Creative Women in Tech

Anil Sebastian is a multifaceted artist, producer and vocalist producing some of the most unique and otherworldly music to emerge from the UK in recent years.  As well as their solo identity, Anil Sebastian is also in Icelandic band Hrím, with singer Ösp and producer Cherif Hashizume. Sebastian is also the creative director of pioneering sonic branding agency DLMDD.   Already a familiar face to many in the industry as co-founder and director of the legendary London Contemporary Voices Choir, Anil's work has seen them regularly working on arrangements for and appearing alongside the likes of Alt-J, Manu Delago, Imogen Heap, Elena Tonra (Daughter), Kelly Lee Owens, Eivor, Eska, Nitin Sawhney, Laura Mvula, Sam Smith and U2. The choir has performed at several Burberry fashion shows, The British Fashion Awards, the 2020 Tommy Hilfiger show, two BBC Proms and also features on the Harry Potter Play soundtrack. Anil's choral version of Amber Run's ‘I Found' (which LCV performed with the band for Mahogany) has had over 4 million streams. Having released their debut album “Mesonoxian”, co-produced by Ingmar Kamalagharan and Cherif Hashizume (Jon Hopkins, Brian Eno, David Byrne) in late 2017, collecting support on the way from i-D, Stereogum, Clash and Line of Best Fit online as well as radio support across Radio 2, 3, 6Music, BBC London and the Asian Network, the album campaign culminated in a sold out show at London's legendary ICA. “A gorgeous listen from start to finish...brave at every turn” Album Review, Line of Best Fit Since then Anil has immersed themself once again in the creative process, contributing co-writes/features the debut album of legendary producer Guy Sigsworth (Björk, Imogen Heap, Robyn), Björk percussionist Manu Delago's Silver Kobalt album as well as taking on several bespoke commissions for sync, contributing choral arrangements to queer artist and activist Nakhane's debut album, and co-writing tracks for The Cinematic Orchestra side-project Hunrosa. In October 2020 Anil Sebastian's immersive short film Daffodil was released on NOWNESS. Daffodil has been created with support from Momentum Funding by PRS Foundation, Arts Council and National Lottery   Directed by Thiing Studios and written by Anil Sebastian, Daffodil explores the future of artificial intelligence and looks at what it means to be human and how we define identity. Combining animation by Thomas Rawle with slick live action footage and archival footage from Sebastian's childhood, Daffodil is a surreal examination of the moral implications of artificial intelligence through Sebastian's imagination. Set in the near future, Daffodil tells the story of a scientist (played by Anil Sebastian themself) gone rogue and we see them attempting to bring back the conscious mind of a child in the form of an AI. In a parallel, otherworldly meta-verse this playful creature is being created through animation. Paired effortlessly with the film and archival footage, Sebastian's exquisite avant-garde art pop soundtrack provides the perfect backdrop for this mesmerising cinematic experience. The film was shown at Normal? Festival of the Brain as well as at a private screening underground at The Brunel Shaft in London.  For Sebastian's cinematic debut, they have collaborated with an impressive list of some of the most forward thinking musicians, artists and thinkers in the UK. Sebastian holds a degree in Physics and Philosophy and they are one of the most unique voices and producers in the UK scene having worked with some of the most iconic global stars such as Imogen Heap, U2 and Bjork producer Guy Sigsworth. Daffodil also sees a contribution by Anil's brother Ingmar Kamalagharan as the co-producer of the film and live drummer on the soundtrack. Kamalagharan has a degree in Astronomy from UCL and works at the UK Space Agency  and he is a long-time collaborator of the producer and innovator Cherif Hashizume (David Byrne, Jon Hopkins, Brian Eno) in machine learning, interactive music installations and innovative software. Daffodil is a Descartesian meditation on existence and consciousness. As technology continues to infiltrate our public and private life, how can we reach an authentic form of being? Can an artificial intelligence gain consciousness and can it truly exist? Would you bring back someone you lost and if so, would they really be them? By combining science fiction elements with intimate, personal storytelling through encapsulating visuals and soundtrack, Daffodil is a film not to miss.  http://www.anilsebastian.com https://www.instagram.com/anil.sebastian     

