Idun is a cyborg artist and creative director, often working through border crossing collaborations based on serendipitous encounters during psychogeographical explorations in our invaded spaces and times. All my actions are grounded in a freedom fight and a peaceful force that never rests.
I experience technology as a tool/material, extension of the body, as a substitute for a body part, as fashion, as skin, everything is technology in a sense. I identify with the label cyborg for now, on a very basic level, but such categories will hopefully be obsolete. My philosophical view of the cyborg is the one of the genderless rebel, the practical label is about assistive technologies for function variations and/or disabilities. The human body and digital representations of it, like avatars in games, their movements and senses are at the core of my work with pushing the boundaries of what we think is possible, ‘normal/natural’ and other made up notions. Sometimes I dive deep into experiments that last over years, like adapting my body to move with jumprunning shoes for several years, completely changing my ‘natural’ way of running, more kangaroo than human, creating patterns that are not recognized by automated cars and surveillance systems. Or scarifications and tattoos that prevent face recognition and reclaim identities oppressed by the leaders of newer religions, trying to erase cultural identities of the other and enforce sameness.
Human and cyborg interactions with computers and AI systems are getting better and more accessible, but there is still biases we need to solve fast. This is part of my research, diversifying our narratives, and studying non-verbal communication with my own body as the main lab. The body is a bearer of identity, a place for personal expression and because skins and clothes frame the embodied self they become a visual metaphor for identity. I work with all levels of skin; body, wearables, transportation and architecture.
Game design, film directing and design of immersive installations are my main skills, but I also work with sculpture, photography, abstract painting, fashion, music tech and performance. City planning/Urban cultural planning has also been a part of my work as an artist and curator, often from a solarpunk and nordic futurism perspective. I run The Collaboratory, a lab and collective, supporting artists and unheard voices, providing shared resources and new job ops. Creature/Being/Earth-centric and Playcentric perspectives, STEAM education, and diversity and inclusion are important aspects in the Collaboratory platform and my work in general.
I have a Phd in progress, MFAs in film and archaeology, and many academic credits in fine arts, film, transmedia, cognitive sciences, curation/creative direction etc. I curate labs, museum and gallery exhibitions, festivals like Electrodome, and founded Sweden’s first game gallery, Epic Unidragon.
CV, academic transcripts and work portfolio is available at www.isdrake.com