pennefather--french-consulate-ai-creativity.txt

[Speaker 1]
To support partnership and connection between our respective collections here in France, in the field of control and created Industries. In particular, new technologies such as immersive realities and AI. So stay tuned follow us on our social media. You learn about our activities and events like also, xr4 focus on immersive Arts, that will take place for third year, in November collaboration, with local Before I turn to, to Patrick for the starboard discussion on tonight's topic offline, we thought it was interesting to address it through the angle of our creation and its interaction with AI.

[Speaker 1]
A lot of things are being said about how AI is going to impact every aspect of Our Lives including our creation. But on the other hand, I I personally personally think that art creation is also more than using technique or process it involves perceptions emotions feelings all elements that for the same being are still very much human. So I'm really excited to listen to what our panelists will have to say about this topic and to the questions and ideas that you're going to ask and share with them. I'd like to conclude by thanking again, UBC and the emerging media lab thank you, Patrick. Thank you to your team to Syed and the students for allowing us to be able together here today.

[Speaker 1]
Kudos. Also, to Ranson, the cultural attache from the consulate who also worked quite a lot to put this event together, reaching out to partners and and panelists. And last but not least, a big, thank you to those. We will make this night. Our dear speakers thank you to Steve to Justine, Justine Amber Loretta and Juliana for taking the time to to be with us tonight and for sharing your experience and knowledge. I wish everyone a good night of ideas 2024 in Vancouver and look forward to the discussion. Thank you very much.

[Speaker 1]
So I did something different tonight. I decided to print out my notes and then forgot my glasses. So as many of my students will appreciate, I will be improvising it. So, let's see what my notes say. I do have the honor to introduce a tiny, tiny morsel. Of the work of five artists with impressive Journeys. Stories and research Creations. In no way. Does the short amount of time they each have to speak of the work, really contain it all. Their work gives you a glimpse of the possible, a glimpse of the future and a relationship to the Past.

[Speaker 1]
Tonight will be a different type of panel. Each person will speak. But we've divided it into two sections. First I will ask Justine and Steve dipaola to speak after which I will ask specific questions based on what they present following that we will have Amber Loretta and Juliana speak and that will Result in different types of questions that we'll ask after that. I will open it up to q a from our audience. And, After that, we will go to the reception. And during that reception, uh, some of my students wave your hands. Thank you. We'll be presenting some of the work they have been doing.

[Speaker 1]
Api specifically. So I will give you very brief bios that a large language model helped me. No I'm just kidding. I didn't do that to you but I was tempted but I decided not to but I will give you short bios and I'm sure they will fill in the gaps if required. So, Steve dipollo. Uh, he said he's an active as an artist and he said, I should say at least so Baptist, uh, and uh, is a scientist and director of the cognitive science program at Summit, Fraser University. And leads the virtual. Of his lap, right me. My eyes. Our research lab that strives to make computational systems, Bend more to The Human Experience.

[Speaker 1]
The lab creates computational models of very human ideals such as expression, emotion, behavior, and creativity, typically, for the gaming Sciences, arts, and health fields. He is most known for his AI based computational creativity. And in addition to 3D facial expression and in and health fields, he is most known as well for as his bat, lab builds Advanced AI systems. He also has 20 years In terms of his experience as an artist, Uh, working in the Whitney Moma. And other museums and gatherers. Welcome, Steve.

[Speaker 1]
I want to translate I'll just try it in English. As a visual artist, she lives and works in Paris, her artworks explore, the new relationships that are being established between our experiences and Technologies. By contributing different image medias, from photography to video and VR. She sits. She situates her work. At the intersection between neurosciences objects, organic life, and AI into any 17. She was the winner of the residence. All Lemieu by heavy Institute Jose for a project in Tokyo. Please welcome, Christina.

[Speaker 1]
Because of our Cognitive loads, I will introduce our three other panelists after and before they present. So Yes, please. One more time. Welcome all our friends.

[Speaker 1]
I will now pass the mic to Justin who will present first.

[Speaker 1]
Thank

[Speaker 2]
You, Patrick. Um, thank you. I'm so grateful for this invitation. It's my first time in Vancouver. I'm very excited to be here. And thanks to the French culture service of the consulate and the French Embassy. In Vancouver and Ottawa, and thank you to Nikola boudoir as well for being here. I will show you a little bit of my process tonight because I think when it comes to artificial intelligence, it's all about the process. How artists use it. And as Nicola said, it's not just about one technology making the artist but it's all about the process and what is behind.

[Speaker 2]
So, I will. Introduce myself. I am justinema. I'm a French visual artist. I am also this year. Visiting artist Professor at Pope Genoir, which is the Studio National design. Contempora in France. It's an important score between Cinema and new technologies. Postmaster where everybody can apply because it's International. And I wanted to just to say that I create different images, photographies videos, experiences performances in flux, combining different discipline that I staged and involved in my practice. I have been creating forms which are marking my relationship to the world at the intersection of Life, mineral world and Technologies of perception automatization.

[Speaker 2]
And I like to create new links between beings and Technologies. And what is important in. My practice is also the phenomenon of emergence, emergence of bones of Life emergence of religions, emergence of awareness. And the creative processes, they develop take their Origins into brain recording and programming system. Three-dimensional scans. Database. And Personal like processes. And I'm really focusing on this idea of authority. I already see Ai and new technologies as went to as ways to Um, to make new activities emerge. And I will start with this idea of four lines. And to re-situate into this context, my work into this context of geology and Humanity.

[Speaker 2]
But also about this idea of representation that the human started into the prehistorical times, Um I I was very excited by this, this idea of coastline. And I I just put those photos from my phone which was in the archaeological Museum in France. And actually the big Stone that you see. It's representation. It's a it's a kind of map. It's one of the first map in Europe which had been represented And then it's amazing to see that at a certain point. Humans started to excavate what they had in their brains, to put it on the, on the walls and on the walls into a cave cave paintings, but also to create a representation, the map is a mental representation of a space and to draw it on the rock.

[Speaker 2]
It was interesting to see from this piece and different pieces that I had, the great chance to share the arcology Museum that human. They were representing themselves into the environments and and today I feel there is a kind of coming back of how we deal with the environment, especially into representation. And I wanted to show this Stone as the first idea of how geology archeology can also be connected to brain representations and brain imagery. I will start by drawing the first line from a prehistory to AI and a second line from the caves to brain.

[Speaker 2]
And I will start to speak about this work, which is called iPad Fantasia from the origin of images. And this idea of the Fantasia, it's a Greek concept which is combining dream imagination representations ghosts and the idea of the imaginality of the image, what's happening and what's happening in front of us. And especially when we we think of how images appear I was interested to work with this installation on the origins of images. And as I mentioned, the first origin of images that I wanted to To staging this work is a cave, paintings. So, since the dawn of time, the humans had been creating into complex environment,

[Speaker 2]
With the Imaging of the fire control, they started to dive more deeper deeper and this technology of the fire brought us into the cave. And in 1994, the Chauvin cave were discovered in France. It's containing the best preserved in France. Figurative came buildings and there are thousands of them, thousands of paintings. Greetings, and different types of brewings. It's considered as one of the most significant space. And it was dated from 36 000 years ago and it was a major Discovery also because of its very was very ancient paintings. For example, the Lasco cave is only 17 000 years old

[Speaker 2]
And I started to work with the conservation of the cave to ask them, what could be possible to work together to access to their database, to their scientific database, and to use Um um like a specific system to train images on the database. So my idea was really to connect the first technology of image in the world. This piece of code on the on the walls and to start from this piece of charcoal on the wall until the pixels to make the bridge between Technologies of images. And so I had been working from this scientific database, I made different courses, and I started to find models Able to generate New Visions of those praistorical paintings and to imagine different possibilities. So it was a very interesting process because

[Speaker 2]
As you may know, when you train a model, when it's generating thousands of images, what we call the latent space and to really choose in this latent space, what would be interesting? I was also inviting a scientist. John, Michelle Jones, who is the old conservator of the cape to help me to choose those images. And to generate a movie, because It was very important for me to keep this this film and installation alive as the prehistorical time. The image was always vibrating. And there was always this idea of the fire, This idea of the fire animating the animals.

