Award-winning filmmaker challenges technology

September 27, 2022

Award-winning filmmaker Shalini Kantya shares her knowledge of the dark side of technology in a gallery talk titled ‘Coded Bias: How Human Prejudice Creates Corrupt Technology’ .

Her presentation will be held at SUNY Cortland’s Dowd Gallery on Tuesday, October 11th.

According to director Yaroslava Prikhodova, it’s a rare opportunity to meet award-winning and accomplished filmmakers on campus in person. Dowd Gallery, Located at the Dowd Fine Arts Center on the corner of Prospect Terrace and Graham Avenue.

“Shalini Kantya is an accomplished filmmaker with a strong history of notable award-winning projects,” Prikhodva said. “Unfortunately, there aren’t many opportunities to meet and ask questions directly to the creatives behind the camera. The event provides a unique opportunity for students and visitors to meet Kantyre and interact directly.”

Kantayya’s gallery talk begins at 5:00 PM at the Old Maine Brown Auditorium.

Gallery events are free and open to the public.

Kantayya’s recent documentaries ‘Coded Bias’ and ‘TikTok Boom’ Screened prior to the lecture, examining algorithms that are used and abused in everyday life, respectively. The promise of sleek silicon usability and entertainment also brought with it pressing concerns about privacy, prejudice, and public surveillance.

“TikTok Boom” takes place on Thursday, October 6th at 5pm at the Dowd Gallery.

The second film, Coded Bias, can be seen on Monday, October 10th at 5:00 pm at the Brown Auditorium.

“coded bias‘ is released in 2020 and questions whether freedom is at risk when the technology that powers the modern world is itself programmed with the unconscious biases of its creators. It screened nationally on PBS’s Independent Lens before reaching a global audience through Netflix. The film was nominated for the Critics’ Choice Award and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary.

Kantaya’s “tik tok boomReleased this year, the work explores the conflict between the rise of popular social media apps and the data surveillance inherent in the culture and use of the global Gen Z user base. Debuting on his Independent Lens on October 24th.

“This lecture shows that our world is built in the image of its creator without considering all its inhabitants,” said Prihodova. “We often submit to conditions that are thoughtlessly constructed.

A screening of “TikTok Boom” will take place on October 6th at 5pm in Room 106, Dowd Gallery, Dowd Fine Arts Centre. Kantayya’s gallery talk will follow his October 11th at 5pm at the Brown Auditorium.

The film and talk are related to the current exhibition at the Dowd Gallery, The Artist. “Runaway” by Beth Rivensperger It examines the effects of rapid technological change in itself. Prihodova says one of Dowd’s goals for her gallery is to tackle difficult topics and provoke informative conversations.

“Gallery-sponsored exhibitions have been carefully selected to fulfill the Art and Art History department’s educational mission and to provide space for questioning, inspiration, and respite from the mundane,” she said. “We want to provide thought-provoking shows that inspire and promote the education of all visitors, not just students.”

Gallery hours are 10 AM to 5:30 PM Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, and 10 AM to 7 PM on Thursday.

“Runaway” is funded in part by the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and a Provost Research Fellowship from Staten Island College at CUNY. SUNY Cortland’s support includes the Arts and Art History Department, the Art Exhibition Association, the Cortland Auxiliary Services Grant, Campus Artists and Lecture Series, Communication and Media Studies Department, the Cultural and Intellectual Climate Committee, and the Office of the Dean of the Arts and Sciences. , economic sectors and institutions. Provost and Vice President of the Equity and Inclusion Office, Haynes Fund, President’s Office, Academic Affairs Office, Student Union.

For more information on exhibiting artists, additional programs, safety procedures and online reservations, please visit the Dowd Gallery website. For more information or to inquire about bookings, tours or additional images, please contact Her Director of Dowd Gallery Her Jaroslava Prihodova at 607-753-4216.

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