October 22–26, 2024 | Toronto, Canada

Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset believed that life is shipwreck and culture the swimming stroke that keeps us afloat. But, over time, we forget how to swim until the next storm comes.

Carnival of Shipwreck is a chance to practice being in the storm and being in the water.

5 days of provocations, performances, installations, ideas, music, dancing and many surprises.

Remember—Carnival is reversal. Carnival is release.

Those jumping in the water will be rewarded.

Music

4 packed nights of deeply unsettling performances curated by UKAI Projects, Lewdline, Spadinababy, Xodkaar, and Secret Contact

Pessimist (Bristol UK), Yuko Araki (Tokyo Japan), Honeydrip (Montreal), D. Blavatsky (Montreal), Mykhaylo (Montreal), E-Saggila, Gremlinz, Escobutt, Venus In Foil, squab, Florasystem, Juanito, Jiynx, Xicada, Spread & Skatta, Koohyaar, Paria, Andrew Matthews, Eye-Duh kho, Cassraa, Measure

+ limited capacity sonic-gastronomic experience The Feast at Carnival of Shipwreck

Music Acts Schedule

  • Wednesday | Oct 23

    Spadinababy

    7pm–onwards:
    Improvisational performances

  • Thursday | Oct 24

    Spadinababy
    7pm-11pm: Curated by Xodkaar : squab, Florasystem, Measure

    The Bridge
    10pm–5am: Curated by Lewdline: Honeydrip (MTL), Escobutt, Juanito, Jiynx

  • Friday | Oct 25

    Spadinababy
    7pm: the Feast x Carnival of Shipwreck (limited capacity sonic-gastronomic experience)

    The Bridge
    10pm–5am: Pessimist (Bristol), E-Saggila, Gremlinz, Xicada, Spread & Skatta

  • Saturday | Oct 26

    Spadinababy
    7pm–11pm: Curated by Secret Contact: Venus In Foil, Andrew Matthews, Eye-Duh kho

    The Bridge
    10pm–5am: Yuko Araki (Tokyo), D. Blavatsky (MTL), Mykhaylo (MTL), Koohyaar, Paria, Cassraa

What is Carnival?

Carnival of Shipwreck is UKAI’s celebration of being in the water.

Our culture did not evolve to deal with climate change or the explosion of artificial intelligence. The promise of a better future may no longer hold and as a result, too many cling to ideas of control and rescue. Groups of various political stripes are rediscovering their authoritarian impulses. 

The accumulated institutions, routines, and assumptions that got us into this mess aren't likely to get us out of it.

We'll need to figure out other ways of being in the water and our work in 2024 has been an attempt to contribute in various ways to this effort. Carnival of Shipwreck is a celebration of this work and, more importantly, of those that made it.

What you can expect at Carnival of Shipwreck

You can expect beauty and rage. You can expect direct, strange and embodied encounters with the changes underway. If we continue to turn sense-making over to ideologies, whether unreflectively internalized or forced upon us, we forego the work of making up our minds. To be answerable for what's coming, we will need to rediscover our capacity to make sense of the world.

Programmatically, you can expect a return to first principles and looking at artificial intelligence and ecological aesthetics with a weather eye to the future. We will be hosting workshops, performance lectures, provocations, performances, installations, and a lot of general weirdness and disorder.

And, as always, the main focus will be on music, dancing, release, reversal, friendship, and letting go so that we might return to the work renewed once Carnival season is concluded.

Last year we had over 350 folks come through and this year will be bigger (and longer).

Get advance tickets before they’re gone. We’ll be sharing out the various contributors to the Carnival of Shipwreck here and elsewhere.

Carnival season kicks off on September 21, 2024 with our Funding Reveal party as we look forward to new resources from a local investment firm excited by UKAI’s work (at a particularly difficult time for us and the arts!)

Carnival Theme: Shipwreck

Carnival is reversal. Carnival is release.

Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset worried, early in the 20th century, that the modern world's capacity to create culture in response to changing conditions had significantly eroded.

Life is shipwreck, he offered, and culture is the swimming stroke that keeps us from drowning.

However, over time, we become burdened by "parasitic and lymphatic matter" that threatens to pull us under and completely undermines our ability to adapt to changes that come. We develop techniques, institutions, and ways of thinking that we are hesitant to let go of because learning to swim again is scary and uncertain. We look out for rescue with no guarantee that it will ever come.

Get Full Carnival Passes

Scholarly Goats Programs

  • Workshops

    Drawing on the Anarchist schools, we offer practical workshops to make a home in a world of climate change, ubiquitous AI, and rising authoritarianism.

  • Performance Lectures

    Eclectic and brilliant, seven speakers will share their thoughts on AI, ghosts, creation, their own genome, and more.

  • Provocations

    In case we get a bit too abstract, provocations from our community members bring us back to the reality on the ground, or in the water.
View Full Programs

Exhibitions

  • When Spiders Spin Dusk

    Featuring 6 works from artists based in South Korea and Canada on the relationship between technology, environment, and human culture

    * a co-production funded by the Korea Arts Council, curated by Junghyun Kim and UKAI Projects

  • Dead Tech

    * a co-production funded by Canada Council for the Arts, curated by Chiedza Pasipanodya and UKAI Projects

Carnival Passes

  • Full Carnival Pass | $125+tax

    Access to everything throughout the duration of Carnival and some surprise merch included as a thank you for supporting this work.

