What’s it like to look like Princess Leia with space buns or Queen Charlotte from Bridgerton with a baroque wig? Or to completely transform your look with anime or troll hair? At the exhibition “HAIR – Stories of Power and Passion” at Kunsthalle München, you can experience exactly that — thanks to an interactive AI installation by WE ARE VIDEO.

From chance encounter to concept

The idea came unexpectedly. During a chance encounter, director Roger Diederen asked whether such a technology already existed. More specifically, he wanted visitors to try on new hairstyles in a realistic way.

The answer came quickly: yes, it is possible. And not only that — it can also be fast, precise and fully compliant with data protection. This marked the starting point for the project.

AI meets art — seamlessly

Visitors sit down in front of a 43-inch touchscreen, while a camera captures their portrait. Within just 10 seconds, artificial intelligence transforms the hairstyle.

The key detail is crucial: the face remains completely unchanged. Only the hair is modified. Four curated styles are available, each inspired by the exhibition — Baroque, Anime, Trolls and Space Buns.

How the technology works

The installation is based on a specially developed AI system. First, a segmentation model identifies the hair with high precision. Then, a second model generates the new hairstyle in exactly that area.

As a result, the transformation looks natural and accurate. At the same time, the entire system runs locally on an NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000. Therefore, no cloud or external data transfer is required.

Three stations, one experience

Three stations allow visitors to use the installation at the same time. In addition, one of them is fully accessible.

In the background, a central AI server processes all requests. It then sends the results back within seconds, which ensures a smooth and continuous experience.

From idea to exhibition

Between autumn 2025 and March 2026, the project evolved into a robust system for museum use. Initially, processing took around 30 seconds. However, through hardware optimisation and architectural improvements, this was reduced to just 10 seconds.

A project that connects

For WE ARE VIDEO, this installation is more than just a technical solution. Instead, it represents another chapter in a long-standing collaboration with Kunsthalle München.

At the same time, it shows how technology, art and interaction can merge. Together, they create an engaging and memorable visitor experience.

“HAIR – Stories of Power and Passion” at Kunsthalle München runs from 20 March to 4 October 2026.