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Versions: A New Reality Conference
Co-presented by NEW INC
Cover Image:
Marshmallow Laser Feast, Treehugger: Wawona, 2016
Versions is a new realities conference dedicated to exploring the creative landscape of virtual, augmented, mixed, and physical reality. Versions is co-organized by the New Museum’s cultural incubator NEW INC and video game media company Kill Screen.
At Versions 2016, media theorist Janet Murray said it best: “You can predict the direction of change, but you can’t predict its rate.” Now that the hype around virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality is starting to settle, we’ll turn our attention to what’s working, what isn’t, and the true opportunities these nascent technologies present.
Versions 2017 is Facing Reality by taking a frank look at the current pitfalls, design gaps, and technological limitations of these emerging tools, as well as how artists and technologists are persistently working to advance them in service of a dramatically new cultural form.
This year’s Versions will consider the challenges to VR’s wide-scale adoption while exploring pressing questions in its current state and future development: What experiences will these technologies offer? What new visual and sensorial languages will emerge? How will they affect our notion of what is real? How will we wield these new capabilities, and to what ends? As usual, we’ll apply our cross-disciplinary, cross-generational approach to face reality as we look forward to the next frontiers.
Versions is a two-day event featuring cross-disciplinary panel conversations and keynote speakers on Saturday, February 25, and workshops, case studies, and demos on Sunday, February 26.
For ticketing information, the full conference line-up, and speaker bios, please visit the Versions conference website.
CONFERENCE PROGRAM FOR SATURDAY
9:15 AM Registration
10:00 AM Opening Remarks by Julia Kaganskiy, Director, NEW INC, and Jamin Warren, Founder, Kill Screen
10:15 AM WHO OWNS THE FUTURE?
Speakers: Drew Bamford, Jenn Duong, Opeyemi Olukemi, Tim Wu
11:05 AM BEING THERE: AGENCY & STORYTELLING
Speakers: Diana Williams, Hector Harkness, Nancy Bennett, Nick Montfort
12:15 PM YOU, ME, & EVERYONE WE KNOW
Speakers: Jon Rafman, Judith Donath, Victor Luo
1:00 PM LUNCH IN THE SKYROOM
2:35 PM FIRESIDE CHAT
Speakers: Brenda Laurel, Claire L. Evans
3:00 PM SENSING STORIES
Speakers: Chandler Burr, Charlotte Furet, Robin McNicholas, Dražen Bošnjak
4:15 PM LIVING IN A SIMULATION
Speakers: Lynn Hershman Leeson, Marco Tempest, Robert Yang
5:05 PM KEYNOTE ADDRESS: FACING REALITY
Speakers: Cory Doctorow
5:35 PM CLOSING REMARKS by Julia Kaganskiy, Director, NEW INC, and Jamin Warren, Founder, Kill Screen
Lunch, coffee, and water will be provided for all attendees. An after-party, held at the Ace Hotel, will follow the conference.
