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African Realities: A Cultural Renaissance

Oct 20

15:35 - 16:00

Description

Reclaiming cultural space has been an African desire that has now transcended physical space, reality. The world is learning what it means to transcend physical space to make interactive art and stories. What does this mean for African artists?

The most crucial thing for an artist to do is to develop a sense of identity, or their own truth, which is frequently shaped by both their personal experiences and the type of industry
environment that surrounds them. What types of structures do they support? What regulations keep each sector of the economy in place? There are 275,375 creative businesses in Kenya by 2021. 44,614 of them are registered, which translates to a formalization rate of roughly 16%. The majority of artists rely on loans to support their livelihoods and discover that financial pressures force them to create art that does not reflect their identities. Be it through thematic funding rather than direct investments, or through popular trends rather than the subtleties they yearn to showcase.

We chose to allow artists the creative flexibility to build magic using Extended Reality tools and assistance from our partners. Using new tools that provided them with incredible spatial realism
in the metaverse to express their personality without having to shell out a fortune on paint or spray cans. To bring their subtleties into Virtual Reality. To enhance their artwork on their canvas in order to spark discussions and debates. Engaging visual arts. And all we had to do was show
them how to utilize the tools and provide a workspace for them to create.

In this talk you’ll learn:
1. Impact of VR and AR art on the African continent
2. Sustainable business models in VR/AR art
3. How VR and AR is contributing to economic empowerment for artists in Africa

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