ISTA ARTLAB 2025 — Generative Visuals Sprint: Prompt to Image, Image to Video

4 November 2025 / Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Maria Gugging, Klosterneuburg

How can an idea transform into an audiovisual artwork through artificial intelligence? Organised for ISTA ArtLab 2025 (the event offers various workshops focusing on the year's theme, "Art & AI"), Generative Visuals Sprint: Prompt to Image, Image to Video introduced participants to the creative possibilities of AI-assisted visual production through a hands-on exploration of the process from concept development to moving image. Facilitated by NODE Media Lab, the workshop offered an accessible entry point into generative AI as a creative collaborator, bringing together conceptual thinking, visual storytelling, and experimentation with emerging technologies.

Starting with a written idea, participants explored how text prompts can be translated into images, how visual outcomes can be refined, and how still images can be transformed into moving sequences through AI video synthesis. The workflow introduced a series of interconnected stages, demonstrating how different tools can be combined to develop an initial concept into a coherent audiovisual narrative. From prompt development and image generation to video creation, upscaling, and post-production, each step expanded the possibilities of the material produced in the previous stage.

Working with various AI applications, participants gained practical insights into an emerging field of creative production without requiring prior experience with AI tools. The session combined demonstrations and guided experimentation, encouraging participants to test different approaches, refine their visual language, and consider how technological systems can support rather than replace creative decision-making. 

The session culminated in the collaborative production of a short, 60–90 second video artwork, assembled from participants’ ideas, prompts, and AI-generated visuals. By bringing individual experiments together into a shared audiovisual outcome, Generative Visuals Sprint demonstrated the potential of collective creation through emerging technologies. The workshop reflects NODE Media Lab’s ongoing commitment to AI literacy, interdisciplinary learning, and the exploration of new media practices at the intersection of art, science, and technology.