Cosmic arts copyright convention – LARP
Building on our exploration of immersive experiences for new research methodologies, we collaborated with Furtherfield Gallery to design a research LARP (Live Action Role-Play) Game to explore and test the consequences of advanced technologies, like AI, for human and more than human interests.
From the ArTechLaw-Furtherfield collaboration, we produced the Cosmic Arts Copyright Convention, a live role-playing game that tells the story of how first contact with extraterrestrials sparks a transformation of copyright law, creating more equitable systems for all beings. During the LARP, players act as delegates and:
Join one of four justice committees: Labour/Sentience Justice, Knowledge Justice, Global Majority Justice, or Climate Justice
Watch a video transmission sent from the Extraterrestrials
Deliberate in committees to prepare a two-minute statement
Present the two-minute committee statement and deliberate as a congress
And, rather than writing, the convention is drawn and signed by each delegate
For our inaugural online LARP, we invited players based on their interests and contributions at the intersection of business, creative industries, technology and law, exploring what it means to be an active participant and creator in a connected world increasingly shaped by knowledge inequity. It has since been tested at academic conferences in Boston, Sydney and Pittsburgh.
The LARP forms part of an academic study entitled ‘Live Action Role Play (LARP) as a Research and Teaching Method: Reimagining Copyright Policy for More-than-Human Interests in the Context of Generative AI.’ As a method, LARPing is playful, open and collaborative. Our aim is to study research engagement and effectiveness during immersive play activities that are designed to get people thinking about policy making in context, and beyond siloed disciplines, through embodied experiences in problem solving.
We are continuing to test and revise the LARP, which will be converted into an Open Educational Resource and teaching tool for use by learners in the arts, technology, law and related fields.