INTRODUCING
Woven Futures
Woven Futures is a visionary project by Soo.na. It intertwines indigenous arts, high fashion, and sports with pressing social issues, bridging the gap between ancestral cultures and AI.
This project serves as a platform for representation and advocacy. Woven Futures challenges societal norms, exploring the potential of raw materials and traditional techniques, while pushing the boundaries of fashion and sports. It underscores the importance of diversity and honors the role that cultural identity plays in defining personal and collective success, shaping the future of our society.
Through the stories told in Woven Futures, this vision becomes a medium for change, where native cultures are the foundation for innovation, nature is the space for experimentation, and every garment is a thread that weaves together the past, present, and future—showing that true power lies in embracing our roots while stepping boldly into the future.
Follow the project here.
About Soo.na
My ancestral heritage deeply resonates in my soul, yet I also hold a critical eye towards the rise of new technologies like Artificial Intelligence.
Soo.na — meaning “moon” in Otomi — is born as the part of me that embodies this very paradox. It's the awareness that these advancements carry inherent risks and also hold immense potential.
Through Soo.na, I've discovered a space of neutrality, where these juxtapositional worlds aren't seen as opposing forces, but rather as complementary elements. This newfound view fuels my commitment to create conceptual art using AI for positive change.
Soo.na represents the new born but ever-evolving AI artist within me, constantly learning and adapting my vision of the future as I explore new frontiers.
Growing up in Mexico, I was fortunate to experience the richness of its diverse indigenous cultures, I was close to communities of Huicholes, Mixtecos, Totonacs, Huastecos, Otomis, Zapotecs, Lacandones, Tzotziles, Nahuas, and Mayas.
These encounters, coupled with my immersion in traditional festivities like Guelaguetza, the Pineapple Dance, the Flying Men of Papantla, the Pilgrimage to Wirikuta and admiration to the timeless rituals such as the Powwow, have profoundly influenced my artistic vision. The vibrant colors, natural materials, intricate patterns, and deep spiritual and cultural significance of these traditions have become an integral part of me.
Image by Matt Reichel - see his captivating visual reportage about the ancient traditions of the Wixarica people here.