'Glass Hermit' Says AI Can Set Our Spirits Free

Northern Data goes with the flow

Northern Data Group’s fusion of AI and the natural world surely ranks among the most artsy campaigns of the year. Precocious, too.

But that’s not a bad thing.

Its mission is to memorably illustrate the synthesis of creative tech and human imagination. Here, that union resembles an ’80s David Bowie video crossed with T2 and Cirque du Soleil.

This approach makes the work memorable. It’s pretentious in a good way, and that quality enhances its charm.

“The Glass Hermit”—a short from director Shona Health and creative studio HELO—revels in tonal shifts, operatic earworms and water water everywhere.

Circus performer Ruby Gaskell provides the flesh-and-blood focus with stylized movements amid dreamy visuals:

“AI has opened a door to other dimensions. It makes sense to me to use it in conjunction with my original ideas, the hand-made and human crafted. It is like another color,” Heath says.

It’s basically a product demo—with feeling and flair. Props for breaking the B2B mold and dabbling in the unexpected.

“Entering this world was such a joy, I immediately felt comfortable in it,” Ruby tells Muse. We worked on the movement before the shoot without the costume. But when wearing it on set, it became a totally different organism. A lot of it was very intuitive and playful, letting me be me.”

While filming, “the set really was a big playground, a perfect floor to skate on. My favorite memory is dancing in the huge yellow-and-pink creation—which got VERY hot. It was a challenge not to trip over on the fabric.”

The clip positions the brand as a collaborator helping creatives break barriers. That tack worked fine for Apple back in the day. This marks an amplification of such classic themes, a free-flowing take on working smarter and expanding horizons.

“A production of this type would not have been possible a year ago,” says Northern Data group COO Rosanne Kincaid-Smith. “But now we are able to see first-hand how AI innovation, in the hands of visionaries like Shona, will ensure refined and tailored outcomes that drive industries forward.”