Digital tools have the capacity to open up possibilities for different identities and forms of representation. Our digital identities, in the form of an avatar, have the potential to be free from binary forms, and move beyond the limitations of a physical body. As one of the main forms of representation within the metaverse, the avatar plays a central role. But who dictates how that avatar is constructed, the limitations of its shape and form, and how it can move through space?

This workshop emerges from Babusi Nyoni’s creation of a decentralised version of a metaverse, which he set out to build in order to establish a framework for future, truly African, virtual worlds. Babusi’s metaverse environment does not use any proprietary software development kits and is accessible to users who may not be able to afford the hardware typically required to engage in virtual reality experiences. During the workshop we’ll be creating avatars that will then populate the metaverse environment that Babusi has created. The avatars will be created using open browser-based tools and libraries that are accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

Emphasising the importance of simultaneously working with, and being critical of, the tools that we use, this workshop will weave discursive moments into the step-by-step process of creating an avatar. During the workshop we’ll be discussing what representation means within the metaverse and its Eurocentric underpinnings; exploring how software reads and analyses our bodies; questioning the processes and normative biases of ‘rigging’ the body; and looking into online movement libraries which are often derived from game design and replicate the violence and sexism present there. Once we’ve created our avatars, we’ll be able to share them and place them within Babusi’s metaverse environment – giving space for everyone to move and dance collectively, to connect with their avatar.

The ticket includes a free vegan meal. We kindly ask participants to bring their own laptop and smartphone.

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This workshop was originally developed as part of the Toolkit for the Inbetween research project, a partnership between The Hmm, affect lab, and MU Hybrid Art House. The Toolkit for the Inbetween is a how-to knowledge base offering tools, frameworks, and inspiration for designing a successful hybrid experience where online and on-site audiences come together. The toolkit is born out of extensive research into hybrid experiences and their dynamic lineage of experimentation undertaken in the art and cultural sectors. The workshop is facilitated by Babusi Nyoni and Margarita Osipian.

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Babusi Nyoni is a Zimbabwean creative technologist who develops new work at the nexus of emerging technology and the needs of underrepresented communities. With a focus on AI-enabled computer vision and virtual world-building, Babusi has created various interactive media experiences that interrogate the uses of new technologies while centering their early applications on the requisites of often-marginalised communities.

Margarita Osipian is an independent curator, researcher, and cultural organiser based in Amsterdam. Engaging with the intersections and socio-political frictions between art, design, and technology, she organises workshops, exhibitions, and collaborative projects both in formal institutions and in more precarious and ephemeral spaces. Margarita is part of The Hmm, a platform for internet cultures and is also on the curatorial teams for W139 and Sonic Acts.

(Workshop) Dancing in the metaverse - Art in the Age of the Metaverse