For anyone interested in exploring Leicester in a completely new way, or uncovering the world of Artificial Intelligence, make sure you check out the programme for Art-AI Festival, launching in May.
Now in its third year, the Art-AI Festival returns to Leicester next month with installations, performances and activities taking place across the city and online.
The Art-AI Festival seeks to explore the role of AI in arts through a programme of creative work including installations, performances and discussions. Focusing on creative artificial intelligence, the festival comprises artworks by international artists working with various artificial intelligence technologies.
The Festival will showcase the latest developments by world leading artists and researchers from the UK, USA, Canada, India, Croatia and Germany. Visitors can expect to see work illustrating artificial intelligence through chatbots, deepfakes, creative interaction and biomimicry. Many of the artworks are interactive and some also comprise video art installations.
The Festival is a partnership between the Institute of Creative Technologies at De Montfort University, Phoenix, Leicester City Council, Highcross and independent creative AI curator Luba Elliott with additional support from Arts Council England, and this year runs over an extended period from May to October. Get ready to see artworks located around the city centre, including at Highcross, Haymarket, Phoenix and more.
The programme has so much for the public to look forward to, with 2 particular highlights being Hello Lamp Post, an interactive installation allowing anyone to engage in a text exchange with some of Leicester’s most iconic landmarks, and Elvis, an installation artwork in Highcross Leicester demonstrating the use of AI in creating a deepfake. The programme will allow people to explore the city but also enjoy more content than ever as Art-AI Festival launches an impactful webinar series and film season, beginning with a virtual film selection by Phoenix.
Hello Lamp Post runs from 1 May – 31 October. The walking trail consists of 16 points of interest across Leicester’s city centre, which encourages people to look at the city with fresh eyes. Look for the signs on lamp posts, with anyone able to chat using text messages with some of Leicester’s most iconic landmarks. Conversations are thought provoking, insightful and are powered by artificial intelligence.
Also launching on 1 May is Elvis by Libby Heaney at Highcross Leicester. Libby Heaney’s art practice uses quantum computing and AI in this installation, where her image is swapped with Elvis in an example of a deepfake.
Tracy Harwood, Festival Director and Professor of Digital Culture at De Montfort University, commented, “Our extended programme is really designed to give people maximum chance to interact and have fun with the installations in a year when we all need a chance to build our confidence in being out and about in the city again. We will be showcasing different types of creative AIs over the next months and the festival also has a serious message which is about demonstrating the potential of AIs.”
Art-AI Festival 2021 celebrates the programme with an online launch event featuring a live improv performance with an AI by Improbotics on 5 May. In this live online event, artificial intelligence is used to stimulate and create a comedy improv performance. Improbotics is free for all to attend and will be streamed live with an opportunity for audience Q&A with the performers. Registration for the event is open now via Eventbrite.
For more information on the festival you can visit www.art-ai.io and also follow Art-AI on Facebook.