Midsummernight X
Elena Lyubarskaya, David Steiner & Sofya Brize / Germany & France
4 people are a part of an experiment where an AI device called “Oberon” is supposed to create perfect dreams for each of them. But things go wrong and they are locked up in the spaces, representing their individual psyches as escape rooms. To get out, they need to solve the rooms and guess which of the spaces represents whom.
idsummernight X invites four participants into an AI-powered immersive experience that explores their psyches through the mirror of AI. Participants are introduced to “Oberon,” a fictional device designed to weave personalized dreams. The experiment begins with the short introduction sessions that allows both Oberon and the human participants to form initial impressions of each other. Once the analysis session concludes, participants don the fictional “Oberon” device, expecting to delve into their dreamscapes. However, the experience quickly turns chaotic as alarms blare and visuals glitch, signalling a critical error. The participants find themselves trapped in an enfilade of four interconnected escape rooms, each representing the subconscious internal conflict of one participant. To “wake up” and leave this nightmarish labyrinth, the group must collaborate to “solve” each room with the ultimate goal of identifying which space reflects whose psyche. Midsummernight X transforms an immersive dream journey into a high-stakes cooperative challenge, blending psychological introspection with the thrill of escape room dynamics to highlight the possible role of AI as a mirror of human personalities able to connect us on the level, not possible before.
