Channel is Somerset House’s recently launched curated online space for art, ideas and the artistic process. Its new and exclusive commissions in collaboration with PATH-AI launch today, December 8, 2022, alongside a second podcast series, films, talks and further editorial content added to the digital platform. The platform draws from Somerset House’s unique resident community and explores and unpacks the artistic process and the ideas that drive them.
PATH AI: Privacy, Agency and Trust
Three new short film commissions have been created by artists and researchers, Nouf Aljowaysir, Juan Covelli and Chris Zhongtian Yuan who were chosen for the year-long PATH AI residency programme. The residency will see the artists create works critically engaging with intercultural ideas of privacy, agency, and trust in relation to artificial intelligence (AI) and other data-driven technologies.
PATH AI is a collaboration between Somerset House Studios and the UAL Creative Computing Institute, in partnership with The Alan Turing Institute, the University of Edinburgh, and the RIKEN research institute in Japan.
PATH AI is the latest commission from Channel, which launched in September 2022 with a unique site specific commission, The Story Cycle by Turner Prize-nominated multimedia artist Sin Wai Kin.
Editorial
As part of the PATH AI series, a new editorial text for Channel was written by New York-based curator and cultural producer Julia Kaganskiy, whose piece unpacks the commissions by Nouf Aljowaysir, Juan Covelli and Chris Zhongtian Yuan through common questions and themes, whilst reflecting on the challenges posed by AI and data-driven technologies.
Also available today on Channel is Joshua Leon’s new essay in response to Somerset House Studios’ Sam William and Roly Porter’s performance piece Salvage Rhythm as part of the closing weekend of Forest: Wake this Ground, at the Arnolfini, Bristol.
Films
Channel continues its online programme with its “Artists in Focus” series with the addition of new films on Somerset House Studio residents Malik Nashad Sharpe aka “marikiscrycrycry” and Marija Bozinovska Jones.
Another film released today focuses on Grada Kilomba’s performance that took place during the recent Somerset House O Barco installation. It captures select moments of the live performance, combining song, music, and dance, with music production by award-winning writer and musician Kalaf Epalanga.
Coming soon: upcoming releases on Channel
The Process Podcast: season two
The Process podcast produced by Alannah Chance returns with a second series in January. In the three new episodes, Leila Dear asks how geometry can help us communicate with life on other planets; studios resident Libby Heaney explores quantum entanglement, through the prism of slime and quantum listening; and musician Gazelle Twin goes hunting for ghosts.
Talks
Two new talks will be added to the “In Conversation“ film series, the first is a panel conversation recorded as part of The Horror Show! and moderated by Ceri Hand, featuring artists Haroon Mirza, Zadie Xa and Sue Webster.
Channel audiences will also be able to enjoy a video summary of “The Sum of Us”—a landmark cross-cultural conversation hosted by Jude Kelly CBE, as part of This Bright Land asking “how do we create a brighter future and build a better world?”.
Editorial
Alongside, Jo Alloway, a writer and activist who was on the advisory board for Gareth Pugh and Carson McColl’s celebratory festival This Bright Land, presents an original essay on the theme of Chosen Family and Love as a Political Action.
About Somerset House and Channel
As the home of cultural innovators, Somerset House is a site of origination, with a cultural programme offering alternative perspectives on the biggest issues of our time. We are a place of joy and discovery, where everyone is invited to Step Inside and Think Outside.
Channel’s content has been created with accessibility in mind and will provide alternative ways of presenting information such as subtitles and transcripts. Channel has been developed with support from the UK Government’s Culture Recovery Fund through Arts Council England.
