Nygilia

My creative practice is fundamentally about technological sovereignty. For too long, Black communities have been systematically excluded from the development of digital tools while simultaneously being subjected to their biased outputs. AI systems trained on datasets that underrepresent or misrepresent Black experiences with visual violence through algorithmic discrimination. In early gaming applications, character creation for cultures originating from Africa or its diaspora was either in small quantities or subjected to bias. This was due to a lack of staff who can articulate those features, such as through 3D programming, or at least understand their visual importance from a cultural perspective. I refuse to be a passive recipient of these limitations. Working with AI is an act of reclamation. When I program Touch Designer to interface with AI generation, blend 3D modelling with machine learning, or experiment with narrative algorithms to create variations of my character worlds. I'm actively exploring what a black digital existence would look like through gaming-inspired spaces, developing and testing different systems that can evolve our narratives or make new ones. Whether we embrace AI or resist it, the technology will continue growing. The question isn't whether AI will shape visual culture, it's whether we'll be the ones shaping AI. My work insists that we must be. Every image generated, every character designed, every cultural reference embedded in my practice is a vote for the kind of technological future I want to see. One where African and Diaspora imagination isn't limited by historical exclusion, but liberated by intentional inclusion.