11 April 2019, Cambridge, UK
Today in Cambridge, UK, the public are invited to Collusion 2019: an exploration of emerging technology through extraordinary art – an ambitious new exhibition of six immersive art installations incorporating and exploring such emerging technologies as artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality, and the blockchain. Housed individually in colourful, specially designed and custom-built pavilions created by respected architect Charles Holland (Grayson Perry’s A House for Essex), the perception-altering experiences include:
- a live-action house party set in the year 2030, hosted by a virtual AI
- a multi-narrative animated film driven by a real-life artificial intelligence
- a totem pole whispering excavated messages from the blockchain – the only remaining record of what human life was like in the 21st century
- an alarmingly interactive AI-assisted digital avatar generator that mimics your expressions and gestures
- an augmented reality experience using custom-built headsets exploring the future of objects
- a 360° film that fully immerses you into a fluid and hallucinogenic dance
The six artworks – commissioned by Collusion to showcase the culmination of its three-year talent development programme in_collusion – investigate the impact on society of exciting and increasingly pervasive new technologies, touching on issues of privacy, control, and themes raised by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, such as consumption and social justice.
Director of Collusion Rachel Drury explains: “These artworks offer a fantastic opportunity for audiences to get up close and interact in extraordinary ways with these exciting new technologies – many of which aren’t that tangible to us on a day-to-day basis – and to find out more about what they could mean for us now and in the future. Cambridge is a global centre for academic excellence and a place where the technologies the whole world uses are conceived, so it is a uniquely appropriate city in which to consider these issues.”
The showcase taps into the technological expertise of Collusion’s partners Arm and Cambridge Consultants, who supported the year-long research and development phase of all the commissioned artworks, at times as direct collaborators and participants. For example, Cambridge Consultants adapted their AI demonstration project The Aficionado to drive Jo Lawrence’s animated film Datacosm, enabling it to morph according to live music being played in the installation.
“Over recent years we’ve seen the emergence of highly sophisticated ‘deep’ technologies that hold world-changing potential and significant social impact,” says Richard Traherne, project sponsor and chief commercial officer of Cambridge Consultants.
“We’ve provided experts – from disciplines ranging from user experience to artificial intelligence – to collaborate with Collusion to help explore these implications and prompt artistic reflection and debate. We’ve found the project fascinating – an unusual combination of technical and artistic perspectives examining the potential of technology, resulting in thought-provoking art that’s accessible to a broad audience.”
Collusion 2019: an exploration of emerging technology through extraordinary art is previewed today onsite outside Cambridge Junction at Cambridge Leisure and opens to the public 12-22 April. Opening times 11-7 daily except 11-5 Sundays. For live performance times (2030 and Datacosm), visit www.collusion.org.uk/events/.
Participating artists include Jo Lawrence, Crowded Room, Adham Faramawy, Doomsday Blockchain, Above&Below, and Henry Driver & Barbara Dougan. To learn more, visit the project pages linked above and view the teaser trailer below.
The showcase is funded by Arts Council England, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, Cambridge Consultants, Arm, and Anglia Ruskin University with support from venue partners Cambridge Leisure and Cambridge Junction.
About Collusion: Collusion is a not-for-profit company that creates ambitious, disruptive, immersive, and interactive public artworks and events that consider the impact of emerging technology on society. Collusion is working to build an international profile for the wider Cambridge area as a research and development centre for interdisciplinary arts and technology collaboration – joining forces with artists, creatives, academics, and technologists to generate work that could only have been produced here. www.collusion.org.uk
PRESS ENQUIRIES for information or to arrange a visit, contact Rachel Drury rachel@collusion.org.uk // 07941 279573
Video preview link >>> Link to photos >>> Hashtag #Collusion2019 Twitter: @in_collusion Facebook: /InCollusion Instagram: @incollusion