On November 19, the Asian Cultural Council (ACC) presented ACC Voices: Art, Technology, and Us — a compelling dialogue exploring the dynamic intersection of art, technology, humanity, and cross-cultural exchange.

ACC Executive Director Judy Kim introduced two visionary practitioners leading this conversation: Carrie Sijia Wang, a socially engaged artist whose practice investigates human-machine relationships through software, video, and participatory experiences; and Billy Clark, Artistic Director of CultureHub, who brings over 25 years of experience developing innovative programs at the nexus of performance and technology.

Clark made the point that while we live in a technology-rich world, it’s important for artists to explore technologies critically, see where they can serve us, and participate in the environments of the technologies we want in the world, rather than leaving this to big corporations to decide.

Clark shared examples of how technology can power artistic expression. He shared two productions he had been involved with: a cross-continental production of Romeo and Juliet, where New York’s Romeo touched the virtual hand of Korea-based Juliet; and a performance that utilized virtual reality and livestream features for multiple audiences on different continents at the same time.

Wang shared a deeply personal work addressing her experience building a new identity after relocating from China to the United States over a decade ago. The performance began with an improvised monologue in Mandarin Chinese, translated live into English through speech recognition software connected to Google Translate. She then read the imperfect English translation back to the audience, then back into Chinese, creating a recursive loop between languages.

The flawed algorithmic translations produced what Wang described as "accidental poetry" while revealing embedded biases. This process became a powerful metaphor for her own experience of being misunderstood during her early years in America. "Technology is a mirror reflecting the contemporary human experience and all of its complexities, contradictions and imbalances," she observed.

ACC Voices: Art, Technology, and Us illuminated the critical role artists and creatives play in navigating our rapidly evolving digital landscape. As technology continues to permeate every aspect of contemporary life, this dialogue underscored the vital importance of artist-led inquiry—ensuring that our technological future reflects human values, cultural complexity, and creative vision rather than commercial imperatives.

About the Asian Cultural Council (ACC)

The Asian Cultural Council is a nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for international cultural exchange between Asia and the United States for artists, scholars, and arts professionals. ACC advances international dialogue, understanding, and mutual respect to create a more harmonious and peaceful world. ACC has enabled over 6,000 exchanges between artists, humanities scholars, and specialists, investing over $100 million in support across 16 artistic disciplines and 26 countries/regions. ACC has connected creators and thinkers to peers in China, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and the U.S. for over 60 years, effectively cultivating cultural bridges across global borders.