    Full Festival Passes 

  • Carnival Daytime Pass | $65+tax

    This pass provides access to all of the exhibited work, talks, performances, and workshops but doesn't include the evening's events. Individual tickets can still be purchased for those looking for a bit of nightlife.

    Scholarly Goats 

  • Single Day and Other Passes | starting from $35+tax

    Want to check out a single day or a couple of the evening events? Individual tickets, weekend passes and more are available to meet your Carnival-going needs.

    browse day passes and single event tickets 

Festival Partners

  • Spadinababy

  • Dreamweaver AV

  • Lewdline

  • National Show Systems

  • Secret Contact

  • Interested in partnering with us?

    Carnival of Shipwreck takes place at the heart of Toronto's garment district, facing a vibrant array of communities.

    Let's chat 

Featuring projects funded by:

Carnival of Shipwreck Schedule

Upcoming Events

AI for Arts and Culture Leaders: Information Session

Wed Oct 16, 2024 @ 06:00 pm

Register

Delivery: Online

Event Type: Comprehensive Program

Get a sneak peek of our upcoming program, "AI for Arts and Culture Leaders," running from November 13 to February 21, 2025. This webinar will introduce participants to some key themes for arts administrators and leaders thinking about artificial intelligence (1 hour) and provide information and respond to questions about the forthcoming program (30 minutes). 

“AI for Arts and Culture Leaders” is a comprehensive program, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, intended for arts and culture administrators eager to explore the impact of artificial intelligence on their sector and their day-to-day work.

The full program will feature a blend of online and in-person elements, including webinars, workshops, and discussions with experts. Participants will gain practical insights into the benefits and challenges of AI in arts administration, focusing on pragmatic solutions and strategies for digital transformation. The online portion of the program will run from November 13, 2024 to February 21, 2025 and the in-person intensive will be held in Toronto from February 4 to 7, 2025.

With a fee of $299 + HST, this program includes all necessary texts and materials, although travel and accommodation in Toronto are not covered. Enhance your ability to innovate and adapt in a digital cultural environment and prepare for the future of arts management.

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Note that this program is funded through the Canada Council. Future iterations will be priced at $599/program.

Navigating a Polarized World

Online and In-Person Residency

Thu Oct 17, 2024 @ 12:00 pm

Register

Delivery: online and in-person

Event Type: Comprehensive Program

In a world marked by division and discord, demonstrating moral courage is essential. However, social polarization too often leads to frustration and real risk for those operating outside of popular ideologies. Our “Navigating a Polarized World” program is for those with a clear purpose but who find themselves slowed or misunderstood by those with a vested interest in existing ideological debates.

Are you ready to confront and bridge societal divides with resilience and creativity?

Running from October 17, 2024 to January 24, 2025, this blended online and
in-person immersive program focuses on the raw and volatile challenge of navigating a polarized landscape.

Over the course of this program, participants will:

Engage Deeply: Dive into intensive workshops and dynamic discussions that push (and erase) boundaries. Explore the power of narrative and storytelling to reshape perspectives and foster understanding.

Innovate Fearlessly: Learn to leverage cutting-edge strategies and technologies to create impact. Harness the potential of digital tools and AI to drive change in
your community and beyond.

Lead Authentically: Develop a framework rooted in empathy, integrity, and cultural awareness to make decisions with confidence. Embrace the complexities of identity and experience to lead with purpose..

Build Bridges: Collaborate with a diverse cohort of peers and mentors who bring unique insights and experiences. Foster connections that transcend ideological divides and promote collective action.

This program combines online and in-person elements, including an in-person intensive in Toronto from January 14 - 17, 2025. Made possible through the Canada Council for the Arts, participants will receive comprehensive resources
and guidance, although travel and accommodation costs are not included.

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Carnival of Shipwreck

Full Carnival Pass

Tue Oct 22, 2024 @ 02:00 pm

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: Carnival

Access to everything throughout the duration of Carnival and some surprise merchandise included as a thank you for supporting this work.

Carnival of Shipwreck: Full Carnival Pass

Five days of provocations, performances, installations, ideas, music, dancing and many surprises.

Artists, workshops, performance lectures, and more will be announced over time.

What is Carnival?

Carnival of Shipwreck is UKAI’s celebration of being in the water.

Our culture did not evolve to deal with climate change or the explosion of artificial intelligence. The promise of a better future may no longer hold and as a result, too many cling to ideas of control and rescue. Groups of various political stripes are rediscovering their authoritarian impulses.

The accumulated institutions, routines, and assumptions that got us into this mess aren't likely to get us out of it.

We'll need to figure out other ways of being in the water and our work in 2024 has been an attempt to contribute in various ways to this effort. Carnival of Shipwreck is a celebration of this work and, more importantly, of those that made it.

What you can expect at Carnival of Shipwreck?

You can expect beauty and rage. You can expect direct, strange and embodied encounters with the changes underway. If we continue to turn sense-making over to ideologies, whether unreflectively internalized or forced upon us, we forego the work of making up our minds. To be answerable for what's coming, we will need to rediscover our capacity to make sense of the world.

Programmatically, you can expect a return to first principles and looking at artificial intelligence and ecological aesthetics with a weather eye to the future. We will be hosting workshops, performance lectures, provocations, performances, installations, and a lot of general weirdness and disorder.

And, as always, the main focus will be on music, dancing, release, reversal, friendship, and letting go so that we might return to the work renewed once Carnival season is concluded.

Last year we had over 350 folks come through and this year will be bigger (and longer).

