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Public Arts, Public Cities, Public Talk by Jai Djwa in Port Coquitlam
There are arguably fewer more urgent conversations taking place in the arts than those involving the emergence of Artificial Intelligence. Indeed, the social, cultural and economic impacts that AI poses to how we create and how we live and work together remain largely unknown. ArtsConnect invites you to a what promises to be a provocative and illuminating talk by Jai Djwa at The Outlet, 2248 McAllister Avenue in Port Coquitlam on Tuesday 9 June 2026 at 5:30pm.
As Jai Djwa describes his talk, Both Hands Full: Resilience as an Artist’s Practice in the Age of AI: “Resilience is a muscle artists already have. We remake our practice when conditions change, and we work in the cracks of systems that weren’t built for us. AI is the latest condition to tackle, and it asks for both hands. One hand holds the harms: scraped work, lost commissions, power consolidated in a few platforms, and real environmental cost. The other holds what is opening up: new forms, freedom from admin, and faster ways to test an idea. Refusing both the booster and the doomer reflex is itself an act of resilience. Drawing on work with the BC Arts Council and Arts BC, and on a current dance residency that investigates AI into live performance, I offer a practical, values-forward way for artists and arts communities to stay flexible, stay specific, and stay in the conversation.”
Jai Djwa is a Vancouver-based artist and educator whose practice spans electroacoustic composition, AI-augmented interaction design, and creative performance. With an MFA in Electronic Arts from RPI and 25+ years bridging art, technology, and social change, he currently runs the Interaction Design program at Capilano University while exploring how AI agents can be personalized to an artist’s own voice. He served on the BC Arts Council for 6 years, and is currently on the board of Arts BC.
This talk is presented as part of ArtsConnect’s “Public Walks, Public Spaces, Public Arts, Public Cities” program. The 2026 program includes a series of related discussions on the place of the artist and the arts in creating socially, culturally and economically dynamic and resilient communities in the Tri-Cities led by a diverse collection of professionals working across all forms of art, culture, architecture, urban planning, technology, economics and more. Recent presentations have included Brian McBay’s talk on 30 May 2026 in Port Moody and forthcoming presentations include a talk by Kamala Jasmine Todd in Coquitlam on 20 June 2026 in partnership with the Coquitlam Public Library.
ArtsConnect gratefully acknowledges the support of the City of Coquitlam’s Spirit of Coquitlam Grant Program, the City of Port Coquitlam Community Cultural Development Investment Program, the City of Port Moody, The Village of Anmore, the Port Coquitlam Community Foundation, and the Coquitlam Public Library.
