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In the recent launch of The Creative Compass by CAPSLOCK, we brought together artists in Milan from a wide range of disciplines—fashion, AI, architecture, photography—to consider a fundamental question in the creative world: How does geography shape creativity?

The Creative Compass launch: how does geography influence creativity? initial insights from italy

In the recent launch of The Creative Compass by CAPSLOCK, we brought together artists in Milan from a wide range of disciplines—fashion, AI, architecture, photography—to consider a fundamental question in the creative world: How does geography shape creativity?
Italy, with its deep cultural heritage, iconic architecture, and lively social spaces, offers more than an aesthetic backdrop; it’s a nuanced setting where the influence of geography on creativity can be explored in real time. Today, we’ll look at some key takeaways from our event, examining the shared elements that connect artists across fields and the distinct ways they engage with Italy’s geographic and cultural landscape.

Geography as a shared source of inspiration

Cultural Legacy as a Muse

Italy’s cultural heritage has long served as a resource for artists, transcending specific fields. Whether their work lies in fashion, AI, architecture, or photography, Italy’s legacy influences more than the visual—its historical depth invites a kind of creative reflection. Take, for instance, graphic designer Giovanni Murolo, who uses Renaissance principles in his modern work. His designs maintain a connection to Italy’s grand artistic past while addressing contemporary needs, capturing a shared commitment among Italian artists to reinterpret their cultural heritage. This respect for Italy’s history helps build a foundation for new work that is both rooted and forward-looking.

Craftsmanship and Precision

Craftsmanship is another pillar of Italy’s influence, and its impact reaches beyond the traditional arts. The Italian attention to detail and respect for quality has left a mark across disciplines, from fashion to tech-based fields. Fashion designer Yuri Kaban points to the authenticity Italian craftsmanship lends even the most avant-garde designs. This emphasis on quality remains a common thread for Italian artists, prompting them to fuse technological advancement with meticulous artistry in a way that has come to characterize Italian design globally.

Diverse responses to geography’s influence

Geography’s influence is not a one-size-fits-all phenomenon, and Italy’s diverse settings invite a variety of artistic responses.

Urban Connection vs. Rural Solitude

For some artists, Italy’s cities, particularly Milan and Rome, provide an environment that fosters connection and collaboration—valuable to those working in fast-paced, tech-driven fields like graphic design and AI. Meanwhile, others find value in Italy’s quieter rural landscapes, favoring the slower, more contemplative approach that these areas afford. Photographers Achille Mauri and Gabriele Rosati, for example, discuss how the calm of the countryside supports a more introspective creative process, allowing them to capture Italy’s enduring beauty in a slower, deliberate manner. This divide between urban energy and rural stillness underscores the range of Italy’s influence on creativity.

Public Spaces vs. Private Studios

Italian creatives also experience a distinct tension between public and private spaces. Public areas often spark collective creativity and spontaneity, while private studios provide the controlled atmosphere necessary for refinement. Architect Ippolito Pestellini describes drawing from the dynamic nature of public spaces in his designs, while also valuing the seclusion of his studio to focus and deepen his ideas. This interplay between open and closed spaces reflects a strategic approach that many Italian artists adopt, balancing the inspiration of public settings with the control of private work environments.

Historical Influence vs. Global Identity

A final point of divergence emerges in how Italian artists balance their cultural heritage with a globalized artistic identity. There is often a conscious tension between honoring Italy’s rich history and embracing a more contemporary, international perspective. AI artist Vittorio Maria Dal Maso embodies this dynamic, using Italy’s artistic legacy as a foundation for his AI work while incorporating cutting-edge techniques that look outward, beyond Italy’s borders. It’s a trend among Italian creatives—respecting tradition while integrating influences from across the globe—that highlights the balance between rootedness and adaptability.

Italy as a frame for global creativity

With The Creative Compass, CAPSLOCK examines Italy as a place where geography doesn’t merely shape art; it complicates and deepens it. Italy’s mix of historic and modern, urban and rural, public and private creates a layered environment that challenges and inspires. And while every artist’s journey is shaped by personal nuances, the Italian landscape guides them toward a broader exploration of creativity itself—a process informed by place but reaching beyond it.

Italy marks the beginning of The Creative Compass journey. As we continue exploring how different geographies shape creative expression, these insights from Italy provide a meaningful starting point. They illustrate how place informs art, offering universal insights on the relationship between our surroundings and our creative impulses. The Italian example suggests that while landscapes vary, the questions at the heart of creativity remain constant.

Our compass has brought us here. The next direction is yet to be determined.

Paris, July 2025. CAPSLOCK and Newformat invited the public to the release celebration of Sovrumana Celestialis: Corpus Novum, a new curated, premiumized re-edition of Sovrumana Celestialis, the first collaborative creation between CAPSLOCK and Andrea Avellino.

