End of Empire: artist talk and discussion
22 FEBRUARY / 6 PM – 8 PM / FREE, DROP IN
Join us for an engaging discussion on expanded photography and the (hauntological) potential of AI, centering around the project #end_of_empire by artist Eva Sajovic in collaboration with musician Nicola Privato, commissioned for the British Textile Biennial 2023.
#end_of_empire was a large scale, site-specific installation featuring knitted photographs embedded with touch sensors and AI generated sound.
The evening will commence by exploring questions posed by the artists in this work, including the concept of knitting as ethical photography, the role of the body in mediating with the more-than-human, the potential and the risks of AI and the role of technology in facing the challenges of the Anthropocene. This will be followed by a response by Dr Lucy Soutter before it is opened to Q&A from the participants.
#end_of_empire is a co-commission with In-Situ and the British Textile Biennial with This Is Nelson Town Deal funding.
Eva Sajovic works as an artist in socially engaged art practice and a Senior Lecturer at University of the Arts London. Her work deals with colonisation of space and resource caused by gentrification, poverty, human trafficking, and climate change. Early projects included work with women in prison, Gypsy and Traveling communities, homeless people and those being displaced from the Elephant & Castle in London. Since 2016 she has been focusing on projects that confront the climate emergency, using participatory and collaborative methodologies to move people beyond passive spectatorship towards active social agency. Her most recent work was a commission for the British Textile Biennial 2023.
Nicola Privato is an Italian composer, musician and digital artist working at the intersection of art and technology, with an academic education in Jazz music, linguistics and electroacoustic composition. After a decade-long career as a touring jazz musician, teacher and curator for music festivals, his interest in cybernetics, media technologies and AI led him to develop interactive works combining sound, performance, interface design and visual art, exhibited and performed worldwide. Nicola is currently a researcher and PhD candidate in Cultural Studies working at the Intelligent Instruments Lab (Iceland) and investigating through artistic practice how the advent of artificial intelligence is impacting our social interactions and our understanding of art and technology.
Dr Lucy Soutter is a Reader in Photography at the University of Westminster. Her work focuses on questions of value and meaning in photography and contemporary art. She is the author of Why Art Photography? (Routledge, 2nd ed. 2018), co-editor of Writer Conversations (1000 Words, 2023) and writes for publications including Source, 1,000 Words and Photoworks. She is currently working with Duncan Wooldridge to edit The Routledge Companion to Global Photographies to be published in 2024.
Image by Eva Sajovic
We encourage you to use public transport or carpooling when getting to the events.
Open Eye Gallery is a short walk from the Liverpool ONE shopping centre and the Albert Dock.
By train. We are 20 minutes walk from Lime Street station. James Street station, served by Wirral Line trains, is a two minute walk. Moorfields station, served by the Northern and Wirral Lines, is a five minute walk. Visit Merseytravel for details of local train services.
By bus. The nearest bus and coach station is at Liverpool ONE, served by National Express coaches. Merseytravel has details of local bus services.
By ferry. The gallery is two minutes walk from the Pier Head Ferry Terminal, from which Mersey Ferries run regular services to the Wirral.
By bicycle. There are bicycle bays close to the gallery, opposite the entrance to the Museum of Liverpool, beside the Great Western Railway building.
If you wish to offset the carbon footprint of your travel, you can do it with Carbon Neutral Britain, Carbon Footprint, Forest Carbon, My Carbon Plan or any other project that you trust.
22 FEBRUARY / 6 PM – 8 PM / FREE, DROP IN
Join us for an engaging discussion on expanded photography and the (hauntological) potential of AI, centering around the project #end_of_empire by artist Eva Sajovic in collaboration with musician Nicola Privato, commissioned for the British Textile Biennial 2023.
#end_of_empire was a large scale, site-specific installation featuring knitted photographs embedded with touch sensors and AI generated sound.
The evening will commence by exploring questions posed by the artists in this work, including the concept of knitting as ethical photography, the role of the body in mediating with the more-than-human, the potential and the risks of AI and the role of technology in facing the challenges of the Anthropocene. This will be followed by a response by Dr Lucy Soutter before it is opened to Q&A from the participants.
#end_of_empire is a co-commission with In-Situ and the British Textile Biennial with This Is Nelson Town Deal funding.
Eva Sajovic works as an artist in socially engaged art practice and a Senior Lecturer at University of the Arts London. Her work deals with colonisation of space and resource caused by gentrification, poverty, human trafficking, and climate change. Early projects included work with women in prison, Gypsy and Traveling communities, homeless people and those being displaced from the Elephant & Castle in London. Since 2016 she has been focusing on projects that confront the climate emergency, using participatory and collaborative methodologies to move people beyond passive spectatorship towards active social agency. Her most recent work was a commission for the British Textile Biennial 2023.
Nicola Privato is an Italian composer, musician and digital artist working at the intersection of art and technology, with an academic education in Jazz music, linguistics and electroacoustic composition. After a decade-long career as a touring jazz musician, teacher and curator for music festivals, his interest in cybernetics, media technologies and AI led him to develop interactive works combining sound, performance, interface design and visual art, exhibited and performed worldwide. Nicola is currently a researcher and PhD candidate in Cultural Studies working at the Intelligent Instruments Lab (Iceland) and investigating through artistic practice how the advent of artificial intelligence is impacting our social interactions and our understanding of art and technology.
Dr Lucy Soutter is a Reader in Photography at the University of Westminster. Her work focuses on questions of value and meaning in photography and contemporary art. She is the author of Why Art Photography? (Routledge, 2nd ed. 2018), co-editor of Writer Conversations (1000 Words, 2023) and writes for publications including Source, 1,000 Words and Photoworks. She is currently working with Duncan Wooldridge to edit The Routledge Companion to Global Photographies to be published in 2024.
Image by Eva Sajovic
We encourage you to use public transport or carpooling when getting to the events.
Open Eye Gallery is a short walk from the Liverpool ONE shopping centre and the Albert Dock.
By train. We are 20 minutes walk from Lime Street station. James Street station, served by Wirral Line trains, is a two minute walk. Moorfields station, served by the Northern and Wirral Lines, is a five minute walk. Visit Merseytravel for details of local train services.
By bus. The nearest bus and coach station is at Liverpool ONE, served by National Express coaches. Merseytravel has details of local bus services.
By ferry. The gallery is two minutes walk from the Pier Head Ferry Terminal, from which Mersey Ferries run regular services to the Wirral.
By bicycle. There are bicycle bays close to the gallery, opposite the entrance to the Museum of Liverpool, beside the Great Western Railway building.
If you wish to offset the carbon footprint of your travel, you can do it with Carbon Neutral Britain, Carbon Footprint, Forest Carbon, My Carbon Plan or any other project that you trust.
