Exibitions
Michaela explores the territory between dreams, waking life, and interpersonal connection through immersive installation art and exhibition design. Her art invites participants to engage with their own dream imagery, weaving personal subconscious narratives into shared, collective experiences. This creates spaces where inner world becomes visible, and where the deeply personal reveals itself as universal. She is available for exhibitions, installations, and creative collaborations.
The Dalí’s Dream Tapestry: A Collective Dream Experience
Dalí Museum, St. Petersburg, FL. (2022)
Overview
Leading the project from start to completion, Michaela Costello created the concept design for the tapestry, where individual participants dreams are combined into one communal dream to show people in real time that they are part of a greater story, a shared mythology where inner worlds are interwoven.
The Dalí’s Dream Tapestry taps into the phenomenon of dreams using DALL·E, a groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence (AI) system, to transform personal dreams into artistic visions. We all have deeply personal dreams—unique and irrefutable. Yet they are transient, and until now, we could not instantly manifest those dreams into a tangible vision nor share their splendor.
Experience
After entering a description of your dream on your mobile phone, your one-of-a-kind Dream Image will be created. It will then be connected with those of the previous Museum visitors to create a collective Dream Tapestry. The result is a dynamic, ever-evolving dream of humanity, presented by Dalí Museum visitors.
Collaborators
Dream Tapestry was developed by The Dalí in collaboration with Goodby Silverstein & Partners, with creative concept by Minds Over Matter, and OpenAI, creator of the DALL·E text-to-image AI system, named as a nod to the iconic artist, Salvador Dalí.
Impact
The "Dream Tapestry" exhibit at the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida has won multiple awards, including two Webby Awards, two Cubes at the ADC Awards, and a Best in Show ADDY Award. The interactive experience uses AI to generate surrealist art from visitor-provided text descriptions, which are then stitched together into a collaborative digital tapestry.
Role & Contributions
Creative Lead for MOM Design
Subject Matter Expert
Specialist / Consultant
Accolades
Two 2023 Webby Award Winner: Best Installation / Experience & People’s Voice
Two Cubes at the ADC Awards
Best in Show ADDY Award
Tampa Bay Tech Award