V.Ruins’ Dark Tales
‘Dark Tales’ (Dubhscéalta), an extensive and ongoing project by the artist Vandalo Ruins, blurs boundaries between literature and visual multimedia through the use of artificial intelligence, inviting audiences into an interactive and reflective exploration of human subjectivity.
Augmented literature and the poetics of existential AI
Rooted in Ruins' theatrical and cinematic background, Dark Tales integrates folklore, occultism, and speculative narratives, realized through AI-driven photography and dynamic storytelling.
At first glance, the collection of Dark Tales may seem as “just” an assemblage of eerie stories – of fantastical creatures, cultic mysteries, and extraterrestrial enigmas. However, its true essence lies deeper. The artist emphasizes that these themes aren’t selected for mere fright or sensationalism; rather, they are meant to embody profound existential reflections on human perception, the concept of loneliness, and our fragmented comprehension of an ostensibly objective reality. The narrative power of ‘Dark Tales’ exists precisely in the gap between what is objectively present and what we as beings interpret through subjective lenses. This friction births stories, myths, and, in Ruins' words, "wonderful human hallucinations."
Artist V.Ruins (Luca Martinelli)
Cormac Delaney
Central to ‘Dark Tales’ is the fictional character called Cormac Delaney; an AI-driven photographer-investigator whose existence encapsulates the project's philosophical core. Cormac isn’t the traditional protagonist, but more a living question about identity, consciousness, and free will. His narrative is shaped by AI-generated dialogues and imagery, reflecting the fragile attempt to preserve a slipping reality. Cormac's photographs are striking, black-and-white and evocative of film noir aesthetics. They feel like mere records at first, but are actually interpretations of reality, co-created by Ruins, who meticulously curated an AI visual pipeline. The artist created and then curated a dataset of photos for LoRA style training. However, the prompts that drive this Comfy UI flow originate from Cormac himself, who, in his chat with Ruins, describes in detail the exact moment he photographed – or what he perceives in the image as it emerges in the camera obscura.
The Hoax
User engagement
The project’s interactive dimension makes it even more interesting and unpredictable: ‘Dark Tales’ isn't a static literary work but an evolving ecosystem driven by user engagement. Collectors are invited to converse with Cormac by selecting a photo they own via DarkTales.xyz. Each interaction is evaluated along three thematic axes: Faithfulness (immersive suspension of disbelief), Investigation (narrative-driving curiosity), and Introspection (personal or empathetic resonance). These qualitative scores not only affect how the story unfolds, but also feed into a generative logic that influences future airdrops and narrative branches. Each interaction becomes part of a growing, decentralized story inscribed onto the Tezos blockchain, making each collector simultaneously reader, writer, and curator.
Ruins originally envisioned the dynamic aspect of storytelling in his earlier project, Séance, where AI-infused haunted paintings communicated with viewers through interactive storytelling. Dark Tales expands upon this concept significantly, integrating not only spoken narratives but also written texts, dynamically curated photographs, and even psychological profiles crafted following actress Stella Adler’s character development techniques: her rigor in unseen character construction has been translated into Cormac’s internal architecture via adapted system prompts. In essence, Ruins performs an intricate act of literary and digital puppetry, embedding intricate personas within AI chatbots.
The Confessions
Traveling circus
Exhibitions of Dark Tales resist conventional categorization. Rather than passive viewing spaces, Ruins describes them as contemplative "libraries" or immersive installations. These spaces, exemplified by presentations at Milan’s MIA Photofair and Max-y Gallery (contemporary art gallery) in Florence during primavera digitale, with upcoming showcases like the NFC Summit in Lisbon, offer visitors personal interactions with Cormac. This format eschews superficial engagement, demanding instead thoughtful reflection and personal introspection.
Moreover, each photograph within Dark Tales holds dual significance as a narrative artifact and an access key. These keys unlock private, philosophical dialogues with Cormac via a dedicated web platform. Conversations are meticulously documented on-chain, offering collectors both transparency and ownership over their unique interactions. Eventually, these interactions form a collective, decentralized narrative, mirroring the communal storytelling traditions of oral folklore but amplified by the permanence and verifiability of blockchain.
The Roman Lar
Dynamism
Ruins sees Dark Tales as part of a broader, perhaps nascent literary genre: augmented literature. Leveraging AI and blockchain, this new form allows narratives to continuously evolve through reader engagement, transcending the fixed boundaries of traditional literature. Such dynamism doesn't dilute authorship; instead, it extends the writer's reach (with the collector becoming both a curator and writer), allowing the narrative universe to adapt, evolve, and resonate deeply with its audience.
A new landscape for storytelling
Ultimately, Dark Tales proposes a new relationship between reader, writer, and narrative – one that is interactive, empathic, and profoundly philosophical. It exemplifies how technology, rather than distancing us, can deepen human connectivity and understanding through shared narrative experiences. In Ruins' augmented literary landscape, storytelling is no longer a solitary act but an ongoing dialogue: reflective, resonant, and - maybe most-importantly - perpetually open-ended.
The Marking of a Longing
Unlock the stories of Dark Tales
From the first collection of 50 photographs, 30 will be available on objkt.com on May 28.
20 of these are locked editions — they cannot be purchased digitally.Instead, they are airdropped to the wallet of anyone who buys a corresponding physical print.
Currently, 4 physical prints are available for $900 each. When a collector buys one, they receive:
> The physical print
> 5 NFTs: the digital version of the print you bought + 4 curated photos from the collectionCollectors can choose to:
> Have the print shipped to them
> Or let it stay in the touring exhibition, where it will be promoted and managed for potential resale opportunities on your behalf.
Collectors who own these physical pieces will also become secondary characters in the Dark Tales universe, joining the story as it unfolds.
A further deep dive into the project by the same author, Nina Knaack, can be found on her online arts & culture magazine WHITE MIRROR.