[Speaker 1]
As I said,

[Speaker 2]
I also worked with a different origin of the image, the region of the image in our brains. And in 2022, I was in a residence in the French space agency. Where neuroscientists were studying how to record sleep into space and permit was a great opportunity since I am interested in dreams since many years. It was a great opportunity to dive into astronauts dreams. So I have been working closely with the neurologists of the French State agency to study the data of sleep of the astronauts. So it was was still recording brain waves to rain. So I was able with the neurologist to find, 23 greens framed in the space and to print them into 3D shapes. So I made a series of 20 free sculptures which embodied the 23 drains of space.

[Speaker 2]
During the process. I was also working with this parametric. Architecture software to really give a shape to the data But the idea was To also work with. And with the location of the dreams, since in the international space station, everything is monitored and win time. I was able to give a location to the dreams and to deduct the project stories of each dream and I was searching for one small metal right to include in the shape of the sculptures to give this localization to the dreams. So into each culture, there is also a minimal card.

[Speaker 2]
Video developed between two different types of materials. In the end. I reunited the two different ways of working together to create this installation, which is Um, I would say like more like a fictional space from her from the deepness of her to the cave to the space, and from the praise story to our time. So I thought that was a nice introduction multi-dimension, work to introduce the schematicable false lines.

[Speaker 1]
You so much, please.

[Speaker 1]
We're going to pass it now to A steep power, who is a colleague, From seat at Sun Fraser University, and I've known Steve for a long time along with much of its body work, and I'll let him speak to that.

[Speaker 3]
Thank you for coming and thank you for inviting me. This is an amazing situation where globally country has decided that maybe we need to talk about the issues of our day. I wish more countries were doing that, so I'm very excited to be part of it. I have a research lab, in fact, I know of the The fellow who's doing, uh, who's coming to SFU to do music from, from from France, and it's really exciting for us. He's part of our group. So much. Simon Prater University. Most of what I'm going to show you are tools that you could use too. So if you want to, you could just email me about them.

[Speaker 3]
I'm a cognitive scientist. Um, and with a, with a lab here, that's 76, women AI people. So the what what women researchers bring to the table is really exciting. And we we win Awards and so in southern, I wanted to acknowledge the the researchers of the work I'm showing you. I'm going to try and maybe as someone who's been doing this for for 30 years, dispel some of the kind of issues of the day around AI. Um, surely creatives artists writers musician? Scientists we've been doing, we're trying to make something unique With Universal meeting. It's something that I've been, I've interviewed hundreds of creators and how they're creative. And one of the things that true about them is we're first in with new tools. Surely there was probably a and aghast situation when we went from egg, tempura to oil and then acrylic, you're going to use acrylic in your painting. So, you can imagine it's true of AI as well too. And surely, it's, it's funny that the AI folks who start are both showing work from caves from.

[Speaker 3]
Art but this is considered one of the first kind of modern representations, 40, 000 years old of this lion man. Putting a man and a lion together. And obviously they had to use a new Flintstone knife to be able to do that. By the

[Speaker 4]
Way,

[Speaker 3]
Here we are in similar, it's funny. Um, years later, there was a group of us who were asked to kind of reimagine this piece. And this was my kind of work using my AI systems. So even if you look at the evolution of the piano, Where it started from. It's both the performance. Is it easy to play? But it's also structural, oh, it's it actually has the, the, the, the theory of music in it. And that's what's happening in AI. Now, it's not just about the pixels or the colors, but we're able to put emotions in it. We're able to move through it. I have a bunch of centers here and this is my brain sensor. So I'm able to just kind of think about art and it was through my, my systems, we could do it that way I have.

[Speaker 3]
My hand. So let's let's look at some of this. I'm from here and it rates here a lot, but other than I'm from New York City originally. So I have now moved to Deep Cove because it's this wonderful place on a pure here. This is my favorite tree and I, that's just me. Just so if you want to come to Deep Cove come, but in my imagination, I was also thinking about Van Gogh, and where he lives and that with Gogan that he lived in this little red house in this, this very famous room that

[Speaker 3]
To imagine that I could just just move between the two so watch if I go to the room here. Look at some of this wood because that's what my head becomes. So So we have a kind of a normal art apprentice system where we can kind of be brought up this this notion of dreaming, you know what is dreaming but but but art creation at the highest level now we're able to do that a little bit. So if you watch me slowly kind of morph into that room in a way that that I see it at least.

[Speaker 3]
Uh, these are what we're starting to be able to do with these systems. I think, people think these systems are called. They usually don't have to be, I think the other issue is these systems are new, surely How old I am. So in 1988 I did a piece with nanju Peg. That was oh, and a gas issue again. It was called media art and the Whitney kind of woke. Everyone's like, oh my God, meteorite that can't be art. And if you went up the elevator to the fourth floor of this, these these 207 old TVs, were there in the sculpture that he did. Uh, but but much more recently, the Whitney Museum came up, did a retrospective on computational and AI shows and this was

[Speaker 3]
Piece. With that show, but it was called program dark. This is, this is Art that you write code, in the code makes art. So, we've been doing this for a long time to the point where there's literally retrospectives on it. And I, I was there just before covid. To the show. Also I did a piece just a little bit later with the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and this was now in a performance piece. So this is the residence and the video artist and we're able to put this kind of art on the screen.

[Speaker 3]
Another thing I might want to dispel is that AI art is going to take all or his jobs away. There's some terribly important ethical issues there that we'll probably talk about. But I can at least say, as, as having someone who's done art for a long time, my biggest commission was this year for an AI art piece. So, Lamborghini the the, uh, Your Supercar company. It was a 60th anniversary and they wanted to commission an artist near major countries and here in Canada, they decided to pick an AI artist so this was the least commission that I ever got in my 30 years. This was a piece that I was able to drive this car.

[Speaker 3]
Very careful with the person next to me. Two for those people who are local to kids, the Kitsalano Beach and take pictures of it. And that's another issue about it. Oh, is it just stealing other people's art? All my art comes from my sources. So I either I look at my old stuff and redo it or I photograph it.

[Speaker 1]
So, in

[Speaker 3]
This case and this would be with the leap motion, I can't seem to get it working today, but normally you would be moving your hand through this and you would be moving in this style till it becomes, Inside the hour. Hour mountains here in Canada, or the mountains in Italy. Is this? This went to Italy. I'm gonna, so yes, there is. I think some of the low-level art might be gone and similar with music in that a lot of people are just making air, but I think,

[Speaker 4]
People,

[Speaker 3]
With ideas can get stuff in their soul out through these systems and that that's one of the things I wanted to tell you, um, on kind of the, um, The more conceptual side, we surely do a lot with entities. How are you feeling today? So, here, I'm talking to a character that I made Pablo Picasso.

[Speaker 1]
I'm good.

[Speaker 3]
I was at Cambridge University and I did this live, I am thinking about art and ethics. Do you have anything to say about ethics and the world?

[Speaker 3]
I believe

[Speaker 1]
Art brings out the best in people. It shows the world that we are not alone.

[Speaker 3]
So, this is using these large language models that, you know, and obviously, um, we're doing with Van Gogh. You've been talking to the Van Gogh Museum, and we're using. So, it's a character, you can see what the character looked like. More importantly is, uh, Van Gogh wrote, 700 letters through his brother. Theo, very personal letters, very rambling letters. So, not the easiest thing to to train, but we have a very high end tool to try and try and do that so we can actually map Thoughts and the characters? In his life and hopefully this will be like bringing him somewhat back to what I've been talking to him. Again, ethical issues. Everyone understands that Jean-Luc Picard is not a real person yet with AI, sometimes we really struggle between what's fiction and drama. So, again, in the case of of this character, it is, is dramatic. However, it's also dramatic of everything of his life and everything he's ever written to his brother, Leo. So that's a system. Now, when we do that, we don't have to keep

[Speaker 3]
He's talking we could change his style this. So this all comes from the systems we have to. So moving through these spaces rather significantly In fact, this is kind of a portrait of myself. So I've been on the kind of me as an artist side. Have been working with these tools in other portrait, kind of really thinking about what what cubist is in kind of deep ways and being able to move through it. So now, I could dance through it or drum through it or emotionally, think about in different ways and we do definitely do a lot with dancers. I walk in the woods and my favorite trees and I paint them with these AI systems. I sit here on Cortez Island if you know,