“Nothing reveals the functionality of the objects Betony Vernon designs. Yet, her works are at the service of the body, exacerbated, loved. Betony Vernon is invested in the field of erotic and sensual doing. The development of her work is multidisciplinary, spanning sessions of practical teaching and curative sharing, the writing of her book The Boudoir Bible currently translated in 7 languages and the design of sublime objects — jewels, sculpture, furniture, objets d'art — as well as happenings. The most recent public happening was in 2017 at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France. Through this wide fan of mediums, none of which abstract the human body, Betony Vernon signs an aesthetic of wellness, a sophisticated interaction to the other and above all, to oneself.” — Michele Heuze, 2017 Daring, provocative and boundary-defying, Betony Vernon is an American-born designer, sexual anthropologist and author based in Paris. Her aesthetic is formed by her explorations in spirituality, sex, sensuality and the erotic body realm. She holds degrees in Art History and Metalsmithing from Virginia Commonwealth University as well as a master's degree in Industrial Design from Domus Academy in Milan, Italy. In 2017 she certified as a clinical hypnotherapist in order to further her ongoing research and transformational work in sexual well-being, abuse and trauma. Her design work has been included in a number of international exhibitions from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London to the Triennale Design Museum in Milan. She has also designed jewelry and objects for several brands including Missoni, Gianfranco Ferré, Alexander Wang, Pampaloni and Fornasetti. Vernon was also the design director for Fornasetti from 1996-2012. In 2002 her erotic jewelry collection, composed of over 400 functional jewels and objects in sterling silver and 18 karat gold, became the interface for what she describes as her mission to empower women and men to enjoy and share greater pleasure. Rizzoli International published Vernon's first book The Boudoir Bible, The Uninhibited Sex Guide for Today in February 2013. The tome is currently available in 7 languages. A re-edition of the French version published by Robert Laffont was released in November 2016 reaching bestseller status. Vernon's designs are crafted in Italy using natural, durable materials such as gold, silver, marble, leather and wood. The Origin Chair, a functional sculpture carved in statuary marble from Italy, was unveiled in December 2012 at the Triennale Design Museum in Milan and has since traveled to MUDAC-Museum of Design and Contemporary Art in Lausanne. In November 2015 the work was also exhibited in Vernon's carte blanche Installation for the Gewerbemuseum in Winterthur. In 2017, Vernon unveiled the Boudoir Box for the first time to the general public during MEDUSA, a group exhibition at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France. The transportable work was created in 1999 to present her erotic jewelry designs to collectors around the world. A selection of her designs is currently exhibited in Winterthur at the Gewerbemuseum in the group exhibition Federn/ Feathers 2019-2020. Vernon's ultimate goal both as author and designer is to “dismantle the pleasure taboo.” www.betonyvernon.com www.youtube.com/user/betonyv   [This episode contains sensitive and adult subject matter of a sexual nature. Discretion is advised for listeners under 18 years old.]

Be Genuine, Be Kind, Be Positive, Be Inspiring, Be Authentic.   Dr Alex Box is an internationally renowned Artist who has redefined the role of creativity in Makeup and the future of Beauty and the Body. As a Futurist, her multidimensional approach has established her as a creator of a new visual language and dialogue that exists between the body and movement, artistic expression, technology and scientific enquiry.   Her manifesto is to bring spiritual creative freedom and evoke the emotionally intelligent soul and the craft of art and future of beauty, pushing boundaries and inspiring others to do the same. From her Creative Director role at Illamasqua 2008-2015 which changed the way beauty was perceived and lead the brand into cult status, through to her public speaking and much lauded TED talk and international performances which ask questions about how and why we create, Alex has challenged and changed social media culture, asking us to re-evaluate our self image and move beyond prescribed culture to more radical self / belief and expression.   http://thealexbox.com/ Instagram: @thealexbox  

