My Life as an Avatar 06.08

source: annieok

Annie Ok is an interdisciplinary artist. Her work is an expression of entropic congruity and organic abstract deconstruction, inspired by nature, science, mathematics, evolution, dysfunction, ambivalence and ambiguity.

She was a Senior Artist at RUN, a New York based experimental art collaborative founded by Susan Cianciolo, which delved into all aspects of creativity: fine art, handwork, fashion, music, film, performance, books, etc. RUN exhibited at Alleged Gallery, Andrea Rosen Gallery, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, Creative Time’s The Anchorage, Centre Georges Pompidou, Purple Institute, and Pitti Immagine. RUN collaborators included: Rita Ackerman, Aaron Rose, Mark Gonzalez, Chris Johanson, Tom Sachs, Terry Richardson, Julian LaVerdiere, Paul Myodaand, Mark Borthwick, Bless, Sonic Youth, among many others.

Additional past projects include collaborations with artist Doug Aitken for his “loaded 5x” ada’web project for the 1997 Whitney Biennial at The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and “New Sexual City” installation for the 2006 Guangzhou Triennial at the Guangdong Museum of Art in China; limited edition one-of-a-kind hand-made exhibition books for Alleged Press and Purple Institute; and commissions for designers Benjamin Cho and Bruce. She was also Senior Designer at Imitation of Christ during the Spring 2003 season.

Directed video promos for WATCHMEN, IRON MAN, and MTV. Co-directed a documentary for Eyebeam’s Invisible Threads mixed reality project. Conceptualized and assistant directed videos for Nokia, in collaboration with GHAVA. Ok’s films have aired on MTV and were featured in the New York Times. They have been shown at Synthetic Times at Eyebeam, LABoral Centro de Arte, FILE Electronic Language International Festival, ISEA, Big Screen Project, Itaú Cultural, NO LONGER EMPTY, Filmfest DC, video_dumbo for DUMBO Art Under The Bridge Festival, moves International Festival of Movement on Screen, New Media Caucus panel Space: The New Frontier at the National CAA, Virtual Worlds Conference and Expo, and London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5.

Annie Ok is a consultant specialized in creative direction, transmedia strategy, and futurology. She worked on interactive media campaigns for CLOUD ATLAS, SUPER 8, TRUE GRIT, IRON MAN, STAR TREK, AVATAR, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, SCOTT PILGRIM, KICK ASS, TRANSFORMERS, GI JOE, WOLVERINE, CHRONICLE, THE LAST AIRBENDER, LOST PLANET, and WATCHMEN which was recognized as a Webby Awards Official Honoree. Ok helped initiate groundbreaking augmented reality applications “Experience The Enterprise” for STAR TREK and “We Are Autobots” for TRANSFORMERS 2; as well as the first ever film campaign and live Q&A in Sony PlayStation Home for WATCHMEN, then STAR TREK, with numerous blockbusters to follow. Other projects include the Mattel Digital Network; IRON MAN in Second Life; MTV’s vLES, the virtual Lower East Side; Brian Eno’s “77 Million Paintings” in Second Life; and various undisclosed endeavors currently in stealth mode.

Ok was former Metaverse Evangelist to MTV Networks for their virtual worlds initiative.

Working with Stanford University and the Web History Center on the Preserving Virtual Worlds project, part of the Library of Congress Digital Preservation Program. Creator of the interactive Timeline of Virtual Worlds.

Guest Critic at Parsons The New School for Design’s LittleBigPlanet Collab game design course and MIT/Parsons’ Machinima Collab game design and filmmaking course. Judge, panelist, and presenter at the Academy of Machinima Arts and Sciences’ Machinima Film Festival.

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Education

Columbia University – B.A. [Psychology, Art History, Film Studies]
University of California, Berkeley – Summer Program [Psychology]
Stanford University – Summer Program [Political Science]