ArtCenter's 2023 Creative Technology Week Celebrates Designers Shaping the Technology of the Future – Pasadena Now

With a focus on “Designing the Technology of the Future,” ArtCenter’s third annual Creative Technology Week is set to be a celebration of creatives at the forefront of technological innovation.

The event – which will be held from October 5-7 and is open to the general public – will feature a diverse lineup of speakers and industry leaders, including keynote speaker Henrik Fisker (BS 89 Transportation Design), co-founder, chairman and CEO of the electric vehicle company Fisker Inc., and Idris Sandhu, founder of technology infrastructure company Spatial Labs.

In addition to Fisker and Sandow's presentations, Creative Technology Week 2023 will focus on three themes: “Predicting the Future,” focusing on diverse perspectives and including a futures forum featuring ArtCenter faculty; “Inclusivity, Accessibility and Ethics” about developing new ethically responsible tools and methodologies; and “The Spirit of Creative Experimentation,” an opportunity for students to share projects and research that push the boundaries of technology, art and design.

This year's Meeting of the Minds at the College will explore a wide range of aspects of creative technology, including computation, extended reality, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and how creative technologists are creating ways to promote accessibility and inclusion.

“Creative Technology Week celebrates the artists and designers in our community who play an important role in inventing, developing and implementing new technology,” says Robbie Nock, associate vice president for entrepreneurship and professional practice at ArtCenter, and one of the event's lead organizers. . “The way creative technologists help invent new products, services, and systems not only expands technical opportunities, but more importantly, emphasizes human engagement by inspiring collaboration and new forms of thinking.”

Passionate about futuristic design, the Danish-born Fisker co-founded Fisker Inc. – with a mission to “make the world’s most sustainable vehicles” – in 2016. He designed the new all-electric Fisker Ocean SUV, which features a solar roof. This year, the company also showed off three upcoming electric vehicles: the PEAR urban mobility crossover, the Ronin super GT convertible, and the Alaska pickup truck.

His previous company, Fisker Automotive, launched the luxury plug-in hybrid Karma in 2011. As president and CEO of BMW Designworks USA, he led the development of the BMW Z8 Roadster – which James Bond drove in the 1999 film The World Is Not Enough. His work as Aston Martin's design director led to the success of the Aston Martin DB9/V8 Vantage.

Born in Ghana and raised in Los Angeles, Sando founded Spatial Labs in 2019. Backed by investors including Jay-Z's Marcy Venture Partners, the company released its first technology product, the LNQ One Chip microchip, last year. At just 13mm in size, they can be integrated into physical products such as clothing and, by leveraging blockchain technology, allow their owners to understand information such as an item's digital provenance and supply chain history.

Sandu was a prolific technologist, taught himself to code at the age of 13, and worked as a consultant for technology companies including Google and Meta. At 19, he became the art director for the late rapper Nipsey Hussle, creating a retail store powered by augmented reality and geofencing technology. He has continued to collaborate with brands such as Rihanna's Fenty, Beyoncé's Ivy Park, Versace and Prada. Sandow's upcoming presentation marks a return visit for the entrepreneur who spoke at the college's inaugural Creative Technology Week in 2021.

Attendees of Creative Tech Week 2023 can also expect to learn about how ArtCenter has contributed – and continues to contribute – to creative technology in the past, and about students' career paths.

The event will launch on October 5 with an Immersion Lab open house led by Jenny Rodenhouse, associate chair of Undergraduate Interaction Design (MFA 15 for Media Design Practices), and a screening of the 2021 documentary We Are As Gods – about technologist and environmentalist Stuart Brand – followed by a screening of the film. Documentary of the Year 2021. Q&A with co-executive producer Everett Katigbak (BFA 06 Graphic Design), brand design lead at Anthropic, an AI-powered research and security company.

October 6 activities include a faculty futures forum hosted by Interaction Design MDes Program Co-Chair Julian Skaff, and a networking reception. On October 7, Fisker and Sandow will present keynotes, booking panels on creative technology and geospatial systems, crafting accessible technology, and inventing virtual production.

Last year, Creative Technology Week featured presentations by prominent futurist Brian David Johnson, artist Refik Anadolu, and representatives from LACMA, Artists Equity Association, Volvo, and more.

Register now for Creative Technology Week 2023.