Sarah Rothberg: BETWEEN MEETINGS

FOREVER MEETINGS: SCRAMBLED ZONE

2025, custom software (black and white, sound), computer, projector or screen

FOREVER MEETINGS is a series of software-driven artworks of endlessly evolving conversations between LLM-driven avatars. Built in custom real-time software, each iteration runs fully locally (offline). Avatars are given opposing personas, a style of conversation, and a prompt (for instance: “gossip about whether the nuclear family is anti-feminist”), and the dialogue unfolds until the prompts refresh and a new theme begins. SCRAMBLED ZONE, one iteration of the work, contains all of the questions, personas, and styles from the whole series, remixed randomly every 3 minutes.

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"is AI worth it?"

2026, custom software (black and white, sound), screens, computer

This variation of the FOREVER MEETINGS series is a diptych featuring two avatars discussing a single question, in this case: "Is AI worth it?".

The piece recombines 12 conversation-types with 36 different persona-pairs. The pairs represent opposing thoughts on different aspects of AI. For instance, on the subject of power and AI, a "Community Technologist" (defined in the code as someone who believes Artificial Intelligence can be designed to support mutual aid, decentralization, and community infrastructures outside corporate control) might be in conversation with a "Power Critic" (someone who believes Artificial Intelligence will always centralize power, regardless of intentions, because computation itself scales unevenly and reinforces hierarchy.) This excerpt features a "debate" between a "hedonist" and a "moralist".

FOREVER MEETINGS still showing two AI avatars seated in a stylized virtual meeting environment with a black-and-white screen.

FOREVER MEETINGS still of an AI conversation in a minimal gallery-like interface with soft gray and white tones.

FOREVER MEETINGS still with two stylized avatars facing each other in a soft, high-contrast digital space.

FOREVER MEETINGS still depicting an AI dialogue with glowing interface elements and a dark monochrome palette.

FOREVER MEETINGS still featuring a close-up of the virtual avatars and conversation interface.

THREE MEETINGS

2023, video produced with custom software and VR headsets, 10:15

A compilation of the three types of meeting represented in the SUPERPROMPT body of work: a NEW MEETING between the artist and a human guest (in this case, curator Yvonne Mpwo), a NEW NEW MEETING between the artist, and the avatar embodied by ChatGPT with a unique system prompt, and a FOREVER MEETING (SUPERPROMPT EDITION), where two versions of the ChatGPT-embodied avatar meet with itself.

Still from the SUPERPROMPT video showing a stylized self-portrait and meeting interface in warm, pale tones.

NEW MEETINGS (SUPERPROMPT EDITION) with Nina Sobell

2023, video produced with custom software and VR headsets, 9:48

In NEW MEETINGS (SUPERPROMPT EDITION), the artist reprised their original NEW MEETINGS performance, this time with all participants embodying the same avatar, and sometimes including ChatGPT as a participant. In the SUPERPROMPT body of work, in which the artist plays with the "persona" layer of LLM chatbots, the avatar is referred to as "Sophie" - a name pulled from a ChatGPT hallucinated work by the artist. This meeting is an edit of a conversation with the artist Nina Sobell, who the artist met for the first time inside of this virtual space.

NEW MEETINGS - Invitation to participate

Hello!

I am debuting a new experimental VR performance piece, called NEW MEETINGS, at the upcoming ONX showcase (in partnership with Tribeca), and am seeking some wonderful participants/collaborators/interlocutors!

In short short, it is: experimental conversations performed between two people in a shared dynamic Virtual Reality space which will be streamed and later edited into short video work.

In longer: you would share a virtual space with me, one-on-one, for about 20 minutes, one day between June 9-20. We will both be in a VR setup, physically set up at ONX studio (645 5th Ave, New York, NY). There is nothing you need to do or know in advance to prepare, and you don't need to be a performer, but you should feel comfortable being guided through a set of open-ended poetic conversational prompts. You can think of it a bit like we'll be following a Fluxus score or a having a Bohm dialogue. During the experience, your identity will be anonymized unless you choose to share it - in fact, I won't even know who you are (until after) because we'll be in different rooms! (you'll be in a private space upstairs)

Together, we'll be co-creating a 2D screen-based artwork in real-time generated by our conversation and movement, streamed onto a screen at ONX and online for a small live audience. These will be edited together at a later date into a video piece.

There is a stipend ($50) available for your participation, nothing will be included in the edited video without your permission, and you will have a credit in the final work (should you choose to be included!). You can also have the full video of our conversation if you'd like it!

My wish for all participants: it will be a kind of hopeful new connection at a transitional moment in time! My wish for the audience: an invitation to appreciate the miraculous possibilities in different ways of connecting.

If you would like to participate, please fill out this form. Feel free to share with others who might want to participate!

🖤Sarah (Rothberg, in case someone sent this to you)

More info about the project can be found here

Animated email signature graphic for Sarah Rothberg.

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NEW MEETINGS PLAYLIST 🔵 NOW PLAYING

2021, video produced with custom software and VR headsets

A meeting between Sarah and a guest, unedited (as originally livestreamed / projected into the gallery space in real-time).

NEW MEETINGS screenshot of two participants facing each other inside the virtual meeting space in teal, lavender, and muted beige tones

Additional NEW MEETINGS still showing a virtual conversation scene in cool blue-gray, dusky purple, and soft cream tones

Additional NEW MEETINGS still showing the meeting room and floating interface elements in teal, pale gray, and warm neutral colors

Additional NEW MEETINGS still of the virtual meeting platform in use with blue-gray, lavender, and beige tones

Additional NEW MEETINGS still showing the virtual conversation progressing in cool teal, muted purple, and light neutral shades

Additional NEW MEETINGS still showing the participants in a shared VR environment with blue-gray, soft lavender, and cream tones

Additional NEW MEETINGS still of the meeting platform with animated graphics in teal, gray, and warm beige hues

Additional NEW MEETINGS still showing a close interaction between speakers in virtual space with cool blue-gray, muted plum, and pale neutral tones

Additional NEW MEETINGS still showing the rising meeting structure and interface in teal, lavender, and warm off-white tones

Additional NEW MEETINGS still showing the conversation reaching a higher virtual level in cool blue-gray, muted purple, and beige tones

Additional NEW MEETINGS still showing the final collaborative meeting moment in blue-gray, soft lavender, and warm neutral colors

Just the Agreements

2021, video produced with custom software and VR headsets, 46:13

NEW MEETINGS (Just the Agreements) is a supercut of the beginning of the conversations staged for the original version of NEW MEETINGS.