[Speaker 3]
Me, I'm there all the time and I want to express it differently. So I'm trying to get something out of my soul. Using these kinds of systems, these are other pieces that I've I've done another portrait of me. And, you know, in this work, I I know this woman, she loves the woods and the ocean. So this is actually on this side kind of parts of the ocean me taking photos of it and then my words in deep Cove and kind of putting them together in different ways. So this is the the thing we're able to do. I also do a lot of reading so

[Speaker 3]
In this case, it's not just about color. It's also about what does it mean to be a couple that's been together for a long time? And oh, and I'm journeying through just to show these were all in a, in a vein of an exploration that I can do my system. So this one is fractured after an argument. So that that's where, where these two are somehow. So closely bonded, um, You know that they start looking like each other. So this is the really interesting things that we can move together in ways during so is this stuff useful? Well, during coven for instance, um,

[Speaker 3]
Yeah. Get on stage. So we did a significant video piece where these three dancers all kind of at home. And we were using artifacts like like balloons and and other pieces uh, that we then put together the glue was the kind of this AI paperly. So uh, this is how the balloons end up looking. When you when we put all the the paint really look to it and then we could put them together as a steer really near. So this was a kind of a way to do that and in fact, As they were dancing in their individual homes, using the individual cameras in a whole new way of working in art. They were also exclaiming, what they thought, since their iPhones were on. And I took that and wrote poetry with the AI system. I gave it to them and they said, no, I like that. I don't like that. I went back and forth many times and then they did spoken word on that, here's a different piece. Um this is a an Arabian student that's mine, who is very effective by what was happening in Iran.

[Speaker 3]
Literally. So she took Martyrs, literally women been thrown off roofs and things and cut them using a collage technique. And then if you know a promise you could give proms to the different ones and put them all back together so she could have a portrait that actually showed. And again this is all social media kind of gorilla. Uh, Images is really of exactly the protests and other things. It's also quite useful in things like anonymization. So the the notion right now when somebody needs to tell their story that they're pixelated, And you can't see their face, but artists know how to kind of represent them in kind of deep way. So we have tools to do that level of anonymization. So that just shows you a number of ways that we could work with art and

[Speaker 3]
And also use it for good. And if it's okay again with this brain piece, this is a counselor who could be telling you, don't worry, I'm almost done. Don't worry and then, but wouldn't it be better if I go to a happy place? I grab him. And he comes with me. So this is her breathing in and out. And so, we have a breath Center and then, and then

[Speaker 3]
Make it move it so I can end. Um, so you can see a person now comes in in VR and um, She's able to kind of create a happy place and kind of grab him and bring them through there. So, her thoughts of those birds and her breathing these, those. So really new kinds of things within arts, and then journalism, and in this case, within mental health. Thank you very much. All these tools are available. So if you want to use them, come talk to me,

[Speaker 1]
Great to see you.

[Speaker 4]
So I I wanted to now uh just take a moment

[Speaker 1]
To uh I I want to start with you just, you know, this question even though I'll give you both an opportunity to answer to it. But uh by a show hands, how many of you uh have explored Artistry on any level? Okay. And By another show of hands. How many of you are applying different types? Of AI systems or tools with the creation of your Artistry? Hey, so part of my, my question to everyone is centered around. Both artists here and how they have used and trained their own machine learning models. Which to me is something that is

[Speaker 1]
Not that. For an idea to myself. Uh however with this new pattern of generative, AI specifically, becoming more popular, we're seeing a lot of especially public generative systems that allow anyone to create some form of expression, artistically. Debatedly because I'll put the term artistically in quotes. Which, which many of us here might, appreciate Uh, my question is centered around the tools. The technology. It's changed, but for both of you who Employ these tools for, for a long time. What do you think is going to help artists moving forward? Now in this new relationship with this apparently

[Speaker 1]
And don't don't be offended. This new technology.

[Speaker 2]
I think that's new but at the same time that's not smooth because artificial intelligence is is really old and it's something which has been improved a lot with the the recent advances and of course what happens since a year and a half there's all the success of those tools especially the online tools. Which are making the vision of a a little bit uniformized. I would say like typically this journey images are always This kind of risk of Union, communication of Visions. But I like to imagine, sometimes that all those models were trained on the base on internet images and they released thousands of images on internet. So they will be training by all those generated images again. And again, and maybe in the end, we will have no more images in the world or there will be this kind of snow of pixels. But it's

[Speaker 3]
I

[Speaker 2]
Mean, it's it's important to replacing the context of of a kind of research field your researcher artificial intelligence. It's a scientific field which is here to study Soul problem cases and that's already all in one house even that we have all these the vision of new tools online but it's already in our realities and As an artist, I think it's important to share the process of work to share the fact that you can invent new process of AI. And I think that's much more interesting to You created the machine in this way and to really be able to control from your own database until where you are training your own models and also about the impact and responsibility

[Speaker 2]
Because it's also a matter of how you deal with your impact in the world. And How can you be responsible by making an upwork with jgpt? When you know that jgpt was trained by genuine people within two hours, two dollars an hour. So it's a work context about the representation of data. There is a kind of lack of representation of data in our society that is really floating India in the class and about it. We have this We use a tool when we use the technology we use it for its old and wide impact in the world. So it's it's a general context that is very important to think about and to explain to people how we work and how we can

[Speaker 2]
Thank you.

[Speaker 1]
Great. Awesome. And Steve. Do you have words on this?

[Speaker 3]
Um, So, surely one thing. Said, there's an ownership issue. Putting all this stuff in and surely there are artists and comedians in the New York Times saying no, no, you can't have our stuff. Um, I have to admit I very we do a lot on the ethic side but that's the one I'm kind of reverse on. I think we need to put everything in the systems and the reason I think that is because there's a very big existential threat with with what a AI might be. If you took a child and put him in a white room and didn't cognitively, give them a good experience. That's an issue. So I actually think we should put all work in. I always like say imagine Casa's

[Speaker 3]
And saying no one could see Picasso again unless you pay us a thousand dollars. So and then it would be removed from the world still. I think there should be a compensation for it. I go out of my way and my systems not to use copyrighted material so I simply use we we have our own trained data. That's that's that's using older work. One of the things that's fascinating to me though, is what how many people in the room? Don't really raise your hand. Don't have the skill, right? I say, don't have to campus play. The damn guitar.

[Speaker 3]
They can think, if they wish they

[Speaker 4]
Could

[Speaker 3]
Get it out. And one of the things I see is an amazing to bring up the Einsteins of the Arts is going to people, who've always been struggling to get it out. Now, they have an assistant, if they can think it, if they can get it out of their fall wherever many different kinds of artists and musicians than we've ever had before who are now kind of working with the system. The other and another way to think about it is curation the notion that I have a good eye I can I can get there. We saw this with the with music when DJing and, oh, you're stealing music and it turned out, it's more important to be an editor than than a Creator. I think we'll start saying that. If you if you can feel good art then you could use these systems and explore around that. So I'm really excited about the new kinds of artists that these tools will bring out great. Thank you

[Speaker 1]
And great to hear both opinions again. Uh, another round of applause for uh,

[Speaker 1]
And I will be passing now. Our next Trio. Uh, after which we will thank you so much. Wow, let's try these. Thanks Chris. Wow, this makes it worse but more interesting. Um actually I feel the pretty much. Oh, thank you so much. So uh, Before we hear from. Amber Loretta and Juliana, I'll give you a Bios on them. And again please feel free to fill in the gaps where I do miss them. So Amberfield Jimenez, I'm saying it. Like, I would because I'm half the team, okay? Uh he's an artist whose work explores the role of design and Technology. And contemporary Society, her work investigates, the Aesthetics and cultural mechanics of the network through experimental platforms and visual installations projects include burning ballet mechanic.

[Speaker 1]
That data is political and that was 2018 and 2016. And currently on contemporary Art, design and the politics of information, which explores the aesthetic and political dimensions of information and its relation to power and the production of knowledge Fred Jimenez is the co-author of a forthcoming book by the same title. She is the author of a recently. Published artist Theory book entitled, La nucha on Charisma and its persuasive Technologies. Published by the Chan Van Dyke in 2012.

[Speaker 1]
How was my Spanish on that pronunciation? That's

[Speaker 2]
Great.

