Heran Genene is an influential immersive technology artist, community organizer, and auto ethnographic art producer based in Canada. She is devoted to experimentation and emerging technologies, expanding the definitions and expectations of integrated tech and new media. Heran creates embodied experiences that move between physical and virtual realms, using 3D design, animation, XR software, and artificial intelligence.
Heran’s work explores intersections between concepts, finding meaning in the spaces between ideas and encouraging new thoughts to emerge. She applies unique digital textures and examines the human physical form, channeling raw expression across various mediums. With a critical eye, Heran studies the emotional experience of staying connected while using new technological tools.
As an Afrofuturist, Heran integrates and responds to anthropological and existential wisdom. Her Ethiopian-Canadian diaspora experiences are rooted in Toronto’s emerging arts and cultural spaces. Working with communities and pushing boundaries in experimental new media art, Heran’s work facilitates cross-continental cultural exchanges.
Heran is the founder of PlayStudioXYZ, an experimental integration technology studio committed to demystifying emerging tech through play and accessibility. This initiative shares experiences, builds local and international networks, and enables others via skill-sharing and teaching. The goal is to use technology and digitization to dismantle pre-existing barriers across various communities.
We got a little insight into her life during a sit and talk with her.
Can you give me a brief run through of what your day looks like so far?
So last year, I got a dog which fundamentally changed my lifestyle. A typical day in my life starts with responsibilities; wake up and feed my dog and walk him, then I try to get a little exercise in after that, I get a cup of coffee usually a triple shot of espresso by 10am, after that, I start winding into my tasks and planning my day which mostly involves organizing and scheduling because I tend to work on several projects at once so my planning usually goes into figuring out which project I’ll like to work on that day. Next phase is getting into the creative design aspect; creating charts or graphs and conceptualizing ideas using my VR headset. I use my virtual reality headset primarily for creating and designing. I do a lot of 3D design rendering, basically just actualizing some of my ideas in 3D using the VR headset. I like to use this 3D software program called Gravity Sketch (actually one of the founders is Nigerian so shout out to Nigerians). I also journal, usually after my morning walks, it helps me get in touch with myself and how I’m feeling. Sometimes, I write to God asking for directions in ways I can serve better or basically to figure out where my mind is at work wise. At noon, I have my lunch break. I also just got my studio back (I’d been subletting it for a few months), sometimes I drive down to my studio and just soak in being in a totally different creative atmosphere and headspace. I also like to clean a lot. Whenever I’m bored or don’t know what to do with myself, I just clean.
Did you get a dog because you were tired of people?
I actually got the dog randomly, it was totally unplanned. A friend of mine was selling their dog’s puppies and they were down to the last two and I opted to take one home to see how my family would react. I figured I’d just bring it back if they were against it but they didn’t and that’s how I became a dog owner. I had to start from scratch with learning what it means to be a dog owner and caring for another living being. Having a dog was a total shift in my lifestyle and mentality especially as regards responsibility, it’s become less abstract and because I’m more conceptual and intellectual I’ve lived in my head for so long but this dog has grounded me and made me focus on the more intuitive side of me that has to do with the physical world.
For most artists, spirituality plays a significant role in how we create and perceive life generally, you recently mentioned going back to Ethiopia to reconnect with your roots and self and also about talking to God to get your day started. How does spirituality come into play for you as a human being?
I studied International Development in Uni which involves a lot of studying and research around history, anthropology and studies of different cultures, civilisations, and their transitions. Studying for my degree really opened my eyes to the past and the complexities of humanity, I began to see patterns of the past in our present day and make connections to how technology has impacted the social construction and deconstruction of our current reality from the past. I think we can all admit that we are in a paradigm shift; tech is here and it’s impacted the things we believe in and the way humans see life. I’ve really just been studying this cycle of life. It’s why I kinda like to use the “futurist” term to label my work because all this knowledge of the past set me on the path of longing for the future because to know the future, you need to study the past and so I constantly find myself thinking ahead and deducing ways things will change in the future especially in the creative scene and this whole creator economy where humans are socializing and expressing ourselves creatively through social media channels. I basically went down this rabbit hole and it affected my mental health so I went to Ethiopia to find myself. It was a time of intense exploration and energy around finding purpose & my roots.