CAPSLOCK and Newformat presents: “Sovrumana Celestialis: Corpus Novum”

Paris, 75011. July 5th, 2025

At Espace Parallèle in the 11th arrondissement, CAPSLOCK and Newformat have invited their community to the release celebration of Sovrumana Celestialis: Corpus Novum, a new curated, premiumized re-edition of Sovrumana Celestialis, the first collaborative creation between CAPSLOCK and Andrea Avellino.

This extraordinary visual tome comprises over 400 AI-generated artworks, re-envisioned and powered-up through the most advanced state of generative AI and printing techniques, while introducing fresh imagery born from the latest iterations of machine-human collaboration. Simultaneously a speculative cosmology, an anti-encyclopedia, and a metaphysical journey, the book marks a profound meditation on the relationship between nature, humankind, technology, and spirit.

Drawing from esoteric literary genres and ancient illuminated manuscripts, Sovrumana Celestialis quickly invites the reader to plunge into a contemplative mirror, an oracular map, and a post-human scripture. The images, intricate and symbol-laden, evoke a trans-archetypal pantheon and a geography of the human psyche.

Structured in four semantic chapters — Nature, Humankind, Technology, and Spirit — the volume traces a spiritual and philosophical arc: from primal ecosystems and the birth of the human body, through the technological augmentation of reality, to the dissolution of form and a return to the source. It is a saga of the soul, stepping into form, undergoing transformation, and ultimately flowing back to the wellspring of the infinite. The book includes essays by Nicholas Korody, Rosa Coppola, and Vincenzo Angileri, offering insights into the intersections of art, technology, and speculative thought.

Hosted at Espace Parallèle — a multifunctional hub of creative experimentation in Paris — the event featured a curated exhibition of prints, thematic installations, and soundscape experiments inspired by the book’s multidimensional cosmos. Guests were invited to explore, reflect, and celebrate with the creators of the volume in a setting designed to echo the book’s own hybrid nature.

This launch affirms the joint mission of CAPSLOCK and Newformat to map the edges of technological imagination in the age of AI, when the boundaries between the artificial and the sacred are not only blurred, but redefined.

Date & Time: Saturday, July 5, 2025 | 4PM to 11PM
Location: Espace Parallèle, 47 Rue Servan, 75011 Paris
Natural wine offered by Wine Governo.
Admission: Free admission with RSVP through the link.

ABOUT CAPSLOCK

CAPSLOCK is a technology-driven creative powerhouse that, since its founding in 2019, has been purposefully exploring the grey areas that arise when creativity and technology intersect. Through research, experimentation, publishing, design, and consultancy, CAPSLOCK is one of the leading European studios in imagining and bringing to life future scenarios, be they dystopian or utopian.

ABOUT NEWFORMAT

Newformat is a creative studio at the global forefront of visual experimentation. Since its founding in 2020, it has been working to extend the perimeter of what is possible to create with CGI, AI, and unorthodox use of different media and technologies. It has produced global campaigns for leading brands in high fashion and streetwear, and in parallel develops non-commercial projects of an artistic and speculative nature. 

ABOUT THE SPACE: ESPACE PARALLÈLE

Espace Parallèle is a dynamic and flexible venue dedicated to contemporary culture, fashion, and multimedia arts. Located in Paris’ vibrant 11th arrondissement, it is renowned for hosting forward-thinking exhibitions, performances, and pop-up events. Its industrial-chic character and adaptable layout make it an ideal stage for boundary-pushing projects that blend art, technology, and experience.

Friday 12/07/2024 we had the opportunity to present the first findings of our latest research project “The Creative Compass” in Berlin at Giri Bar through our new participatory format, a CAPSLOCK Conversation

We collaboratively got closer to answering the starting question of our new project – how does geography influence creativity? – with the help of an amazing, engaging audience.

We focused on how Berlin, as a creative hub and a societal melting pot, can cast such a positive influence on the creative journey of the people that inhabit the city. And the insights were amazing: from the very urban fabric of the city to the internationality of the creative community, we understood how Berlin really is a singular landscape in the vast realm of creativity. And we can’t wait to be back.

We’d like to thank all the participants for interacting with us and between them on such a deep and interesting level of conversation, but also Ritmo Gabar, Whosplaying and Giri Bar for setting up such a fabulous conversation.

If you’d like to be the next host of a CAPSLOCK Conversation, please send us a DM or get in touch at info@capslockmagazine.eu

P.S. We’ll be back in Berlin on October 11-13 for MISS READ: feel free to have a beer with us, eat a kebab together or invite us to your favorite club.