Elizabeth Bernholz conceived the moniker Gazelle Twin in 2009 under which she has released the critically acclaimed albums; Pastoral (2018), Kingdom Come (2017), Unflesh (2014) and her debut, The Entire City (2011). Adopting a radical and conceptual approach to composition, fusing classical and early traditions with experimental, electronic production, Bernholz always strives for “challenging outcomes”. Her work is often presented through extraordinary live performances, which feature changing personas and voice as a central element. Aside from her own projects, Bernholz regularly collaborates with creators in Theatre, TV, Film and Gaming. 2020 and beyond will see the release of two feature films (USA and UK) which will feature her music, new works exploring live theatre and virtual performance, and an ongoing collaboration with the London-based NYX electronic drone choir following it's performance at London Jazz Festival, QEH in November 2019. Bernholz's experiments in composition and production were recognised by the University of Sussex (of which she is an alumna), and in 2020 the ‘Gazelle Twin scholarship for Women in Music Technology' was setup to address the under-representation of women in music technology.   The new album 'Deep England' by Gazelle Twin & NYX Electronic Drone Choir is out 19.03.2021 on NYX Collective Records. Pre-order here   gazelletwin.com Bandcamp Instagram Facebook Twitter

Futurist, Systems Thinker, Storyteller and Artist.  Chair of Mental Health First Aid England (MHFA UK). Currently Artist in Residence at The Design Science Studio (Buckminster Fuller Institute) and The University of California Irvine.    An enthusiastic curator of people, patterns and stories.   In 2020, I was long-listed as one of the Most Influential Women in UK Technology.  In 2019, I was recognised as one of TED Talks Global Emerging Innovators. In 2018, I was recognised as one of the UK's Top 100 Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Leaders in Technology.    I take a philosophical and anthropological approach to technology; merging logic and creativity to design immersive problem solving, learning and development environments.   My current interest lies in the anatomy of transformation and innovation, from ancient wisdom, natural systems and indigenous community practices to digital and emerging technologies.   www.ism.earth www.egomyth.earth www.adahparris.com

Violeta Vicci is a multifaceted, contemporary artist and musician. Of Catalan - Swiss descent, based in London, she feels comfortable genre-crossing from Classical to Improvisation, Ethno Avantgarde, Ambient, Multilayered Electronics, her influences ranging from traditional to pop. Since starting the violin at the age of four, and giving her concert debut aged fifteen, she pursued studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Her collaborations include Thom Yorke, Elbow, Clint Mansell, Jonsi (Sigur Rós) and Steeleye Span amongst others . Her debut album AUTOVIA, produced by Youth (aka Martin Glover) on Painted Word Records, is an album of exclusively self-penned compositions, bridging the gap between the acoustic and electronic worlds. Her second solo album for violin, viola and solo voice, “Mirror Images”, to be released with Aldilà Records in March 2021, is one of intimate expression and raw nature, a journey of exploration through the listening experience, a concept album of spellbinding dramatic art.   YouTube : youtube.com/user/violetabw Instagram : instagram.com/violetavicci Facebook : Facebook.com/violetavicci You can watch Violeta's innovative “Live Music in Nature” series here: violetavicci.com/watch

Aphra Shemza is a London-based multimedia artist. She is the granddaughter of the well-known abstract painter Anwar Jalal Shemza. Inspired by her grandfather, her work explores Modernism, her Islamic cultural heritage, sustainable practice and creating art for all. As an artist and activist, she finds ambitious ways to fuse methodologies from the past with new innovations in technology to imagine what the role of art could be in the future. Shemza combines abstraction with traditional sculpting techniques and technology to create her work. As a sculptor her main medium is light, which she manipulates to create works that change over time.   Shemza exhibits regularly with recent highlights including V&A Digital Design Weekend, Winter Lights Festival, The Other Art Fair and Xi'an Maker Faire with the British Council. She has also participated in public speaking events, notably at Tate Britain, the British Library and The Courtauld Institute. In 2016 she co-founded Art in Flux, a not-for-profit organisation providing a platform for artists working at the intersection of art, technology and science. Shemza co-curates the yearly programme of talks, exhibitions and events. In 2018 she launched www.art-ology.co.uk, a peer resource for artists who wish to be mindful of their environmental impact.

