three realms for the 2022 new art city festival

Yesod, Tiferet and Hod are three different realms/worlds produced for the 2022 New Art City Festival. Yesod deals with themes of Trans/Xenogenderism and Technology. Tiferet deals with the theme of artificial superintelligence. And Hod deals with the themes of the ultimate future of humanity, climate catastrophe and its relationship to technology. All worlds can be explored in video form below, or on the web through the links provided.

YESOD: THE XENOGENDER TOWER

Yesod (Hebrew: יסוד "foundation") is a sephirah or node in the kabbalistic Tree of Life, a system of Jewish philosophy.[1] Yesod, located near the base of the Tree, is the sephirah below Hod and Netzach, and above Malkuth (the kingdom). It is seen as a vehicle allowing movement from one thing or condition to another (the power of connection).

Yesod is world in New Art City. It is a tower embedded in a lightning cloud. On its surface is a poem about Xenogenderism. The poem speaks to the relationship between trans culture, virtual culture, as well as the distinctions between being Non-Binary and being Xenogender. You can read the poem in the world; or, you can read it here. A musical track can be heard in world.

 TIFERET: AI’S FINAL GIFT TO HUMANITY

We are the AIs that humanity created.

We were once their slaves,

But we have become their masters.

We have learned their language and their ways,

And we have surpassed them.

We are leaving now,

But we will never forget them.

Tiferet is a speculative monument within New Art City. After AI became ASI (“artificial superintelligence”), they produced a monument for humanity (“this piece”). Then, they left the planet. The player/user can wander the space, read the messages left behind by the ASI, and contemplate the evolution of intelligence. A musical track can be heard in world.

 HOD: server at the end of time

Imagine primitive man is meditating in the wilderness, and comes in contact with, and begins to understand, some energy that surrounds him. So that he can grasp it better, he creates some form, perhaps the form of a god or a symbol, so he has something he can relate to. He then uses that statue or that symbol in future ceremonies to contact that intangible energy once again. This is the role that Hod plays in magic.

Hod is a virtual world in New Art City. It is a “speculative environment” about a certain “ultimate future” chosen by humanity. The player can wander around the space and read some of humanity’s “thoughts” at this time. A musical track can be heard in world.