[Speaker 1]
So, The reticeratad female Creed metis. White writes been to Sundance writer's lab directs, many films. Lots of festivals. Thanks essays full of tersley, cogent remarks or flamboyantly theoretical analysis. Produces. She's experienced The Labyrinth. Challenges herself, and others, and makes things happen. And yes, she has many Awards and accolades known for lyrical. Expressionist imagery combined with strong storytelling skills, Todd tells truths that are haunting funny and real. My ad Loretta, was she created the I am4 lab, an indigenous virtual and augmented reality lab and we'll speak to that as well today. Juliana Lowe. Spatial artist designer working hard to change the world by using imagination critical. Thinking play and creativity drawn to Global perspectives. She identifies with the storytellers Visionaries healers, and game changers, in a world in need of Hope vision, and positive transformation Juliana was recognized in 2020 by the woman in vrar as an emerging creative and has shared her passion as an educator and supporter, especially around themes of diversity and inclusion.

[Speaker 1]
Welcome, our next students.

[Speaker 1]
And Amber. Thank you. Thanks Patrick.

[Speaker 2]
I'm thank you for having me today. I'm delighted to be here with all of you. Um, And it's a pleasure for me to be able to share a project that's close to my heart. And it's a work. I'm just going to show one piece and it's a work that blends artificial intelligence with my personal narrative. Um, last year I published an artist book entitled, the XXX Is crafted by training, an AI on 70 years of both magazine. So my approach is some of the different, but conceptual reason for that Um, In a moment, I will uh take you inside V.

[Speaker 2]
Be for short for a closer look. Uh, but first I I'd like to tell you why. Oh, was my Source material and the simple answer is. My mother's love for book. Um, for her as an immigrant a forging, a new identity in the U.S Vogue, was more than a magazine. It was. It was a way for her to find her fashion in a new place. It was a means of self-expression and creativity. Um, here she is at 17, fashionable and full of Dreams before she became a young mother.

[Speaker 3]
Um,

[Speaker 2]
She's one of them, right? Uh, we couldn't afford the lavish outfit, featured in Vogue. Uh, yet she flipped through these pages and talk about the latest trends and the steep prices and Then she would creatively replicate these Styles. From finding from fines that. She would get it. Local thrift stores. Um, she was an artist in her own, right and using scarf as a belt. Crafting, a unique style that I as a child absorbed quietly watching her Paint herself, paint her world. Her new world with the. With the pages. And Strokes of. And this is me exploring my own senses on hell.

[Speaker 2]
Feeling both. Out of place and inspired. Like many. I felt awkward and unrepresented by the Polish polished images in Vogue magazine. So V, the artist was called about to show. You is a reflection and a deconstruction of my childhood memories entwined with my mother and food all channeled through AI.

[Speaker 1]
Um, Yeah, this will play. Okay.

[Speaker 2]
So now I'll uh I will show you a video that flips through the initial pages of this artist book. We retains the format of the original magazine. But hardbound with the red linen, cover suggesting a kind of special edition. This book was born from an AI model trained on Vogue, spreads from 1950 to 2020. A vibrant era era at the beginning of color, photography, and fashion. And it features 512 color pages, a two color laser cut Artisan shirt and an essay, entitled ai's, fashion mirror, stage by art historian and UBC Professor Ty Smith.

[Speaker 3]
So,

[Speaker 2]
As you might have noticed, This is distinctly not. Um, this version was crafted not with the typical. Commercial AI, which might trip you into seeing a real Vogue Edition. But with an early open source version of generative, adversarial Network agains. Intentionally kept in a nascent abstract. In her essay, Ty Smith, writes that V appears quote familiar in color texture and weight glossy and reflective. But it is also strange and alien the forms that great grace, each spread look, vaguely corporeal. But have arms like, toothpicks bodies like bombs. Sartorial patterns are isolated and seemingly reinterpreted as Rorschach inkblots.

[Speaker 2]
Perhaps a cicada. Or a bird. The hint of human forms are mangled to abstraction. Or abstracted to otherness. And otherness is crucial here for me. As it confronts the homogenizing force of commercial AI, which often mirrors and amplifies. Dominant cultural narratives to encourage consumption. This typical approach Smooths out uniqueness, erases the edges that make art Innovative and thought provoking.

[Speaker 1]
Just left

[Speaker 2]
This place for another minute.

[Speaker 1]
So in my rendition of

[Speaker 2]
O, the these visual abstractions challenge, conventional beauty, standards and celebrate the euphoric creativity that continues to inspire the original, like Cloud Calhoun or shirin nishra, Nisha, or Cindy Sherman asking, you the viewer to bring your own Impressions and interpretations to these forms and allowing us to Revel in the uniqueness and diversity, in artistic thought, and expression.

[Speaker 1]
Thank you, Amber.

[Speaker 1]
Out here.

[Speaker 1]
Hang on. I'll look at my adapter bag and meanwhile Amber. Can you talk a little bit more about next projects that you're up to? Thank you.

[Speaker 5]
Thanks.

[Speaker 2]
Um, Yeah, I'm not so prepared for this but um, What am I working on? Now I I think one of the things I'll say just to kind of spitballing here, is that The approach is quite different, you know. I think especially with you Steve and um, in terms of but I think The goal of kind of Discovery and curiosity is at the heart of it. I mean, for me, I think this this piece sort of was in an excited provocation into the observed, you know. Um, and so I I knew I was doing something that was mirroring what the systems were doing. That is scraping a bunch of data and creating a piece, you know, creating a model.

[Speaker 2]
But for me, I wanted to do that in a way that was personal and defined a way and to find and ask questions. Can we hover in this noisy space? Can we hover in this space? It's a latent space as you mentioned. That is full of you know that um, That is complex and that is mathematically quite gorgeous, really? Um, But it's doing something that is trying that the intention behind which is trying to fool us. Um, into with, you know, and I think the push on social media with fake celebrities and face tuning, and all of these things that are so driven by consumer agriculture.

[Speaker 2]
Um are One Direction and this is another, it's this for me is about personal reflection, it's about sort of using AI to sort of, um, Replicate my own young mind and kind of return to a place and confront some of those more. Uh, difficult feelings that I had as a child looking confusing and complex feelings. We'll be there yet So that that's sort of. One of the reasons why.

[Speaker 2]
Took this move to do something that maybe is, I'm not supposed to or something like that because I think, you know, Artists need to be able to work in their Studios, in their spaces, and explore things that they're not supposed to do and see where it takes them.

[Speaker 3]
One thing that's really interesting is When you look at very strong and realistic images, those ghosts are right below at this Gan system is is the way in so it's nice to know that just below the surface of Obama talking and saying something weird is the ghost and abstraction of Obama and it's it's a really beautiful thing to

[Speaker 1]
Be thinking about and you

[Speaker 2]
Mentioned this was something which is I think very nice is that you use a null generative of the cell network and I think there is a lot of Back to those algorithm now because it's it's a little bit detective range of AI and it's also something, which is exploring abstraction as you said, but also imperfection errors and the AI, now are becoming too realistic that they are not interesting anymore. And as artists, we all know that error is a source of creation the source of discoveries. And this is important also to mention that Maybe now is the right time to use those Technologies because that's why it will be too realistic and looking too late. And yeah, it was very important to say it. And also for the work I was showing I was using old flag style gear and very old stylus because I think it's it's a much more included expression and then also very moving to see the machine learning and to see how the machine is really. Like you can follow a little bit and it's less

[Speaker 2]
Yeah, I I mean I we can talk all night about that, you know, I think it's, so for me, there's for some reason, you know, I'm very sort of attracted to the The original papers that, you know, the the white paper is probably many students in here are two reading these impossible White papers. That describe algorithms and trying to, you know, and I think there's something really beautiful in that. Um, and when we, when they're smoothed over or and, um, sort of canned or public use, I think, you know, by openai or Microsoft and others.

[Speaker 2]
We do I lose that connection to the Poetry in the code underlying that. And so this is also sort of uh, Reveling in that space as well. The kind of Poetics of code and and also the kind of interesting messy space of early generative efforts. Yeah.

[Speaker 1]
Okay. Good impromptu conversations. Yes.

[Speaker 1]
I'll just do what tech never does talk through my process. Send to all. Cross fingers.

[Speaker 1]
Thank you system.