Hinako Omori is a Japanese musician and producer based in London.   Initially training to be a sound engineer at the University of Surrey, Hinako leapt into music full time as a keyboard player and programmer - some of the artists she has worked with include EOB (Ed O'Brien), Georgia, Kae Tempest, KT Tunstall, James Bay and Sophie Hunger.   Debut EP ‘Auraelia' was released on Injazero Records in November 2019 – evolving from a hard drive of instrumental demos, lyrics and field recordings, the tracks are a sonic exploration of space, haziness and transformation, building on layers of synths and vocals.

Lia Mice is a multidisciplinary artist whose works range from live A/V performance, composition, instrument design, and interactive sculpture to academic papers. In her practice, Mice uses new technologies to explore relationships between the musical instrument and embodied performance. Mice's all-hardware live A/V sets incorporate large scale self-designed instruments, live voice sampling, dancers and audio-reactive visuals. Her instruments and interactive sonic sculptures have been exhibited at The Barbican Archives Residency, The V & A Museum Digital Design Weekend and Ars Electronica. Her latest album The Sampler As A Time Machine is out on Optimo Music.

Nwando works across media, genre and artforms creating mythopoetic metanarratives and alternate realities. Her work is a drawing together of the pieces that she is in a frozen moment of ever-living infinite regress.   Always political and grounded in a mytho-scientific perspective she invites viewers and participants to join her at the Crossroads. At the crossroads where you can choose to pass through the cosmic mirror and touch alternate realities. The realities of what could have been and what should have been and what may possibly be. She works with speculative fictions, possible dreams and lucid worlds.

Described by Pitchfork as ‘one of the most innovative voices in British music', Anna Meredith is a genre-crossing composer and producer whose work straddles the worlds of contemporary classical, art pop, electronica and experimental rock.   Alongside the release of her award-winning debut album, Varmints (2016) and critically acclaimed follow up FIBS (2019, nominated for the Mercury Prize 2020 and the SAY Award 2020), Anna's CV includes scoring for TV (2019 ‘Living With Yourself', Netflix) and film (2018 Sundance Audience Award winner, ‘Eighth Grade'), opening the 2018 BBC Proms and Edinburgh International Festival, being Composer in Residence for the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, a piece written for MRI scanner, soundtracking campaigns from PRADA, Fendi, Chloe & Christopher Kane, symphonies created for nursery children, music for park benches in Hong Kong and sleep-pods in Singapore. She is a regular presenter and guest on radio (Radio 3 and BBC 6Music) and television and her music is frequently broadcast as well as featuring in films, installations and TV.

This is the trailer for the forthcoming 'Creative Women in Tech Podcast': Series 2, hosted by BISHI. This series features interviews from Anna Meredith, Nwando Ebizie, Hinako Omori, Aphra Shemza & Lia Mice exploring their extraordinary cross-disciplinary projects combining music, art & technology at their heart.  Please sign up for our monthly newsletter at WITCiH

Here's the full interview with Hannah Peel. Produced by Chalk & Blade. Emmy-nominated and RTS winning composer, with a flow of solo albums and collaborative releases, Hannah joins the dots between science, nature and the creative arts, through her explorative approach to electronic, classical, and traditional music. http://www.hannahpeel.com/about-hannah/ https://www.facebook.com/HannahPeelMusic https://twitter.com/Hanpeel https://soundcloud.com/hannahpeel http://instagram.com/hannahpeelmusic/

This episode was my first foray into podcasting. It was SO good, that I've decided to release it in two sections. This particular episode was produced by Chalk & Blade. Emmy-nominated and RTS winning composer, with a flow of solo albums and collaborative releases, Hannah joins the dots between science, nature and the creative arts, through her explorative approach to electronic, classical and traditional music. http://www.hannahpeel.com/about-hannah/ https://www.facebook.com/HannahPeelMusic https://twitter.com/Hanpeel https://soundcloud.com/hannahpeel http://instagram.com/hannahpeelmusic/  

