Interlaced with conspiracy theories and speculative fiction, Lawrence Lek’s CGI films, installations, and open-world games explore the geopolitical impact of automation and simulation. His universe is populated with dreamers—intelligent satellites, freedom fighters, fading superstars—all searching for autonomy in a future dominated by data. For this discussion about his work, Lek will integrate a live mix of excerpts from his recent films and video games, including Geomancer, 2065, FTSE (Farsight Stock Exchange), and AIDOL, his first feature-length film, which will be screened at transmediale 2020. These projects revolve around the ideas theorized in Sinofuturism (1839-2046 AD), Lek’s video essay about the parallels between Chinese industrialization and portrayals of AI.

Presented with SHAPE. The SHAPE platform is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.