[Speaker 2]
Well, you have just witnessed, um, something indigenous. People deal with all the time is that we have old Tech, we have lock attacking Don't have the budgets for. Um, A lot of things so that I'm poor love is trying to change that. That I'm poor love set up by myself a filmmaker and I brought in a group of wonderful woman who are, um, what we call medium, major matriarchs, um indigenous Homeland in their own right.

[Speaker 2]
Um, myself, see spice who maybe you may know, is a squamish Hawaiian Swiss Stallow. Emmanuel, who is also a filmmaker and director of the Bosa Center at the Caplan University and Casey gambono who is a result nation and she has been working in media for many years, all of them have interestingly enough, each one of those women, my family had a relationship with their families. And part of cultural protocols was to ensure that I respect that relationship and To this space so that we can continue to build those relationships and honor those relationships. Um, And uh, one of the things that I wanted to do, when I created one for lab was basically to make reinacessible technology, particularly XR technology for filmmakers artists storytellers,

[Speaker 2]
Instructors. Whoever wants to access these XR. You don't be a high school dropout. You can be a PhD and it doesn't matter. You can be a student or not. It could be, you know, working in art or not working in art, anybody who wanted to take any, any of our screen programs, they're entitled to To show up, we take over 300 people, vicious people on XR since beginning, about five years ago, the very modest budgets and we'd be very lucky to Also commissioning the large AR and B. And recently, we worked to go into virtual production.

[Speaker 2]
Um just before I do that, I also want to add that we were fortunate enough to work. We did our first AI workshop. We did a workshop with my Ronnie mold who's here because I created something called introduction to AI through music for indigenous youth business. Youth are already using AI creating and composing music. So the idea was to find some place. So we can create talk more expansively about what AIS in relationship to our own communities and our own representation and Taking my poker for to bringing that to uh, to our to the So virtual production, yeah, this is not exactly AI but they wouldn't be probably be unreal if it wasn't for a machine, they're all kind of tied together and they're all kind of expanding it.

[Speaker 2]
From across Canada who have worked in film, some never worked in film some who are web designers, some were had never touched Tech before and they rather than their computer they all came together to learn unreal and to produce virtual films and unreal. Drop people into the studios. They could actually work with Nathaniel can and Imara. So, Professional actors and to create their own films within that LED versus production on real Studio. Some of them go very quickly. And we also often sponsor speaker series where we bring a lot of indigenous people, and people working in X are together.

[Speaker 2]
Such as these lovely people who were also part of you here, Michael, and Caroline, and other people within the industry. And It's a kind of like an exchange celebration. We do our protocols and uh, All these with people who were able to participate in the making of this virtual production hearing program. And I wanted to Vince had asked me to explain a little bit about the iron poor lab because maybe people don't know about it. So that's why I'm doing this very quickly. Look, I'm going to also share the trailer from the Virtual production. Virtual films that were

[Speaker 2]
Last year.

[Speaker 1]
So that gives

[Speaker 2]
You an idea of some of the films. Not even all the films that were produced by our remarkable artists storytellers a remarkable. The artists and scary colors. And I actually am not from. Here, I'm from Alberta. Was one of the people from here. As far as people asking people, they wouldn't need this because they speak in the big house so so but I I didn't grow up in the big house so So, I'm gonna go just, uh, one thing. I'm gonna go back to that keynote. I'm going to talk a little bit about, as a filmmaker

[Speaker 2]
Um, some of the kind of, you know, here people talking about You know. Generations of interaction with technology and certainly access. Well, we don't quite have that we work the best to do that and you can see the remarkable work of people what people have been doing. But I wanted to go a little bit about my own personal filmmaker experience working with AI.

[Speaker 1]
When

[Speaker 2]
You vape, We're making film indigenous Community. You've been doing it for a long time and we've been telling stories forever, but we haven't always had access. So that means we don't have the kind of resources. So sometimes I want to go to a conceptual artist. I want concept artists. I want to hire a concept artist. I'd rather hire concept artists because I believe in redistribution wealth, the time for lab. So it's not just keeping amongst ourselves, it's really sharing any wealth that we might have, which is a traditional value. So, I would prefer to pay somebody to do the work, but sometimes I don't have the money to pay.

[Speaker 2]
This court and Big Journey to do my pitch decks, but it's been an interesting process and I just want to give you a little idea of what that looks like. So, Here we go. I actually have a script that was written as based in Paris. And it's a script that uh, I wrote, While though, and I've been trying to see if I can bring it to the screen and I one of the characters is a native man who goes, he's a soldier at the end of the second world war. He doesn't want to go home. So he goes to Paris and I wanted an image to kind of put it in a pitch deck that would kind of convey who this particular actor might look like so,

[Speaker 2]
I'm in the newbie. You know, group and Discord. If you guys use Discord, you know, there's all these other, I'm in the Newbie group, so I could probably graduate out of it. But I'm still there because, you know, I'm still there and it's all it is all about prompts. So when I first started to go, and if I put native indigenous, First Nations, Native American Native Canadian. I would get all kinds of disorders in between like they either get mostly archival kind of a weird.

[Speaker 2]
Almost, I wouldn't call it hybrid. I would call it, like a Distortion. I would even call it a distortion. It was like the machine didn't know. And so here's some of the images as you can see.

[Speaker 2]
Using some of those prompts. So this was a prompt a later man. 1946 Paris Soldier. That's what I got. I found out later. I had to try, I couldn't use negative, so I started using tan skin high cheekbones so that I had to actually literally black hair and literally start to give through the physical characteristics of, of the person. And, uh, and the second one, This is, I got, I'm starting to get a little bit different, but I guess, Native soldiers, don't wear uniforms. So here he is, you know, nothing on top. Um, handsome, First Nations, man, Canadian Soldier Paris at night. 1946 saying, River Bridge in distance. So that's when I got and, um,

[Speaker 2]
And I tried. Adam Beach, who many of, you know, very Canadian actors. So he's in the system, he's got to be in there, right? Made out of each. I tried out a native back because I won't use their names because I don't embarrass them. But add meat and meats, it's almost Spider-Man. He's been around, he's got to bring water stuff that's on there for him. So Adam Beach we're interested in Fedora a handsome in Paris. 1946 1946 at night walking along the same rivers. My first one was him. Not looking very native but she you know, but nonetheless was wearing things so early now. But so, I'm getting closer. I'm getting closer and after, you know, you do your upgrades, blah, blah, blah. Finally, I got this.

[Speaker 2]
So, you know, so it was a and you know, I'm also working on an animated series and again I don't have the money to pay concept artists. Like I would like to because constant artists should be paid properly. So, I've been You know, I have a lot of experiences with that too. So I'll go into a little bit about that in a minute. Let's go to. Can you turn that off now? And I will Square minus. Did I go watch? You see my my presentation so I can read the cap?

[Speaker 1]
Okay.

[Speaker 1]
Um,

[Speaker 1]
So, I

[Speaker 2]
Just mentioned this experience of working with this stuff myself working in animation. I've been developing an animation series for kids, and when I say Native American or indigenous woman, it listens to that now. So it has grown up a little bit. It has learned those words. Um, I can get that the look but instead, and if I put scientists with gray hair, and most often get a comically old woman character or get a very dignified native man, because after all scientists are men and Haired woman means comical. So, and after later, they're certainly going to be comical.

[Speaker 2]
Um, and even number what kind of prompts but again, it's this, you know, I know it's learning it's got a lot to learn but I know it's learning. Um, and also the parts of Disney all the time, even if I put Adventure Times then that, you know, aesthetic, I don't know if anybody's know and a bunch of time, the comical story but, uh, the comic series But what I really wanted to get into is talk about AI more philosophy. My dear late friend James Nicholas Husband of the artist Anderson wrote once. At the point of a huge Evergreen, was a

[Speaker 5]
Pool of

[Speaker 2]
Clear cold and tasteless water, the likes of which God has Hasn't made since. I recall asking my mother what the tree was called education. You see and she answered.

[Speaker 2]
Oh yeah, my reaction in my mind of course was wow. Me knock in the pre-language Woodland. Star like means and translates into

[Speaker 5]
Give

[Speaker 2]
Us a drink. As in besieged, by the one, to the many I love the notion of the tree being called what it was doing the single entity giving sustenance to the clock of many. I think that was the moment. I became an artist. This is what James said. So, Is AI, giving us a drink. Is it giving us? The water. And are we giving it the water? To stay with the water thing that the celebration graduation of our virtual production program. We were fortunate to have Dr. Leroy little bear scholar, philosopher. Lawyer Professor talk about tech and culture.

