EVENT
The Zizi Show
An Interactive Deepfake AI Drag Cabaret
Celebrating Pride in New Westminster
SATURDAY, AUGUST 17
4:00pm-8:30pm
Anvil Centre Ballroom
Free - All Welcome
Interactive Projection with Sounder
14 x 26 Projection Screen + Video Gallery “Zizi is mercurial, defying categorisation”
Celebrating Pride in New Westminster, for one evening only, we are thrilled to present THE ZIZI SHOW (UK) in its North American Premiere.
This unique, interactive A.I. Drag Show will be presented on a giant 14 x 26 foot screen in Anvil Centre Ballroom....open to the street for all to share. Surrounding screens will include an interview with the artist, and portraits of the performers.
With The Zizi Show, UK Artist Jake Elwes has created an interactive deepfake virtual cabaret that welcomes drop-in audiences. Drag performers are chosen by the audience to perform captivating moments of deepfake chaos and imperfection...queering the data. Unable to recognise unfamiliar images, AI fills in the gaps. Zizi explores what AI can teach us about drag and what drag can teach us about A.I.
The idea came about through a collaboration between artist Jake Elwes and one of London’s top drag queens – Me the Drag Queen. Elwes wondered how the world of A.I and art could collide with the world of live drag cabaret acts. For a few years Elwes had been exploring the concept of queering artificial intelligence to tackle bias. He did this by injecting images of drag kings drag queens and drag things into training datasets to try to shift the neural network into a space of otherness...a queer space. Working together with the Edinburgh Futures Institute they created artificial intelligence as a performance tool, exploring how lip-syncs and movement could be incorporated into computational systems. The AI was trained on video footage of thirteen well-known drag performers filmed at a London cabaret venue during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The Zizi Show is a series of constantly shifting faces, bodies and movements where lipstick lashes liner and identity break down in an unpredictable uncontrollable and fabulous way.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Jake Ewles
Jake Elwes is a British media artist and researcher living and working in London. Their practice is the exploration of artificial intelligence (AI) queer theory and technical biases. They are known for using AI to create art in mediums such as video performance and installation. Their work focusses on queering technology issues caused by the normative biases of artificial intelligence. Elwes' work with artificial intelligence is cited as a hopeful strategy to make AI more playful and diverse. They studied at the Slade School of Fine Art UCL. They were a 2021 finalist for the Lumen Prize and received Honorary Mention in 2022 Prix Ars Electronica in the Interactive Art + category.They have exhibited in museums and galleries across Europe and Asia and now in Canada.
WEBSITE
CREDITS
Cast - Drag Queens, Kings and Things
Baby Lame | Bolly-Illusion | Bourgeoisie | Cara Melle | Charlie Wood | Chiyo | Dahc Dermur VIII | Dakota Schiffer | HERR | Lilly SnatchDragon | Lavinia Co-op | Luke Slyka | Mahatma Khandi | Mark Anthony | Me The Drag Queen | Miss Terri Boxx | Oedipussi Rex | Ruby Wednesday | Sister Sister | TeTe Bang | Wet Mess
Jake Elwes - Artist Coder & Producer
Me - Director of Drag
Alexander Hill - Web & Development
Toby Elwes - Camera & Lighting
Charlie Baker - Sound Mixing
The Apple Tree - Filming Location (LGBTQ+ Cabaret Venue)
The Zizi Show was commissioned and produced by Edinburgh Futures Institute. Supported by the University of Edinburgh Creative Scotland Creative Informatics and the Data-Driven Innovation programme of the South East Scotland City and Region Deal.
The Pneumomachinic Exhibition will be open until 8pm
For more information about New Media Gallery events, please join our mailing list
The Zizi Show
An Interactive Deepfake AI Drag Cabaret
Celebrating Pride in New Westminster
SATURDAY, AUGUST 17
4:00pm-8:30pm
Anvil Centre Ballroom
Free - All Welcome
Interactive Projection with Sounder
14 x 26 Projection Screen + Video Gallery “Zizi is mercurial, defying categorisation”
Celebrating Pride in New Westminster, for one evening only, we are thrilled to present THE ZIZI SHOW (UK) in its North American Premiere.
This unique, interactive A.I. Drag Show will be presented on a giant 14 x 26 foot screen in Anvil Centre Ballroom....open to the street for all to share. Surrounding screens will include an interview with the artist, and portraits of the performers.
With The Zizi Show, UK Artist Jake Elwes has created an interactive deepfake virtual cabaret that welcomes drop-in audiences. Drag performers are chosen by the audience to perform captivating moments of deepfake chaos and imperfection...queering the data. Unable to recognise unfamiliar images, AI fills in the gaps. Zizi explores what AI can teach us about drag and what drag can teach us about A.I.
The idea came about through a collaboration between artist Jake Elwes and one of London’s top drag queens – Me the Drag Queen. Elwes wondered how the world of A.I and art could collide with the world of live drag cabaret acts. For a few years Elwes had been exploring the concept of queering artificial intelligence to tackle bias. He did this by injecting images of drag kings drag queens and drag things into training datasets to try to shift the neural network into a space of otherness...a queer space. Working together with the Edinburgh Futures Institute they created artificial intelligence as a performance tool, exploring how lip-syncs and movement could be incorporated into computational systems. The AI was trained on video footage of thirteen well-known drag performers filmed at a London cabaret venue during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The Zizi Show is a series of constantly shifting faces, bodies and movements where lipstick lashes liner and identity break down in an unpredictable uncontrollable and fabulous way.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Jake Ewles
Jake Elwes is a British media artist and researcher living and working in London. Their practice is the exploration of artificial intelligence (AI) queer theory and technical biases. They are known for using AI to create art in mediums such as video performance and installation. Their work focusses on queering technology issues caused by the normative biases of artificial intelligence. Elwes' work with artificial intelligence is cited as a hopeful strategy to make AI more playful and diverse. They studied at the Slade School of Fine Art UCL. They were a 2021 finalist for the Lumen Prize and received Honorary Mention in 2022 Prix Ars Electronica in the Interactive Art + category.They have exhibited in museums and galleries across Europe and Asia and now in Canada.
WEBSITE
CREDITS
Cast - Drag Queens, Kings and Things
Baby Lame | Bolly-Illusion | Bourgeoisie | Cara Melle | Charlie Wood | Chiyo | Dahc Dermur VIII | Dakota Schiffer | HERR | Lilly SnatchDragon | Lavinia Co-op | Luke Slyka | Mahatma Khandi | Mark Anthony | Me The Drag Queen | Miss Terri Boxx | Oedipussi Rex | Ruby Wednesday | Sister Sister | TeTe Bang | Wet Mess
Jake Elwes - Artist Coder & Producer
Me - Director of Drag
Alexander Hill - Web & Development
Toby Elwes - Camera & Lighting
Charlie Baker - Sound Mixing
The Apple Tree - Filming Location (LGBTQ+ Cabaret Venue)
The Zizi Show was commissioned and produced by Edinburgh Futures Institute. Supported by the University of Edinburgh Creative Scotland Creative Informatics and the Data-Driven Innovation programme of the South East Scotland City and Region Deal.
The Pneumomachinic Exhibition will be open until 8pm
For more information about New Media Gallery events, please join our mailing list