Ani Liu (American, b.1986)
Ani Liu
A. I. Toys Shapes and Ladders: Battles of Bias and Bureaucracy Maternity Menswear
Album
Description
How does technology shape societal constructs of gender norms? This series of works contains a maternity garment, a set of toys, and a video game.
Maternity Menswear is a garment that explores non-female and transgender pregnancy through suiting, blurring boundaries between gender, sex, fertility, and vulnerability.
A.I. Toys is a series created with a machine-learning model fed with real toy data marketed as “boys” and “girls” toys. These algorithmically generated toys reflect the gendered societal values often placed on children through objects of play.
Shapes and Ladders is a video game that shows how systemic sexism and racism can exist in the workplace. The video game is designed to allow players to cultivate empathy through a first-person simulation of structural inequality. With these insights, the project aspires to inspire players to spark change in real life.
WITH THE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT OF
Princeton Arts Fellowship
Production credits
Research team: Andrea Li, Michelle Lim, Ryan Thorpe, John Ahloy, Jenny Zhang
Maternity Menswear: Technical collaborator Philip Sawye