team of designers, architects, producers and storytellers. Together, they are able to bring new concepts to life—making ARTECHOUSE an innovative leader in digital and experiential art. So if you need a break from the heat of the city and are looking for an indoor activity for the day, "Blooming Wonders" is a must-see. You can grab some lunch in Chelsea Market after, or go back for round two at ARTECHOUSE and see their other summer experience: " Rolling Stone Presents: Amplified, The Immersive Rock Experience." General admission tickets start at $24.50. For children, ages 15 and under, tickets are $18 for time-slots before 6pm. Discounted rates are also available for students, seniors, military, first responders, and small groups of 4-9 people. and on site at the venue.


New York Times
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
How Lionel Messi's favorite goal became immortalized in art
NEW YORK – The towering 20-by-12-foot structure rises like a digital monolith inside Christie's Woods Room, just steps from the historic auction house's marble-clad lobby at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, a space that has previously showcased icons such as Louise Bourgeois, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol. Advertisement If this is a place where artwork comes to life, its latest inhabitant functions as a digital portal, an immersive gateway that collapses time, fusing past and future in a cascade of visuals that feel ripped from The Matrix movies. This work bridges two worlds that have long existed apart: the tribal passion of soccer and the cerebral, curated realm of fine art. The artist involved, Refik Anadol, will tell you plainly he wasn't a fan of the sport that draws billions of people together around the globe. As a boy growing up in Istanbul, he watched an occasional Beşiktaş derby against Galatasaray with his uncle, a diehard fan, but for the world-renowned media artist behind some of the most ambitious AI-driven installations of the last decade, football was always a backdrop rather than an obsession. Until Lionel Messi. Anadol knew who Messi was, but his interest was less in the global football icon who has won eight Ballons d'Or, the annual award given to the sport's best player over the previous 12 months, but more in his impact on the world. 'Messi the maestro', as Anadol calls him. A once-in-a-generation talent whose brilliance on the pitch transcends sport and bleeds into something more elemental. So when the charitable foundation of Inter Miami, the Major League Soccer club Messi now plays for, and Christie's approached him – via curator Ximena Caminos – with an proposal to reimagine the Argentine's choice as the most meaningful goal of his long and glittering career as a generative data sculpture, Anadol saw an opportunity. 'Art has always been an incredible catalyst to amplify messages that are relevant to this moment,' Caminos told The Athletic. Anadol knew from the beginning that his job was not to document a goal from a sporting perspective, but to transform it into a living memory of a moment from thousands of different angles. 'This wasn't about replaying the moment,' Anadol told The Athletic. 'It was about reconstructing a memory, in this case his memory, through data, emotion and space.' The result is a first-of-its-kind artwork titled 'Living Memory Messi — A Goal in Life', which will be auctioned at Christie's New York at the end of this month for charity. The installation reimagines Messi's header against Manchester United in the 2009 UEFA Champions League final, a moment the player himself selected as the most meaningful of his 800-plus goals. Advertisement 'It's hard to choose just one, there have been so many,' Messi told the crew who interviewed him a few months ago in an interview that has not been shared with the public until now. Out of all his goals, that second-half header which sealed Barcelona's third European Cup/Champions League title stands out as a defining moment in his 21-year professional career. 'That goal is my favorite,' he smiled. 'It was the most beautiful and unique, because it was a header (Messi, famously, is only 5ft 7in/170cm tall). I jumped really high, which is rare for me.' Played on a balmy May evening in Rome's Stadio Olimpico, the match was billed as a clash of titans: Pep Guardiola's Barcelona, a team that was reshaping modern football with their slick, possession-based style, up against Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, one of the most successful and valuable clubs in the world, the defending European champions and still brimming with attacking firepower. Messi was already a star in 2009. Then 22, he was fast and unmistakably gifted. But he was still in the process of evolving from prodigy to legend. The pressure was immense. He not only had to dazzle, but to deliver. The world was watching to see if La Pulga (The Flea, a reference to his size), the boy wonder, could rise under the spotlight and cement his name among the game's immortals. And he delivered. In the 70th minute of the final, with Barcelona already leading 1–0, Xavi Hernández floated a precise, looping cross into United's penalty area. What happened next stunned even Messi's most faithful fans. The diminutive Argentine ghosted between defenders, leapt high behind 6ft 2in center back Rio Ferdinand and met the ball with a perfect header, looping it past goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar into the far corner of the net. It was Messi's first headed goal of the season in his 51st appearance. He ran toward the corner flag, arms outstretched, grinning in disbelief. Advertisement 'I did not overthink it, it just came to me naturally,' Messi explained. 