Hanami project is an aesthetic interpretation of the sakura meditation, within the problems of temporality in ethnic cultures through digital methods. The project uses neural network StyleGAN2 with the dataset of sakura flowers from Russky Island, traditional Japanese hokku reproduced by the Google translator for subsequent translation of the neural network into a new sound maintaining the rhythm of intonations.

In Asian countries, cherry blossoms have an important role in traditional culture. The symbolism of this phenomenon is mostly relevant in Japan, where the transience flow of life is associated with the contemplation of cherry blossoms.

The “finiteness” of beauty, its inevitable death, on the one hand, reminds us of the human life limits, and on the other hand, induces us to humbly reside our personal experience, focusing on opportunities to see the beauty.

The Russian Far East locates at the crossroads of cultures, where flora and fauna reflect many countries of the Asia-Pacific region. Therefore, the spread of biological forms carries out the transfer of cultural perception and the need to rethink its phenomena. The project focuses on the value of biodiversity in local cultures and their symbolic interpolation in other countries and regions.

CREDITS
Project by Konstantin Diachkov, Polina Aleshchenko
Led by Helena Nikonole

Made in Far Eastern Federal University, –Da. Master Program in Digital Art. School of Digital Economics.