For the eighth episode of ▶▶FAST FORWARD, we were joined by Tupac Martir, a creative director and multimedia artist, known for pushing the limits to conceptualize and execute iconic events in the fashion, art & music industry.

Described by Vogue as "the visual artist and director behind some of the most important events in the world", Tupac is the founder and creative director of the multidisciplinary Satore Studio.

In this talk, Tupac will look at how technology shall be applied to the service of the story, becoming a character that enhances and gives a voice to it rather than just a narrative tool. Through various projects, Tupac will explain how using from some of the most top of the line technology, to some of the most mundane elements, they are all integrated to out the Human being at the centre of the story.

The talk was followed by a Q&A moderated by AC Coppens, CEO/Founder of THE CATALYSTS.

▶▶ More about Tupac

Tupac’s work spans the fields of technology, lighting, projection and video, sound design, music, and composition, as well as choreography and costumes.

He has provided production design, visuals and lighting direction for the likes of Elton John, Beyoncé, Danny Boyle, the Coachella Music Arts Festival and Serpentine Gallery. Tupac is renowned within the fashion industry and has worked on ground-breaking shows for Alexander McQueen, Moschino, Alexander Wang, and Thomas Tait, among others.

More recently, Tupac directed and produced Cosmos Within Us, a performative reality piece that debuted at the Venice Film Festival and won the Spirit of Raindance Award at the Raindance London Film Festival and VR Days “Halo Award”.

As an international speaker, Tupac takes on challenging questions of integrating humanity to tech and protopian society models disrupting the dystopian narrative about technology. At industry events, he shares his experience in conceiving immersive media works while building lateral, sustainable and multidisciplinary teams and workflows across time zones and projects.

References, links and resources from Tupac’s talk:

▶▶ How do you refer to your computer? Do you perceive the tech you are using as male or female? Some of the session’s participants call their equipment Malory, Bohnam or Artemis, while others never anthropomorphise theirs. At the beginning of the session, Tupac looked at the personal, emotional relationship that we build with technology. Is this intimacy a continuation of human’s ancient animistic beliefs? Should we more consciously examine how we construct the anthromporphism of computers, and of other objects too?

▶▶ Tupac mentioned the opening scene of House of Cards as an example of how tech can be used in new ways as a part of the story. Frank Underwood gazes right into the eyes of the viewer, which is only possible because the creators of the show knew that it will be watched on a small screen and could film the scene accordingly.

▶▶ Tupac is an innovative visual designer collaborating with the biggest labels of the fashion industry. As digital environments have become prevalent during the pandemic, this reportage retraces Tupac’s work with immersive mixed reality experiences that use computer generated models to display clothes.

▶▶ Hermione Flynn is a trained performance artist, CEO of 3D character studio, Mimic Productions, and the founder and art director of 3D creative agency, Synthetic Studio. Their work embraces the uncanny valley in innovative and artistic ways.

Check out more projects by Tupac and Satore studio:

▶▶ Cosmos Within Us

▶▶ Nierka

▶▶ Vaal

▶▶ HIK+

▶▶ Caminante

▶▶ Eriya

▶▶ SEHSE

▶▶ Unique