I propose to develop a semi-autonomous AI-based agentic interactive system capable of generating multimedia content that simulates and explores contemporary social and cultural issues. This system would serve as both artistic installation and research tool, creating evolving narratives that illuminate human behavioral patterns, communication failures, and emergent social phenomena.
The system will employ multiple AI agents operating in a synthetic environment, generating textual narratives that are visualized and animated in real-time through procedural and AI-based methods. Unlike static AI art, this will be a living, breathing ecosystem that evolves continuously, exploring emergent behaviors in communications, collective narratives, social interactions, and evolutionary patterns. Building on my proven expertise in developing novel AI tools and real-time visual systems, I will create an agentic LLM framework with multiple AI agents, a real-time visualization engine, evolutionary rule systems, and interactive interfaces allowing audience participation.
This represents my current vision, which will naturally evolve during the two-year development period as AI technology advances rapidly. However, the core concept of simulating interaction and evolutionary dynamics will remain relevant and compelling. The meta-aspect of a project about evolution itself evolving alongside technological progress adds an additional layer of conceptual intrigue to the work.
Budget Breakdown:
£2,500 for essential equipment, £3,000-3,500 for AI services and API usage, £4,000 for specialized training in agentic AI system development, covering 1-2 months of dedicated development work. Equipment and AI services will also support the final Darlington presentation.
The final installation will premiere in Darlington, designed to engage local communities in dialogue about technology’s role in society, with adaptability to various venues from traditional galleries to public spaces and educational institutions.
My “Emergent Narratives” project would position Darlington as a pioneering center for AI-assisted art, demonstrating how cutting-edge technology can address universal human concerns about communication, community, and social evolution.
The system allows exploring any topics through intrinsic evolutionary and social rules. Spectators can introduce their own concerns – local issues, personal stories, contemporary debates – and watch AI agents process and evolve these topics through simulated social dynamics. This creates genuine co-creation where audiences become active participants, seeing their actual interests transformed through the artwork’s systemic intelligence.
By premiering internationally-recognized AI art innovation in Darlington, the project attracts global digital arts community attention, potentially establishing the town as a contemporary art destination. The work’s adaptability ensures broad community access across various venues.
The project offers educational workshops demonstrating AI art techniques to local artists and students, building lasting creative capacity. This positions Darlington as an active participant in shaping digital creativity’s future, where local voices directly influence cutting-edge artistic expression.
I am a digital artist, creative coder, and educator with over 20 years of experience in digital art. My practice combines traditional code programming with AI/ML techniques (adopted since 2017), creating generative methods with figurative imagery to pioneer new forms of visual expression bridging computational creativity and human artistic vision. My work has been exhibited internationally at prestigious venues including MOMA New York (2022 collaboration with Refik Anadol Studio for “Unsupervised”), the 58th Venice Biennale (2019), and Vancouver Art Gallery (2016 “MashUp” alongside works by Picasso and Warhol). In 2020, I created an animated interpretation of Viktor Vasnetsov’s painting for Moscow’s New Tretyakov Gallery, now part of their permanent collection. Recent exhibitions include the 2024 SOLO AI award in London, “AI Surrealism” at Superchief Gallery NYC (2023), and “When All Dreams Come True” at Gales Gallery Toronto (2023). My work has been featured in international festivals including LIAF London (2022, 2024), Punto y Raya (2018, 2021, 2023), and Design in Motion Amsterdam (2019, 2022). As VJ Eps, I’ve performed at over 150 venues since 1998, and was a triple prize winner at Moscow Light Festival’s Art Vision contests (2017-2019). My technical innovations include developing Aphantasia (2021), one of the very first open-source text-to-image generators, cited both in academic papers and historical surveys of AI art. My current artistic research investigates emergent narrative behaviors in agentic AI systems — developing semi-autonomous multimedia systems that simulate natural, social and cultural processes. I explore how AI models can generate evolving visual environments, dynamic storylines, and adaptive interaction scenarios, addressing such issues as collective narratives, conspiratorial dynamics, and systemic divergence.
