Future visionaries
(screening room)
The following artists and researchers are interested in pushing the boundaries of art and design through innovative applications of new and emerging technologies, often focusing on interdisciplinary intersections such as bioelectronic art, HCI, speculative design and the exploration of biotechnology as it relates to the human body.
‘Illusory Material’
by Designer, Researcher and Founder Jiani Zeng
A revolutionary design framework couples 3D printed composites with optical lenses and colored resins, offering a dynamic interaction without the need for electronics. Think of it as bringing a digital dream into palpable reality. It breaks free from the shackles of traditional manufacturing, inviting designers to manipulate material at the voxel level with the aid of 3D printing. This allows us to shape a future of design that’s playful, customizable, and energy-efficient, all while providing a unique sensory encounter.
Jiani Zeng is a designer, researcher, and founder based in San Francisco. Her work delves into the concept of “virtual intimacy in physical reality” through interactive spaces, materials, and products.
Jiani holds a Master of Science from MIT. She is the Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Butlr Technologies Inc., an MIT Media Lab spin-off that develops next-gen people-sensing platforms. She was previously a researcher at MIT CSAIL and co-invented “Illusory Material”, which was named “The best experimental project of 2020" by Fast Company and "Best Inventions 2021" by TIME. In 2021, Jiani was recognized as the “Next Generation 2021” designers by Wallpaper Magazine and featured on Forbes 30 under 30 (North America) List for 2022. Her company Butlr has been named one of the "Technology Pioneers" by the World Economic Forum for 2022. As of April 2023, Butlr has raised 33 million USD in funding.
‘Raw / À Vif’
by Designer, Researcher and Bio Artist Noémie Soula
Raw / À Vif, or The Unnatural Desire to Design a Human, is a research-driven and critical project at the crossroads between trans-humanism, biology, and art, transporting the audience to three possible medical futures. By exploring how humanity could be transformed by current scientific research, the inquiry exposes three imaginary scenarios depicting new job positions.
Noémie Soula is an artist and researcher using storytelling as a creative tool to explore biotechnologies, genetics, and the relationship between human and non-human. Playing with the visceral and the liminality between reality and fiction, the created artworks, physical or digital, act as an uncanny event stimulating the audience’s imagination.
She received the Da Vinci Labs’ LEONARDO REBOOTED grant in the Synthetic Biology category in 2022 for the project Mythical Living Data, later exhibited in the Moore St. Electrical Substation, No Bounds Festival, Sheffield. Recent exhibitions include Epidermotopia (Paris), NEW NOW Festival (Essen), and Giudecca Art District (Venice).
‘Algae Chorus’
by Terrestrial Artist and Creative Technologist Yan Shao
Algae Chorus is a unique sound installation that turns the movement and photosynthesis of living algae into real-time sounds using the audience's collective exhalations. Algae, which play a crucial role in producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide, are showcased in three species during different growth stages. The installation explores the visual aspects of algae colonies and prompts reflection on our connection to these vital organisms. The project encourages the contemplation of oxygen and carbon dioxide circulation by translating sensor data into a chorus of sounds. It also raises important questions about our relationship with the natural world and our responsibility towards a sustainable future.
Yan Shao is a terrestrial artist and creative technologist based in New York. She creates new media works exploring the uncharted territories of perception, mediating the complex interrelations between humans and the earth. Her artistic language draws inspiration from geopoetics, the transitory essence of nature, and ecological humanity, resulting in a unique and evocative narrative.
Currently, Yan is an artist fellow at NYU Gallatin WetLab. She is a recipient of the Judson-Morrissey Excellence in New Media Award and the Tisch Initiative of Creative Research Fellowship. In 2023, she graduated from Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) at New York University.
‘Astro_v3’
by New Media Artist, Designer and Researcher Weidi Zhang
Astro_v3 explores the reasons behind space exploration. Inspired by a conversation between a nun and Dr. Stuhlinger of NASA, it was created for the 60th anniversary of human spaceflight at the Metaxis festival in St. Petersburg in 2021. The artwork offers a unique perspective on Earth, our only known haven of life, from the viewpoint of an observer in space. It presents ecological changes and imaginative visions, from natural phenomena to advanced technology, prompting viewers to ponder the significance of exploring space and understanding our universe.
Weidi Zhang is a new media artist based in Los Angeles and Phoenix. She is an Assistant Professor of Immersive Experience Design at the Media and Immersive eXperience Center of Arizona State University. Her research investigates Speculative Assemblages at the intersection of immersive media, data visualisation, and interactive AI art. Her works are featured in international awards, conferences, and museums, such as Best In Show Award in SIGGRAPH (2021,2022), Red Dot Design Award, Honorary Mention in Prix Ars Electronica, Lumen Prize Shortlist (2020,2021), ISEA, Times Art Museum, Society For Arts and Technology, and others. She holds her Ph.D. in Media Arts and Technology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
‘Embarrassed Robots’
by Designer and Researcher Soomi Park
Embarrassed Robots proposes an investigation into how, through material, form and function, a robot can come to express emotion without aping and alienating us. Embarrassment is a quintessential human emotion and something that, in the future, any robot occupying a human-facing role will need to be able to replicate. This project investigates how the design of a robot can come to express embarrassment.
Soomi Park is a London-based designer and a lecturer in the Department of Design at Goldsmiths University of London. Her work explores the complex relationship between emerging technologies and human desires. Her works encompass a wide range of mediums, including speculative objects/installations, film, performance, and wearables. Her works have been exhibited at internationally recognised museums and galleries, such as V&A Museum, the Design Museum, Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Etienne, Science Gallery Dublin and Ars Electronica Linz. She holds an MA in Design Interactions from the Royal College of Art and is a PhD candidate in the Media and Arts Technology (MAT) programme in the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at the Queen Mary, University of London.