Workshop with Shinji Toya: Lives of Your Smartphones

arebyte advances new experimentation in digital cultures.Meeting the growing demand for immersive experiences and digital content creation, arebyte pioneers new forms of engagement with creative technologies, to critically explore the impact of technology in contemporary society.From digital environments, online exhibitions to live performances, arebyte’s art programme spans VR, AR, motion capture, CGI, AI, blockchain technology, and draws 10,000 visitors per year to its gallery in East London, with a yearly online audience of 350,000 which is constantly growing.arebyte is committed to further support London’s creatives by providing affordable workspaces in the capital city. In partnership with private landlords and Councils, arebyte strives to preserve a vibrant community of 330 artists, makers and designers in East and South London.

arebyte

Uncover the ecological impact of e-waste and planned obsolescence through a workshop with artist Shinji Toya!

Arebyte Gallery

Digital Training Sessions

Digital Training Sessions is a workshop series delivered by practising artists to share critical skills in digital art, including physical computing, 3D modelling, game engines, AI techniques and more.

This hands-on workshop uses a website-based version of Shinji Toya&#x27;s artwork, Lives of Your Smartphones, to contextualise the ecological issues of e-waste and planned obsolescence. Lives of Your Smartphones was previously showcased at arebyte in 2022 as part of the group exhibition Futures Past.During the session, the participants will produce decaying versions of their smartphone handsets as png images to be uploaded on Lives of Your Smartphones&#x27; website. The workshop contextualises the materiality of smartphones and their ecological implications, to consider how the operation of the current mainstream technological development is harming the environment. The participants will work together to develop a toolkit of alternative cosmological and cultural frameworks. This toolkit encompasses the poetic aesthetics of decay, which serve as a counterpoint to the progress narrative prevalent in mainstream tech development. Additionally, it incorporates the cultural perception linked to Japanese animism and other concepts, encouraging the exploration of alternative technologies with empathy and the provision of de-anthropocentric perspectives.Participants are required to bring their smartphone handset.This workshop is intended for 18+The workshop has been developed by artist Shinji Toya with the support of creative producer Tanya Boyarkina, also co-founder of the digital art platform Compiler. The workshop and its development have been supported by Arts Council England through the grant Developing Your Creative Practice. Shinji Toya&#x27;s biography<a href="https://shinjitoya.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Shinji Toya</a> (1984) is an artist from Japan, based in London (UK) for over 15 years. His practice is process-driven and uses computer programming, the Internet, Artificial Intelligence, participation, video, image manipulation and painting. Toya works in the domain of critical digital art and his work is based on the image-based visual art practice that utilises data and algorithms. The topics that his previous projects dealt with include the data economy of the post-digital era, digital memory, surveillance and the materiality of media.Tanya Boyarkina&#x27;s biography<a href="https://tanyaboyarkina.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Tanya Boyarkina</a> is a London-based artist, researcher, curator and cultural/digital producer aiming to demystify complex technological processes through playful, collaborative and participative formats. She has been working with museums, galleries, independent art institutions and diverse artists (emerging and established, local and international) for almost a decade, curating and producing online and real-life events which connect audiences of all ages and abilities with evolving digital cultures. Tanya’s current Critical Digital Learning research explores relationships between people, spaces, technical objects, digital logics and their cultural implications. Realising potentials for activism, decolonial practice, environmental debates and promoting inclusivity. Tanya is a co-founder of Compiler, a platform for digital art, curation, and critical technical practice addressing contemporary socio-political challenges.

Workshop with Shinji Toya: Lives of Your Smartphones

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Workshop with Shinji Toya: Lives of Your Smartphones

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