Throughout history, new technology always unsettled the arts. Painted portraits turned to photographs, photographs introduced the moving picture, film brought about animation, video collage, virtual reality—the list, comprehensive in any and every medium, goes on.
For its inaugural year, Vibecon is showcasing the newest tool to provoke and perturb artists: A.I. Produced by software platform Replit, the two day creative conference invited artists and technologists to explore the possibilities of code as a creative medium. Hosted in the Lower East Side and designed and produced by MATTE Projects, Vibecon brought together an eclectic group of pioneering artists who use the tech in tandem with their craft, not in lieu of it.
“When we founded Replit 10 years ago, I wanted it to be the platform where creatives could build anything they wanted without learning to code,” said Replit co-founder Haya Odeh. “Code truly is the new Creative.”
Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Jonze, the mastermind behind the artificial intelligence love story Her, and media artist Refik Anadol, co-founder of the controversial A.I. art museum Dataland, headed up the bash and brought an artist’s perspective to conversations around the software.
Ambling through the technicolor installations, curious guests found themselves at the helm of intimate hands-on experiences, live demos, and deep dives with the artists themselves, satisfying the most expert, or even the freshest, of tech culturati.
The Occasion: The first conference of its kind, Vibecon brought together minds in art and technology to showcase how new A.I. computing can enhance apps, installations, films, performances, and visual experiences in ways that would have been inaccessible only a few years ago. The celebration aimed to demystify the technology by showcasing tastemakers who blend it seamlessly with creative pursuits.
The Locale: Opening to the public later this year, Canyon set the stage for the fair. Its sleek architecture and sweeping windows teased many future exhibitions and performances to come.
The Entertainment: Keynote conversations between Jonze and Replit CEO Amjad Masad, as well as between Anadol and Replit president and head of A.I. Michele Catasta graced the stage, digging into some of the era’s trickiest questions.
The Crowd: Joining Jonze and Anadol were a host of digital artists and creative technologists dedicated to the evolution of artistic and cultural practice. Documentarian, activist, and entrepreneur Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code and Moms First, made an appearance on stage, alongside augmented reality artist Paige Piskin, digital designer GMUNK, and Rhimzome’s flagship art and electronics partnership 7 x 7. Among the installations and speakers were engineer and writer Lucas Gelfond; artists Karyn Nakamura, Tigris Li, Nate Mohler, and Kyle McDonald; DJ and producer Debit; and ITM co-founder Saarim Zaman.
Cause for FOMO: Electronics company Lychee curated custom fragrances for patrons by adapting their memories and language into matching scents through A.I. technology.
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