Status: in distribution
NERD_FUNK is a swirling, multi-sensory dive into the ever-shifting aesthetics of social media. Built over seven years of research by artists Ali Eslami and Mamali Shafahi, it unfolds in five chapters – three in VR, and two as audiovisual and spatial works in a collaboration with Pensive Vivifier, – each one a portal into the strange, restless energy of online visual culture.
At its core is nerd_funk, a virtual entity born from the Instagram Stories of over 1,000 people collected in 2018. These creators, both devoted to and critical of the platform, flooded their feeds with an unending stream of images, each one bending, remixing, and redefining what the platform could be. From this living archive emerged a kaleidoscope of styles and stories, forming the foundation for nerd_funk’s five intertwined narratives. Together, they capture the humour, chaos, beauty, and fleeting nature of a digital culture that never stands still.
Credits:
Artists: Ali Eslami and Mamali Shafahi
3d Modelling and Animation: Diego Grandry, Pensive Vivifier
Team Audiovisual: Guillaume Roux, Shahin Entezami, Post-neon, Diego Grandry, Pensive Vivifier
Exhibited at:
2025
“Nerd_Funk: a 7-year odyssey”, Exhibition, MU hybrid artspace, Eindhoven, NL (Solo)
2023
“Nerd_Funk”, VR Experience in 2 chapters, LEV Festival, Madrid, Spain (Group)
2022
– “Nerd_Funk”, VR Experience in 2 chapters, Sonar Festival, Barcelona, Spain (Group)
– “Nerd_Funk”, VR Experience in 2 chapters, CTM Festival, Berlin, Germany (Group)
– “Nerd_Funk”, VR Experience in 2 chapters, Melkweg Expo, Amsterdam, NL (Group)
2021
– “Nerd_Funk”, VR Installation with 2 chapters, Patty Morgan Gallery, Amsterdam, NL (Solo)
– “Nerd_Funk”, VR Installation with 2 chapters, Nederlands Film Festival, Utrecht, NL (Group)
2020
– “Nerd_Funk”, Online Exhibition, Impossible-bodies Festival, Den Bosch, NL (Group)
– “Nerd_Funk”, Online Exhibition, CPH:Dox Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark (Group)
– “Nerd_Funk”, VR Experience in 2 chapters, Ambulante Film Festival, CDMX, Mexico (Group)
2019
– “Nerd_Funk”, VR Installation with 2 chapters, IDFA Doclab, Amsterdam, NL (Group)
Awards
Golden Calf for Best Interactive, Netherlands Film Festival (2020) (first two chapters)
With the kind financial support of Creative Industry Fund NL, Mondriaan Fund, Amsterdam Fund for the Arts (AFK), Rijksakademie
