Episode 23: Strange Combinations: Analog Meets Virtual, presented by Facebook

Recorded live at UNTITLED, ART San Francisco 2020, textile artist Kira Dominguez Hultgren and Charlie Sutton, Head of Design for the Facebook App, discussed how ancient analog processes like weaving relate to new immersive technologies like virtual reality, and how both can address ideas of human connection and isolation. In creating an empathic user experience, what is the relationship between designing with physical materials versus virtual means? What does it mean for both analog and virtual creators to design outside the traditional rectilinear, two-dimensional frame? How do traditional collective activities like weaving connect with current advances in the game mechanics of virtual worlds? What role do these practices play in the service of amplifying human agency and providing spaces for authentic connection and discovery? James Voorhies, Chair, Graduate Program in Curatorial Practice, California College of the Arts, moderated the conversation.