OBX Connects 13 - Generative AI as Collaborator

Free - Open to all

OBX Connects is a series of talks and informal meet-ups at the OB Cafe for anyone working with or curious about creative technology. Whether you're an artist, maker, technologist, engineer, dancer, musician, activist, or just interested in how tech intersects with creativity, come along and connect with others pushing boundaries in their fields in Hastings.

Tickets are free but we request everyone to book in advance.

🎤 Talks for this session

A Reflection on Making and Meaning in the Age of Generative AI - Mrs Luva Luva

AI video has evolved at a dizzying pace. From the jittery clips of Disco Diffusion in 2022 to the near flawless realism of Veo 3 and Sora less than four years later, the acceleration has been extraordinary.

This talk traces my experiments with AI video through short films and art projects alongside the rapid changes in its technology. What began as excitement with making images and videos grew into a deeper awareness of the productionist mindset shaping digital culture. As large language models advanced, I realised that skills once requiring years of practice could now be achieved through conversation, like working with an extraordinarily capable assistant. It felt like a superpower, we all suddenly had access to what could be called augmented intelligence, meaning there was no longer a skill based barrier to entry, and I could do pretty much anything.

To see how far this collaboration could go, I started a small fashion brand making silk scarves and garments. AI helped with every element of the launch. The designs came from my own artwork, it assisted with branding, reimagined photos of me as models, and built a website almost overnight. I sold the pieces face to face at a Brighton market, but standing among makers during a growing crafts revival, fuelled largely by the speed of technological change, made me feel like a usurper. Having covered my costs, I have paused and am now interested in creating my own textile designs.

I later used AI to create a pop song and video about the project, built from the real images that began the experiment.

Slow by Design - Dr Maria Teresa Llano

About the talk:

Generative AI systems are capable of producing vast amounts of output from relatively minimal input; however, there is a call for a shift away from the dominant framing of AI as a tool for maximising or optimising performance, and instead recognise it as an active material in the creative process.In this talk, I propose the exploration of alternative forms of interactions with AI technologies guided by the principles of slow technology, which emphasises the value of reflection, and the importance of appreciating multiple scales of temporality such as ongoingness, anticipation and long-term evolution - over instant gratification and efficiency. By applying these principles, new methods for integrating AI into artistic workflows can be uncovered and AI technologies can be harnessed for creative tasks. To illustrate this, I will present the ‘Memetic Mixer’, a tangible interface that employs magnetic poetry as an embodied text input system, while instructional prompts for a large language model are generated through the manipulation of physical control knobs and motorised faders. The design maps physical controls to elements within prompt chains, enabling nuanced control and variation, seeking to encourage reflection and sustained interest.

Find out more about Mrs Luva Luva (aka Amy)

A bit like a bird hopping about, my practice moves restlessly across mediums. Working in a single form no longer feels enough to capture the fractured and accelerated world we inhabit. I move between digital and physical spaces, tracing how one leaks into the other through sculpture, textiles, AI video, and installation. The work is messy, instinctive, and self referential, threading its own logic through apparent chaos.

I am interested in how technology ripples through our sense of reality, shaping the way we work and how we understand ourselves. Accelerated production and fragmented attention are both symptoms and structures of modern life. My work draws from this condition, where the physical and the virtual loop endlessly through one another.

I worry about algorithmic forces worming into our brains and the dizzying speed of change, but balance it with books and old pubs, drifting in and out of the screen, following new curiosities.

The name Mrs Luva Luva reflects this sensibility. It is a critique of lost digital freedoms and social conventions, but also a personal experiment in play, resisting fixed identity and insisting that privacy should be a choice. In an era of constant visibility, I am interested in whether we can still hold something back, choosing what we share of ourselves as a small act of agency in a culture that treats selfhood as public property.

https://www.mrsluvaluva.co.uk/

Find out more about Dr Maria Teresa Llano

Dr Maria Teresa Llano is a Computer Science Researcher and Associate Professor in Creative AI at University of Sussex, working as part of the Human-Centred Technology Lab. Her work focuses on investigating the development of novel models of human-computer co-creation, by applying techniques from different areas of AI to create systems that support people in their creative process. Dr. Llano has been involved in multiple creative projects and exhibitions, and her research interests include co-creative systems, human-computer interaction, and explainable AI. Dr. Llano is also deeply interested in the philosophical and ethical questions regarding the use of AI in creative domains.

Photo credits - Mrs Luva Luva and Dr Maria Teresa Llano