Presenting the 2018-19 JHI Artist-in-Residence David Rokeby

The University of Toronto’s Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies and the Jackman Humanities Institute are delighted to announce distinguished Canadian digital media artist David Rokeby as the 2018-2019 JHI Artist-in-Residence.

David is an internationally renowned new media, electronic, video, and installation artist who has been exploring human relationships with digital machines for 35 years, starting with Very Nervous System in 1982. His interests have ranged from the issues of digital surveillance in such works as Watch (1995), Guardian Angel (2002) and Sorting daemon (2003) to critical examination of the differences between the human and artificial intelligence (e.g. The giver of Names, 1991; and n—cha(n)t, 2001).

He is a recipient of a Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts (Canada), a Prix Ars Electronica Golden Nica for Interactive Art (Austria), and a “BAFTA” award (U.K).

In his art and publications, David has also probed the social, political, and psychological challenges posed by emerging technologies, and conversely, how these can be used to expand the dialogue about what it means to be human in our contemporary world.

The Institute’s newly enhanced Artist-in-Residence program will welcome one distinguished artist to participate in the rich intellectual life of the Jackman Humanities Institute during the fall and winter semesters each year. The 2018-2019 program is organized in collaboration with the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies. During the upcoming academic year, David will also teach an innovative graduate course in the Centre.

The 2018-19 theme of JHI's events is Reading Faces--Reading Minds. David will be a part of an intellectual community involved in public events, lectures, and workshops.

For more information about the program, please contact: