ULTIMATE EMOJI (2019) is a research project that explores the emotional and cultural dimensions of digital iconography in contemporary society. Conceived by Albert Barqué-Duran and premiered at Mobile Week Barcelona, the project has been exhibited at Ars Electronica and ZKM, positioning itself at the confluence of artificial intelligence, computational social science, and experimental aesthetics. At the core of the work is a large-scale, AI-generated sculpture — designed via machine learning algorithms using emotion-based data from local urban environments. This digital artifact is 3D-printed and then painted live by the artist in a classical style, creating a temporal dialogue between digital culture and traditional techniques. Developed in collaboration with the Social Dynamics team at Nokia Bell Labs (Cambridge, UK), the project employs real-time public sentiment metrics to drive the sculptural design, reflecting a community’s collective emotional landscape. An AI-assisted generative soundscape — composed with samples from iconic internet memes and modulated by the artist’s physical gestures — accompanies each performance, transforming the piece into a multisensory, site-responsive reflection on digital transformation. ULTIMATE EMOJI reimagines the emoji not merely as a communication symbol, but as a living, adaptive cultural object shaped by human-machine interaction.
