theVOV Unites | Makers of the Metaverse
This event happened 1 July 2021
The Metaverse is a collective virtual shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space, including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the Internet.
This event will explore how the metaverse’s dimensions range across artificial cyber creators that invent human culture, to humans that create exclusively cyber culture.
As worlds collide and the digital world is more prevalent than ever before, we explore the stories behind this new world and what it means to us humans turning technology into culture for a better future.
Speakers
Dani Loftus is the founder of This Outfit Does Not Exist - a platform bringing Digital Fashion to life through explanation and exhibition, and the first human to influence in Virtual Fashion. Passionate about tech's ability to further access to, and opportunities in, the arts Dani showcases the transformative potential of Virtual Fashion through her monthly essays, and it's aesthetic potentialities through her Instagram. She has been featured in Bloomberg, run projects with Dress-X and Huckletree and is the first human collaborator of leading Digital Fashion house The Fabricant"
Auroboros is the dual luxury fashion house creating physical couture and digital ready-to-wear.
Aidan Meller and Lucy Seal
Ai-Da is the world’s first ultra-realistic AI robot artist. She draws from sight using cameras in her eyes and AI algorithms. She is a performance artist and works collaboratively with humans to create paintings and sculptures. She is named after Ada Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer.
As a robot artist, she questions what it means to be human in an era of rapid change, where developments in transhumanism and bio-technology continue to blur the boundaries. With cautionary 20th Century literature such as Huxley's Brave New World and Orwell’s 1984 as her influence, she urges reflection and consideration in the face of technological advance, encouraging us to engage with ethical issues, and to feel empowered to move towards the life-affirming, and staying alert to abuses of power.
Her first exhibition was at the University of Oxford, in June 2019. She has been interviewed by Tim Marlow, the Artistic Director of the Royal Academy, and created art with artist Sadie Clayton at the Tate Exchange, Tate Modern. Last year Ai-Da participated in major international art events such as Arts Electronica, Austria and Abu Dhabi Art, UAE. Ai-Da has had huge press coverage, with just under 900 articles from the BBC, CNN, to The New York Times, Forbes, New Scientist, Fortune and TIME magazine covering her first exhibition. She currently has a solo show at the Design Museum in London
Ai-Da Robot is the vision of Aidan Meller, working alongside an international team of contributors, known as the Oxfordians. Aidan specialises in modern and contemporary art and runs a gallery from Oxfordshire and London. With over 20 years’ experience in the art business, he works closely with private collectors and is often consulted by those who wish to begin, or further develop their collections.
Aidan Meller, Gallery Director said: “Pioneering a new AI art movement, we are excited to present Ai-Da, the first professional humanoid artist, who creates her own art, as well as being a performance artist. As an AI robot, her artwork uses AI processes and algorithms. The work engages us to think about AI and technological uses and abuses in the world today.”
Lucy Seal, Researcher and Curator for the project, said: ‘We are looking forward to the conversation Ai-Da sparks in audiences. A measure of her artistic potential and success will be the discussion she inspires. Engaging people so we feel empowered to re-imagine our attitudes to organic life and our futures is a major aim of the project.’
Victoria Westerman, Co-founder of theVOV and Visualogical
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