Samar Younes on pluridisciplinary art, AI as artisanal intelligence, future ancestors, and nomadic culture

“To me, envisioning a future should involve elements anchored in nature, modern materials, and sustainable practices, challenging Western-centric constructs of ‘futuristic.’ Artisanal intelligence is about understanding material culture, combining traditional craft with modern techniques, and redefining what feels ‘modern.’”

– Samar Younes

About Samar Younes

Samar Younes is a pluridisciplinary hybrid artist and futurist working across art, design, fashion, technology, experiential futures, culture, sustainability and education. She is founder of SAMARITUAL which produces the “Future Ancestors” series, proposing alternative visions for our planet’s next custodians. She has previously worked in senior roles for brands like Coach and Anthropologie and has won numerous awards for her work.

LinkedIn: Samar Younes

Website: www.samaritual.com

University Profile: Samar Younes

What you will learn

• Exploring the intersection of art, AI, and cultural identity
• Reimagining future aesthetics through artisanal intelligence
• Blending traditional craftsmanship with digital innovation
• Challenging Western-centric ideas of “modern” and “futuristic”
• Using AI to amplify narratives from the Global South
• Building a sustainable, nature-anchored digital future
• Embracing imperfection and creativity in the age of AI

Episode Resources

• Silk Road
• Web3
• Metaverse
• Orientalist
• AI (Artificial Intelligence)
• Artisanal Intelligence
• Dubai Future Forum
• Neuroaesthetics
• ChatGPT
• Runway ML
• Midjourney
• Archives of the Future
• Luma
• Large Language Model (LLM)
• Gun Model

Transcript

Ross Dawson: Samar, it’s awesome to have you on the show.

Samar Younes: Thank you so much. Thanks for having me.

Ross: So you describe yourself as a plural, disciplinary hybrid, artist, futurist, and creative catalyst. That sounds wonderful. What does that mean? What do you do?

Samar: What does that mean? It means that I am many layers of the life that I’ve had. I started my training as an architect and worked as a scenographer