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On Feb 1, 2023, at 7 PM, Nadja Verena Marcin launches #SOPHYGRAY, a feminist audio bot app in the iOS and Google Play Stores, marking the culmination of her EMAP residency at Onassis Stegi. The app, available for free download, invites users to engage in thought-provoking conversations about identity, art, and feminism while challenging the gender biases ingrained in virtual assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Cortana. Drawing on writings by bell hooks, Audre Lorde, Silvia Federici, and Donna Haraway, #SOPHYGRAY offers a transformative exploration of how AI can reflect feminist perspectives on language, emotion, and technology.
That evening, the app launch is accompanied by an interactive installation in the Onassis Stegi Cultural Center that evolves into a live performance featuring Marcin and two dancers embodying #SOPHYGRAY and iconic female sci-fi figures like the robot from Metropolis (1927), Ava from Ex Machina (2014), and Dolores from Westworld (2016). Visitors can download the app by scanning a code at the event, making #SOPHYGRAY an accessible tool for critical engagement with AI’s societal impacts. This innovative project bridges technology and performance art, offering a unique platform for rethinking stereotypes and the gendered nature of artificial intelligence.