i/o – The Music Videos

Music videos have also been released for some of the songs of i/o. Several of them are winners of Gabriel’s #DiffuseTogether Competition, in which AI-generated clips could be submitted. This is also the reason why there are two clips for some songs.

We present all videos briefly here and gather some background information for each. We list them in the publication chronology.
The Court [Version Oranguerillatan] | Panopticom [Version Vnderworld]
Love Can Heal [Aardman Studios] | The Court [Version Junie Lau]
Panopticom [Version Lamson] | i/o [Sagans] | Olive Tree [Oranguerillatan]
50:50 Project – Gabriel’s webplatform for video creators (+ three more videos)

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8 August 2023 The Court (Dark-Side Mix) [Version Oranguerillatan]

This video made the third place in Gabriel’s#DiffuseTogether Competition, where AI generated clips could be submitted.

It was designed by Oranguerillatan, CG Supervisor and Animator.

About the Video he says:

“Drawing visual inspiration from Tim (Shaws)profound sculptural work, I sought to capture its essence without directly emulating it. […] The resulting video aims to capture the duality of the human experience, at once gritty and hopeful, conveying the daily struggles of humanity while also highlighting our collective hope for a brighter future. At the same time, I sought to capture Peter’s vision of a just and peaceful world, where embattled people can rise together towards a better future.”

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22 August 2023 Panopticom (Dark-Side Mix) [Version Vnderworld]

This video made the second place in Gabriel’s #DiffuseTogether Competition, where AI-generated clips could be submitted.

It was designed by Stephen Grzanowski AKA Vnderworld, who describes himself as a purist of the text-to-image generator Stable Diffusion.

About the video he says:

“It 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. […] 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. […] In a crescendo of imagery, the video navigates a spectrum of symbolic transformations.”

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31 August 2023 Love Can Heal (Bright-Side Mix)

Love Can Healis the first song of i/o for which the video clip was originally made. Larger parts of it were also on display at the i/o Tour. The painting accompanying the song by Antony Micallef was taken as the central motif and brought to life by Aardman Studios. Micallef was involved in the whole process.

About the video he says:

“Working with Aardman was amazing. I love processes, especially in other mediums and so I found the mechanics of how this stuff comes together really interesting.”

Gabriel adds: “Obviously I worked quite a lot with Aardman Animation in the past and Antony loved their work. So we talked to them, not sure if this was something that they might want to do or not, and they did a beautiful job. Very simple, but very strong and I’m very pleased with it.”

Interestingly, the video was released twice – each with the audio of one of the two main mixes.

Paint drips onto an empty surface. Black and white layers move and shift in pulsating animation. Out of this forms the two figures holding each other. Later, the black expands as if diving into a deeper layer. There, the couple appears in a closer view, appearing more three-dimensional. The control elements of the digital 3D models show themselves, the grid structures. The effort required to keep the two figures embraced becomes visible. To the bridge with the visionary lyrics, the a beating heart appears.
Then it goes back to the figures. From the deeper, black level, it exits again until it ends with the empty initial surface. The video radiates calm and thoughtfulness – and works with few pictorial motifs. But it is only seemingly simple. Incidentally, it is reminiscent of the clip for Zaar, which also plays with painting in motion.

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6 September 2023 The Court (Dark-Side Mix) [Version Junie Lau]

The video made the first place in Gabriel’s#DiffuseTogether Competition, where AI-generated clips could be submitted.

It was designed by Junie Lau, production designer, video director, who works in Shanghai and London. Her work has been exhibited at the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts (RA) in the UK and published in prestigious publications such as British Vogue.

About the video she says:

“This music video serves as an exploratory journey into what life would be like if we were to alter a seemingly insignificant choice. It presents a critical reflection on the importance of truth and fairness, while also suggesting that the line between demons and angels in this world is not clearly defined.

The power of AI and stable diffusion lies in its ability to invite and transport Peter to any location, dressed in any fashion, and enable him to experience alternate realities that extend beyond the confines of the real world. This remarkable technology transcends the limitations of age, time, and space, offering an infinite realm of creative possibilities.”

Gabriel adds: “The video is made with so much style and energy, it’s totally original and done with a good dose of humour. I hadn’t seen anything like it before, fun, energetic and beautifully executed. She nailed me, absolutely. Amazing work.”

What is remarkable about this clip is that the song is shortened by almost two minutes and breaks off abruptly. Almost like an unfinished project. No explanation was given for this.

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12 September 2023 Panopticom (Dark-Side Mix) [Version Lamson]

The video made- together with the one for The Court by Junie Lau -the first place in Gabriel’s #DiffuseTogether Competition, where AI-generated clips could be submitted.

It wasdesignedbyLam Son Do AKA Lamson, who considers himself as AI Artist, always learning and growing.