'I simply jumped, connected with the ball the way I always do and it turned into a goal.' Messi's feelings for this goal come across as a mixture of pride, fondness and perhaps a bit of disbelief. He does not dramatize it, but you can tell it holds deep personal meaning. It's not just a beautiful goal, it is a rare moment that defied his usual style yet captured everything great about him: instinct, timing, precision and execution under pressure. 'I never thought it was the hardest goal I scored, it certainly was the most important and most memorable one,' he said. That goal sealed Barcelona's 2–0 victory, completing a historic first treble for the Catalan club, to go with winning the title and domestic cup back in Spain, and marking Messi's arrival as a player who would go on to define an era. 'To me, that header is not just a goal,' Anadol said. 'It's a portal. A moment where a boy became a maestro.' Over two decades, Messi has authored one of the most storied careers in the history of sport. With Barcelona, he lifted four Champions League titles and 10 La Liga trophies, and broke the record for most Ballons d'Or wins. His rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo of Barca's biggest domestic competitors Real Madrid dominated global headlines for more than 10 years, while his singular style, low center of gravity and surgical left foot redefined what it meant to be a No 10 in this sport. When Messi left Barcelona in 2021, due to financial constraints at the club, it marked the end of an era. Joining Paris Saint-Germain, he added more silverware, but it was his World Cup win with Argentina in 2022 that delivered the final validation for many, especially those in his homeland – a crowning achievement that elevated him beyond greatness. Anadol's challenge wasn't simply to recreate Messi's header, it was to transform it into something never seen before. 'Memory means something very different in this context,' he explained. 'Every goal is a memory for him. But for Messi to choose the most meaningful one feels deeply significant.' For Anadol, that's Messi's gift to this project: offering up this moment from his life to raise awareness and hopefully generate funding for something good. Advertisement 'That connection really matters to me,' Anadol said. 'And I think, in his mind, it does too.' With his team of engineers and researchers, Anadol reconstructed the goal using footage from UEFA, European football's governing body (which he points out is only two-dimensional), player tracking data and machine learning algorithms. From there, his team used machine learning and AI to reconstruct the moment in 3D, essentially bringing a 16-year-old memory into the present with technology that didn't exist in 2009. Every frame and every movement was rebuilt mathematically: the speed and trajectory of the ball, the positions and motions of every player, the fluid coordination of the team. It's not just watching the goal, it's AI rewatching it, filling in the gaps and analyzing the physics and decision-making embedded in those few seconds. Beyond the data, Messi's eight-minute interview reflecting on the goal, what he felt and why it mattered, was used to create the soundtrack. 'We analyzed his voice, facial expressions, and emotional cues to layer those feelings into the project,' Anadol explained. 'The result isn't just a digital artwork, it's a data sculpture. Not bronze or marble, but a fully immersive, architectural-scale installation.' Inside the installation — a mirrored, immersive room — the lines between viewer, data and memory blur. Visitors become part of the piece, surrounded by a living, breathing sculpture of movement, light and sound. Stadium noise echoes. Commentary loops. Messi's own heartbeat mixes with ambient audio to create what Anadol calls a 'memory soundscape'. 'When you walk in, it feels like stepping into Messi's memory — part sculpture, part science-fiction,' he said. 'The space becomes a canvas, and the architecture itself transforms into a living painting, textured with Messi's emotions and layered with data. It's a completely new kind of storytelling.' For Anadol, whose past works have ranged from Alzheimer's awareness installations to partnerships with NASA and SpaceX, the project marks a fresh kind of collaboration — one between two masters of completely different mediums. 'I don't see Messi as an artist,' he said. 'I see him as a maestro. He orchestrates space and time in ways that defy logic. I paint with data. He paints with motion.' As the first edition of FIFA's expanded version of the Club World Cup wraps up in the New York area with the final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday, 'The Greatest Goal' has arrived at the perfect time. A year from now, the World Cup final will be played there at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, too. Advertisement Until July 22, the artwork will be up for auction online by Christie's, with 100 per cent of proceeds benefitting the Inter Miami Foundation over a range of charitable initiatives, including its partnership with UNICEF, which supports access to quality education programs in Argentina, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Haiti. The bids were to start at $1.5million (£1.1m), but Anadol hopes the sculpture won't disappear into private hands. 'This isn't just a collaboration between two people, it's a dialogue between two disciplines,' he said. 'It's not artist meets artist; it's sport meets art. And that's what makes it so fresh and powerful.'
