2017
single-channel video, 48m
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.
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.
INSTALLATION AT JERWOOD SPACE, 2017
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
AI-GENERATED FOOTAGE: Terence Broad
SCORE BY: Lawrence Lek
SOUND DESIGN: Seth Scott
SCRIPT ADVISOR: Ned Beauman
CAST
GEOMANCER: Joni Zhu
DEALER: JenniferKa Yan Lam
MASTER RUI: Xiaoyi Nie
MASTER WU: Gary Zhexi Zhang
THIEL: Steve Goodman
MANDARIN TRANSLATION: Joni Zhu
CANTONESE TRANSLATIIN: 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
Soundtrack
Available on digital and limited edition USB on Eternal Dragonz and Bandcamp
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