Category: Erasmus+

From April 27 to 29, AANT took part in the International Days hosted by the Artevelde University of Applied Sciences in Ghent, Belgium, as part of the Erasmus activities dedicated to international exchange among students, lecturers and European academic institutions.

Representing the Rome-based Academy was Valerio Di Paola, lecturer and coordinator of the Diploma course in Videomaking, Story, Cinema and Media Design, invited by the Department of Communication, Media and Design of the Belgian university to deliver the lecture and workshop “Populism on Screen: Cinema, TV and AI-driven Communication”.

The event offered a reflection on the relationship between audiovisual languages, political communication and generative artificial intelligence, exploring how cinema, television series and advertising contribute today to the construction of collective imagination and dynamics of consensus. Through examples drawn from contemporary visual culture, the workshop examined the growing role of entertainment within political narratives and the impact of AI on communication processes in the post-truth era, characterized by narrative fragmentation, hyperconnectivity and new forms of representation of identity and conflict.

The Erasmus experience in Ghent also provided an opportunity for international discussion around GeniaLAB, AANT’s research hub dedicated to the intersection of artificial intelligence, digital culture and design practices. The dialogue with students and lecturers from different European contexts opened new perspectives for research and collaboration on the ongoing transformations in visual communication, audiovisual culture and contemporary design.

From April 27 to 30, a group of students from AANT Academy’s Bachelor’s Degree programs in Art Direction, Advertising, and Graphic Design took part in the Blended Intensive Programme “Summer of Branding”, organized by Artevelde University of Applied Sciences in Ghent.

The experience involved Alessandro Arnold, Francesco Cimmino, Giorgia Sofia Fede, Giuseppe Maria Falso, Enrico Pezzali, Luca Porfirio, Nicolò Portarelli, Carlo Renato Popescu, Giulia Ragusa, and Viola Rinaldi, accompanied by lecturers Daniel Bedusa and Antonio De Falco.

During the intensive week, students collaborated with participants from partner European universities, working in international teams designed to encourage the exchange of different approaches, skills, and creative perspectives.

The core of the workshop focused on analyzing and reinterpreting selected locations in the city of Ghent through branding and visual communication tools. The project required direct observation, on-site research, and the ability to transform urban, historical, and cultural elements into contemporary visual narratives. Alongside the design activities, the programme included meetings with industry professionals, typography workshops, cultural visits, and moments of urban exploration, offering students an immersive experience within the creative landscape of the Belgian city. Activities also included a visit to Ghent’s Industry Museum and a workshop dedicated to letterpress printing, where participants experimented with analog processes and traditional composition techniques.

For the students of the Rome-based Academy, the BIP represented a valuable opportunity for international exchange, creative and professional growth, and the development of an increasingly open and collaborative design practice capable of connecting design, storytelling, and cultural identity.

From March 30 to April 3, a group of students from AANT – Academy of Arts and New Technologies took part in the Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) at Artevelde University of Applied Sciences in Ghent, engaging in an international learning experience focused on creativity, collaboration, and experimentation.

The project involved Gaia Piersanti, Gaia Amoruso, Ludovica Petrella, Aurora Iodice, Elena Costantini, and Giulia Zamboni, accompanied by professors Luana Fedele and Alessandra Reggiani. In a dynamic and multicultural environment, the students worked alongside international teams to explore the narrative and communication potential of some of Belgium’s major cities: Ghent, Ostend, and Antwerp.

At the core of the experience were city marketing and storytelling applied to urban contexts: participants analyzed cultural identities, historical heritage, and contemporary atmospheres, transforming them into visual and multimedia narratives designed for a young audience.

Through the creation of content such as photo series, videos, and blogs, the students of Interior & Product Design e Videomaking, Story, Cinema e Media Design developed advanced creative storytelling skills, while also strengthening teamwork and strategic planning abilities. The programme concluded with the presentation of the projects to an expert jury, representing a key moment for professional feedback and critical development.

Beyond the academic dimension, the BIP offered an immersive experience within the Belgian urban landscape: train journeys between iconic cities, the discovery of lesser-known places, and direct observation of cultural dynamics enriched the creative process, turning each movement into a narrative opportunity.

On Thursday, February 12, AANT hosted the workshop “Faces Reconstructed: Generative AI, Identity and Human Rights”, as part of the Erasmus+ Dissemination Week promoted by Liceo Machiavelli in Rome. The initiative, included in the international week entitled “Portraits, Self-Portraits and Inscriptions: The Faces of Identity and Human Rights Across Time,” brought together an international group of 20 Erasmus+ students, 10 Italian, 5 German and 5 Swedish, accompanied by 4 international teachers, with a shared objective: to explore the role of the face, image and self-representation across historical eras and within emerging technologies.

Led in English by Professor Davide Cardea, the workshop offered a solid educational and hands-on experience focused on highly relevant topics: identity, power, human rights and visual representation in the digital age. The session combined historical reflection with practical experimentation, starting from AANT’s creative project “Frammenti”, developed to merge historical research, contemporary art and digital technologies, and culminating in the documentary “Il volto di Alessandro” (“The Face of Alexander”), broadcast on Italian national television (RAI). Students had the opportunity to directly engage with the customized GPT tool “Finding AM,” which was used to investigate the historically attributed features of Alexander the Great’s face, examine sources, clarify ambiguities and experiment firsthand with AI-assisted interpretative image processes.

The second part of the workshop focused on a product-driven approach: each participant translated their reflections into visual and conceptual outputs, working on reconstruction models, interpretative hypotheses and practical generative AI tools. This methodology made the experience not only theoretical, but tangibly creative and productive.

The day concluded with a collective presentation session, during which students shared and discussed their work, reflecting on their choices, limitations and the potential of the technologies used. The final discussion highlighted crucial issues, including the subtle boundary between historical reconstruction and deepfake, and more broadly the ethical responsibility connected to the use of artificial intelligence in representing the human face — a symbol of identity, memory and rights.

A group of AANT students, together with Professor Davide Cardea, recently traveled to Stuttgart to take part in the BIP (Blended Intensive Programme) “AI Meets the SDGs.” This event represented an important opportunity for internationalization and experimental learning. In addition to students from the Academy’s three-year programs in Rome, it also involved participants from Stuttgart Media University in Stuttgart, Howest University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool West-Vlaanderen) in Kortrijk, the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool van Amsterdam) in Amsterdam, and Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

The program focused on creative design applied to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, through multidisciplinary working groups made up of students with backgrounds in design, advertising, videomaking, programming, and marketing. The exchange among different skills and cultures fostered the development of projects capable of addressing real-world problems from multiple perspectives.

Within the BIP, particular attention was devoted to artificial intelligence as a tool to support the creative process, along with a critical reflection on the role of AI in contemporary design. For the students, the experience provided a concrete opportunity for growth and international exchange, confirming AANT’s commitment to an educational approach that integrates creativity, technological innovation, and social responsibility.

Below is the list of participating students:
Fiore Sofia
Lanotte Martina
Nobiloni Giulia
Onofri Marco Sabino
Pagliano Gioia
Porfirio Luca
Portacci Paola Rita
Pugliese Gaia
Sambucci Elena
Tosti Maria