Lawrence Lek
Worldbuilding for 2065
For this masterclass, Lawrence Lek will talk about his approach to combining speculative worldbuilding and video game aesthetics within his ongoing 'Sinofuturist' cinematic universe. He will focus on the two works presented in the exhibition - his CGI film «Geomancer», where a satellite AI comes down to earth with the hope of becoming the first AI artist, and «2065», an open-world game based on the film. The game explores a future where AI has supplanted human creativity and automation has created a new culture of entertainment. The virtual world expands each year to incorporate the physical galleries where it has been exhibited. First commissioned for K11 Art Space in Hong Kong (2018), the game now includes the Barbican Centre in London (2019) and the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore (2020). Both projects revolve around the ideas theorized in «Sinofuturism» (1839-2046 AD), Lek’s 2016 video essay about the parallels between Chinese industrialization and portrayals of AI.
