They / Them
They / Them is an insightful video essay in which Juan Obando animates stock videos of protesters, leaving their logo watermark intact. He uses voice cloning technology to give speech to the computer-generated protesters and activists. Obando’s astute script has the protesters talk about their life as stock footage and their tenuous relationship to the real world. They explain the nature of their existence, how they are indexed, and what pitfalls should be considered when viewing the images. The activists’ testimonies pull back the curtain on the economy and media machinery that fuel these manufactured, made-to-order images.
Despite the unsettling qualities of the convincingly lifelike digital protesters, advances in AI have already eclipsed this 2023 work. Adobe’s current portfolio includes activists rendered with even greater realism. It seems our eyes are no longer arbiters of truth; anyone can bring a mass demonstration to life from their living room.