Partnership

Rhizome 7×7 2024

In January 2024, Rhizome presented the 14th edition of 7x7: Seven pairings of artists and technologists to "make something new." APOSSIBLE participated as a research partner.

Curated by Michael Connor, Rhizome Co-Executive Director and Xinran Yuan, independent curator and producer, 2024's 7x7 saw the participation of Dr. Stephon Alexander, Reggie Watts, Eugenia Kuyda, Lynn Hershman Leeson, David Robert, Miriam Simun, Harry Halpin, Tomás Saraceno, Christina Agapakis, Xin Liu, Cristóbal Valenzuela, Ana Fabrega, Alan Steremberg, and Rindon Johnson.

Although 7X7 has been engaging with issues around AI for over a decade, we decided this year that we had an opportunity, and maybe even a responsibility, to make it more central to the conference than ever.
Xinran Yuan, co-curator and producer
Stephon Alexander plays saxophone at 7x7. Photo by OWLEY Studios, Courtesy of Rhizome.

APOSSIBLE's reflections

Looking back here are some of our closing thoughts:

Experimentation and collaboration between disciplines is an important way to engage with new technologies. Creative people and outsiders can expand how we think about new technologies and what they can and should be used for.

We approached 7x7 as a series of experiments, setting up collaborations with important implications for the human experience; from humor and social connection, to embodiment, to our perception of reality and our relationship with the natural world. All of these areas of interest stand to be disrupted / altered by new technology. We wanted to expand the conversation by approaching these topics from scientific, technical, and creative perspectives.

Qasim Nagvi, Xin Liu, Christina Agapakis, and Josh Dunn present at 7x7. Photo by OWLEY Studios, Courtesy of Rhizome.

Some questions we were left with

  • How can the embodied human experience guide the future of robotics?
  • What if the future of conversational AI hangs on human vulnerability rather than technical capability?
  • Can music be a bridge between consciousness and deeper reality?
  • Can AI be funny?
  • Will synthetic intelligence separate humans from nature?

For more information, read Rhizome's summary.

One of our partnerships, where we create meaningful collaborations across technology and human experience.

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