Laura Allcorn

Laura is an internationally exhibiting artist, performer and the founder of The Institute For Comedic Inquiry. Her work often explores the societal effects of emerging technologies.

She devises participatory performances that are centered around a comedic premise in a not-too-distant future. They surface the absurdity of the situations we might face: what strange new behaviors or social dynamics will we adopt? What ethical decisions will we have to make? What exactly do we want from a future mediated by technology?

Striking scenography immerses audiences in a speculative, satirical world and draws them into a state of play. Facilitated by an improvisational performance score, audiences are invited to approach their role as themselves, following their impulses and sharing their lived experiences. Through their participation, audiences rehearse for the future they want.

Her work has been shown at The Victoria & Albert Museum; Science Gallery (Dublin, Melbourne, Monterrey, Detroit); Dublin Fringe Festival; Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona; ArtScience Museum Singapore; MOD. Museum of Discovery; Creative Time Summit X New York; PRIMER19: Design For All; Risk/Reward Pavement Festival and the International Society For Humor Studies conference.

Laura also has over a decade of experience designing interactive exhibitions and experiences for cultural institutions and brands. She teaches workshops and mentors MFA candidates at Pacific Northwest College of Art.

We collaborate with scientists, researchers, philosophers, artists, designers, comedians, and performers.

FEATURED COLLABORATORS

Gloria Mark, PhD (Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine), collaborator on Pledge Drive For Attention.

Dr. Jennifer Edmond (ADAPT Research Centre + Associate Professor of Digital Humanities at Trinity College Dublin), collaborator on SKU-Market

Dr. Ivan Bacher (ADAPT Research Centre), collaborator on SKU-Market App and AI Profile Generator

Nikole Gramm (Visual Designer), collaborator on SKU-Market and IFCI logo

Thomas Wester (Technical Director, Glowbox), collaborator on syntHAsizer and 2022 Gait Augmentation Seminar

Greg Bryant (Professor, Department of Communications, UCLA), collaborator on syntHAsizer

Matthew Phillip Williams (Designer), collaborator on syntHAsizer

Traci Sym, (Principal, +&> Design Studio) collaborator and performer in Insecurities Security Screening

Katie Shook (Artist + Mudland Director), performer in Insecurities Security Screening, and The Reactionizer

Rebecca Gates (Musician, Curator, Artist), collaborator on The Reactionizer

Sorob Louie (Creative Technologist), collaborator on Portland Laugh Line