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Travel + Leisure
30-06-2025
- Travel + Leisure
This Waterfront Luxury Resort in Bodrum, Turkey, Is One of the Best New Hotels of the Year—and It Has a Caviar Kaspia
The hotel has a fleet of Axopar water taxis and Mazu 52 superyachts, available for excursions, airport transfers, or just a leisurely cruise around the peninsula. The resort has three stunning pools that enhance the sense of being immersed in nature. In the guest rooms, lights are controlled by timers that detect when a guest leaves, returns, or goes to sleep, which is both efficient and sustainable. Upon check-in, each guest is assigned a personal assistant, available 24/7, who can arrange anything from buggy or laundry pickup to restaurant reservations. While a soft Aegean breeze sifted through the chic open-air lobby at Maxx Royal Bodrum, I was mesmerized by a digital artwork by American-Turkish artist Refik Anadol that spans an entire wall and swirls in neon blends of blues, greens, and tangerines. The installation, one of many world-class artworks in the resort, signposts the hotel's commitment to creativity and amplifies the Bodrum peninsula's lush, leafy landscape and watery surroundings. 'It all starts with the lobby,' says Mahmut Anlar, the hotel's architect. 'Simple, minimal, sophisticated, like a clear glass vase, where all of nature is in view." His Istanbul-based studio, GEOMIM, conceived and designed the 28-acre resort, with interiors by his sister firm, GEO_ID. From the space's elevated perch, the expanse of the resort cascades down the sides of a shallow valley to a private shimmering bay and a curving white sand beach. The knockout space is a beguiling preview of the many other masterstrokes I would encounter throughout the hotel. Meticulously considered details reveal themselves bit by bit, so that by checkout time, guests have a sense of discovery. 'When guests leave, I want them to say, 'I have to come back,' says Anlar. For example, the pattern carved into the creamy marble sides of the Lounge Bar is identical to that in the intricate iroko wood ceiling. And the greenish diabase stone used around the pools was selected to match the exact color of the sea when illuminated by sunlight. In a destination that has become synonymous with the sun-seeking, globe-trotting beau monde , the newest, most glamorous resort is from Turkey's own hospitality innovator, Maxx Royal Resorts. In recent years, international standouts Edition, Aman, Mandarin Oriental, and Six Senses, among others, have all planted roots in Bodrum (Bulgari is currently under construction). But despite its pedigree and coastal Aegean bearings, Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort, which opened in May 2024 on the north end of the peninsula, is very much a cosmopolitan luxury resort. This is evoked in bold fashion by its many on-site partnerships with global gastronomy and hospitality superstars, including Caviar Kaspia, Spago by Wolfgang Puck, The Maine, and the iconic Mykonos lifestyle brand Scorpios, that nests on one edge of the little bay and offers grown-up, late-night sizzle. The Refik Anadol art installation in the resort lobby. Courtesy of Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort And yet, it was a welcome gesture of authenticity when Erhan Ozdemir, manager at the restaurant Twenty4, introduced me to his country's adored breakfast combination: a warm simit, a Turkish pretzel, slathered with kaymak, a rich clotted cream, then doused with honey scooped from a local honeycomb. On the balcony in my room, I plowed through a bowl of native green satsuma oranges, one of Bodrum's sweetest pleasures. Although there is nothing low-key about the arrestingly beautiful Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort, it was designed with the intention of eventually merging with—or even disappearing behind—the cover of nature. The hotel is planted throughout with fresh greenery, including oleander, Nile lilies, pomegranate, and Spanish olive trees. Buggies—there are 67 of them available to guests—ferried me up and down the gentle hills, which added a sense of adventure to this green and sprawling place. I never felt swallowed up despite its vastness. In fact, with so many spots to sip a mocktail, read a book, or slip into the water, the hotel felt surprisingly cozy. Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort is not merely a design bravura showpiece, but a rare luxury hotel where the personalized service is warmhearted, rather than condescending. It is also a place where I could meander in flip-flops from pool to pool, each more stunning than the next. Inevitably, I wound up at the beach for a dip in the impossibly clear bay and an iced cappuccino. Below is my review of Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort in Turkey. The interior of one of the Four Bedroom Villa's. Courtesy of Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort The 282 guest rooms and suites, each with large Aegean-facing windows and doors that open onto spacious patios or balconies, are designed to harmonize with the surrounding