Now Available: Acclaimed Afrofuturist Nettrice Gaskins' First Book, a Tribute to Underrepresented Artists Creating With VR & Other Technology

Techno-Vernacular Creativity and Innovation is a new book from MIT Press (available on Amazon here and on Bookshop here) by Dr. Nettrice Gaskins, someone I've written about and admired for years. One of the first and best academics to explore and write about Second Life as an artistic platform, her debut book focuses on a related but far more crucial topic:

"The focus of the book is on underrepresented artists and students from their communities who engage technology in culturally relevant ways," Nettrice tells me. "This includes works by artists who engage with virtual reality such as Amelia Winger-Bearskin, Stephanie Dinkins, and LaJuné McMillian." 

Here's an example of that with an excerpt from the book -- plus a limited time 10% discount offer:

From the book:

Heritage algorithms are amplified in Afrofuturism, which emphasizes a culturally sustaining orientation to technology as a resource for liberatory creativity and improvisation and extends humanity into new realms through technology. The orientation of Afrofuturism in computational disciplines makes it a rich resource for creative expression through TVC remixing and STEAM integration. For example, Hyphen Labs’ “NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism,” or NSAF [watch above - WJA], is an Afrofuturistic cross-platform project that remixes the concept of a hair salon through product design, virtual reality, and scientific research addressing real-world issues faced by women of color (Weber 2018).

I haven't read the book yet, but based on her previous work (below), I deeply suspect it's going to become an essential and pioneering contribution to our understanding of technology for decades to come.

If you order the book directly from the Penguin/Random House here, use "MIT10" as a discount code for 10% off. (Info on that here.)

Previously on New World Notes:

• Artist Turning Real 2D Graffiti Into Virtual 3D Sculpture (above)
• Afrofuturist Artist Creates Stunning Portraits Of Black Artists With Deep Dream AI Algorithms
• Unable To Present Her Work In Los Angeles While In Quarantine, Renowned Afrofuturist Artist Nettrice Gaskins Sets Up Gallery In Second Life
• Afrofuturist Nettrice Gaskins On Black Algorithms & Her Neural Net Portrait Of Stacey Abrams
• Why Afrofuturist Nettrice Gaskins Sells Her Deep Dream Art As NFTs On The Greener Tezos Blockchain