NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism

press release: Ashley Baccus-Clark, director of research for Hyphen-Labs will present her work, “NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism” [A virtual reality experience] over two days at College Library at UW Madison. Baccus-Clark will also give a public lecture on April 4 at the Big Red Gym on her work as a scientist and creative working in STEM.

 Hyphen-Lab’s “NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism” Futures [A virtual reality experience]

“NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism” (NSAF) is an award winning three-part digital narrative that sits at the intersection product design, virtual reality, and neuroscience.  Inspired by the lack of multidimensional representations of black women in technology. The VR experience is a cross-platform project grounded in several applications of technology including product design, virtual reality (VR), and social-psychological/cognitive impact/biometric/fMRI research. Our core technology explores parallax and real-time rendering inside of Unreal4-a game engine software framework-to create a active audio/visual virtual reality experience. Embodiment is augmented with the Oculus Sensor tracker and headset to allow for room scale immersion and positional feedback. VR is the immersive platform that transports our viewers into a NeuroCosmetology lab, a reimagined black hair salon, placing the viewer into a black woman’s body giving a glimpse into a speculative future of black women pioneering brain research and neuromodulation through the culturally specific ritual of haircare. NSAF has been shown at Sundance Film Fest, SXSW, Tribeca Film Fest (Jury Honorable Mention), Gray Area Art & Technology Festival, Primer Speculative Futures Conference, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Stony Island Arts Bank & Rebuild Foundation, New Inc: Versions Festival, Refinery 29's 29 Rooms.

Hyphen-Labs is currently at residence at the Center for Art, Science & Technology at MIT.

 April 4

10-1p – NSAF film @ College Library – Open to the public

4p-6:30p Public Lecture at Big Red Gym at Multicultural Student Center - Open to the public

April 5

10-2p - NSAF film @ College Library - Open to the public

All events free and open to the public

 Sponsored by the Black Arts + Data Futures collective, a part of the Borghesi-Mellon Interdisciplinary Workshops in the Humanities, sponsored by the Center for the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with support from Nancy and David Borghesi and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

ore event info at https://www.facebook.com/events/424362911331754/

more about HL - Hyphen-Labs.com