Drawing on Richard Schechner's performance theory, The Artificial Mythical Menagerie  views transformation as a creative act of "becoming," where identity evolves through dynamic change. Performance, in Schechner's view, extends beyond formal stages to wherever people explore roles and expressions. Here, participants engage in co-creation with AI, blending human imagination with AI interpretation, raising questions about how much of the final creature reflects the participant's vision versus the AI's interpretation.

Participants' hand drawn characters are transformed into mythical creatures. A camera captures each drawing, generating depth maps and contours. ChatGPT interprets these visual elements to craft prompts based on the character's features. This prompt, combined with contour data, guides an AI algorithm using TripoSR, SDXL, and ControlNet to create a high-fidelity digital model. The digital creature is then rigged, animated, and displayed holographically, allowing participants to see their creations as animated figures in a virtual menagerie.