Presenting ‘Milkmaid’s Pitcher’ at the Born-Digital Collections, Archives & Memory Conference – 3 April, London
On 3rd April, I’ll be presenting one of our most advanced digital-born art projects at the Born-Digital Collections, Archives & Memory conference at the School of Advanced Study (SAS), University of London.
‘Milkmaid’s Pitcher’ is a generative, multimodal art project that bridges the gap between immersive WebGL environments and WebXR experiences. At its core is a 3D animated sculpture—an abstracted splash of milk dividing a virtual pitcher—rooted in the interplay between traditional conceptual art and algorithmic aesthetics. Sculpting with code, in the matter of the digital metaverse, becomes a performative act.
This work is part of a larger collection titled The Dystopia of Imitation, supported by Arts Council England. The collection includes more than 200 objects generated by users through mobile interactions. These generative forms are not only animated in real-time but also enriched with metadata, resulting in geo-localised, metadata-driven NFTs.
The project is a convergence of creative coding, digital curation, and performative engagement. Users’ gestures shape dynamic sculptures, producing unique artefacts that live across multiple digital dimensions—from mobile to AR, from data structures to visual expression. In this way, the project expands the potential of born-digital art: it’s not just made for the digital world—it emerges from it.
During the conference demo, I’ll discuss:
- The role of metadata and markup languages in shaping born-digital artworks
- The conceptual and aesthetic inspirations behind the project (including a nod to Vermeer’s The Milkmaid)
- The integration of virtual gallery spaces and how they redefine artistic processes
- The creative methodologies we used—from generative code to qualitative digital art analysis
Ultimately, Milkmaid’s Pitcher is about exploring new ways of creating, sharing, and experiencing art—fluid, participatory, and digitally native.
If you’re attending the conference, come say hi or reach out online—I’d love to connect.