About the video he says:

“In the center of the world’s largest city lies Panopticon Prison. Its design, sin, and corruption fused with new technology and flesh created a monstrous cyborg that hungered for information. As its tentacles reach farther and farther, the monster turns the entire city into its parts, transforming all living creatures into heartless “surveillance cyborgs”.

One day, the monster’s reach extends to a peaceful man. (…) Through the monster’s network, he sees a beautiful cyborg. He begins to regain his heart and emotions, slowly turning into a human again.”

“With Panopticom the song struck a deep cord with me. It resonated with my constant sense of being watched and watching others while navigating the world of social media.”

Gabriel adds: “What I loved about this: I think it was the most sort of filmic journey for me. From the way the shot were moved and the way the story was constructed.”

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20 October 2023 i/o (Bright-Side Mix)

Unobtrusively and rather incidentally, the second originally created video clip was released – this time for the song i/o. Sagans is named for the authorship, about which nothing can really be researched.

It is obviously not a single person, but a “collective” of some kind, apparently international and interdisciplinary, founded in 2022. Sagans’ graphic style is related to manga, and they also have a connection to the music scene, as there are also collaborations with Linkin Park and Lorn. Also they produce music in the electro genre themselves. They work with AI, which they see as the key to new creative possibilities.

Excerpts of the video could be seen on the stage screens during the tour, which means that the collaboration with Gabriel started at least in spring.

We see single-celled and other small organisms in mostly distorted colours, scientific images that show life and movement.In a way, however, we only see the appearance of it, because this microscopic confusion actually forms impressions of human life: A couple kissing, hands holding each other, a dog in the grass, an eye – and does everyone get the quick gag in the chorus?

So here the big world is reflected in the small – or the small forms the big, who knows. We’re just a part of everything.

The video is colourful and lively without being hectic. In a charming manner it conveys the track’s message about the flow of life, development and transience in a relaxed, almost subversive way.

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23 January 2025 Olive Tree (Bright-Side Mix)

In January 2025, another video for an i/o track has been released: Olive Tree in the Bright-Side Mix. It was already finished a year ago and was created by the same creator who already took 3rd place in the #DiffuseTogether competition with his video for The Court: Oranguerillatan.

Once again, the video was created with the help of AI. The 50:50 website (see below) also lists and explains in great detail which different applications were used and how.

And as in the #DiffuseTogether competition, a key stylistic feature is that the textures or surfaces of what is depicted are constantly changing. As a result, the imagery is never uniform – it does not commit itself to the one experiencing figure or the one exact location. This creates an interesting openness. The disadvantage: there is a high degree of unrest in the pictures. However, the object-changing morphing is always surprising – and occasionally you think you are experiencing errors in the AI, but these have obviously been left in. The style is otherwise comic-like with deliberate hints of stop-motion animation. The color scheme is kept in shades of pink and orange – in any case pastel throughout – and is somewhat reminiscent of children’s toys.

At the center of the narrative is a boy who observes and experiences what connection with the living is possible. In some cases, the video illustrates the song lyrics quite simply one-to-one (there is the “misty silvered night”, something grows out of the ground, there is a “helmet”, “fungi”, there is diving with sharks…) – in other places new sceneries are spread out: At the beginning there is the impact of something big, later a beach (a motif we already had in an unofficial but officially recognized video here).

The clip also has reminiscences of the i/o video with microorganisms, of the Panopticom globe, of the lonely togetherness of Playing For Time – and red blood cells also appear, as in the New Blood project. The current Gabriel cosmos is reflected.

And at the end, the olive tree also plays a role (in contrast to the song lyrics) when it grows from seed to sprout and tree.

It is also interesting to note that water – which is so central in the lyrics – is repeatedly depicted as a strange mass, as if made up of woolen threads.

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50:50 Project

Gabriel hat eine neue Internet-Plattform geschaffen. Sie nennt sich 50:50 und ist den Videoclips zum Album i/o gewidmet.

Gabriel has created a new internet platform. It is called 50:50 and is dedicated to the video clips for the i/o album.

In the welcome text from January 23, 2025, he explains the intention:
[…] That experience has led to some discussions about trying to find a way to continue to allow a greater engagement between visual creators and my music. We are doing some work in the background that we hope will help facilitate a more equitable relationship between music makers and visual creators, that acknowledges the joint role they play in the content seen on platforms such as YouTube. […]

The website contains all the videos for the i/o album to date (except the one for Love Can Heal, which was produced under the usual commercial conditions and without AI). There are also detailed explanations of the producers and biographical background informations about them.

In addition, all interested video creators are invited to register for the project. In future, they will be able to participate and offer clips of Gabriel songs.

Further videos of i/o songs that have been published on the website:

5th February 2025: Four Kinds Of Horses by Lamson (Bright-Side Mix)

21th February 2025: Playing For Time by Vunderworld (Dark-Side Mix)

13th March 2025 Road To Joy by Junie Lau (Bright-Side Mix)

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Author: Thomas Schrage