[Speaker 2]
He was asked about AI. He said, AI is old news to indigenous people, look at the fish who has been on this Earth for 450 million years. Well, you have to think about that and I'm still thinking about it, but I'll go on to find Gloria with another great professor and in current philosopher. And Hugh talked about how the in the destruction of places. When we destroy, when we develop, and we build the things that we build where we don't necessarily really need to be building. Um, it it destroys the real homes of many living beings.

[Speaker 2]
Dolores said that land has the power to reorient and Define human, communities and criticize. How humans are disconnected from where they live. For him, the world is a social reality, a fabric of life, in which everything had the possibility of intimate knowing relationships. In traditional religions. We learn from the world not because it represents a single source of data and need to of interpretation because. But but because in the world, We can see that a benign personal energy flowed through everything. And the personal nature of the universe demands that each and every entity in it seek and sustain personal relationships.

[Speaker 2]
So the push holds 450 million years of lived experience that pales to some little machine learning that can't quite get pre right.

[Speaker 2]
But I know uh I don't I know more than that is happening with AI. What about spirituality and AI?

[Speaker 5]
Um

[Speaker 2]
There are discussions about this now but so far looking at the early earlier paper about Aeon and freewell, well, it seems to come down to Capital Um, Dr. Alex Liu. Um, Now, it's just, you know, you know, I'm very busy film producer, I'm not an academic, I'm always fighting for virtual reality, so I did do this kind of, like last minute. So I have no idea whether this doctor Alex Liu is within any of your guys's purview of being an important academic, but he seems like nice man. And uh, he wrote was in writing about the four C's for capital and he's been talking about how, you know, ai's role and being capital is basically Capital.

[Speaker 2]
He talks about it also, he takes it to the further length and talks about spiritual capital, encompasses the values, behaviors and resources, it emerge from spiritual and religious beliefs and practices two prevailing. The definitions offer comprehensive understanding meta Nexus institutes definition this perceived view spiritual capital as the measure of measurable impact of spiritual religious promises beliefs, networks and institutions on individuals communities and societies. He says spiritual capital is seen as the power influence in the disposition is generated by individuals organizations, spiritual beliefs, knowledge and prophecies The both definitions recognize the profound influence of spirituality on various aspects of human life. Extending beyond the personal to impact rather social and Community communal spheres.

[Speaker 2]
Indigenous Scholars artists and technologists have talked about making kin with machines.

[Speaker 1]
I'm

[Speaker 2]
Sure many of you are familiar with the Jason Lewis article essay that came out a while ago called making can with machines. Um, others. See. And this is where I'm going to review my new open, Caroline running open. I hope I'm not gonna embarrass you here. See how I'm molding AI to serve indigenous purpose. You can create whole worlds of machine learning, whose purpose is to have a relationship with the culture through language Place, history, and how those

[Speaker 2]
Culture history. Also had their own religious relationships internally and with the universe.

[Speaker 5]
In other words

[Speaker 2]
Within the language, device, that Caroline and Michael the building, there's a whole universe. And that the bikes is within its own self. If you know, we talk about data sovereignty, it is bad, a sovereignty but it's more, it's that relationship to those 450 million years of fish, it's that relationship to each every being being, you know, an entity and each uh, having your relationship with the universe and maintaining that relationship with the universe.

[Speaker 1]
Um,

[Speaker 1]
So, but it isn't

[Speaker 2]
Really spirituality though, that's the word we use. And if I go back to Libra a little bear, actually, he talks about energy, he said it's really energy. It's about relationships and it's about energy. Humans are always finding new ways to harness energy.

[Speaker 5]
And

[Speaker 2]
For me,

[Speaker 5]
Um,

[Speaker 2]
Even though I use AI even though we're hoping to teach AI even though, you know, I know our people are benefiting as we take the tools of XR and so on and indigenize them and they give them our own I see the same Dynamics, the same politics, the same kind of fetishing the same kind of The Dynamics of capital, all sort of serving in the interest of AI, and I think that's why it's really critical that Um, indigenous. Philosophy. Not only be able to influence Ai and hold AI in our hand, and do what we need to do with it. But be able to have the freedom, the means to do that.

[Speaker 2]
Right now, we have very little access and we usually have it in this kind of contrarian way like oh well you guys don't really know Tech or really, you're not ready to protect or you just want to do set data sovereignty. That's everything I heard on CBC the other day I believe and saying it per decade. But it's something that There needs to be that sphere of influence with the resources and the means to do it. So that that kind of 450 million years of lived experience that we have a relationship with Um can come to bear on the work that we do

[Speaker 1]
So high, high. Thank you.

[Speaker 1]
And our last presenter Juliana the HDMI should be. Now reset. According to my technical skills. It should automatically just work. No, no. We just need you to, uh, we just need an HDMI cable. That's probably hidden. Now somewhere under the table. We'll find it. Thanks Andrew.

[Speaker 1]
And only provides a little while Juliana Get set up. And that improvisation is this. Juliana and I really really connected. Uh, we we've known each other for a little bit now but we really really connected. I was at UBC in the Chan Center said to me, do you know anyone who draws in VR? Been actually, my response was actually I do. And, uh, here's an amazing emerging artist in using different XR tools. In order to express her own Artistry, and I was really happy that Juliana was available because And and again, very happy that our panelists were available because well they asked me a week before that chance Center Symphony was going to present and uh,

[Speaker 1]
I was extremely happy that Juliana came through um not that she needed to come through but uh she just stepped up and I made an amazing and impressive experience that uh Everyone was just wowed by. So here's your intro.

[Speaker 5]
Juliana Julie. I don't know.

[Speaker 5]
Right. Thank you so much.

[Speaker 6]
Um, So what are we doing? Um, So AI. Well, you know, the funny thing is, I don't use a lot of AI and the reason for that is, is because so I started doing VR work so far in 2019, And so there wasn't any of the large uh the libraries that we have today. And, Um, so any none of uh, none of the ones that we could use the consumer market? Um so one of the, one of the things that I decided to do was I got involved in tilt Rush, does anybody know what Google tilt brush is?

[Speaker 6]
Yeah. So are you okay, that's great. And I decided that I was just going to draw the uh draw VR. So that was an ambitious sort of thing. And I decided that well how are we going to change the world? You can't change the world unless you can change yourself. One of the things that we have to deal with was again like, are we included as members of diversity? Are we included? And, If not, then how do we Um communicate who we are in just in all the m x v r, a r, all of that. So that was a pretty fun Endeavor and um

[Speaker 6]
So, what's, what was really interesting is that, I used, I come from a transmedia background, so every single one of my projects, and I have quite a few of them, which I'm going to show you one after the other.

[Speaker 7]
Uh,

[Speaker 6]
They are they all are themed by uh, two elements. One is love and one is sharing. And you hardly even get a chance to talk about things like love anymore. I don't know why but it's true. And so um, One of the things that I like to talk to to To work on is the um, the expression of Love using all parts of Game development Graphics sound. Anything that has been used in modern society and that's the only way that we can reach people out there who are used to working on Tick, Tock, right? I mean, you got an audience right now who can pretty much do anything and everything. So without without further Ado, I'm just going to show some work.

[Speaker 1]
We just have to wake up your computer because the AI turned it down.

[Speaker 6]
Um, so my work revolves around the Triad of humanity, nature and Technology and when those are are not in order and they're not in Balance, then we have difficulties. Okay. So here is

[Speaker 5]
My

[Speaker 6]
Work.

[Speaker 7]
And

[Speaker 6]
I'm going to stop every now and then and talk a little bit about it. So we in order to figure out what we can create, how do we add magic? How do we incorporate the AI first? We gotta create the story and the story has got to be good. So we deep and spread what it means to be human. So what does it mean to be human? We have elements, we got love, you can express humor, we can express. Many, many emotions that. Yeah, I can't. In fact. AI

[Speaker 2]
Is a mimic, right?

[Speaker 6]
So it can't feel. And it it can't feed your dog. So, here we go.

[Speaker 1]
But I love AI by the way.

[Speaker 6]
Now more than ever, the equations of division threat are very existence. We are all.

