Vnderworld is an odyssey into the unknown, a celebration of the uncaged mind. More than a name, Vnderworld embodies a mindset. It's about fearlessly navigating the dark waters of creativity and surfacing with something hauntingly beautiful. No boundaries, no boxes, just a relentless passion for creating.
In a world filled with predictable and sanitized artistic expressions, Vnderworld's work stands out as a defiant outlier. It challenges the viewer to question societal norms, to embrace the unconventional, and to wander through the uncharted territories of their own minds.
Find Vnderworld on their website, X(Twitter), YouTubeARTIST: Peter Gabriel
CREATOR: Vnderworld
SONG: Panoticom (Dark-Side Mix) FROM i/o
Video info :
I was thrilled with the opportunity to create visuals for ‘Panopticom’ and at the possibility of creating a music video for Peter Gabriel. I created this video in 1 week with the use of Stable Diffusion Deforum via the open-source WebUI, Automatic1111, after months of deep-dive learning and creating 2D and 3D motion parameters within the tool.
From its very inception, the video presents a profound allegory of modern existence, skillfully embodied by the imagery of sunflowers—unyielding in their devotion to the Sun, analogous to our own subservient connection to a higher power, or perhaps a technological regime. Throughout the narrative, the omnipresence of eyeballs and security cameras serves as an allusion to the ever-watchful gaze of surveillance, inviting contemplation on the concept of the panopticon, where the line between observer and observed blurs into an unsettling symmetry.
The segue into the post-WWII Berlin, a historical reference to the aftermath of conflict and societal restructuring, is a masterstroke that merges the video's thematic essence with visual ingenuity. The psychedelic interlude, accompanied by lyrics that allude to drowning sorrows in ""medicine,"" metamorphoses into an aquatic dreamscape. This transition underscores the notion of escape through self-induced numbness while highlighting the entangling grip of distractions.
The aquatic metaphor then expands into a profound introspection on human insignificance, as the fish tank frames the perspective of existence as a transient journey within an expansive, indifferent cosmos. Yet, the fish tank soon transforms into a chilling prison, where individuals metamorphose from prisoners to mere observers, confined within the walls of their own living rooms, serving as captives to the very technology that shapes their reality.
The juxtaposition of historical and futuristic scenes deepens the thematic currents, as the dismantling of Berlin's wall evokes a liberation of the mind, tearing down the confinements of conventional thought. The progression to aliens and cosmic vistas elevates the inquiry into the nature of existence, expanding the horizon of possibilities beyond human comprehension.
In a crescendo of imagery, the video navigates a spectrum of symbolic transformations, from skeletons to sunflowers, embracing a journey of awakening. The scene of a liberated figure soaring above a dystopian cityscape of surveillance cameras, is an epitome of liberation and the pursuit of truth. The visceral imagery of mushroom clouds from nuclear bombs and literal mushrooms adds a layer of poignant subtext, reminding viewers of the dualities of creation and destruction, and the cyclical nature of life itself. The closing tableau of an oak tree, symbolic of reincarnation, encapsulates a profound meditation on the afterlife and the quest for transcendence.
This artful creation accompanying Peter Gabriel's ""Panopticom"", pays homage to the boundless possibilities that emerge from the fusion of human creativity and AI. The conscious decision to present the unaltered output of AI-generated imagery, free from post-production embellishments, is a bold choice that underscores the raw energy of creative exploration. In capturing the essence of the song's thematic depth, this video encapsulates the very essence of artistic expression—an embodiment of the artist's journey into self-discovery and a resonating challenge to question the fabric of our reality. By resonating deeply with the song's intricate themes, the video becomes a testament to the essence of artistic expression—a visual voyage mirroring the artist's own journey of self-discovery. It's a compelling invitation to question the very nature of our perceived reality, which aligns strikingly with the essence of ""Panopticon.
Video created with Stable Diffusion by Steve Grzanowski AKA Vnderworld // Vnderworld.com
-Vnderworld
Song info:
Panopticom is a track taken from Peter Gabriel's album i/o, released on 1 December 2023. This is the Dark-Side Mix, by Tchad Blake.
Words and music by Peter Gabriel. Produced by Peter Gabriel.
Published by Real World Music Ltd. / Sony Music Publishing.
This song is based on an idea I have been working on to initiate the creation of an infinitely expandable accessible data globe: The Panopticom. We are beginning to connect a like-minded group of people who might be able to bring this to life, to allow the world to see itself better and understand more of what’s really going on.
Some of the ideas came from talking to Witness, Forensic Architecture and reading the Bellingcat book. They are all organisations that try and assemble what has happened from all sorts of clues and all sorts of data and put it all together.
-pg
ARTIST: Peter Gabriel
CREATOR: Vnderworld
SONG: Playing for Time (Dark-Side Mix) FROM i/o
ARTIST: Peter Gabriel
CREATOR: Vnderworld
SONG: Playing for Time (Dark-Side Mix) FROM i/o
Video info:
A note from the Visual Artists:
The visual artists take the viewer on an existential journey through the countless lives and moments that have led to our present existence. The probability of your lineage's survival through the centuries for you to be here in this very moment. And so, in tandem with Peter Gabriel’s incredible lyrics and the visual narrative presented before you, we begin to explore and contemplate our very own existence, for we are all “Playing for Time”.
The video begins with Peter Gabriel opening the cosmic portal through the astral plane of his existence. From Earth's volcanic prehistoric beginnings to the Garden of Eden, through ancient civilizations and historical epochs, we witness humanity's collective journey. The video flows seamlessly past Egyptian pyramids, Noah's Ark, and onward through ages of gladiators, Vikings, and explorers.
At each scene we consider one of Peter’s ancestors surviving through the ages. This ancestral timeline leads to Gabriel's own life story - from his early days as a Charterhouse School drummer through his Genesis era and MTV success, culminating in his present-day wisdom. As the narrative approaches its climax, skeletal figures and clocks emerge. In its final moments, the video transcends linear time itself, depicting Gabriel in an alternate dimension where past, present, and future collapse into a single instant as the simulation reboots.
About the use of AI in this video:
This music video was created with AI utilizing Stable Diffusion Deforum in early 2024. It serves as a timestamp for the limitations and capabilities of AI video at the start of 2024. The video consists of a single-shot output, from hundreds of prompts and thousands of custom motion parameters. It is one, long, continuous raw AI output that took roughly 6 months to create.
Deforum as a creative medium, 12 months later, seems like a long-lost art to the rapid advancements of AI. Across the globe there are probably only a few thousand individuals who have mastered the art form of creating with Deforum. At the time of the video’s creation, this was the pinnacle of AI video technology. Now as you view AI videos almost indistinguishable from reality in 2025, we can reflect on how rapidly our world is changing in such a short time.
Credits:
The original concept and visuals were designed by Steve G.(@_Vnderworld) and the motion parameters were hand-crafted by Stefan R. (@Null_Hax). The duo have known each other since 2001 and have been collaborating on videos and pioneering the AI creative revolution since July 2022. Find out more about the artists at westcoastai.xyz | youtube.com/@westcoastailabs
Song info:
Playing for Time is a track taken from Peter Gabriel's album i/o, released on 1 December 2023. This is the Dark-Side Mix, by Tchad Blake.
Words and music by Peter Gabriel. Produced by Peter Gabriel.
Published by Real World Music Ltd. / Sony Music Publishing.