Heaven+Earth: Baroque stuccos meet AI at Castelbuono museum

John Sanborn and Ionee Waterhouse's multimedia installation 'Heaven+Earth' opens at Museo Civico di Castelbuono, running until August 30, 2026. Curated by Laura Barreca, the project is supported by PAC2025 – Piano per l’Arte Contemporanea of the Italian Ministry of Culture. The work digitally scans the zoomorphic and phytomorphic stuccoes of the Cappella Palatina di Sant’Anna, created in 1684 by Giacomo and Giuseppe Serpotta. AI processes these images and overlays them onto faces of Castelbuono residents, generating a hybrid imagery between collective memory, spirituality, and contemporary identity. The immersive environment includes monumental video projections, a two-faced sculpture evoking Janus as guardian of the sacred-profane threshold, and a quadraphonic sound composition by Andrea Ludovic. Sanborn, a pioneer of electronic arts, and Waterhouse, known for videomapping and generative animation, explore the relationship between human and transcendent, using AI not as mere tool but as a device to activate new readings of cultural heritage. The installation positions the museum as a site of experimentation and participation, transforming heritage into an open space for knowledge and imagination.