David Rokeby

David Rokeby 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 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. Click here to learn about the 2018-19 JHI Artist-in-Residence program.