Open Learning Talks | Hip Hop, Technology, and Narrative: Rocky Bucano and D. Fox Harrell in conversation

Cartoon of muscly DJ superhero/mutant spinning two records at once
March 18, 2021 4:00pm
Location
Online
Type
Open Learning Talks
Audience
Public

Join us on Zoom : https://mit.zoom.us/j/98027492244

Twitter: #OLTalks

Join MIT CSAIL professor and MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality director D. Fox Harrell in conversation with Rocky Bucano, director of the Universal Hip Hop Museum (UHHM), as they discuss working at the intersection of art, music, social consciousness, and emerging technology. At the center of their conversation will be the creation of The [R]evolution of Hip Hop Breakbeat Narratives, an immersive art installation that takes museum-goers on an interactive journey through the history of hip hop, designed as a centerpiece exhibit for the UHHM.

Using a computational model of users’ preferences and conversational AI technologies to drive interaction, Harrell’s team of artists and computer scientists from MIT Virtuality collaborated with the UHHM and Microsoft to create customized virtual experiences for each visitor. Harrell and Bucano will discuss the genesis of this project, the significance of the UHHM for Black, Latinx, and other diverse forms of cultural expression, and the ways technology can help create inclusive spaces and immersive educational experiences for a diverse public. An audience Q&A will follow their conversation.

This event is free and open to the public.

Bios:

Man in sweatshirt and jeans stands, arms folded, in front of a graffiti-covered replica of a subway car
Photo: Microsoft

Rocky Bucano is Executive Director of the Universal Hip Hop Museum, a cultural arts and educational institution dedicated to the preservation and celebration of Hip Hop Culture. Rocky began his career in the music industry as a teenage DJ during Hip Hop’s first years of existence in the early 70’s under the moniker of Kool DJ Rock and the Come Off Crew. In a long and varied career in music and public service, he has worked as a club/concert promoter, impresario, producer, and as Executive Director of New York Gauchos Youth Basketball program, an organization helping disadvantaged youth earn college athletic scholarships. He now leads the UHHM, founded in 2014 and chartered by the New York State Department of Education Board of Regents.

 

Headshot of bearded man in dreadlocks and business casual jacket and shirt, smiling slightly at the camera
Photo: Bryce Vickmark

D. Fox Harrell is a professor of Digital Media & Artificial Intelligence in the Comparative Media Studies Program and Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) at MIT, as well as the director of the MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality. His research explores the relationship between imagination and computation, and it involves developing new forms of virtual reality, computational narrative, video gaming for social impact, and related digital media forms based in computer science, cognitive science, and digital media arts. His work explores how computers can be used for creative expression and social empowerment. Dr. Harrell holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Cognitive Science from the University of California, San Diego. His other degrees include a Master’s degree in Interactive Telecommunication from New York University, and a B.F.A. in Art (electronic and time-based media), B.S. in Logic and Computation from Carnegie Mellon University (each with highest honors). Dr. Harrell also draws on his past experience as an interactive television producer and as a game designer to inform his work.