Now or Never teaches us how to embrace and leverage new tech for the betterment of the artistic vision.
Now or Never is in full swing and there is no shortage of ways to be inspired. The debut of the Never Permanent festival, as part of Now or Never, offered a full day of keynote talks with boundary-pushing artists to educate and inspire, which it most certainly did.
Kicking things off early, beatmaker Ta-ku spoke about how nostalgia connected with his creativity, specifically in the creation of his debut album Songs to Come Home To.
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This was followed by multidisciplinary artist Serwah Attafuah, describing the positives of the metaverse and how Web3 is actually very punk.
Google’s Head of Design Hector Ouilhet explained how best to develop personal aesthetics with AI technology, and Professor Angie Abdilla, founder and director of design agency Old Ways, New, detailed her work in country-driven AI and bringing Indigenous knowledge to new tech.
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Ahead of his visual installation as part of Orchestra Victoria’s performance of Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich, multimedia artist Jesse Woolston explained more about his creative process. As a jack-of-all-trades, Woolston was interviewed about his international installations and the influences behind his compelling multi-sensory integrated experiences.
The final two international speakers rounded the event off nicely with a deep dive into the Australian launch of The Cyberfeminism Index by New York-based designer and technologist Mindy Seu. Three decades of online activism and net art compile this VR-spiked book of short entries. Mindy led the crowd through the key points of the radical techno-critical activism bible while explaining the process of the book’s creation.
The final panel featured an interview with Director, Screenwriter and Producer Roman Coppola, who spoke about growing up around the making of the Godfather films and his many projects. From music videos to working with Wes Anderson, Coppola shared his approach to accepting projects and how he has enjoyed his longevity, wrapping up an inspirational day of stories from successful creatives, old and new.
Now or Never is on from August 17 to September 2. To check out everything that’s going down, head here.