Get advance tickets before they’re gone. We’ll be sharing out the various contributors to the Carnival of Shipwreck here and elsewhere.

Carnival 2024 Theme: Shipwreck

Carnival is reversal. Carnival is release.

Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset worried, early in the 20th century, that the modern world's capacity to create culture in response to changing conditions had significantly eroded.

Life is shipwreck, he offered, and culture is the swimming stroke that keeps us from drowning.

However, over time, we become burdened by "parasitic and lymphatic matter" that threatens to pull us under and completely undermines our ability to adapt to changes that come. We develop techniques, institutions, and ways of thinking that we are hesitant to let go of because learning to swim again is scary and uncertain.

We look out for rescue with no guarantee that it will ever come.

Carnival of Shipwreck

Daytime Pass

Tue Oct 22, 2024 @ 02:00 pm

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: Carnival

This pass provides access to all of the exhibited work, talks, performances, and workshops but doesn't include the evening events.

Carnival of Shipwreck: Daytime Pass

Five days of provocations, performances, installations, ideas, music, dancing and many surprises.

Artists, workshops, performance lectures, and more will be announced over time.

What is Carnival?

Carnival of Shipwreck is UKAI’s celebration of being in the water.

Our culture did not evolve to deal with climate change or the explosion of artificial intelligence. The promise of a better future may no longer hold and as a result, too many cling to ideas of control and rescue. Groups of various political stripes are rediscovering their authoritarian impulses.

The accumulated institutions, routines, and assumptions that got us into this mess aren't likely to get us out of it.

We'll need to figure out other ways of being in the water and our work in 2024 has been an attempt to contribute in various ways to this effort. Carnival of Shipwreck is a celebration of this work and, more importantly, of those that made it.

What you can expect at Carnival of Shipwreck?

You can expect beauty and rage. You can expect direct, strange and embodied encounters with the changes underway. If we continue to turn sense-making over to ideologies, whether unreflectively internalized or forced upon us, we forego the work of making up our minds. To be answerable for what's coming, we will need to rediscover our capacity to make sense of the world.

Programmatically, you can expect a return to first principles and looking at artificial intelligence and ecological aesthetics with a weather eye to the future. We will be hosting workshops, performance lectures, provocations, performances, installations, and a lot of general weirdness and disorder.

And, as always, the main focus will be on music, dancing, release, reversal, friendship, and letting go so that we might return to the work renewed once Carnival season is concluded.

Last year we had over 350 folks come through and this year will be bigger (and longer).

Get advance tickets before they’re gone. We’ll be sharing out the various contributors to the Carnival of Shipwreck here and elsewhere.

Carnival 2024 Theme: Shipwreck

Carnival is reversal. Carnival is release.

Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset worried, early in the 20th century, that the modern world's capacity to create culture in response to changing conditions had significantly eroded.

Life is shipwreck, he offered, and culture is the swimming stroke that keeps us from drowning.

However, over time, we become burdened by "parasitic and lymphatic matter" that threatens to pull us under and completely undermines our ability to adapt to changes that come. We develop techniques, institutions, and ways of thinking that we are hesitant to let go of because learning to swim again is scary and uncertain.

We look out for rescue with no guarantee that it will ever come.

Carnival of Shipwreck

Thursday Pass

Thu Oct 24, 2024 @ 09:30 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: Carnival

Want to dip your toes into five days of provocations, performances, installations, ideas, music, dancing and many surprises?

Artists, workshops, performance lectures, and more will be announced over time. Get your pass before they're gone!

What is Carnival?

Carnival of Shipwreck is UKAI’s celebration of being in the water.

Our culture did not evolve to deal with climate change or the explosion of artificial intelligence. The promise of a better future may no longer hold and as a result, too many cling to ideas of control and rescue. Groups of various political stripes are rediscovering their authoritarian impulses.

The accumulated institutions, routines, and assumptions that got us into this mess aren't likely to get us out of it.

We'll need to figure out other ways of being in the water and our work in 2024 has been an attempt to contribute in various ways to this effort. Carnival of Shipwreck is a celebration of this work and, more importantly, of those that made it.

What you can expect at Carnival of Shipwreck?

You can expect beauty and rage. You can expect direct, strange and embodied encounters with the changes underway. If we continue to turn sense-making over to ideologies, whether unreflectively internalized or forced upon us, we forego the work of making up our minds. To be answerable for what's coming, we will need to rediscover our capacity to make sense of the world.

Programmatically, you can expect a return to first principles and looking at artificial intelligence and ecological aesthetics with a weather eye to the future. We will be hosting workshops, performance lectures, provocations, performances, installations, and a lot of general weirdness and disorder.

And, as always, the main focus will be on music, dancing, release, reversal, friendship, and letting go so that we might return to the work renewed once Carnival season is concluded.

Last year we had over 350 folks come through and this year will be bigger (and longer).

Get advance tickets before they’re gone. We’ll be sharing out the various contributors to the Carnival of Shipwreck here and elsewhere.

Carnival 2024 Theme: Shipwreck

Carnival is reversal. Carnival is release.

Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset worried, early in the 20th century, that the modern world's capacity to create culture in response to changing conditions had significantly eroded.

Life is shipwreck, he offered, and culture is the swimming stroke that keeps us from drowning.

However, over time, we become burdened by "parasitic and lymphatic matter" that threatens to pull us under and completely undermines our ability to adapt to changes that come. We develop techniques, institutions, and ways of thinking that we are hesitant to let go of because learning to swim again is scary and uncertain. We look out for rescue with no guarantee that it will ever come.