gardens and greenery, as well as the alluring backdrop of the sea and sky. Villas range from two to five bedrooms and feature private seawater pools, lush gardens, and breathtaking vistas of the cobalt bay. Most coveted are the Laguna rooms and suites. All are situated alongside an ingeniously undulating saltwater pool, which adds to the sensation of floating above the property. The terrace at the Maxx Laguna Studio guest room. Fevzi Ondu/Courtesy of Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort Simple, smartly deployed materials gave sophistication to the rooms. My entry-level suite was a study in elegance and comfort, with a soothing tableau of sea-green striated Turkish marble on the vanity, organic linen curtains, a beautiful, locally sourced wooden coffee table (I wished I could have taken it home with me), and a comfortable sofa upholstered in an earthy bronze-hued fabric. The floor was painted neutral gray and included a short step down to the sitting area, which could be hard to see with the Mediterranean sun pouring inside. I loved the pillow menu and Diptyque toiletries, the spacious exposed closet, and the chic mint-green tote that I carried all day. The scenic views from Spago by Wolfgang Puck. Fevzi Ondu/Courtesy of Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort is gastronomically off the charts. With seven restaurants, a French patisserie, four bars, and an ice cream parlor, there are culinary options that fit every mood. Beachy, Latin-infused Casa Sol serves up guacamole, crispy woodfired flatbreads, and grilled meat and fish. After a swim, I walked, barefoot, for lunch there and enjoyed short rib empanadas and a beet and yogurt salad in the shade of a Monterey pine. Le Melange is a pastry boutique that felt like an exquisite jewelry store. Every sculpted pastry prepared by chef Cédric de Lima e Sousa was tempting, and I opted for a kefir cake with peanuts—both staples in the Turkish diet, turned into a refined delicacy. Artisanal chocolates were arranged like arrays of gemstones, almost too beautiful to eat. I'm not a lover of caviar, but dinner at the teal-hued Caviar Kaspia was lovely, with perfectly cooked salmon around a fresh, spice-infused salad. Right across the bay, one of Bernar Venet's monumental steel sculptures was illuminated in the darkness, reminding me of the extraordinary slice of real estate the resort occupies. The handsome dining room at Spago by Wolfgang Puck seems to be cantilevered right above the water, and I watched darkness fall while I scooped addictive house-made labneh and red pepper hummus with pillowy rounds of bread. Luckily, I had room for grilled lamb chops in a minty vinaigrette. Lounge chairs line the resort's indoor pool. Fevzi Ondu/Courtesy of Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort There are numerous hiking trails in the vicinity of the resort. Bikes are available for rent, allowing guests to explore the peninsula on two wheels. The resort offers scuba diving lessons, snorkeling, and yacht tours. But the sheer abundance of swimming pools, beachside lounges, restaurants, luxury boutiques (for Marni bags and Zimmermann frocks), and a lifetime of possibilities at the Maxx Wellbeing Center might make you want to stay put within the resort walls. Private spa suites inside the Maxx Wellbeing Center. Courtesy of Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort The 62,000 square-foot Maxx Wellbeing Centre is a universe of wellness, starting with the floors, where soft white pebbles are set in a Turkish podima mosaic, providing a warm-up massage for your feet. The rose-scented space covers a mind-boggling array of treatments and features cutting-edge facilities. From the simplicity of an indoor Olympic-sized swimming pool that seems to emerge from the gardens, the spa reveals itself as a swoon-worthy shrine to well-being and fitness. There are Pilates reformers, a Spin studio, flotation tanks, a cryotherapy bed, ozone and sleep therapy beds, a shiny new hammam, and 20 treatment rooms. A Santa Maria Novella massage relaxed my muscles, but for deeper work, the spa, along with the Longevity Clinic there, can prepare a multi-day bespoke program. This might include treatments for detox, anti-aging, infrared pain management, and Dorn therapy, which aims to realign the bones and improve posture. The over 12,000-square-foot Maxxi Land kids' club (for children aged one to 11 years old) is a gorgeously rendered wonderland of undulating blonde wood walls, life-sized resin giraffes, arts and crafts rooms, and even a sleep room with stylish cribs. Children can enjoy creative workshops or stage a mini disco in the theater, while their parents dance and enjoy craft cocktails under the moonlight at Scorpios. Several of the 775-square-foot guest rooms are ADA-compliant. The buildings that house the rooms and villas are equipped with elevators; however, movement between buildings may require using alternative pathways that do not have continuous elevator service. The beach-level area, which includes the pools and restaurants, is furnished with ramps, while wide walkways provide easy access for