keynote – ICIDS 2024

Category: keynote

November 3, 2024

From Dystopia to Indigenous Futurism: Codex of the Future, in Search of Alternative Futures

Codex of the Future aims to propose new ways of envisioning possible futures, taking Indigenous Futurism or ancestral futurism as its starting point. In this talk, we will explore the methodological and conceptual approach of this work with Indigenous communities in Colombia, as well as the development of a spiritual universe in conjunction with immersive technologies, paper engineering, oracles, and spirals of time.

Bio

Elder Manuel Tobar Panchoaga is a social Communicator with a Master’s Degree in Digital Humanities; he has specialized in the creation, design and production of multiplatform digital narrative projects. He has experience as a producer and director of web comics, animated shorts, interactive exhibitions and immersive experiences in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.

He works at the intersection between art, technology and narrative from where he has designed projects that portray the armed conflict in Colombia, historical memory as well as advising and directing work teams for entities such as the National Library of Colombia or the Gold Museum Network of the Bank of the Republic.

His latest project focuses on ancestral futurism where he explores his indigenous roots, rituality and spirituality and weaves a bridge with his work in the world of technology, science fiction and narrative.

September 28, 2024

by Maria Reyeskeynote

Dust to Pointclouds: From hyper local narratives into worldbuilding

How is narrative -and form- transformed by interactions with technology, production challenges, and the voices and minds of the rightful owners of the story? How does it also change the end-user experience? What questions arise about inclusive design and creation involving technology?

Born in the town of Palenque, just a couple of hours from Barranquilla, El Beat is a story about music, rebellion, and resistance. Shaped by the voices of the palenquero people, it has evolved into a cross-platform project that stages the story of the African Diaspora in Latin America. Several years later, this living project continues to transform in diverse venues around the world, from Cartagena to Seoul.

Irene Lema is a pioneer in cross-platform and expanded reality (XR) in Latin America. Her expertise includes digital and new media. Her work has been showcased at prestigious international festivals, including SXSW in Austin, RedSea in Saudi Arabia, and FICCI in Latin America. She has been a fellow at the Sundance Institute Interdisciplinary Program and has received several awards, such as the Transmedia (2019) and the Documentary Creation Award (2010) from the Colombian Film Development Fund, as well as the New Media Fund from Proimagenes-Canada Media Fund (2017). She has been speaker at multiple spaces, like the MIT doc lab – worlding initiative.

She has a background in filmmaking and animation, with diverse experience writing, directing and producing for film, tv and major media. Irene is particularly interested in the intersection of narrative, technology, and global changes.

September 28, 2024

by Maria Reyeskeynote

Interactivity as the starting point

For two decades, Caroline and Vincent have combined craftsmanship and technology in their projects. The experiences, where visitors are invited to become participants, put into perspective our relationship with others and the way we look at the world around us. In this presentation, Caroline and Vincent will present a vast array of projects they’ve developed in the past years (interactive videos, installations in public spaces, XR, mobile project, net art).

Vincent Morisset and Caroline Robert of Montreal-based studio AATOAA (aatoaa.com) are known for their long collaboration with Arcade Fire. They have won numerous awards, including an Emmy, a Grammy, a Golden Pencil, many Webbies, and the Art Directors Club Tomorrow Award. Their work has been presented at many museums and festivals around the world, including Sundance, the Venice Biennale, SXSW, SIGGRAPH, Sonar+D, TIFF, the Japan Media Arts Festival and the Cooper Hewitt.

Firefly many interconnected electronic cards inspired on Iching MUD, RPG and Tarot cyberpunk floatin

September 28, 2024

by Maria Reyeskeynote

Co-creative Interactive Narratives in the Age of GenAI

In this keynote, we explore the evolving landscape of interactive digital narratives (IDNs) by examining the emerging possibilities of co-creating with AI. I will start by considering the rich history of creatively using systems and machines for storytelling – such as tarot, I-Ching, RPGs, MUDs and others which blend generative aspects and audience participation.

In the present day, machine-learning approaches such as small and large language models (SLM and LLMs) have further transformed the landscape of IDNs. These tools grant access to vast reservoirs of knowledge, allowing creators to experiment with storytelling structures from cultures beyond their own. This keynote will examine critical questions: How valuable are machines in crafting IDNs compared to narratives drawn from human creativity and lived experience? What does it mean for construction of stories when audiences are increasingly able to infuse their personal stories—known as “bleed”—into the narrative? How can we creatively and ethically use Generative AI and co-create fitting representations of the human condition for the 21st century?

Mirjam Palosaari Eladhari is an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer and System Sciences at Stockholm University and a resident scholar at the University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm (Konstfack). Her research centers on AI-based game design and interactive narratives, with a primary focus on co-creation. She explores how interactors can contribute to games and narratives to reflect on their own existence and discover new perspectives. Her work spans various application areas, including tabletop story-making games and games for mental health. She has worked on interactive experiences since the late 1990s (initially as a game programmer), did her PhD on agents and narratives in virtual worlds, and was instrumental in a team of scholars which coined the expression “AI-based game design” in 2011.