Carnival of Shipwreck

Friday Pass

Fri Oct 25, 2024 @ 09:30 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: Carnival

Provides access to all of the exhibited works, talks, performances, and workshops as well as the evening party on Friday, October 25, 2024.

Carnival of Shipwreck: Friday Pass


Looking to dip your toes into five days of provocations, performances, installations, ideas, music, dancing and many surprises? Friday is going to be a special day at Carnival!

Artists, workshops, performance lectures, and more will be announced over time. Get your pass before they're gone!

What is Carnival?

Carnival of Shipwreck is UKAI’s celebration of being in the water.

Our culture did not evolve to deal with climate change or the explosion of artificial intelligence. The promise of a better future may no longer hold and as a result, too many cling to ideas of control and rescue. Groups of various political stripes are rediscovering their authoritarian impulses.

The accumulated institutions, routines, and assumptions that got us into this mess aren't likely to get us out of it.

We'll need to figure out other ways of being in the water and our work in 2024 has been an attempt to contribute in various ways to this effort. Carnival of Shipwreck is a celebration of this work and, more importantly, of those that made it.

What you can expect at Carnival of Shipwreck?

You can expect beauty and rage. You can expect direct, strange and embodied encounters with the changes underway. If we continue to turn sense-making over to ideologies, whether unreflectively internalized or forced upon us, we forego the work of making up our minds. To be answerable for what's coming, we will need to rediscover our capacity to make sense of the world.

Programmatically, you can expect a return to first principles and looking at artificial intelligence and ecological aesthetics with a weather eye to the future. We will be hosting workshops, performance lectures, provocations, performances, installations, and a lot of general weirdness and disorder.

And, as always, the main focus will be on music, dancing, release, reversal, friendship, and letting go so that we might return to the work renewed once Carnival season is concluded.

Last year we had over 350 folks come through and this year will be bigger (and longer).

Get advance tickets before they’re gone. We’ll be sharing out the various contributors to the Carnival of Shipwreck here and elsewhere.

Carnival 2024 Theme: Shipwreck

Carnival is reversal. Carnival is release.

Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset worried, early in the 20th century, that the modern world's capacity to create culture in response to changing conditions had significantly eroded.

Life is shipwreck, he offered, and culture is the swimming stroke that keeps us from drowning.

However, over time, we become burdened by "parasitic and lymphatic matter" that threatens to pull us under and completely undermines our ability to adapt to changes that come. We develop techniques, institutions, and ways of thinking that we are hesitant to let go of because learning to swim again is scary and uncertain.

We look out for rescue with no guarantee that it will ever come.

Carnival of Shipwreck

Saturday Pass

Sat Oct 26, 2024 @ 10:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: Carnival

Provides access to all of the exhibited works, talks, performances, and workshops as well as the evening party on Saturday, October 26, 2024

Carnival of Shipwreck: Saturday Pass

Want to close out the Carnival and join for an intense day of provocations, performances, installations, ideas, music, dancing and many surprises? Get your Saturday pass now.

Artists, workshops, performance lectures, and more will be announced over time.

What is Carnival?

Carnival of Shipwreck is UKAI’s celebration of being in the water.

Our culture did not evolve to deal with climate change or the explosion of artificial intelligence. The promise of a better future may no longer hold and as a result, too many cling to ideas of control and rescue. Groups of various political stripes are rediscovering their authoritarian impulses.

The accumulated institutions, routines, and assumptions that got us into this mess aren't likely to get us out of it.

We'll need to figure out other ways of being in the water and our work in 2024 has been an attempt to contribute in various ways to this effort. Carnival of Shipwreck is a celebration of this work and, more importantly, of those that made it.

What you can expect at Carnival of Shipwreck?

You can expect beauty and rage. You can expect direct, strange and embodied encounters with the changes underway. If we continue to turn sense-making over to ideologies, whether unreflectively internalized or forced upon us, we forego the work of making up our minds. To be answerable for what's coming, we will need to rediscover our capacity to make sense of the world.

Programmatically, you can expect a return to first principles and looking at artificial intelligence and ecological aesthetics with a weather eye to the future. We will be hosting workshops, performance lectures, provocations, performances, installations, and a lot of general weirdness and disorder.

And, as always, the main focus will be on music, dancing, release, reversal, friendship, and letting go so that we might return to the work renewed once Carnival season is concluded.

Last year we had over 350 folks come through and this year will be bigger (and longer).

Get advance tickets before they’re gone. We’ll be sharing out the various contributors to the Carnival of Shipwreck here and elsewhere.

Carnival 2024 Theme: Shipwreck

Carnival is reversal. Carnival is release.

Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset worried, early in the 20th century, that the modern world's capacity to create culture in response to changing conditions had significantly eroded.

Life is shipwreck, he offered, and culture is the swimming stroke that keeps us from drowning.

However, over time, we become burdened by "parasitic and lymphatic matter" that threatens to pull us under and completely undermines our ability to adapt to changes that come. We develop techniques, institutions, and ways of thinking that we are hesitant to let go of because learning to swim again is scary and uncertain.

We look out for rescue with no guarantee that it will ever come.

AI for Arts and Culture Leaders

Comprehensive Program

Wed Nov 13, 2024 @ 10:00 am

Register

Delivery: Online & In-Person

Event Type: Comprehensive Program

Get a sneak peek of our upcoming program, "AI for Arts and Culture Leaders," running from November 13 to February 21, 2025. This webinar will introduce participants to some key themes for arts administrators and leaders thinking about artificial intelligence (1 hour) and provide information and respond to questions about the forthcoming program (30 minutes).

