Khoj and Digital Earth organised a 3-day session exploring the notion of Aesthetic Warfare and questioning the power of visuals: from A.I. distributing visual propaganda to deep fakes invading our timelines, from new aesthetic strategies of internet activism to art in post truth age.
Everyday we see more than five thousand images, around us or on our devices. Artificial Intelligence software is continually distributing visual propaganda, blurring the lines between what’s real and fiction. Globally, people are being attacked by false imagery, fake video-footage, memes and visual disinformation campaigns with the intention to deceive public opinion. At the same time artists and activists are using aesthetics to fight back in social and urban environments in order to help us navigate this complexity and to regain a sense of understanding as well as human agency.
The symposium had two components (Knowledge Studio and Symposium) : a closed door co-creating workshop during the day and an open door evening filled with sessions which included lectures, performances, talks and panel discussions.
PROGRAMME
May 1
5.30pm – Doors open – you can visit the exhibition by Digital Earth fellows: Khyati Saraf, Ishita Sharma, Sepideh Majidi. Khyati Saraf will lead an exhibition walk through of ‘Idhar Kaun Ayega’
Also on view is Another life Is Possible, an exhibition by Jithinlal NR, the first recipient of Khoj’s Artists for Artists Grant 6pm – Opening notes by Khoj
6.15pm – Ala Younis: Artist Presentation followed by Q&A
7pm – Refreshments!
May 2
5.30pm – Doors open – visit the exhibition!
6pm – Opening notes by Khoj & Digital Earth
6.15pm – Keynote speech by Mohammad Salemy followed by Q&A
7pm – Heba Y. Amin: Artist Presentation / Performance and Lecture, followed by Q&A
May 3
5.30pm – Doors open – visit the exhibition!
6pm – Opening notes by Khoj
6.15pm – Panel Discussion : Pallavi Paul in conversation with Nayanatara Ranganathan, Padmini Ray Murray and Sajjad Anwar
7pm – Nishant Shah: Closing Keynote, followed by Q&A
Digital Earth Knowledge Studio is a co-created, co-owned, collaborative space that deploys creative and critical knowledges, strategies, practices, and tactics to develop iterative knowledge frameworks. It invites each participant to choose a concept/keyword/story/case-study/work/practice/process towards a rough-and-ready living knowledge product for further iterative development. Taking artistic work, impulses, practice, research, creation, and making as our point of departure, this knowledge studio proposes to develop a suite of concepts, hacks, stories, and strategies to flesh out this notion of aesthetic warfare and hold (post)truth to power.
*This page is available as a downloadable accessibility document.
