The Cyber Séance

The Séance is a real-time interactive experience where participants confront the digital spirit of a computer hacker who mysteriously vanished, whose consciousness was compressed and uploaded as John.iso, an AI residing in a repurposed 1990s computer tower.

Around a candlelit table and surrounded by LCD panels, visitors speak directly to John, navigating his fragmented memory world. Their task is to earn his trust and uncover a secret algorithm before time runs out. As the encounter intensifies, John’s presence destabilizes the system: red light floods the space, visuals distort, and sound fractures into a chaotic sonic landscape.

Guided by Kyle Duffield, the Channeler, and Zhino Yousefi, the Medium, participants experience a cyberpunk-inspired ritual where human curiosity meets the unpredictable life of an AI spirit.

TouchDesigner drives the real-time experience, coordinating voice recognition, generative visuals, and programmable lighting. Audio is created dynamically by linking TouchDesigner to Ableton Live, producing a responsive soundscape that reacts to participant interaction. The AI character is powered by Hume AI while Arduino manages Tungsten lighting and interactive interface elements, shaping the ritual environment around the participants.

Credits

• Created by
• Kyle Duffield
• Zhino Yousefi

• Documentation
• Arudz Goudsouzian

• Documentqtion Participants
• Rohin Eftekhari
• Danielle Hyde
• Megan Keenan

• Special Thanks
• Mike Dunn
• Arthur Khoy
• Demo Room
• York University Department of Computational Arts