Online Courses
Artistic Practice: Fantasizing through drag, dreaming with deepfakes
Lecturer: Orhun Mersin, aka Kekik
Course date: Sa March 22nd 2025, 2–6pm (CEST)
Maximum participants: 20
⮕ Enrol here until March 21st, 2025
Fee: EUR 150
Artistic Practice: Fantasizing through drag, dreaming with deepfakes
In this workshop, Orhun Mersin, aka Kekik—a Berlin-based drag artist and AI researcher—will explore the intersections of self-representation, technology, and performance. As a member of the research platform New Practice in Art & Technology, and with a background in contemporary dance and computer science, Orhun’s work blends artistic and academic perspectives, using phantasy as a methodological tool to investigate identity and transformation in contemporary digital culture.
Drag and deepfakes share a common thread: both employ methods of appropriation to reimagine and subvert reality. The workshop will engage with Orhun’s queer-feminist research, which draws parallels between these practices. Through hands-on experimentation with a “curious queer-use” of deepfake technologies, participants will embark on a personal journey, playfully reappropriating their dreams. No technical experience is necessary— just a good dose of curiosity is all you need.
The workshop output will be shown in the online exhibition Attention is all I need at Virtual HEK Basel from April 4th to May 30th. The exhibition invites the audience to a playful group show that elaborates on the multifaceted ways we represent ourselves in the digital world. Attention is all I need explores the fine line of the digital realm as both a space of possibilities and a determined environment shaped by platform economies. Through deepfakes, AI imagery, and self-avatars, it reveals the evolving relationship between technology and selfhood as a contemporary artistic practice.
Preparation for the course:
To ensure a smooth experience, please use a headset (or headphones) and choose a quiet place with a stable internet connection. You will receive access to the required reading materials after booking the course; please review them in advance.
Procedure
This intensive live course will be conducted via Zoom on a Saturdays from 2:00 to 6:00 PM CET/ CEST. Please prepare a brief introduction of yourself and your projects (3 minutes). The successful outcome is a participation in the digital exhibition.
Technical instructions
Download the Zoom application. You will find a detailed installation guide here. Zoom can also be accessed through a browser on Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, Android tablet, or Android phone. You will receive a Zoom invitation with a link to join the workshop.