An AI Art Curation for Climate Change
We find ourselves on this planet at a time defined by digital and technological advancements, and in an age where technological systems are shaping our societies and perceptions of the world, ourselves, and other living beings to an unprecedented extent. We are also in a time of environmental challenge and are facing the vast and varied impacts of climate change.
Complex machine learning models and the promise of artificial intelligence is advocated as a way out of these moments of crisis. They generate thought-provoking responses to a wide range of inputs that leave us awestruck. AI technologies are now in the hands of millions, taking the public imagination by storm.
While we can be enthused, amazed, scared, or even charmed by AI, we should remember that despite being an intelligent, autonomous, automated, immaterial and abstract technology, it is very much dependent on and built out of planetary resources, and demands human labor. As much as we need to interrogate the bias and ethical issues behind these systems, and question its role and impact on our environments, can we as a conscious and creative community leverage this nascent and fast developing field for the good it can bear?
Through FutureFantastic, we ask: can AI and art come together to help us pay attention, extend concern and imagine a world where the mindful use of technology can bring about a radically open, environmentally equitable and optimistic future?
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Elsewhere In India
Antariksha Studio (IN), Murthovic (IN), Thiruda (IN)
Combining the thrill of a live performance with the excitement of a video game experience, Elsewhere In India was a wild ride through a world where cultural heritage was on the brink of extinction. With a blend of cyborgs and artists, ancient traditions and cutting-edge technology came together to create a musical adventure.
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Give Me A Sign
Diane Edwards (GB), Upasana Nattoji Roy (IN)
Through the language of Indian dance mudras (hand gestures), Give Me a Sign explores the insecurities we feel in tackling challenging situations, particularly with our changing climate. Repurposing mudras that hold generations of meaning-making in the Indian culture, it invites a philosophical, analytical and speculative conversation around the narrative of the time and freewheeling change.
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Radbots
Dara.network (IN)
Radbots is a collection of conversational videobots created by leading playwrights, artists and screenwriters from India, Sri Lanka, the UK and Germany. This project represents AI Art history and leverages the bleeding edge of AI and ML present in year 2020 to create a Turing-test passing video chat experience that is crafted to represent and…
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Where Do I Come From? Where Do I Go?
Malavika PC (IN), Papia Chakraborty (IN), Asli Dinc (DE)
Vulnerably capturing their own waste to build a dataset, three artists bared themselves raw by confronting the relationship with their daily consumption patterns. Where Do I Come From? Where Do I Go? is a multi-format exhibit that urges us to contend with our personal truths; this is an artwork that offers a poignant reminder that…
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Wood Wide Web
Anupam Mahajan (IN), Cameron Naylor (GB), Kanchan Joneja (IN), Kristina Pulejkova (GB)
In Wood wide web the knowledge of a carefully curated dataset, endangered tree ecosystems from India and the UK were personified to tell stories of their erasure. Based on a collection of sounds, interviews, and visual data from the field shared by Farmers for Forests (India) and the Kew Gardens Library and Archive (London), audiences…
About
BeFantastic is a TechArt platform incubated under the banner of Jaaga, in Bangalore, India, and currently established in Singapore. Envisioning a positive, sustainable future pioneered by communities, creative practices, and technology, the platform brings together a vibrant international circle of TechArt creators who push the boundaries of technology and the arts. Through festival showcases like FutureFantastic, international CoLabs, and open public Dialogs, BeFantastic facilitates conversation to urge a wide array of audiences to think critically about the state of technology, design and the arts.
FutureEverything is an award-winning arts organization and innovation lab in Manchester UK that has assisted the emergence of digital culture in Europe since 1995. Through a curated program of art commissions, exhibitions, critical conversations and collaborations, FutureEverything pushes creative boundaries to stimulate new ways of thinking across a range of sectors, disciplines and audiences. With an action-research, artist-led and human-centered approach, the organization has been delivering projects and strategic partnerships across the globe. Recent curatorial projects include FutureFantastic, Plásmata: Bodies, Dreams and Data, and You and AI: Through the Algorithmic Lens amongst others.
Credits
FutureFantastic as a festival in India was made possible by the generous contribution of its primary supporters, The British Council’s India/UK Together Season of Culture, and Rohini & Nandan Nilekani Philanthropies.
