TECHNO LOGIC

HOW DOES MEANING CHANGE, AND HOW DO WE KEEP MEMORY ALIVE? THAT'S THE MESSAGE THAT LIES AT THE HEART OF MIU MIU'S FALL WINTER 2024 COLLECTION, WHICH OFFERS A DELIGHTFUL ARRAY OF FAMILIAR WARDROBE STAPLES SPANNING ERAS AND VARIOUS STAGES IN LIFE SHOWCASED ON ONE OF THE SEASON'S MOST AGE-DIVERSE CAST OF MODELS WHEN IT WAS REVEALED IN MARCH THIS YEAR. THAT IS ALSO A TOPIC DEAR TO THE NON-BINARY ARTIST CECILE B. EVANS, WHOSE PRACTICE LOOKS AT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIGITAL CULTURE AND THE HUMAN CONDITION AND WHO WAS GIVEN CARTE BLANCHE TO CREATE A FILM TO ACCOMPANY THE RUNWAY SHOW. NOELLE LOH ENTERS THEIR HEADSPACE TO UNPACK THE SURREAL RESULTS AND WHAT TRULY MATTERS IN THIS AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA.

The work of the non‑binary Belgian‑American artist Cecile B. Evans can be described as downright bizarre and bemusing, yet also somewhat beatific. Take the 2016 “automated play” Sprung A Leak, for example.

Its central characters include two lively, bug‑eyed humanoid robots, an equally cute robot dog and three “human” users in the form of pole dancers, each appearing on an individual screen. Surrounded by 27 other screens leaking information – at times the kind supposed to be kept confidential – non‑stop, this motley crew of AI beings search for their obsession: the wittily named Liberty, a CGI‑ed beauty blogger with hands, but no arms. (And you thought you were unhinged, TikTokers.) In the face of all the communication chaos, they ultimately uncover emotions ranging from loss to love.

The London‑based Evans, you see, is one of the most prominent voices of Post‑Internet Art who, through fantastical, mind‑ bogglingly coded video projects, examines the impact of digital culture on the human condition. As much as their practice is always set within a technological sphere that combines hardware, software, virtual reality and artificial intelligence, themes such as affection, consciousness, agency, and subjectivity remain central to their work. It might explain why Miu Miu roped them in to create a video installation to accompany its Fall Winter 2024 collection, which explores the shifting meaning of garments and accessories as one develops through life.