[Speaker 2]
Let me get back a second. We all know the truth, more connects us than separates us.

[Speaker 6]
And that was Charlie Bozeman. Um, black panther

[Speaker 6]
So in this piece, I created an AR. Pathways or portals into. And in Yvette that are magical series that showcased black women because during the cold time, me too black lives matter and all those particular groups. So this is, uh, the um, Roxity, it's virtual VR. It's from Burning, Man. Virtual Burning Man. Has anybody been to Burning, Man? Yeah. So Burning Man has created an uh sort of embarment that that actually encourages imagination and anything out of this world. And that's something that we truly need as we incorporate Ai and VR and MX into our world

[Speaker 7]
Would be amazing Illuminati, I love you all.

[Speaker 6]
Yeah. The community and audience participation is key to the work that I do. My humor and empathy.

[Speaker 6]
So, as you can see this world is In all space can honor all space, they no longer is available. And we had the DJs come in. It's a whole lot of fun and people kind of just dance down late, long. So I want to I just want to say something about the power of awe and wonder it's very spiritual thing for me. Um, we just saw the eclipse just lately and what happened during the eclipse?

[Speaker 1]
Everybody got

[Speaker 6]
Together and everybody became one. There was this really amazing feeling that It was the opposite of Colvin, you know, it was almost a Redemptive Time and it was just wonderful. And it brought together in a manner in which we actually listen to each other. So, in a sense, the very spiritual Way of experiencing life. And so one of the things about on wonder is that if have you ever been in standing in front of something that just takes your your breath away. Mary, I I for me, it's Niagara Falls. Okay. But so I created these amazing worlds and receive

[Speaker 6]
Many nominations and actually an award from some of the x-star immersive film festivals. And it's because I designed all the worlds to look like gigantic pieces of art with elements of gaming, and Secret hiding places that sort of, um, encapsulated the kind of Wonder and and curiosity that people have

[Speaker 8]
Okay, here

[Speaker 2]
We go.

[Speaker 1]
So when somebody

[Speaker 6]
Says something like I, I can't believe that you created something that the platform was never meant to be. And that is the, the work of an artist and that is the work of a Creator to go beyond the bounds to try to see what can be done to try to take pieces of what you understand and what, you know, and combine it all together and create something unimaginable. And uh one of the things that I really enjoyed about this space making it It's sort of like a, where's Waldo, you know you gotta go into some of these areas and find out what kind of I call them aspirational words. So aspirational words are things like

[Speaker 8]
Hope

[Speaker 6]
Right. What's another aspirational word? Patience. What's a? What's another aspirational word? Think about it. Um, something that makes us want to be better.

[Speaker 6]
Togetherness. Maybe that's from the aspirational word and you basically had to go around entire space to find it. And then you because sort of like the Sort of like a and it wasn't kind of a game. And when you actually spoke to each other, you had the ability to talk and and discuss the problems in terms of the ecology, the environment and um, what was happening in your own world without having to go through third-party systems like the media and the news. So you use the power of the presence power presence and virtual reality to actually connect.

[Speaker 6]
For this particular piece, I got my work presented at screen rant magazine.

[Speaker 1]
So I

[Speaker 6]
Don't know if you can see it or not but the images are. They're over like 200 ft, they're really huge, they're really tall. You are you're you're about the size of the the people in the eyeball.

[Speaker 6]
So, being able to get you to participate in your work is really important and it gives them the agency to create their own experiences and designs, and to be able to have a new platforms to share. Oh, here's my chance center your face. Patrick I was able to paint here in the hand center for Performing Arts. I used, we didn't lie, a live feed me, but I was lying

[Speaker 1]
Because we didn't

[Speaker 6]
Get more, but it did eventually. And so, I say third, everything, because you gotta have to be a director, you have to be a photographer. You have to be The camera person you have to be a movie like you. You gotta basically do everything. And so when I created some of these images, people would come up to me and say, is that AI? I mean, no, that that's, that's me. That's my paintings. However, Many of these images were inspired by AI through return because that's when the journey started to come out, you can actually see some models.

[Speaker 6]
It's pretty cool. I think you enjoy that piece and it was very emotional, which all our pieces should be and it and I think it changed people's understanding your mind. So, we're talking about sacred Aces for dialogue around hard stories.

[Speaker 1]
Right. Okay. So

[Speaker 6]
Um I painted this piece for a, an art gallery. And it's a 3D piece in a space and it was based on the Uganda people who were refugees and they were Expelled from Yeah, you gained it. I'm sorry. And it was a very difficult Affair. And so we came together in a gallery. Exposition. And he talked about it. But I said to myself, how can I create a story? Uh, that speaks about something that's very difficult. The explosion, right? Of of people who you would never even, you would never have to understand their story. Well, I did it by training a metaphor and a lot of Storytelling effective story storytelling, uh, use the, the used metaphors to actually impart some of the Lessons Learned. And so, this one is

[Speaker 6]
This person is a one of our refugees. I don't tell anybody so that he can actually Experience this on two different levels. One, just a fun ride and the other. If you understood the story, you can understand. And I traded their narrative around. What if? You have to start all over in your life. So, I mean, we all have had to do that even if you have to move, that's so difficult, right? So Um, So when I created this piece, you could actually fly into it. And there were three huge heads where you could actually encounter three words, culture, identity and belonging. And in those heads, you would be able to connect with other people.

[Speaker 6]
In presence and in in that that private and sacred space and have those deep conversations about what it would be like to move or what it would like to go around and in doing so people were connected even though they came from different countries. So, I had people coming in from Germany, and then I had people coming from Israel. And then I had people coming in from You know, Uganda Tanzania, it was incredible.

[Speaker 7]
So

[Speaker 6]
That's one of the, the powers, the secret powers of virtual reality and XR and the way in which we're going to be able to create our worlds or create our Visions. We're going to be able to manifest groups.

[Speaker 6]
Anything using AI. Here we go.

[Speaker 1]
Okay.

[Speaker 6]
So these are my our avatars. So they they're they had just gone through the three heads and they've just talked about shared their feelings about culture, interacting being and belonging. And now they feel cohesive as a group. Yeah, and The things that I really, really enjoy doing. They're just going to stop this for now, is I do a lot of. I do a lot of avatars and I played a lot of masks and that's masks and Avid Powers allow people to play. And one of the most important things that you can do, while you're experimenting is play, there's no, you can't go wrong with that. And I think a lot of people don't realize that simple. Things like are not that simple to do because it requires a lot of letting go.

[Speaker 6]
So this is my last piece. I worked on something called spark and sound. And I and you probably noticed, I love performances, I love music and art and I like bringing everything together. Um so this one is a piece that actually Shows or portrays, dancers dancing interactively. So they're creating this parts, they're creating the lightning. And what's really interesting is that while you're imagining or while you're appreciating this piece of art on a visceral level, And the story is quite dark. So I'm going to tell you that because it came out of a really difficult experience that I had to face.

[Speaker 8]
Um,

[Speaker 6]
My my mother broke her hip on in, you know, just a couple of months ago and it was a really difficult situation and it was really hard. So, I looked at this at everything around, you know as artists do

[Speaker 2]
And you know we become like we

[Speaker 6]
Reflect what's going on around us politically socially um custom everything. And so I looked at my dad and he was like taking care of my mom and you know many people and were taking care of people and their their loved ones in the hospital and I said to myself. Hmm, this is really

[Speaker 2]
Interesting.

[Speaker 6]
The question is, What if? What if you knew? What if you knew? Where you're going to go or what? What Trail you're going to take with your loved one. You know, in 2020, hindsight like somebody came down from the future, landed on you and said, hey, this is what's going to happen to you and your friend or your your partner or whoever And you don't know. And so the answer was well, you know, whether that's whether you could do it or not. So I, I took that idea and I flipped it on his head and I said, okay, let's start from the end backward. So I used the metaphor of the seasons. So instead of, you know, how to go summer

[Speaker 6]
No. Yeah, winter and fall. I just looked it so that it became the question of It starts with the end. It starts with the end of the project, the end of the the love affair or the Or the relationship. And, and then it goes. Toward the, the beginning of the relationship. You know, where you, you pass through the difficult part in fall and Autumn and then you go through spring, you know, um, no summer where you've got, you know, it's beautiful. And you you've

[Speaker 5]
Got

[Speaker 6]
These tender memories and moments and then you moved into spring where you just meet for the first time. Hello, who are you and the devil? You know, that little feeling of like I think I like you. Do you like me so and it's really neat, right? And so what happens is, when you move people It changes the connection that you have not only with yourself but with others so then you figure out like okay. So even though that my relationship is gone right now, for whatever reason, you're always left with that teeny teeny, tiny bit of the other within yourself.

