Fans of... Mandarin Oriental. AI on Canvas

A unique, interactive performance art experience, which fuses cutting-edge AI technology with the ancient art of Chinese ink-brush painting, was unveiled at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong during a star-studded event to celebrate the iconic hotel’s 60th anniversary.

‘Fans of... Mandarin Oriental. AI on canvas’ is creatively conceived, designed and built by Studio of Art & Commerce, in partnership with Sir Peter Blake and London Advertising. As part of a campaign to mark the hotel’s anniversary, the ‘living artwork’ pays tribute to the Mandarin Oriental community by capturing a collective record of the people that make the Mandarin Oriental what it is.
The composition of the performance artwork - created at the event - is inspired and curated by British pop art legend Sir Peter Blake, most famed for co-creating the album cover for the Beatles' iconic 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. He has a long-standing friendship with the Mandarin Oriental. Blake brought his signature Sergeant Pepper-style collages, with a Mandarin Oriental twist to the Hong Kong hotel’s 50th anniversary and adorned the frontage of its sister hotel in Hyde Park, London, during its restoration following a fire.

‘Fans of… Mandarin Oriental’ is an AI-directed piece melding traditional craftsmanship with groundbreaking technology. The work produced a larger-than-life, celebratory centrepiece collage of portraits, in a style inspired by traditional Chinese ink calligraphy - a nod to the hotel’s heritage - during a mesmerising live art performance at the event on 26 October.

Combining performance art, entertainment and intrigue, the experience began with a 3.2 x 4.8m blank canvas displayed on the wall of the hotel lobby. Over the course of the evening, a calligraphy brush, held by a moving robotic arm, travelled across the surface, gradually filling the canvas with elegant ink portraits of the hotel’s fans and guests. Portraits were painted in real-time using specialist-trained AI that directed the large brush to plot varying delicate and bold strokes, bringing the fans’ features to life from photographs.

Adding to the entertainment factor, the plotter’s movements were choreographed to ‘dance’ throughout the evening, mirroring the live contemporary performances taking place in front of the piece, including a bespoke music composition.

With a new portrait generated every few minutes, fans were invited to become part of the performance with custom photoshoots. The resulting photographs were processed and added to the growing collage of faces, creating an ever-evolving, dynamic centrepiece that embodies the Mandarin Oriental’s dedication to the highest quality experiences, with meticulous craft and attention to detail.

The final artwork - which features around 200 portraits including Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh, pop star Karen Mok, fashion designer Vivienne Tam and photographer Greg Williams - reflects the collective face of the Mandarin Oriental’s fans, while simultaneously recognising and celebrating the individual faces within the community. The piece is set to live on after the event as a unique cultural asset.