Miriam El Abbassi | Arts Editor
Featured Image: Quantopia will be on display on November 27. | Courtesy of Pixabay
On November 27, Paul D. Miller (a.k.a. DJ Spooky), will be speaking about the interactive experience that is Quantopia: The Evolution of the Internet. According to the artist’s statement, Quantopia is “Miller’s musical investigation of the Internet, from its birth as ARPANET in 1969, to its impact on our society over the last 50 years, particularly in terms of connectivity, quantification, and human rights.”
Miller describes the word “quantopia” (a term which he coined) to be the utopia of quantification: “The dream that we can count, measure, and weigh everything and reach a perfect understanding of the world despite its paradoxes.” Quantopia delves into the evolution of the Internet and technology as a whole, using sound in combination with visuals to immerse the audience. This hour-long experience implements the use of live strings and a youth choir, which are looped and layered over each other, paired with explosive images to captivate and intrigue.
Miller himself is a composer, multimedia artist, and writer who blends genres and cultures in his work to highlight different issues. Miller has worked with a variety of different artists, such as Metallica, Chuck D, Steve Reich, and Yoko Ono, and he has written award-winning books covering topics from the environment to current technology.
Alongside Miller, visual artist Kiera Boult will be speaking as well. Boult is an interdisciplinary artist and performer from Hamilton. Her work utilizes camp and comedy in order to address issues that surround the role and identity of the artist. Boult has been the recipient of the Hamilton Emerging Visual Artist Award, and her work has been exhibited at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, and Trinity Square Video. Boult was also a part of York’s final Performance Bus, A Requiem for Commuters.
Quantopia: The Evolution of the Internet with Paul D. Miller and Kiera Boult will be held in room 206 within the Accolade West building, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