Cellist, pianist and vocalist Abi Wade creates music that melds electronica, acoustic and pop music. Classically trained, she utilizes a mix of traditional and experimental techniques in her performances, commanding electric drums and triggers at her feet whilst singing and simultaneously layering melodic cello and synth lines. Her debut LP ‘Beautifully Astray' was released in April 2018 with support from the PRS for Music Foundation's Women Make Music award. Visuals for the release have been created in collaboration with renown designers Eley Kishimoto and Abi has been heavily involved in the art direction for this working alongside projection artists, film makers and photographers. So far she has toured the UK & Europe with Patrick Wolf, sold out her debut EP and released music on the label set up by Daniel Copeman of Esben & The Witch, who also produces her music. She has played shows with the likes of CocoRosie, Polica, Michael Kiwanuka, Other Lives, Deptford Goth and festivals such as End of The Road, The Great Escape and Wilderness. She recorded her debut album at Amazing Grace studios with Daniel at the helm and with the support of the Help Musicians UK Emerging Excellence Award. Typically ambitious, the recordings include an orchestra and various field recordings of diverse sounds such as a fishing boat at sea, a church organ and a tap dancing class. Gestalt: http://www.wwcomposition.com/gestalt Website: https://www.abiwade.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abiwade/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/abi_wade Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abi.wade.cello The end of ice: https://thenewpress.com/books/end-of-ice

Artist & Movician, Di Mainstone creates sonic sculptures, that extend from the body and trigger sound via movement… The New York Times has featured Di Mainstone as one of the “new generation visionaries” of the international digital arts scene.  A global ambassador for audio brand Sennheiser, Di Mainstone is artist in residence at Queen Mary University London where she collaborates with researchers from the Centre for Digital Music and Media Arts & Technology group, to develop new musical instruments that are inspired by the body, transforming physical movement into sound via digital technology.  Di has invented the term “Movician” to describe the player of these instruments – a hybrid artist who explores and composes sound through movement. In this conversation, Di will be talking about her passion for fashion, technology, human harps & her project ‘Time Bascule,' for Tower Bridge. More on Di Mainstone:   https://dimainstone.com/ https://www.instagram.com/dimainstone https://twitter.com/dimainstone More links: https://humanharp.org/ Di Mainstone sandpit: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/blog/convergence-three-senses-di-mainstone-introduces-soundpit Tower Bridge: https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/suspend-disbelief-and-listen-to-tower-bridge-sing-a4361466.html Mandy Wigby: https://soundcloud.com/mandy-wigby Follow WITCiH: https://www.witcih.com/ https://www.instagram.com/witcih/ https://twitter.com/witcih  

Habesha by way of London, lula.xyz (Lula Mebrahtu) is the vanguard of creative expression. Equipped with cutting edge technology MiMu Gloves and a soulful timbre which carries the weight of her heritage, lula.xyz makes levitation through sound waves possible, singing about a lived experience of the past, present, and future. In this interview, Lula XYZ & BISHI sit down to talk about life, art, the journey through tech & what it means to be a ‘An Immigrant girl in a Digital World.' https://www.lulamebrahtu.com/ Lula XYZ Link Tree Swooshes, Seaboards, Synths and Spawn - BBC Radio 4 Follow WITCiH: https://www.witcih.com/ https://www.instagram.com/witcih/ https://twitter.com/witcih

The first interview in the series is with Laura Kriefman. Laura Kriefman is the Director, Producer and Artist behind Hellion Trace and has over a decade of experience delivering interdisciplinary projects worldwide that fuse the performing arts and creative technology.   Her expertise in these areas has been recognised by numerous international fellowships including: Questlab Artist in Residence with Wayne McGregor, 2018 Mozilla XR Studio Fellow, PRS Female Innovator in Music (keychange.eu), 2016 INK Fellow, 2015 WIRED Magazine/The Space Creative Fellow and a 2011-2012 Fellow of the Clore Cultural Leadership Programme. In this interview, BISHI & Laura Kriefman talk about life, art, technology & all the things that inspire them. Watch Crane Dance Find out more at Hellion Trace Watch Laura at INKtalks Watch Oskar Schlemmer

This is the trailer for the forthcoming 'Creative Women in Tech Podcast,' hosted by BISHI. This series features interviews from Hannah Peel, Laura Kriefman, Lula XYZ, Di Mainstone & Abi Wade exploring their extraordinary cross-disciplinary projects combining music, art & technology at their heart.  Please sign up for our monthly newsletter at WITCiH