“AI for Arts and Culture Leaders” is a comprehensive program, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, intended for arts and culture administrators eager to explore the impact of artificial intelligence on their sector and their day-to-day work.

The full program will feature a blend of online and in-person elements, including webinars, workshops, and discussions with experts. Participants will gain practical insights into the benefits and challenges of AI in arts administration, focusing on pragmatic solutions and strategies for digital transformation. The online portion of the program will run from November 13, 2024 to February 21, 2025 and the in-person intensive will be held in Toronto from February 4 to 7, 2025.

With a fee of $299 + HST, this program includes all necessary texts and materials, although travel and accommodation in Toronto are not covered. Enhance your ability to innovate and adapt in a digital cultural environment and prepare for the future of arts management.

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

AI Workshop Series; Winnipeg

Wed Nov 20, 2024 @ 10:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

This package includes all three workshop days - Finding your way with
AI, AI Art Intensive, and the AI Community Session and Poetics of
Synthetic Launch (and after-party).

See each of the individual program descriptions for more details or reach out to us at home@ukaiprojects.com

Finding your way with AI: Winnipeg

Wed Nov 20, 2024 @ 10:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

A 1-day crash course for creators worried about being left behind.

"Finding Your Way with AI" is a 1-day workshop being delivered across Canada. It is designed to support creators and arts administrators who feel anxious about the rapid integration of AI into artistic practices. "Finding Your Way with AI" aims to demystify AI and help participants discover how they can harness and respond to this technology to enhance their creative processes.

The full-day workshop is structured to encourage a deep and thoughtful exploration of AI's role in artistic practice, emphasizing practical, real-world applications.

At UKAI Projects, our broader mission is to question dominant narratives and explore alternative ways of understanding and interacting with the world. By offering this series of workshops, we aim to equip artists with the tools to navigate the evolving landscape of AI in a way that aligns with their idiosyncratic practices and resists the homogenizing tendencies of centralized technological control .

Winnipeg Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: November 20, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: November 21, 2024
  • AI Community Event and Poetics of Synthetic Language Book Launch: November 22, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $35 for one day
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and AI Community Event)

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

AI Art Intensive: Winnipeg

Thu Nov 21, 2024 @ 09:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

The "AI Art Intensive" builds upon the foundational knowledge from the "Finding Your Way with AI" workshop but attendance on the first day is not a requirement.

This intensive session is dedicated to helping creators develop their AI-enhanced art projects from concept to realization. Participants will receive guidance on project development, prototyping, and testing their ideas in a supportive environment. The focus is on practical, hands-on learning, where participants can move their artistic ideas into actionable projects, using AI tools and techniques.

UKAI’s approach emphasizes the value of collaborative creation and the development of diverse perspectives in the use of AI. By supporting artists in moving from idea to implementation, we reinforce our commitment to fostering a polyphony of voices and approaches in cultural production. This method not only enriches individual artistic practices but also contributes to a more resilient and adaptable cultural ecosystem .

Winnipeg Workshop Series Schedule:

  • Finding your Way with AI: November 20, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: November 21, 2024
  • AI Community Event: November 22, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $35 for one day
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and AI Community Event)

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Telling the Story of the End of the World: Winnipeg

Fri Nov 22, 2024 @ 04:00 pm

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

ALL REGISTRANTS WILL RECEIVE A COPY OF THE "TELLING THE STORY OF THE END OF THE WORLD" CHAPBOOK

Join us for an immersive and thought-provoking workshop designed to explore the themes of storytelling, disorder, and synthetic language through creative and practical lenses. Whether you are a writer, artist, researcher, or someone curious about how we might navigate the complex realities of today and the uncertain future, this workshop offers a space to engage with these ideas and apply them to your own practice.

Date: Friday, November 22, 2024

Time: 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Schedule:

  • 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM: Telling the Story of the End of the World Delve into the challenge of representing large-scale volatility—climate change, AI, authoritarianism—and how to craft stories that allow us to make meaning of these seemingly abstract changes.
  • 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Reading from "In Praise of Disorder" Explore the themes of disruption, disorder, and creativity through selected readings that open conversations about the ways disorder can offer new approaches to art and life.
  • 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Introduction to the Poetics of Synthetic Language Discover how synthetic language, AI, and poetic forms intersect. This session introduces the principles of creating and interpreting poetic works in the age of machines and explores how language evolves in digital and human contexts.
  • 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Workshop: Applying These Themes to Your Own Practice Participate in a hands-on session where you will explore how these ideas can be applied to your own creative or research practice. Guided exercises will help you synthesize insights and craft new approaches.
  • 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Social Time and Connection An opportunity to meet and connect with fellow participants, share insights, and build relationships with like-minded individuals interested in storytelling, art, and the evolving landscape of creativity.

Join us for an evening of deep exploration, creativity, and community.

We will also be introducing our Poetics of Synthetic Language publication.

Poetics of Synthetic Language was a multi-month research residency for cultural producers exploring the poetics of large language models and synthetic language generally. What happens to the poetics of a work when language is being drawn not from engagement with the world but rather from a large language model trained on a vast corpus of human language? What are the risks and opportunities of relying on synthetic language that is not participating in the continuous process of becoming and evolving that defines language running wild in the world?