Can you give us a backstory into what inspired your decision to use technology as a medium for expression?
So straight up, I gotta give credit to a friend of mine named Jayanthan. Back in 2019, I used to work from a creative Co working space and I’d noticed this quiet Indian guy who was always on his laptop, he never really interacted with anybody but eventually he and I became friends and he introduced me to some creative apps on the VR headset, I was already aware of VR technology but Jayanthan opened my eyes to the creative aspect of it, he’s also the one who introduced to the Gravity Sketch app. My first time creating with VR was mind blowing, it felt like I hit the ceiling of my imagination. I was already super creative but this was simply profound, I was using unprecedented technology to express and create in ways that defies physics, it was surreal! I’d been limited to creating in 2D on paper or a digital screen but now I could create in 3D, just stroking in the air, above you, around you and bringing something out of nothing to life.
Augmented reality also enables me to share this with people with smartphones. It’s like more of a function of access, to showcase and to share. When I introduce it to other people, I want them to see that what they’ve created in their private VR headset can be seen in the real world through your camera, reality and brought to life in a whole new way. It provokes what can possibly be achieved through imagination, challenging people’s imagination to see that you can express & communicate in ways you’ve never thought of.
How does it feel like to get into new technology before it goes mainstream?
Honestly, it feels exciting for sure, but there’s this looming burden of responsibility and again, this is where my International Development stuff comes in. We studied a lot of how systems were formed to create inequalities today in our society and so the responsibility aspect is like, okay, there’s this new tool; there’s new technology that also inaccessible to people who are systematically disadvantaged so how can I reach them to show that they can also get ahead of the game and use these tools to bridge the gap of the inequality that they’ve been subjected to? That’s why I decided to work with artists, with people who are in the underground or emerging in the art space because they’re already in that headspace of wanting to express something deep and profound. I want to teach others how to use these tools so that they can get ahead too.
Why do you think it’s important for the younger generations to learn how to use these digital tools, virtual reality, artificial reality, and even AI?
These new technologies are the future just like the younger generation and it’s important that the gap is bridged. Honestly, my goal is to get young people who are systematically disadvantaged to show them what is possible using VR especially in my home country, Ethiopia where the young people face a lot of systemic issues. It is important that we are the ones bringing this exposure to our home countries rather than leaving it in the hands of Western influences. I want our people to experience this and know how exactly this was done and not just be like “oh my God, the French came in, did this thing” instead I want them to say that they learnt this and that at a workshop taught by their fellow kinsmen.
How do you find balance between creating through technological medium and your mental health as a human?
Creating via these mediums can be quite existentially challenging and this feeling in different realms and different reality like virtual reality, augmented reality, even social media has its own landscape. That’s why I say it’s very existential. You have to hold on to some aspect of who you are. You’re somebody online but in real life, who are you? There’s been so much research done around augmented reality filters centered around how people in their physical reality are often at odds with their digital reality and next is like the virtual aspect. For example, you could have a bunch of virtual money and a wealthy persona online yet have no money physically. I think that society has to create a space for people to exist more in their physical selves and identities because it’s very easy to get carried away. I always try to practice mindfulness especially as an artist whose profession revolves around these mediums. I’m teaching myself to coexist with the digital realm by protecting my physical space; taking care of my body and health via meditations, prayers etc. I’m also learning to take breaks in between by going on walks around the city and just spending time existing outside of the digital world.
What matters to you the most generally in life and why?
Honestly, the major thing that I wish for myself and everybody I come in contact with is to reach our highest potential and also understanding and appreciating the journey it takes to reach that potential; the mistakes, the lessons everything contributes to making the story and craft a legacy so we have to do our part & practice.
What’s something you’ve learned that you think everyone else should know?
I’ll say my biggest piece of advice or strong recommendation is for people to try to lean into their spatial sense of awareness, to learn to exist in your body and the space around you. I recently did an exhibit called proprioception practice; and proprioception is a term that means a sixth sense like, it’s a skill where you close your eyes and try to grasp where your physical body is in space. I feel like a key element of that paradigm shift is a total immersion of humans in our phones & devices and even in VR and we tend to forget the physical space around us so I’ll encourage people to try to be more aware of the physical space around them. When you go into new spaces, take a look around, look at the ceiling, observe the corners, appreciate the human design & construction around you.
