By combining music, creativity, and technology, Sónar Istanbul, which took place at Zorlu PSM between April 28-30 with the contributions of %100 Music for the seventh time this year, and for the first time as a three-day event, and the creativity and technology platform Sónar+D Istanbul, sponsored by BtcTurk, has completed its intense marathon that focused on the effects of artificial intelligence and technology on humans, Web 3.0, the ecosystem after NFTs, and blockchain technologies yesterday. Sónar+D Istanbul welcomed its participants with panels, talks, workshops, masterclasses, a marketplace, and audio-visual exhibitions, while the projects selected through an open call were exhibited on the Sónar Screen and the marketplace, and offered new and groundbreaking ideas that attracted the intense interest of art lovers, as every year.

Sónar+D Istanbul, organized under the sponsorship of BtcTurk at Zorlu PSM for the seventh time this year with the contributions of %100 Music, delved into two increasingly intriguing topics, artificial intelligence and Web 3.0, and offered multidimensional perspectives to its participants with panels, masterclasses, VR installations, and live performances that combined music and technology.

Liam Young’s mind-opening start

Australian-born American director Liam Young, who directs the journey between design and storytelling, directs technological developments on both local and global scales and offers extraordinary visuals with his films, also attracted attention with his impressive speech that interpreted the link between art and technology, and his masterfully executed Planet City installation at Sónar+D Istanbul left a lasting impression on the audience. In two masterclasses included in the program, Elijah, a DJ and writer who spoke on the panel, and Andreas Refsgaard, who examined the creative link between art and technology, presented different perspectives and visual worlds, taking participants on a new journey of discovery.

AI is Invented, Has Honor Been Lost?

Levent Erden, Lalin Akalan, Erdil Yaşaroğlu, and Başar Başaran deeply discussed where art production will evolve, especially focusing on ChatGPT and artificial intelligence that reached millions of users in a short time, in the panel titled “AI İcad Edildi, Mertlik Bozuldu Mu?” (AI is Invented, Has Honor Been Lost?). While the possibility that artificial intelligence and art production may create more production space for the artist was taken into consideration, the limitations of machine creativity and human creativity and where the uniqueness of the artist lies were discussed in detail. Levent Erden compared many different artificial intelligence stories and Lalin Akalan, Erdil Yaşaroğlu, and Başar Başaran made useful and entertaining comments on the fact that these productions have not yet come out of a clear creativity.

Contemporary State of AI Art

In the panel titled “Contemporary State of AI Art,” which focuses on the relationship between artificial intelligence and musical and audiovisual projects as well as its impact on society and culture, leading figures such as Andreas Refsgaard, who explores the creative link between art and technology through creative coding and machine learning, Antònia Folguera, who curates, moderates and hosts many conferences, festivals, radio programs, and podcasts including Sónar+D, and Sofia Crespo, who creates works inspired by biology and organic life and questions the artistic potential of AI, and Tupac Martir, the founder and creative director of Satore Studio, known as the “Light Magician,” who has designed visual effects and lighting for many world-renowned artists and fashion designers like Beyoncé, shared their predictions on what the future holds for the impact of artificial intelligence on art and technology.

Web 3.0: Where Are We?

The panel titled “Web 3.0: Where Are We?” focuses on the intersection of developing technologies with creative processes, Web 3.0, our current position after the rise of the NFT wave, and DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations). Successful figures such as Elijah, a DJ and writer who builds a career through social media while harmonizing sustainable technologies with music, Kaitlyn Davies, a co-founder of Friends with Benefits and Refraction DAOs who examines the potential of music and technology in DAOs and community building, and Katherine Bassett, a co-founder of Water & Music who investigates the connection between Web 3.0, artificial intelligence, and the Metaverse, and the interaction between them in music, were among the speakers of the program.

New Skills: Workshops…

In the workshops organized by Algorave Istanbul as part of the Sónar+D Istanbul program, participants had the opportunity to experiment with the production processes and stages of visual-audio works using code-based systems, such as “Live Music Production with SonicPi Using Live Coding Method” by Berke Baramuk, “Creative Visual-Audio Coding Workshop with P5JS Library” by Kerem Altaylar, and “Creating Sound-Responsive Visuals Using Touchdesigner” by Uzak.

The marketplace, which featured experience areas, VR designs, various installations, and games, also attracted a great deal of attention at Sónar+D Istanbul 2023. This year, the event provided participants with unique and enlightening experiences through panels, talks, workshops, masterclasses, and AV displays, conveying the latest developments in digital art in the axis of technology and music.

Zorlu Performing Arts Center

The Zorlu Performing Arts Center celebrates its 10th season! For ten years, it has inspired people to discover and transform with art by creating inspiring art experiences and hosting world art! With national and international cultural collaborations, etc…