Winnipeg Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: November 20, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: November 21, 2024
  • Telling the Story of the End of the World: November 22, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $15 for one day (includes Telling the Story of the End of the World)
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and Telling the Story of the End of the World)

These programs aim to create a supportive and dynamic environment for artists interested in exploring the intersection of AI and creative practice, ensuring that participants leave with a richer understanding and practical skills to integrate AI into their work.

Finding your way with AI: Calgary

Sun Nov 24, 2024 @ 11:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

A 1-day crash course for creators worried about being left behind.

"Finding Your Way with AI" is a 1-day workshop being delivered across Canada. It is designed to support creators and arts administrators who feel anxious about the rapid integration of AI into artistic practices. "Finding Your Way with AI" aims to demystify AI and help participants discover how they can harness and respond to this technology to enhance their creative processes.

The full-day workshop is structured to encourage a deep and thoughtful exploration of AI's role in artistic practice, emphasizing practical, real-world applications.

At UKAI Projects, our broader mission is to question dominant narratives and explore alternative ways of understanding and interacting with the world. By offering this series of workshops, we aim to equip artists with the tools to navigate the evolving landscape of AI in a way that aligns with their idiosyncratic practices and resists the homogenizing tendencies of centralized technological control .

Calgary Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: November 24, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: November 25, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $35 for one day

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

AI Art Intensive: Calgary

Mon Nov 25, 2024 @ 11:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

The "AI Art Intensive" builds upon the foundational knowledge from the "Finding Your Way with AI" workshop but attendance on the first day is not a requirement.

This intensive session is dedicated to helping creators develop their AI-enhanced art projects from concept to realization. Participants will receive guidance on project development, prototyping, and testing their ideas in a supportive environment. The focus is on practical, hands-on learning, where participants can move their artistic ideas into actionable projects, using AI tools and techniques.

UKAI’s approach emphasizes the value of collaborative creation and the development of diverse perspectives in the use of AI. By supporting artists in moving from idea to implementation, we reinforce our commitment to fostering a polyphony of voices and approaches in cultural production. This method not only enriches individual artistic practices but also contributes to a more resilient and adaptable cultural ecosystem .

Calgary Workshop Series Schedule:

  • Finding your Way with AI: November 24, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: November 25, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $35 for one day

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

AI Workshop Series: Vancouver

all 3 days of workshops in Vancouver

Wed Nov 27, 2024 @ 09:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

This package includes all three workshop days - Finding your way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and the AI Community Session and Poetics of Synthetic Launch (and after-party) in Vancouver, BC in November, 2024.

See each of the individual program descriptions for more details or reach out to us at home@ukaiprojects.com

Finding your Way with AI: Vancouver

Wed Nov 27, 2024 @ 09:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

A 1-day crash course for creators worried about being left behind.

"Finding Your Way with AI" is a 1-day workshop being delivered across Canada. It is designed to support creators who feel anxious about the rapid integration of AI into artistic practices. "Finding Your Way with AI" aims to demystify AI and help participants discover how they can harness this technology to enhance their creative processes. Drawing from UKAI’s experimental approaches over the past five years, this information session will answer questions from potential participants about the types of hands-on activities, collaborative discussions, and exploratory exercises to expect and that might illuminate the possibilities AI offers for the arts. Workshops are structured to encourage a deep and thoughtful exploration of AI's role in artistic practice, emphasizing practical, real-world applications.

At UKAI Projects, our broader mission is to question dominant narratives and explore alternative ways of understanding and interacting with the world. By offering this series of workshops, we aim to equip artists with the tools to navigate the evolving landscape of AI in a way that aligns with their idiosyncratic practices and resists the homogenizing tendencies of centralized technological control .

Vancouver Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: November 27, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: November 28, 2024
  • AI Community Event and Poetics of Synthetic Language Book Launch: November 29, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $35 for one day
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and AI Community Event)

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

AI Art Intensive: Vancouver

Thu Nov 28, 2024 @ 09:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

The "AI Art Intensive" builds upon the foundational knowledge from the "Finding Your Way with AI" workshop but attendance on the first day is not a requirement. This intensive session is dedicated to helping creators develop their AI-enhanced art projects from concept to realization. 

Participants will receive guidance on project development, prototyping, and testing their ideas in a supportive environment. The focus is on practical, hands-on learning, where participants can move their artistic ideas into actionable projects, using AI tools and techniques.

UKAI’s approach emphasizes the value of collaborative creation and the development of diverse perspectives in the use of AI. By supporting artists in moving from idea to implementation, we reinforce our commitment to fostering a polyphony of voices and approaches in cultural production. This method not only enriches individual artistic practices but also contributes to a more resilient and adaptable cultural ecosystem .

Vancouver Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: September 25, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: September 26, 2024
  • AI Community Event: September 27, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $35 for one day
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and AI Community Event)

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Telling the Story of the End of the World: Vancouver

Fri Nov 29, 2024 @ 06:00 pm

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

ALL REGISTRANTS WILL RECEIVE A COPY OF THE "TELLING THE STORY OF THE END OF THE WORLD" CHAPBOOK

Join us for an immersive and thought-provoking workshop designed to explore the themes of storytelling, disorder, and synthetic language through creative and practical lenses. Whether you are a writer, artist, researcher, or someone curious about how we might navigate the complex realities of today and the uncertain future, this workshop offers a space to engage with these ideas and apply them to your own practice.


