Creativity is an Ecosystem (Week #8 Creative Futures Counterstructures)
In week #8 of the Creative Futures Counterstructures Artist Residency program, we’ll be joined by artist and creative-ecosystem researcher Shm Garanganao Almeda.
Shm (”shim”) has spent much of their life (and research career) asking: How do we support artists? Like, really support artists?
Like, how do we, as a society, create spaces and structures where artists don’t just “survive” — but have the time and resources to thrive? And is “We all become TikTok influencers” really the answer?
In their quest to investigate the “starving artist” phenomenon — Shm has interviewed a vast range of creatives (making art with pixels, paint, data, AI, voice, beads, games, fabric, and even Artbreeder… (hi joel!)) to ask how they’re making it as artists these days! And about how technologies (notably: AI & social media algorithms) are complicating the landscapes we must navigate — the tasks and systems and algorithmic-strats — just to get our work out to our communities, and get people to engage with it.
Shm will talk about the frameworks and words they’ve found to describe what they’ve learned. What creates the difference between stable artistic livelihoods vs. an unsustainable ones? Remixing vs. plagiarism? Responsible vs. irresponsible AI and data work?
They’ll outline the ways that technologists — especially creative and artistic technologists — can use our power and tech-building skills to both…
reduce harm to our communities, and…
bring more engagement and support into our communities!!
They hope to learn from all in attendance about the [eco]systems of love and support (social, technological, cultural) facilitating your ability to be creative, too. :)
Shm Garanganao Almeda is an artist, computer scientist, and human-computer interaction researcher in the Berkeley Institute of Design Lab @ Berkeley EECS. Currently, they’re a visiting researcher at the Midjourney Storytelling Lab (hi max!), building artistic support systems –– including alternative systems for engaging with artwork, visualizing creative behavior, and empowering artists to teach us what our technology can really do, through artistic practice.
Previously, they could be found researching new digital color-mixing tech @ Adobe Research Labs, selling art prints and stickers at anime conventions with their sister (illustrator Christine Almeda), and being a train (as in their official Halloween costume collaboration with BART.)
The Creative Futures Counterstructures residency, is a 10-week program brought to you by TIAT and the Mozilla Foundation, where artists and technologists explore alternative approaches to AI and culture. Each week during the residency, we'll have public programming that opens a window into the residents’ process and shares tools, ideas, and works-in-progress with the community. Learn more about the residency: https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/creative-futures-counterstructures/
tiat is the intersection of art and technology! we are a 501c3 nonprofit creating places for creative technologists to experiment, exhibit, and expand their practice. ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ Learn more about tiat: https://tiat.place/