Unrecorded Voices: AI-focused exhibition by SA creatives at Playtopia Festival in Cape Town

The Unrecorded Voices exhibit at the Playtopia Festival in Cape Town on 6 and 7 December 2024 offered visitors a fascinating experience challenging the notion of history and memory with intentionally crafted works that aimed to fill gaps in history and tell unique stories.

The exhibit, the outcome of AI-focused programme by the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) in partnership with French studio, u2p050, and Playtopia Festival, made use of cardboard and paper in a seemingly cluttered dystopia, as a background to juxtapose the hi-tech used to create the individual works. Visitors could pop their heads into a cardboard box for an immersive experience, or navigate an artwork on a laptop emerging from a sea of cardboard objects, or simply turn the pages of a book.

Emmanuelle Denavit-Feller, Regional Head of New Media, Film & Music at IFAS, said:

The French Institute of South Africa is proud to have supported the Unrecorded Voices project. It highlights the power of creativity and technology in preserving untold stories, reflecting our commitment to innovation and cultural exchange between France and South Africa.

Continuing the trend of contemporary digital creative exploration the exhibit provided an immersive, interactive space where visitors could engage with augmented reality, audio, and animation, film, 3-dimensional audio visual and striking printed works from 10 talented South African artists including  Elize Vossgätter, Henrietta Scholtz, Irish Éire Sloane, Lomawa Elizabeth Maelane, Nhlanhla Michael Dhlamini, Nicola Pilkington, Queer.Space, Siphokazi Matshaka, Vanessa Chen, and Xopher Wallace.

The diverse works on display pushed the boundaries of AI technology and cultural story-telling covering themes from mythological and futuristic narratives to historical explorations of topics like the Chinese in the Cape, men’s mental health and the changing relationship between humans and AI.

Dominique Gawlowski, Playtopia Festival Director, said:

Unrecorded Voices was an intersection of technology and creativity. By merging AI with different narratives, we’re not only pushing the boundaries of innovation but also offering a fresh lens through which to reimagine history. It was an incredible opportunity for attendees to experience a challenge in conventions and a reshape of how we connect with our past.

Unrecorded Voices formed part of the Novembre Numérique (Digital November), a global initiative celebrating digital cultures and was supported by the Institut français in Paris.

• Read more about the programme here.