Fãl Project is an artistic exploration of the intersection between classical literature—particularly the Divan of Hafiz—and digital technology. It seeks to merge the ancient practice of bibliomancy—using books for divination—with AI, VR, and AR, unlocking new ways to experience fortune-telling in the virtual world. More than just predicting the future, the project delves into the different aspects of words, unveiling literature’s power to reveal meaning beyond the limits of AI’s predictive capabilities. At its core, the project poses a fundamental question: Can AI truly capture the essence of fortune-telling?

Artificial intelligence appears capable of answering spiritual questions with remarkable accuracy, raising the possibility of it replacing traditional spiritual advisors in daily life. However, this research does not seek to make AI an authority on wisdom, but rather to use it—like a parrot—as a tool for facilitating spiritual experiences. AI’s cognition is inherently constrained by its dataset, But when this limitation intersects with the subjective knowledge and experiences of each individual—shaped by their own perceptions and emotions—AI-generated outputs can foster new interpretations beyond mere data retrieval.
For centuries, Iranians have turned to Hafez’s poetry for divination. A single poem may have appeared in countless fortunes, yet each person interprets it uniquely, shaped by their circumstances, emotions, and timing. Even the same individual might extract different meanings from it at different moments.
From this perspective, artificial intelligence and its neural networks can operate within the framework of this tradition by analyzing and interpreting information. In traditional divination, layers of memory, archived knowledge, and imagination within the seeker’s or interpreter’s mind shape the meaning of a chosen poem. Similarly, AI can process and reinterpret information in two ways: first, as an extension of the individual's query, transforming their question into algorithms, numbers, and code; and second, as an interpreter of divination, uncovering deep, interconnected meanings within the vast layers of data it processes, drawing new insights from the poetry itself.

Awarded First Prize of the VR ART PRIZE , presented by Deutsche Kreditbank (DKB) in cooperation with the Contemporary Arts Alliance (CAA) Berlin

At the GamesGround Festival at Alte Münze, Berlin, the project was presented as a face-recognition-based Hafiz fortune-telling installation, deriving a unique divination seed from facial movements captured during a 30-second wish-making process.
Credits: Character 3D model by Soroush Poyan, Fish 3D model, designed based on painting by Mahsa Roosta.

Presented at Barbara Thumm Gallery, the project was realized as a virtual, data-visualized gallery space populated by dynamically loaded fish forms, each corresponding to a database record, reflecting an approach to AI that emphasized its spiritual dimension in contrast to dominant commercial uses.

For a solo booth at Art Dubai 2025, commissioned by Inloco Gallery, the project featured 17 NFC-enabled porcelain sculptures, each linked to a web app that generated and stored ongoing personal prophecies.

Presented at BuchBasel 2023, the project took the form of a unique physical book featuring an original painting by Mahsa Roosta and a leather cover produced in Shiraz, integrating a pressure sensor that translated the audience’s touch into on-screen visuals for divination.

Presented at Enter Art Fair, Copenhagen, by Sanji Gallery, Seoul, the project featured a 3D-printed resin sculpture with an embedded NFC tag connected to a web app.

As part of a solo exhibition at SOMA, Berlin, the project was presented as a face-recognition installation that generated divinations through facial movement.

At the 15th Triennale Kleinplastik Fellbach, the project was presented as an installation featuring a seven-meter vinyl print of Hafiz’s complete poetry rendered in ASCII code, alongside a book with an original miniature painting by Shirazi miniature painter "Mahsa Roosta" and an AR tablet generating divinations displayed on an LCD screen.