Date: Friday, November 29, 2024

Time: 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Schedule:

  • 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM: Telling the Story of the End of the World Delve into the challenge of representing large-scale volatility—climate change, AI, authoritarianism—and how to craft stories that allow us to make meaning of these seemingly abstract changes.
  • 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Reading from "In Praise of Disorder" Explore the themes of disruption, disorder, and creativity through selected readings that open conversations about the ways disorder can offer new approaches to art and life.
  • 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Introduction to the Poetics of Synthetic Language Discover how synthetic language, AI, and poetic forms intersect. This session introduces the principles of creating and interpreting poetic works in the age of machines and explores how language evolves in digital and human contexts.
  • 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Workshop: Applying These Themes to Your Own Practice Participate in a hands-on session where you will explore how these ideas can be applied to your own creative or research practice. Guided exercises will help you synthesize insights and craft new approaches.
  • 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Social Time and Connection An opportunity to meet and connect with fellow participants, share insights, and build relationships with like-minded individuals interested in storytelling, art, and the evolving landscape of creativity.

Join us for an evening of deep exploration, creativity, and community.

We will also be introducing our Poetics of Synthetic Language publication.

Poetics of Synthetic Language was a multi-month research residency for cultural producers exploring the poetics of large language models and synthetic language generally. What happens to the poetics of a work when language is being drawn not from engagement with the world but rather from a large language model trained on a vast corpus of human language? What are the risks and opportunities of relying on synthetic language that is not participating in the continuous process of becoming and evolving that defines language running wild in the world?

Vancouver Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: November 27, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: November 28, 2024
  • Telling the Story of the End of the World: November 29, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $15 for one day (includes Telling the Story of the End of the World)
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and Telling the Story of the End of the World)

These programs aim to create a supportive and dynamic environment for artists interested in exploring the intersection of AI and creative practice, ensuring that participants leave with a richer understanding and practical skills to integrate AI into their work.

AI Workshop Series: Halifax

all 3 days of workshops in Halifax, NS

Wed Dec 11, 2024 @ 09:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

This package includes all three workshop days - Finding your way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and the AI Community Session and Poetics of Synthetic Launch (and after-party) in Halifax, NS in December, 2024.

See each of the individual program descriptions for more details or reach out to us at home@ukaiprojects.com

Finding your Way with AI: Halifax

Wed Dec 11, 2024 @ 09:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

A 1-day crash course for creators worried about being left behind.

"Finding Your Way with AI" is a 1-day workshop being delivered across Canada. It is designed to support creators who feel anxious about the rapid integration of AI into artistic practices. "Finding Your Way with AI" aims to demystify AI and help participants discover how they can harness this technology to enhance their creative processes. Drawing from UKAI’s experimental approaches over the past five years, this information session will answer questions from potential participants about the types of hands-on activities, collaborative discussions, and exploratory exercises to expect and that might illuminate the possibilities AI offers for the arts. Workshops are structured to encourage a deep and thoughtful exploration of AI's role in artistic practice, emphasizing practical, real-world applications.

At UKAI Projects, our broader mission is to question dominant narratives and explore alternative ways of understanding and interacting with the world. By offering this series of workshops, we aim to equip artists with the tools to navigate the evolving landscape of AI in a way that aligns with their idiosyncratic practices and resists the homogenizing tendencies of centralized technological control .

Halifax Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: December 11, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: December 12, 2024
  • AI Community Event and Poetics of Synthetic Language Book Launch: December 13, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $35 for one day
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and AI Community Event)

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

AI Art Intensive: Halifax

Thu Dec 12, 2024 @ 09:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

The "AI Art Intensive" builds upon the foundational knowledge from the "Finding Your Way with AI" workshop but attendance on the first day is not a requirement. This intensive session is dedicated to helping creators develop their AI-enhanced art projects from concept to realization. 

Participants will receive guidance on project development, prototyping, and testing their ideas in a supportive environment. The focus is on practical, hands-on learning, where participants can move their artistic ideas into actionable projects, using AI tools and techniques.

UKAI’s approach emphasizes the value of collaborative creation and the development of diverse perspectives in the use of AI. By supporting artists in moving from idea to implementation, we reinforce our commitment to fostering a polyphony of voices and approaches in cultural production. This method not only enriches individual artistic practices but also contributes to a more resilient and adaptable cultural ecosystem .

Halifax Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: December 11, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: December 12, 2024
  • AI Community Event: December 13, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $35 for one day
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and AI Community Event)

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Telling the Story of the End of the World: Halifax

Fri Dec 13, 2024 @ 01:00 pm

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

ALL REGISTRANTS WILL RECEIVE A COPY OF THE "TELLING THE STORY OF THE END OF THE WORLD" CHAPBOOK

Join us for an immersive and thought-provoking workshop designed to explore the themes of storytelling, disorder, and synthetic language through creative and practical lenses. Whether you are a writer, artist, researcher, or someone curious about how we might navigate the complex realities of today and the uncertain future, this workshop offers a space to engage with these ideas and apply them to your own practice.

Date: Friday, December 13 2024

Time: 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM


Schedule:

  • 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM: Telling the Story of the End of the World Delve into the challenge of representing large-scale volatility—climate change, AI, authoritarianism—and how to craft stories that allow us to make meaning of these seemingly abstract changes.
  • 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Reading from "In Praise of Disorder" Explore the themes of disruption, disorder, and creativity through selected readings that open conversations about the ways disorder can offer new approaches to art and life.
  • 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Introduction to the Poetics of Synthetic Language Discover how synthetic language, AI, and poetic forms intersect. This session introduces the principles of creating and interpreting poetic works in the age of machines and explores how language evolves in digital and human contexts.
  • 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Workshop: Applying These Themes to Your Own Practice Participate in a hands-on session where you will explore how these ideas can be applied to your own creative or research practice. Guided exercises will help you synthesize insights and craft new approaches.
  • 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Social Time and Connection An opportunity to meet and connect with fellow participants, share insights, and build relationships with like-minded individuals interested in storytelling, art, and the evolving landscape of creativity.

