Let your imagination take flight in Dreaming with Flamingos, the first digital artwork by British-Nigerian multi-disciplinary artist and designer Yinka Ilori.
I’m a British-Nigerian multi-disciplinary artist, designer, and storyteller. Together with Google Arts & Culture Lab, I’ve created a digital playground called Dreaming with Flamingos, inspired by a real-world playground near me in Barking, London, called Flamboyance of Flamingos. This collaboration enabled me to explore my love of storytelling and Nigerian folklore parables with the help of Google AI.
In Dreaming with Flamingos, my first digital interactive artwork, you play as a young flamingo tasked to restore a park’s lost song. Help the elder flamingos remember their lost wisdom — the life force that once fueled this musical playground — by solving riddles within the game. Each solved riddle reveals a dynamic generative soundtrack, inspired by West African instruments. Your reward at the end of each level is two unique digital artworks inspired by two of my most loved Nigerian parables, co-created with Google technology.
A collaboration with Google AI
With the Google Arts & Culture Lab, we created an experimental 3D playground using WebGL. The soundtrack, generated by Google’s generative music models, is inspired by my Nigerian heritage. You can explore more than 400 possible sound combinations and curate your own music by playing in the park. We also fine-tuned a Google AI image generation model trained on my favourite designs to generate 38 collectible artworks in my signature bold and colourful style. Complete both levels to earn your artworks and curate your own soundtrack with musical surprises.
We are delighted to collaborate with Yinka Ilori on this project. Yinka’s vibrant artistic vision and passion for storytelling perfectly complement our mission to make art and culture accessible to everyone. Dreaming with Flamingos beautifully showcases how technology can connect us with global cultures and inspire new ways of experiencing art and storytelling. I invite you to explore this digital musical playground and discover the magic Yinka has created. – Amit Sood, Google Arts & Culture
Storytelling, technology, and ancient tradition
Dreaming with Flamingos takes inspiration from a real-life physical playground, Flamboyance of Flamingos, in London. When I was creating that space, local members of the elderly community shared memories of flamingos actually living there. This sparked the idea to explore themes of memory, community, and joy in the digital realm. I’ve always been drawn to the power of storytelling. My Nigerian heritage, rich in folklore and vibrant traditions, fuels my artistic vision. With Google’s advanced AI tools, I’m bringing this to life in a whole new way—merging ancient wisdom with modern technology.
What does dreaming mean to you?
To me, dreaming is how I imagine I want the world to be. I want to create a world that inspires a sense of belonging and that’s accessible for everyone, especially those who find it difficult to visit galleries and museums in person. My dream for this project is to inspire you to connect with nature and each other in new, meaningful ways. At the end of each level, I invite you to linger, play, and listen.
©2025 Google, Yinka Yinka Ilori
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