USURPATOR Pod

Joey & Jawn from Lifeworld join USURPATOR to talk about their platform River.ph. We talk about our digital patterns, pushing the boundaries of a social platform, and Frank Ocean’s Tumblr. Read a shortened version of our conversation on the site, try River, or follow Jawn or Joey on Twitter.

Molly Soda is an internet-based performance artist whose work explores mass media culture, virtual communication patterns, and the concept of “posting self.” During our conversation, we talk about virtual visibility, why people think of their past selves as “cringe,” and the art of publicizing private spaces. Visit Molly’s website or her Substack, or follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

Emma Sato from Roger That joins us for a conversation about modern dating culture in the virtual era, communication habits, and neurotic social media behavior. Follow Emma on Instagram, her project Roger That, or subscribe to their newsletter.

Nicole Tremaglio is a writer, podcastress, and pop culture theorist who joins the mag for a conversation about nostalgia, aesthetic revivals, the leopard print midi skirt, and how the internet hyperaccelerates trend cycles. You can find Nicole on Instagram and Twitter, read her newsletter, or listen to her podcast, Nicstalgia. Read a shortened version of our conversation on the site.

Alexi Alario is a podcastress, fashion theorist, and K-Pop stan based in NYC. She joins the mag for a conversation on idol world-building, Stan Twitter, and how K-Pop became mainstream in the West. Follow Alexi on Instagram, listen to Nymphet Alumni, or subscribe to their Patreon. Read the condensed version of our conversation on Usurpator Mag.

Elliott Cost is a web artist, designer, traveler, and file-keeper currently based in Rotterdam. Elliott joined USURPATOR to talk about their new project, File Life, and past project HTML.energy. During our conversation we talk about the emotional weight of our files, traveling light both IRL and digitally, the energy of code, and grounding our virtual work offline. Check out Elliott’s File Life site, or HTML.energy. You can find Elliott through their website, or on Instagram.

Zane Kind is a designer, artist, writer, technologist, and co-founder of Silknode, a subcultural creative internet company building a platform for creative research, archive, moodboards, and online marketplace. During our conversation, we talk about archive internet, niche culture, creator versus curator economy, gatekeeping, citing your sources, and why everyone is nostalgic for 2016. Read the transcript of our conversation on the site, or follow Zane on Instagram or Twitter. You can join the waitlist for Silk , read their white paper, and follow them on Instagram.

We’re joined in conversation with Sean X Thielen-Esparza, a New York-based designer, artist, and co-founder of Genesis. During our conversation, we discuss the concept of animating, betting on the future, and the illusion of disunity. Read a transcript of our conversation on Usurpator Mag, or check out Genesis, Menagerie, or follow Sean on Instagram or Twitter.

In today's ep we are joined by Chia Amisola, an internet/ambient artist from the Philippines. Chia is also a a designer, organizer, and founder of Developh and Philippine Internet Archive. During our conversation, we talk about the form of a website, the art of digital preservation, and how we can break down the common structures of the internet to create better spaces for ourselves and our communities. You can read the transcript of our conversation on the site, or follow Chia on Instagram, Twitter, and visit their website.

Today, we’re joined by Viola He, a Shanghai-born, Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist, live-coder, educator, and cultural organizer. We talk about their foray into live coding, the meaning of interactive art, and the barrier to entry of learning new technological tools. You can follow Viola on their Instagram, visit their site, or check out LiveCodeNYC. Read the highlights of our conversation on the site.

USURPATOR is joined by Willem Simons, founder of Daze, co-founder of Muze, and one of Forbes’ 30 under 30 for 2022. During our conversation, we discuss creative communication tools, the trajectory of popular social media apps, and building ideas based on gut instinct. As always, you can read the highlights of our talk on the site, or follow Willem on Instagram

Today, we're joined with Kit Volta, a creative technologist and XR artist based in NYC. During our conversation, we discuss self-expression through art, our virtual selves, how they blend the physical and virtual through AR, and the effects of living fragments of our lives online. You can follow Kit on Instagram and Twitter. You can also read the highlights of our conversation on usurpatormag.com

Last week, USURPATOR joined Norm O’Hagan in Listening Labs. Norm is a creative explorer, musician, artist, co-founder of Teal Process, and co-runner of The Factory, which is where Listening Labs is held. We talk about collaborative spaces, imaginative world-building, and interactive listening experiences. You can follow Norm on Instagram, check out Listening Labs, or Teal Process. You can read the highlights of our conversation on usurpatormag.com

We are joined by Lilith & Avatar Lilith— one person, different fragments. They are a 3D artist, designer, performance artist, musician, and creative technologist based in Brooklyn. Part one of two, this interview starts off a series where we talk to artists about their practice that involves virtual selves. During our conversation, we discuss Lilith’s performance art, the birth of their avatar, and philosophize the notion of our digital presence—how it represents fragments of our subjectivity, and how it takes on its own agency. You can read a shortened version of our interview on our site, or follow Lilith and Avatar Lilith on Instagram, or visit their website.

Yatú is an Artist-Founder based in NYC, who joined USURPATOR for a conversation about his work. We talk about his projects USB Club and Teal Process, we also discuss virtual and IRL collaboration spaces, the value of physical space, virtual catalog, and our concept of time.

USURPATOR sat down with friend of the pod Josh Harris and had a conversation about the down-trend of crypto, what’s still going on in the space, and what keeps him involved.