Do you have a degree in visual or applied arts at undergraduate and/or post-graduate level? Please provide details. (200 words)
My formal education was originally in science and IT, and I hold no academic degree in visual or applied arts. My practice in digital art has been entirely self-directed and practice-based, combining my technical background with extensive independent research, self-education, and practical work since 1996. While I have no formal academic art qualifications, I have continuously worked as a full-time media artist since 2008, building a professional portfolio of exhibitions, commissions, awards, and teaching activity. Over the years, I have contributed to fields that often had no formal educational pathways available at the time — such as VJing, real-time generative media, video mapping, and AI-based art. I have subsequently transformed this knowledge into practical teaching through workshops, masterclasses, and university-level short courses for postgraduate media art students, as well as open-source development. While lacking formal credentials, my track record demonstrates deep artistic knowledge and technical expertise. I’ve exhibited alongside renowned artists at major institutions, developed tools cited in academic papers, and educated hundreds of artists. My approach exemplifies how digital art often emerges from interdisciplinary backgrounds, bringing technical innovation to visual expression in ways traditional art education might not prepare for.
My formal education was originally in science and IT, and I hold no academic degree in visual or applied arts. My practice in digital art has been entirely self-directed and practice-based, combining my technical background with extensive independent research, self-education, and practical work since 1996.
While I have no formal academic art qualifications, I have continuously worked as a full-time media artist since 2008, building a professional portfolio of exhibitions, commissions, awards, and teaching activity. Over the years, I have contributed to fields that often had no formal educational pathways available at the time — such as VJing, real-time generative media, video mapping, and AI-based art. I have subsequently transformed this knowledge into practical teaching through workshops, masterclasses, and university-level short courses for postgraduate media art students, as well as open-source development.
While lacking formal credentials, my track record demonstrates deep artistic knowledge and technical expertise. I’ve exhibited alongside renowned artists at major institutions, developed tools cited in academic papers, and educated hundreds of artists. My approach exemplifies how digital art often emerges from interdisciplinary backgrounds, bringing technical innovation to visual expression in ways traditional art education might not prepare for.
I have received several professional awards recognizing my artistic achievements:
Art Vision VJ Contest – Triple Prize Winner (2017, 2018, 2019): Won consecutive awards at Moscow Light Festival’s competitive VJ contests, one of Eastern Europe’s most prestigious live visual art competitions, recognizing excellence in real-time visual performance and technical innovation.
Jury Special Mention (2018): My first AI/ML-generated videomapping received special recognition at a festival in Lille, France, marking early recognition of my pioneering AI-assisted visual art.
SOLO AI Award (2024, shortlist): Received recognition by colleagues in London for outstanding achievement in AI-driven art, acknowledging my contributions to artificial intelligence in creative practice.
While I haven’t received traditional art council grants, my work has been regularly supported through commissioned projects.
I have extensively created professional opportunities for myself and the broader artistic community:
Co-founder & Creative Director, in[visible] studio (2009-2017): Established and ran a commercial digital art studio employing freelancers on a per-project basis, providing technical resources and creative direction for emerging digital artists.
Kazantip & GEM Festivals – Videoart Director & VJ Team Lead (2002-2017): Served as permanent videoart director at Kazantip festival in Crimea (2002-2014) and GEM festival in Georgia (2015-2017). Over 15 years, I curated and managed teams of visual artists, invited international talent, and created a well-equipped art laboratory that launched numerous artistic careers. These multi-week annual programs (2-6 weeks) became renowned incubators for visual art innovation.
Educational Program Development: Since 2010, I’ve designed and delivered over 90 workshops and intensive courses, such as “AI/ML in Visuals” (7-week training, 3 releases, 2023-2025), “Neural Effects in Graphics” (8-week training, 11 releases, 2019-2022), and “3D Video Mapping & Generative Graphics” (one-week training, 12 releases).
