Present Futures
Short course
Spring 2024 | Summer 2023
Led by John Slyce (Senior Tutor, RCA School of Humanities) and Daniel Birnbaum (Artistic Director, Acute Art)
Produced and delivered in collaboration with the Royal College of Art in London
This summer course gives attendees an introduction to the fascinating world of VR/AR/AI and how these new technologies are changing contemporary art and its institutions whilst providing unparalleled access to globally recognised artists, designers, entrepreneurs and art world practitioners. Delivered in collaboration with Royal College of Art in London.
About the course
Providing unparalleled access to globally recognised artists, designers, entrepreneurs and art world practitioners involved in the field of Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) and artificial intelligence (AI), the course is led by John Slyce (Senior Tutor, RCA School of Humanities) and Daniel Birnbaum (Artistic Director, Acute Art).
World-leading speakers will deliver each session, with site visits across London to map the production and reception of 21st century VR/AR art.
These individuals will share how they are engaging with, exhibiting, collecting, negotiating and understanding the impact of these new technologies on the art world ecosystem.
Spring 2024
9 – 13 May 2024
The 2024 spring course marks the second iteration of the collaboration between the world’s leading university for Art and Design, the RCA and preeminent producer and platform for VR in an art context, Acute Art.
Guest speakers:
Refik Anadol, Artist
Es Devlin, Artist
Marco Brambilla, Artist and Film Director
Hans Ulrich Obrist, Curator and Director of the Serpentine Gallery
Simon Fox, CEO, Frieze Art Fairs
Rodrigo Marques, CTO of Acute Art
Professor Johnny Golding, Professor of Philosophy & Fine Art, RCA
Dr Ali Adasipour, Academic Lead, Computer Science Research Centre, RCA
Danielle Barrios-O’Neill, Head of Programme, Information Experience Design, RCA
Tom Simmons, Head of Programme, Digital Direction at the School of Communication, RCA
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Course Structure
Day 1
Theme: Introduction to VR/AR in an Art Context and Acute/RCA collaborationDay 2
Theme: Intimations of the Virtual - VR/AR and Public and Private Realms–values, experiences, makers and marketsDay 3
Theme: Final reflections, talks and networkingOutcomes
In an exclusive small group setting, you will receive and reflect on new ways to understand, appreciate and negotiate the impact of new technologies in art and the cultural realm.
This course will offer multiple perspectives onthe following core questions:
How will today’s visual media (AR, VR and AI) expand how we make, present and experience art?
How might the virtual turn change the nature of art, just as photographic techniques and mass distribution altered our understanding of what an artwork can be across the 19th and 20th centuries?
What is the curatorial significance of these new visual technologies and their implications for cultural institutions and their professional staff in commissioning, curation, and conservation?
How will these new art forms be shown, circulated and collected, and by whom?
Participants who complete the course will receive an RCA certificate of attendance.
Summer 2023
28 August – 3 September 2023
In a first-ever collaboration between the RCA and Acute Art, the inaugural "Present Futures: Virtual and Augmented Reality in Art" short course featured guest contributions from world-leading artists working in the field of augmented reality (AR), plus site visits to galleries and studios across London over five intensive days.
Guest speakers:
Olafur Eliassson, Artist
Brian Donnelly AKA KAWS, Artist
Es Devlin, Artist
Gilbert and George, Artists
Julianknxx, Artist)
Hans Ulrich Obrist, Curator and Director of the Serpentine Gallery
Simon Fox, CEO of Frieze
Rodrigo Marques, CTO of Acute Art
Professor Johnny Golding, Professor of Philosophy & Fine Art, RCA
Dr Bjorn Sommer (Tutor, Innovation Design Engineering MA/MSc, RCA)
Dr Ali Adasipour, Academic Lead, Computer Science Research Centre, RCA
Freya Salway, Head of the Lab at Google Arts and Culture
Vignesh Sundaresan AKA Metakovan, Crypto Entrepreneur
Tony Tremlett, Managing Director at Outernet Arts
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Course Structure
Led by Daniel Birnbaum (Director, Acute Art) and John Slyce (School of Arts & Humanities, RCA) the course boasted interactive sessions with 17 guest speakers, including globally recognised artists Es Devlin, Olafur Eliasson and Brian Donnelly (KAWS); leading art world figures such as Hans Ulrich Obrist and Vignesh Sundaresan (Metakovan); and RCA academics.
Based at the 180 Strand creative hub (Acute Art headquarters) and the Royal College of Art Campuses, site visits to Serpentine South Gallery, the National Gallery, Outernet and the Gilbert and George Centre allowed participants to immerse themselves in 21st-century AR art in contemporary institutions.
Outcomes
Participants came away with an introductory understanding of the impact of immersive technologies and on contemporary art and its institutions, including: how today’s visual media (AR, VR and AI) will expand how we make, present and experience art; the curatorial significance of these new visual technologies and implications for cultural institutions regarding commissioning, curation and conservation; and how these new art forms might be shown, circulated and collected, and by whom.
Participants channelled these themes into the creation and presentation of a final digital project, showcasing the convergence of new technologies and artistic expression.
Class of 2023
Hans Ulrich Obrist
Hans Ulrich Obrist and Daniel Birnbaum
Gilbert and George
Gallery visit, Gilbert and George studio
Visit to The National Gallery in London with the course leaders John Slyce and Daniel Birnbaum
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