Rediscovering Play with AI at Kikk Festival
Spoiler alert: this article won't give you a list of the top 10 most interesting AI tools. Instead, it might help you see AI from a new perspective.
Last week, I attended the Kikk Festival in Namur, where the theme was "True or False," with a focus on - you guessed it - AI. But what made it stand out? Known for blending art and tech in fresh, surprising ways, Kikk brought together a lineup of speakers who approached AI from a different angle, sparking plenty of "aha" moments.
Key Takeaway
The speakers at Kikk weren’t focused on efficiency, app recommendations, or doomsday scenarios. Instead, the Kikk team curated a group with a common vision: AI as a tool for exploration and play. It was all about experimentation—turning things inside out and possibly ending up in places you’d never considered. And a side note: the line between art and design has never been blurrier.
Some highlights from the inspiring talks I saw:
Dr. Formalyst
Perhaps the best example of the playful approach was Dr. Formalyst, a designer with over 25 years of experience who created this alter ego to explore projects that aren’t driven by commercial goals. The result? A vivid mix of CGI-driven images and videos that push AI boundaries. Collaborating with a live dancer, Dr. Formalyst crafted a series of mesmerizing and sometimes bizarre hand and finger dance moves. You can feel the experiment in each piece.??See it in full action here : https://24hr-auctions.postphotography.xyz/almost-human-by-irina-angles-and-dr-formalyst/1
Vulane Mthembu - Divide by Zero Research?
South African researcher Vulane Mthembu provided a fresh take on AI development across Africa, steering away from the usual discourse on biases in AI (but certainly not minimalizing the issue). Instead, he shared examples of how AI can bring out cultural nuances across different regions. One notable experiment involved NAO, a humanoid robot trained to learn local skills across African countries. After each stop, NAO would reset and learn again, picking up on region-specific details. In Lagos, for instance, the robot quickly adapted to recognizing facial markings unique to the area’s ethnic groups.??
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Vallée Duhamel
French studio Vallée Duhamel, renowned for their pop-colored work for Apple, Google, and Katy Perry, took a break from commercial projects to explore AI with fresh eyes. Seeing that everyone was using AI similarly, they decided to go in another direction. One of their experiments was inspired by the story of a bullied girl with pink hair : “The Unraveling”. They presented a short movie "the pulse within" at the tribeca festival and are now in talks with Miramax in LA.
Studio Dumbar
As one of Europe's leading creative studios, Studio Dumbar’s presentations are always a treat, blending dynamic movement and design. While their presentation was more a showcase of their work (including the vibrant Utah Jazz campaign) than a deep dive into AI, they left us with 4 strong drivers they use throughout their work.
Play is one of these 4 drivers, that puts us back on target of the AI theme that was weaved into the Kikk festival.
Studio Dumbar’s closing slide on play, counts double for the AI tools that are thrown at us these days.??
If you don’t play, you can’t win.
So start playing around with this new tool and keep me posted on your experiences!