When Landscapes Become Dreams

This week, GISSV welcomed two inspiring guests: artist Daniel Ambrosi and engineer Joseph Smarr (formerly of Google, now at Shopify). Working with our 10th-grade students, they demonstrated how expansive landscape panoramas can be transformed into dreamlike, surreal visual worlds using a custom-built neural network—bringing art and technology into true dialogue.

Their collaboration, known as “Dreamscapes,” combines artistic vision with advanced engineering. Works by Daniel Ambrosi from this series are now part of the collection of the Computer History Museum and have been featured in major auctions at Christie's, offering students a glimpse into how experimental digital art can reach global audiences.

Building on the recent AI Challenge and our AI Week, this session marked a powerful culmination of students’ learning journey. More than a technical demonstration, it invited students to think critically about AI as a creative tool—one that expands human imagination rather than replacing it.

It offered a vivid example of how creativity, technology, and real-world innovation come together at GISSV—and what it truly means to learn at the heart of Silicon Valley.

A heartfelt thank you to Daniel Ambrosi and Joseph Smarr for sharing their work and inspiring our students.