Join us for an evening of deep exploration, creativity, and community.

We will also be introducing our Poetics of Synthetic Language publication.

Poetics of Synthetic Language was a multi-month research residency for cultural producers exploring the poetics of large language models and synthetic language generally. What happens to the poetics of a work when language is being drawn not from engagement with the world but rather from a large language model trained on a vast corpus of human language? What are the risks and opportunities of relying on synthetic language that is not participating in the continuous process of becoming and evolving that defines language running wild in the world?

Halifax Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: December 11, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: December 12, 2024
  • Telling the Story of the End of the World: December 13, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $15 for one day (includes Telling the Story of the End of the World)
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and Telling the Story of the End of the World)

These programs aim to create a supportive and dynamic environment for artists interested in exploring the intersection of AI and creative practice, ensuring that participants leave with a richer understanding and practical skills to integrate AI into their work.

Intelligent Terrain Spring 2025 Residency

Mon Feb 03, 2025 @ 12:00 pm

Register

Delivery: online and in-person

Event Type: Residency + Retreat

Intelligent Terrain is a yearly land-centered residency drawing on terrain near Wakefield, Quebec. During this residency, interdisciplinary artists individually and (where safe) collectively explored cognitive technology’s relationship to land and imagined approaches that bring us into a closer relationship with our environment while working toward the preservation of our world for future generations.

Join this information session to learn more about the program, the application process, and connect with others interested in the themes expressed.

Just as we inhabit our physical bodies, we inhabit landscapes and live within and from them. We have seen the impact of failing to acknowledge our entanglement with natural systems. From stone tablets to silicon chips, intelligent machines are not further away from the land than an engraved piece of stone.

To varying degrees, we are organized by our landscapes, and how might land inform AI’s development and our responses to it? How might we change the focus of surveillance from monitoring and control to understanding the relationships among people and environments? How might traditional knowledge and stewardship underpin ethical AI?

According to legal scholar and member of the Chippewa of the Nawash First Nation John Borrows, in oral and visual cultures, law flows from the people and from the natural world and is reflected in the artistic and physical world. To imagine ourselves as disentangled from our landscapes creates the conditions for the evacuation of these spaces. How might an ethic of stewardship, centered in natural environments, suggest developmental pathways for AI and responses to its excesses?

UKAI Projects leads a yearly, land-centered residency drawing on terrain near Wakefield, Quebec. During this residency, interdisciplinary artists individually and (where safe) collectively explored cognitive technology’s relationship to land and imagined approaches that bring us into a closer relationship with our environment while working toward the preservation of our world for future generations.

Most discourse tacitly or explicitly positions human beings, their relationships, and the environments they inhabit as ‘objects’ of ethical systems, algorithmic decision making, corporate action, and government regulation. Our cultural life extends from how we experience ourselves and how we experience others. AI amplifies and distorts what we actually and potentially experience.

Reimagination is possible.

Our experiences establish the ideas we can draw upon. AI has no body, no physical environment organizing its development, and no culture to weave and reweave into social life. There is no ‘dark matter’ for the machine to draw upon and our algorithmic culture is increasingly asking us to ignore our own semantic contexts. By (re)inhabiting the body, the land, and our cultures we might imagine a new ethics for algorithms and support others to appreciate the path we find ourselves on.

Carnival comes every Year 

Carnival is reversal. Carnival is release.

Prior to its co-optation by religious, state, and now commercial interests, Carnival served as a safety valve for people whose everyday lives were strictly controlled.

We honor this history by putting aside three months of each year for reversal and release.

In 2024, the festivities will climax with the Carnival of Shipwreck from October 22 to 26, 2024.

In 2023, we celebrated Algorithmic Culture over three very full days. Carnival is a period of assimilation, digestion, and transformation. We bring together our work and the people that made it in joyous renewal. It is a period of friendship, goodwill, bodily welfare, spontaneous exchange, and freedom from repressive rules.

We dance, we play music, we laugh.

We give ourselves permission to be something else, at least for a while.

Carnival is both tragedy and comedy.

The word and idea of “tragedy” has its roots in ancient Greek. It is derived from the Greek word "tragōidia" (τραγῳδία), which is a compound of two words: "tragos" (τράγος), meaning "goat," and "ode" (ᾠδή).

The goat is a central figure in our work. The animal was sacrificed to spare the grape vines from the goat's hunger. The grape, and the wine it produced, were sacred to Dionysus, and the sacrifice was made in the god’s name. Dionysus was also represented by the goat. So, the god was killed to save the god. Tragedy indeed.

Comedy also comes from the worship of Dionysus. The term comes from "kōmōidia" (κωμῳδία), which is a compound of two elements: "kōmos" (κῶμος) and "ōidē" (ᾠδή).  Kōmos (κῶμος) refers to a form of collective drinking, singing, and dancing through
the streets.

Comedy and tragedy existed alongside each other as they do today in our work.

We end our year with a season of Carnival because, as with all things, comedy gets the last laugh.