What if the MIT dome could look back at us, sharing dreams and revealing stories of struggle and triumph within?
Per ardua ad astra—"Through difficulties to the stars"—captures this project's vision: transforming the dome into a living canvas that reflects the resilience and aspirations of those who have shaped, and been shaped by, the MIT experience.
What if the MIT dome could look back at us, sharing dreams and revealing stories of struggle and triumph within?
Per ardua ad astra—"Through difficulties to the stars"—captures this project's vision: transforming the dome into a living canvas that reflects the resilience and aspirations of those who have shaped, and been shaped by, the MIT experience.
What if the MIT dome could look back at us, sharing dreams and revealing stories of struggle and triumph within?
Per ardua ad astra—"Through difficulties to the stars"—captures this project's vision: transforming the dome into a living canvas that reflects the resilience and aspirations of those who have shaped, and been shaped by, the MIT experience.
What if the MIT dome could look back at us, sharing dreams and revealing stories of struggle and triumph within?
Per ardua ad astra—"Through difficulties to the stars"—captures this project's vision: transforming the dome into a living canvas that reflects the resilience and aspirations of those who have shaped, and been shaped by, the MIT experience.
What if the MIT dome could look back at us, sharing dreams and revealing stories of struggle and triumph within?
Per ardua ad astra—"Through difficulties to the stars"—captures this project's vision: transforming the dome into a living canvas that reflects the resilience and aspirations of those who have shaped, and been shaped by, the MIT experience.
What if the MIT dome could look back at us, sharing dreams and revealing stories of struggle and triumph within?
Per ardua ad astra—"Through difficulties to the stars"—captures this project's vision: transforming the dome into a living canvas that reflects the resilience and aspirations of those who have shaped, and been shaped by, the MIT experience.
The Dome "looks back" through video close-ups of participants' eyes gazing at the stars, symbolizing shared human aspirations and dreams. Accompanied by coded visualizations of personal stories, the installation challenges conventional notions of success, instead emphasizing resilience, vulnerability, and the often-unspoken narratives of failure and transformation.
Stories are collected through immersive pods equipped with AI LLMs and computer vision, traveling across campus to invite participants to share their journeys of ambition, setbacks, and perseverance. In this mindful experience, individuals are encouraged to voice their dreams, feelings, struggles, and longings. As they recount their experiences, close-up videos of their eyes are captured, merging their unique iris patterns with representations of stars—just as we all look to the sky to dream. Their spoken words are then translated into a coded language and projected inside their eyes.
Viewers in the city have the opportunity to unlock these coded stories by pointing their devices at the Dome, revealing the hidden messages and personal narratives embedded within the projection.
Behnaz Farahi is an award-winning designer and critical maker. As an assistant professor at the MIT Media Lab, she leads the Critical Matter research group. Trained as an architect, Farahi explores empathetic relationships between the human body and its environment, drawing on emerging technologies and morphological and behavioral principles inspired by natural systems. Her projects address feminism, emotion, bodily perception, and social interaction through computational design, interactive technologies, and digital fabrication.
Farahi has received the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum Digital Design Award, Innovation by Design Fast Company Award, and World Technology Award. She co-edited Interactive Design: Towards a Responsive Environment (Birkhäuser Verlag, 2023) and 3D Printed Body Architecture (Wiley, 2017).
Her work, part of the Museum of Science and Industry Chicago's permanent collection, has been exhibited internationally at Ars Electronica Linz, Context Art Miami, SIGGRAPH, La Piscine Museum, and the A+D Architecture and Design Museum Los Angeles. Her projects have been featured in WIRED, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, Frame Magazine, and other major media outlets.
The Media Lab is an interdisciplinary creative playground rooted squarely in academic rigor, comprising dozens of research groups, initiatives, and centers working collaboratively on hundreds of projects. We focus not only on creating and commercializing transformational future technologies but also on their potential to impact society for good.
MIT MAD is an interdisciplinary hub that celebrates the transformative power of design at MIT and beyond. MAD exists to foster innovation, empower individuals, and reshape the way we learn.
Building 10
10
222 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA
Building location on the MIT Campus MapMIT is committed to providing an environment that is accessible to individuals with disabilities. View the Accessibility Web App, designed for the MIT community to view accessible routes across the MIT campus. Please contact the event organizer directly for specific accessibility information or to discuss your needs.
Critical Matter Group at MIT Media Lab
Step into the immersive storytelling pod and position your face within the viewing area, gazing into the infinity room. As you look inside, you will hear voices from the MIT community sharing their dreams, struggles, longings, and emotions—stories of ambition, resilience, and transformation.
After listening, you’ll be invited to share your own story. Part of the experience is AI-moderated, guiding you with reflective prompts to explore your aspirations and challenges. Your personal information will remain anonymous and will not be shared with any third parties.
This experience contributes to an art project, adding your voice to a collective narrative projected onto the MIT Dome. Your participation brings this vision to life, transforming personal reflections into a shared artistic expression.
* We record close-up of your eye and transcription of your story. We do not record any audio data. We do not share your personal information, including your name or email address, with any third party.
MIT's hacking culture, referenced by President Barack Obama in his 2009 campus speech, remains an iconic tradition. This project honors that spirit through coded messages reflecting dreams and resilience.
In 2016, MIT's multimedia dome projection celebrated the Institute's history and future vision, drawing the largest campus gathering since 1916.
In the installation Blindness, Behnaz Farahi examined the impact of non-lethal weapons used by military forces during protests, specifically rubber bullets and metal pellets that caused permanent vision loss. Through 360-degree projections featuring the eyes of fifty participants, Farahi advocated for nonviolent political expression while highlighting the need for accountability and justice.
Gaze to the Stars has been covered by the Boston Globe, Forbes, WBUR, GBH, and more. Learn more about this project and other works performed and exhibited at Artfinity 2025.
Thursday, March 13 // 7:00pm
Join Behnaz Farahi to explore how she is using technology in critical and transformative ways—sparking the imagination, provoking conversation, enhancing perception, augmenting social interaction, and empowering voices that have not been heard. The talk will be introduced by MIT Director Michael John Gorman.
