The Mimesis Institute
A nonprofit research and arts institute examining how artificial intelligence reshapes culture, public life, and human meaning.
We support artists, scholars, and publics through:
- artistic research
- residencies
- publications
- public programs
- open source
How We Work
Artistic Research & Residencies
Support for artists and researchers developing critical approaches to AI and culture through performance, writing, and experimental systems.
Publications & Critical Frameworks
Essays, primers, and research translating technological change into cultural understanding.
Public Dialogues & Convenings
Salons, workshops, and interdisciplinary gatherings connecting artists, technologists, and civic institutions.
What We Produce
- Commissioning new artistic research on AI and collective perception
- Publishing accessible frameworks for public understanding
- Convening cross-sector dialogue between art, technology, and civic institutions
Active Projects
Performance OS (Scylla/Charybdis)
Performance research exploring collective sensing and AI-mediated perception.
AI & Culture Primer
Public education framework translating technical systems into cultural understanding.
Critical AI Glossary
Shared interdisciplinary language platform for public and institutional discourse.
Practice Before Publication
We publish after ideas have been staged, tested, and argued in real settings. Our essays and reports record methods, failures, and implications so others can reuse the work.
Collaborators
We collaborate with artists, researchers, and cultural organizations across performance, technology, and public scholarship communities.
Governance and Accountability
Governance is held by artists, researchers, and technologists with public disclosures, fiduciary oversight, and role clarity across programs and operations.
Join the Work
Propose a Collaboration
Bring a venue, cohort, or research problem for co-designed programs and public experiments.
Fund the Work
Support stipends, prototyping, documentation, and open public programming.
Follow the Research
Read essays, reports, and project notes on AI, institutions, and cultural practice.
We treat AI as cultural infrastructure and build public understanding through artistic research, publication, and institutional experimentation.