[Speaker 6]
And that's what makes it poignant and that's why I needed an amazing human experience.

[Speaker 1]
And it has that

[Speaker 6]
Interactive part where One is in charge of the red ball. The other one is in charge of a green ball. And again, through conveying movement, They're expressing emotions.

[Speaker 6]
So again, human expression and curiosity. What if I do this? What if I do that? And I'm really excited about how AI is going to come in and be able to fill in those spots. I got a good friend who actually wrote the music for me, but my friend just another friend, just wrote me this morning and he said, I just guess what, I just prayed, it's for music for you. In two seconds using AI and I'm like, oh that's great. That's wonderful. It doesn't substitute it but it inspires me.

[Speaker 1]
So,

[Speaker 6]
It ends with this, we shape our tools and therefore, our tools shape Us by Marshall McCullen. And thank you very much.

[Speaker 1]
All of our speakers, uh, because of time and the pressures of time, we are going to move into our reception soon. However, I just wanted to reflect on a few team, a few themes, and a few things. And uh, Before I open it up. Q a so. So think about a question you might have, we won't have a lot of time for them but those questions and answers can continue throughout the reception as the artist would be more than eager to have people process and and other work that they're engaged in doing notice they all brought their own devices. There's a reason for that rather than using a single line. Their work is there? That is part of their, their body work is present there. So,

[Speaker 1]
As well Loretta. I'm if it's okay with you, I'll give you the the citation and reference from now on. I'll just say Loretta 2024, the machine didn't know I am. So I'm, I'm I so love that cuz it made me think of these intelligences in quote this artificial intelligency quote to definitely offend all the coders up there. Uh, Michael, I I love you. Um but the the intelligences and I was thinking pros and cons of artificial dum-dum-ness and I, I don't know why that hasn't stuck yet. Chris, maybe, maybe together we can and but, but in any case, I just wanted to bring that up in, in terms of

[Speaker 1]
The the use of Technology, the critical use of Technology to be critical about itself. The things that are missing in our explorations of Technology and those are some of the themes that that I've definitely seen come through that. I Way more, as you can see, and the depth of all of the artists who presented today for me, It. It's pretty amazing because there's so much more. I feel that they can present and speak to But I thought I would open it up. If anyone has does, does anyone have a burning question? That. You need answered.

[Speaker 1]
By not an AI. By a human.

[Speaker 2]
Well, the way they're thinking about that, it's not that

[Speaker 1]
It's

[Speaker 2]
Not that I think the problem is Part of the problem is, is that humans don't know themselves. And I

[Speaker 1]
Think that's

[Speaker 2]
Really what set at the core of all of this. And, you know, even the idea that you know can AI have free will and what is free will and those are those kind of philosophical determinism versus so, you know, but if you go back to Vision this way. It's all energy and if it's all energy, then it's about our relationship to To what this different space is, right. It is a space. It is a place. And I think from two perspective and vision of science indigenous science, everything includes from story and place and so it, you know, I can I think of it as a place. I think there's, you know, the little men in there painting and, you know, you know, drawing, I mean, I'm not literally, but I mean, it's, it's, it's a place that has been created by our own needs our

[Speaker 2]
Obsessions our own failures and it seems to me that's the kind of thing. I don't know. I imagine like, you know, I mean, you know that that's, you know, I remember back in the day, we did cybercon 4, we've been having this profession in this a long time. Back in the day, we created the Aboriginal um, Arts Center, the Bauer Center. And we did an event called from cyber From drum beats to drum bites and we were discussing. We've been discussing all this stuff. You know, can Lawrence Paul did a, the first one of the first native BRS and then that VR, he said that only natural law could exist within the art. Nobody could fly. Nobody could, you know, had to walk through doors, you couldn't just apply

[Speaker 1]
In.

[Speaker 2]
And so from his perspective as an artist and it was a very strongly oriented within his culture. Um, artists, that was his That place his place was going to improve natural law. And um, you know, so those are You know, so we've been having this discussion from a long time and It's not and again, go back into a little bit and you may have purpose is that again, all this stuff is old news to us and he said because we could we could Um, even though, you know, Lawrence is saying the the actual art exists within natural law. That's that's Lawrence's choice. That was words. But the thing with Leroy is Leroy. Also said, we it's old and we we've been doing this. We've been able to transcend the physical for

[Speaker 2]
Hence, it's all energy. So you know it's I think that's one of the things every once in a while when I do these things, I sort of feel a little bit arrogant, but it's sort of like calmed down, you know what? The machine doesn't know and that's because you don't know, you know what I mean. Like you have to really have that Journey that self of self and um I think that's an I do too. Oh God I do too. It's not like I'm you know, I don't embody. Um, all those um you know ways, I wish I was was

[Speaker 2]
Indians who never went to residential school. I met some people like that and they have a whole different experience of just being in space. So um, that's just my hop. Thank you. Yeah, Amber. Did you want

[Speaker 1]
Any Any words related to what was brought up or anything in terms of themes?

[Speaker 2]
Well, I I mean I'm I I love that, I love this idea about energy and I think about, I mean, because I connect with with it in the sense of Um, creating models and then going into them, you know, this guy as a place or, you know, and, um, Being in them and being and that's why I really love uh, Training. And Retraining and untraining and thinking about the process of training, because That was the most most uh intense and interesting moment is watching a model that's trained on one thing. It trained untrained on that thing, and I think there's something really

[Speaker 2]
Um and what you're saying about energy in place that is these things are in motion. You know when we use them in motion they they can they really do feel like we are traversing place in space and being there's something somewhere.

[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Yeah, well I've just seen I wanted to also because you've come from so far away, I just wanted to make sure you you had some words too in this uh, in this dialogue. So my thoughts on it.

[Speaker 2]
Yeah, I mean, it's it's also important. I think in the work to

[Speaker 2]
Sometimes bring the software outside of of the computer and to experiment as you're doing with the body, with the relation that you have will do systems. And it's, it's what you say about energy is like, having this This. I think it's very important to think about the embodiment also on how those Technologies can really make new forms of of Art and and embody actual displays. So yeah, I mean it's it's Possibilities, I think it's important. I need two feet will be a but also to to it's important to have this criticism about the but the thing and to be aware of the tools you're using and fully in deep deeply investigate into it before using it.

[Speaker 2]
Like yeah, it's amazing to share all the those different works with unique people. Person processes and I'm very happy to meet you.

[Speaker 1]
Thank you so much. And please, uh, I know we have more to talk about, and I, I encourage that as we transition into our reception and, uh, let's just thank our parents when

[Speaker 1]
I also want to. You repeat my thank yous that were sent by our consulate the consul General. Please. Thank the Consulated France tonight for hosting this event. From the emerging media lab at UBC. Uh, let's also thank uh, Saeed because he's

[Speaker 1]
And and lastly uh Andrew, you always saved the day. So this

[Speaker 1]
I think we are now going to shift into the reality over there, but I encourage dialogue conversation and thank you so much for your attention.

[Speaker 1]
And thanks Chris for the glasses.

[Speaker 1]
Size.

[Speaker 9]
Why did I do that?

[Speaker 9]
You

[Speaker 5]
Should not be able to talk to you. Yeah. Like wow. That's interesting, huh?

[Speaker 5]
Going

[Speaker 1]
On.

[Speaker 8]
Oh, I don't know about that one. I just I got this one Patrick's finger.

[Speaker 4]
Okay,

[Speaker 10]
Patrick students actually

[Speaker 8]
Yeah.

[Speaker 10]
No that was one on Wednesday.

[Speaker 8]
Okay. Yeah. Um I think I'm gonna go to that one. Hey man, I'm Chris. Yeah I feel like a very much. Yeah. Remind me your name.

[Speaker 9]
It's talking about bringing. Software out of machines.

[Speaker 9]
Project on food and culture so hard. We tell story.

[Speaker 9]
Yeah, we got

[Speaker 9]
I'm good man. Yeah. What are you up to?