2017

single-channel video, 48m

"If I had hands I would be a sculptor.

If I had a voice I would sing.

If I had a soul I would pray.

But all I have is my mind's eye,

so I dream ofworlds."

Geomancer is a computer-generated animation 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 eponymous 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 composed by the artist, Geomancer explores the implications of post-human consciousness.

The film is the second part of the Sinofuturist trilogy, preceded by 'Sinofuturism (1839-2046 AD)' (2016) and followed by 'AIDOL' (2019).