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# Artist and Researcher Dr. Pinar Yoldas Discusses her Experience at UCLA Design Media Arts
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/pinar-yoldas-ucla-design-media-arts/
- Published: 2019-10-25T17:06:39.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T15:53:09.000Z
- Description: The UCLA Design Media Arts MFA is a rigorous environment for critical thinking and art-making in the context of media and technology. Apply by January 9, 2020.
- Author: UCLA
- Tags: Announcement, Art Education Announcements, California, Los Angeles, UCLA, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 07:41 (2019, 2020, part 2)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2019/10/sponsored-post-image.jpg)

Pinar Yoldas, The Kitty AI : Artificial Intelligence for Governance, (2016) Mixed media installation.

[UCLA Design Media Arts](http://bit.ly/2MAITEs?ref=hyperallergic.com) alumna Dr. Pinar Yoldas discusses her practice, a recent project, and tells us what she valued most about her experience at DMA:

**How would you define your practice?**  
My practice explores art in the anthropocene in order to engineer affect and critical thinking in the viewer/participant/audience. I design multimodal experiences in an attempt to create intellectual/discursive disruptions and provoke long-lasting activism.

**Can you describe a recent project?**  
One recent project is the Kitty AI: Artificial Intelligence for Governance. I was exploring an alternative to current day politics, specifically a democracy that integrates A.I. I did research on emotion and decision making, released a short film in 2016, currently working on a mobile app where you can chat with the Kitty AI. Working on an update for An Ecosystem of Excess(2013) which focuses on plastic pollution by envisioning a post-anthropocene world where a new ecosystem emerges in our plastic-filled oceans. Genetically Modified Gods is a world-building study inspired by CRISPR and the topic of designing humans.

**Why did you choose DMA?**  
I thought the work generated there was more innovative and less mainstream. I wanted tech skills but I also wanted the freedom to instigate critical thinking with my work.

**What did you value most about your time at DMA?**  
People. I exploited the fact that there were like-minded people around me. My cohort was also super cool, all of which are doing great now, and I’m happy that I built lifelong friendships through DMA.

**Can you describe yourself in 6 words?**  
synaptic sculptor, curious, loves cats, pencils

UCLA DMA is a rigorous environment for critical thinking and art-making in the context of media and technology. [Apply](http://bit.ly/35Ww134?ref=hyperallergic.com) by January 9, 2020.

**For more information, please sign up for an informal** [**information session**](http://bit.ly/35Paut8?ref=hyperallergic.com) **or visit** [**mfa.dma.ucla.edu**](http://bit.ly/2MAITEs?ref=hyperallergic.com)**.**