Curated video art programs including Jeune Creation, Paris (2003) and Machinista, Glasgow (2004). Provided mentorship for AI Artathon in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2021), supporting emerging artists in developing technical and artistic skills.
I have received significant commissions from major public institutions:
Goethe Institut, Moscow (2020-2021): Commissioned to create a large-scale projection piece for the “Year of Germany” cultural program. This multi-year project involved creating site-specific visual content exploring German-Russian cultural connections through contemporary digital art, displayed at various public venues throughout the program period.
New Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow (2020): Commissioned to create an animated interpretation of Viktor Vasnetsov’s classical painting. This work now forms part of the gallery’s permanent collection, representing significant recognition of digital art within one of Russia’s most important cultural institutions. The commission bridged historical and contemporary art, demonstrating how AI and digital techniques can offer new perspectives on classical works.
No, my artwork has not been purchased by a public collection. While my work is held in the permanent collection of Moscow’s New Tretyakov Gallery, this was acquired through a commission rather than a purchase.
My practice focuses primarily on commissioned works, institutional collaborations, and digital platforms rather than traditional art market sales. I have participated in successful NFT collections (detailed in the gallery representation section), though these represent private rather than institutional collecting.
My work has received extensive coverage across international art and technology publications:
International Publications: Featured in Slanted (2021), RightClickSave (2022), Aeon (2022), and AI Art Weekly (2024) for innovations in AI art. Bigumigu (2022) covered my technical developments, while CDM (2019) and Stash TV (2022-2024) featured my visual work and technical innovations.
Academic Recognition: My work has been highlighted at AI Creativity workshops at CVPR (2021, 2024) and NeurIPS conferences (2020, 2021, 2023).
My Aphantasia tool was recognized as a significant contribution to the field. My tool has been cited in academic papers and featured in the AI image generation timeline as the third open-source method in pioneering text-to-image generation history.
I am not currently represented by a traditional gallery. My career has developed primarily through direct relationships with institutions, festivals, curators, and the digital art community rather than through gallery representation.
My work has been sold through specialized digital art platforms including Mirage Gallery (THE POEM NFT collection, 2024), Braindrops (TEOPEMA NFT collection, 2022, sold out immediately), and Feral File (Pixie NFT collection, 2021, sold out immediately). These platforms serve the digital art market more effectively than traditional galleries for AI-generated and new media work.
The nature of my practice – combining live performance at festivals, creative tool development, educational activities, and digital art creation – doesn’t align well with traditional gallery models focused primarily on object-based sales. Instead, I’ve built a career through community engagement, open-source contributions, educational programs, and direct institutional partnerships.
I have participated in several significant residency and placement programs:
CAMP, Stuttgart, Germany (2009): Completed a residence program focused on new media art and performance. This experience was crucial in developing my live visual performance practice and understanding European digital art contexts. The residency provided access to advanced technical facilities and collaborative opportunities with international artists.
Year of Germany Cultural Program (2020-2021): While technically a commission, this extended project functioned as a cultural placement, involving deep engagement with German institutions and cultural programming over an extended timeline.
Kazantip & GEM Festivals – Extended Artist Laboratory (2002-2017): Participated in the Kazantip festival (Crimea) and GEM festival (Georgia) as both resident artist and artistic director. These extended residencies provided access to professional-grade equipment, international artistic collaboration, and intensive creative development periods.
Educational Placements: Regular teaching positions at academic institutions including MISiS, FEFU, Tomsk Polytech, and British School of Design, providing extended periods for artistic development and knowledge exchange.
While I haven’t participated in traditional studio-based residencies, my practice has benefited from these placement opportunities, providing crucial periods for artistic development, international collaboration, and cultural exchange. These experiences have significantly influenced my artistic development and international recognition.
Address: F7, 12-13 Burlington St., Brighton, BN2 1AU, GB
Local Authority: Brighton and Hove City Council
