Geomancer
风水师

CGI Film, 48m, stereo sound, 2017




On the eve of Singapore's 2065 Centennial, an adolescent satellite AI escapes its imminent demise by coming down to Earth, hoping to fulfil its dream of becoming the first AI artist.







 

About

Geomancer is a computer-generated animation by Lawrence Lek about the creative awakening of artificial intelligence. Set in Singapore on the eve of the island nation’s centennial in 2065, the film tells the story of an environmental satellite that wishes to become an artist. Geomancer imagines the crisis that might happen when the world has become a techno-industrial complex run by a posthuman intelligence, and creative originality is no longer be considered that special.

“Is irrationality the main characteristic of consciousness?” asks the film’s narrator, proposing art as the last refuge of humanity in an otherwise automated world where an artificial intelligence dedicated to copying and studying massive amounts of data has appropriated every human trait that can be used to produce profit. The film uses ‘art’ to symbolize humanity's appreciation for creative thought and beauty, asking what will happen when an emotionally aware AI gains the power of self-expression, and creative genius is no longer the domain of humanity. Rendered within a video game engine and featuring a neural network-generated dream sequence and synthesized vocal soundtrack, Geomancer explores the implications of post-human consciousness.

Trailer



Installation at Jerwood Space, 2017


Soundtrack

Available on digital and limited edition USB on Eternal Dragonz and Bandcamp

More info︎︎︎



Credits


Written, Directed, Edited by
Lawrence Lek

Executive Producer
Steven Bode, FVU

Production Managers
Ilona Sagar & Polly Wright, FVU

Production Supervisor
Susanna Chisholm, FVU

Animation
Clifford Sage

Architecture
Johnny Lui

World Design
Lawrence Lek

Sound Design
Seth Scott

Script Advisor
Ned Beauman

Mandarin Translation
Joni Zhu

Cantonese Translation
Jennifer Ka Yan Lam

Production Accountant
Sophie Luard, FVU

Production Insurance
Integro Entertainment

Commissioned for the Jerwood/FVU Awards 2017: Neither One Thing Or Another

Cast

Geomancer
Joni Zhu

Dealer
Jennifer Ka Yan Lam

Master Rui
Xiaoyi Nie

Master Wu
Gary Zhexi Zhang


Related Projects

Geomancer is the second part of the Sinofuturist trilogy, which includes:
︎︎︎ Sinofuturism (1839-2046 AD) (2016)
︎︎︎ AIDOL (2019)

The worldbuilding of Geomancer and the setting of the film in Singapore formed the basis for an ongoing series of open-world games and installations:
︎︎︎ 2065 (2018-ongoing)


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