strollers. The resort is hilly, and it can be difficult to fold a walker or wheelchair into a buggy, which are the primary ways of getting around. The scenic facade of the resort and laguna pool. Courtesy of Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort The resort is 50 miles from the regional Milas-Bodrum Airport (BJV), and transport can be arranged with the concierge. Several flights travel daily to and from Istanbul, and the airport also services London, Paris, and Zurich, among others. For the curious, and for comfort's sake, a fleet of five Maseratis—the Italian sports car brand is another partner of Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort—is on hand to borrow on a first-come, first-served basis, and guests can explore the historic heart of Bodrum, 30 minutes away. The resort's proximity to the whitewashed, bougainvillea-covered fishing town and its rowdy portside restaurants allows engagement with the region's fascinating ancient heritage (a tub of fig ice cream at local favorite Bitez can hold a guest over before dinner at the resort). The medieval Bodrum Castle has stood rock-solid on a promontory for over 600 years and is one of the last fortresses built in Turkey by the Crusaders. Also worth a visit are the stony remains at the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The spectacularly preserved Roman ruins at the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Ephesus and Hierapolis, along with the adjacent travertine baths at Pamukkale, are both day trips and can be arranged by the hotel. The billionaire playground of Yalikavak is 25 minutes west from the hotel; here you can pick up an extra pair of Hermès slides or a Louis Vuitton tote, or have a look at some impressive yachts in the marina. Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort is one of three Maxx Royal resorts (with a new one under construction in the Maldives), and participates in the company's multi-tier Royalty by Maxx Royal loyalty program. The resort is also a member of Leading Hotels of the World, so Leaders Club members enjoy exclusive on-site benefits and upgrades. For more offers and discounts, check out the resort's website. Nightly rates at Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort start from €1,000 ($1,161 USD) for a luxury suite with a sea view. Every T+L hotel review is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed at the property, and each hotel selected aligns with our core values.


Hindustan Times
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
AI as a co-creator: How artists and writers are embracing unexpected collaborations
Creativity is no longer exclusively human. Around the world, artists, writers, and musicians are partnering with artificial intelligence to produce works that surprise, challenge, and inspire. These collaborations result in art, music, and stories that neither humans nor machines could create alone, reshaping the creative landscape in ways we're only beginning to grasp. Digital artist Refik Anadol uses AI to turn massive datasets into visual installations. His project Machine Hallucinations transforms raw data into dreamlike animations. He achieved this feat with AI's ability to recognise patterns and translate them into new forms. Robin Sloan did a similar experiment in literature for his project, The Sourdough. He used AI to brainstorm ideas and co-write passages, blending human intuition with mechanical creativity. As a result, he got stories that felt familiar while also being refreshingly unexpected. Musicians are jumping onto the AI bandwagon too. Singer-songwriter Taryn Southern released I AM AI, an album where elements like lyrics and melodies were crafted with AI tools. The project intertwines human emotion with machine-generated sound, exhibiting AI's potential as more than just a tool but as an active collaborator. These projects spark many important debates and raise several questions in people's minds. Who takes ownership and credit of a piece created as a result of both human and AI efforts? Should you get a chance to file copyright of AI-generated work, or is it reserved for someone who is driving the machine? Some fear AI might overshadow human creativity, while others see it as a way to push boundaries and explore uncharted ideas. Bias is another major concern. AI models learn from existing data, which can often include stereotypes or limitations. Creators need to stay vigilant, ensuring the works reflect diverse perspectives and avoid reinforcing harmful norms. The future of AI-human partnerships looks promising, even with these challenges in place. Tools like Midjourney, ChatGPT, ElevenLabs and others are making it easier for anyone to experiment with AI as a creative partner. These collaborations aren't about replacing human creativity, they're about expanding it, unlocking new styles, stories, and sounds that were unimaginable just a few years ago. As artists and writers continue exploring this front, one thing is clear: the most exciting work happens when human imagination meets machine intelligence, each contributing something unique to the process.