Refik Anadol keynote speaker

Refik is the leading media artist and expert specializing in big data visualization artworks through the aid of A.I., specifically, the application of machine and deep learning. His installations address the intersection of art, data, and cutting-edge technology, making the invisible visible.

The rise of super-fast computers and computational algorithms have enabled Refik to innovate and push boundaries of reality by juxtaposing physical and virtual worlds. This new hybrid relationship between architecture, machine self-learning intelligence and immersive experiences have created new categories of art: latent cinema, live A.I. data paintings and augmented data storytelling.

Last September, he created “WDCH Dreams” for the LA Philharmonic’s 100th year anniversary. Accessing the LA Phil’s immense archive, 45 terabytes of data, Refik created machine learning algorithms to interpret their data-sets to create an evolving artwork in real time. The work became a week-long public art installation projected onto the exterior façade of Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Refik also designed “Melting Memories,” a data-driven installation in Istanbul, Turkey that studied human memory from Ancient Egyptians to Blade Runner 2049. It investigated and transposed the elusive process of memory retrieval and enabled visitors to experience renditions of neural pathways inside a human brain.

Refik has also worked on collaborations with the UN Climate Action Summit, NASA, LAX, the new LA Rams Stadium, Google and LVMH. Refik also debuted the inaugural installation, “Machine Hallucination” a history of New York at Artechouse NY.

When describing Refik’s work, director Alejandro González Iñárritu said “it is the first time I feel like I can touch science-fiction.”