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KreativInstitut.OWL
Emilienstraße 45
32756 Detmold
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Kreativ Campus Detmold
Bielefelder Straße 66a
32756 Detmold
Contact
Project report
Arminius meets algorithm
To mark the 150th anniversary of the Hermann Monument, we teamed up with the Landesverband Lippe [LVL] to develop “KI-Hermann.” This project combines monument culture and artificial intelligence. The aim was to reinterpret the region's landmark as a digital figure and thus spark a debate about the opportunities and limitations of generative AI.
Project participants
Anna-Lena Büker
Lutz Gottschalk
Guido Falkemeier
Jan Willem Henckel
Tobias Knödel
... and many more
Project status
completed
FROM STATUE TO SYNTHETIC MODEL
Since 1875, the Hermann Monument has been a symbol of the Lippe region. With the AI Hermann campaign, it was placed in the context of generative media for the first time. The starting point was a simple question: What happens when a monument comes to life with the help of artificial intelligence?
Our idea was this: Can Hermann, whose appearance is familiar to many East Westphalians, be reproduced using AI in such a way that he is still recognizable but also appears in completely new perspectives?
To this end, a specially trained LoRA [Low-Rank Adaptation] model was developed that captured the characteristic features of the monument and transferred them into new image and video scenarios. With the help of generative image and video processing, a digital representation of the Hermann monument was created.
hermann.institute
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POP CULTURE WITH ATTITUDE
The campaign deliberately used the logic of social media: short formats, irony, pop culture references. The aim was to reach a broad audience – including people who are otherwise hardly ever addressed by traditional cultural outreach.
However, behind the playful approach was a central question: How is AI-generated content created? What data and tools are used? And how can responsibility be ensured in the age of generative AI?
Answers to these questions were provided by the accompanying Hermann Insights on hermann.institute, where technical background information, legal dimensions, and media ethics considerations were documented. The monument was thus not only translated into a social media format, but also brought into a genuine dialogue with users.
With this campaign, we want to not only show what AI is capable of today, but also make it clear what lies behind it — how this content is created, what data and tools we use, and where responsibility begins.
Lutz Gottschalk + Anna-Lena Büler
Tradition and innovation in dialogue
AI Hermann demonstrates that tradition and technical innovation are not opposites, but rather enable new forms of communication in the digital space. The project combined artistic media practice, technological research, and social discourse — embedded in the anniversary program “150 Years of the Hermann Monument.”
Studio interview with “AI-Hermann”
WDR Lokalzeit OWL
15.08.2025
TV report on "AI-Hermann"
RTL WEST
15. August 2025
Radio interview with "AI-Hermann"
Radio Lippe
22. Juli 2025