South by Southwest Expands to London with a Fusion of Music, Film, and Tech

In 2021, digital artist Beeple achieved a milestone when his digital collage, composed of 5,000 images, sold for an unprecedented $69.3 million at auction.

Beeple, born Mike Winkelmann, is among the featured creators at the inaugural South by Southwest London festival. Presenting his work titled “The Tree of Knowledge,” he offers a powerful commentary on society's growing dependence on smartphones.

“Many people underestimate how much their phones contribute to stress,” Beeple explained in a recent interview. “They amplify the noise in their lives, but they have the power to reduce it by simply setting their phones aside and embracing a calmer state where technology still plays a role.”

The installation consists of a large, refrigerator-sized box featuring a giant tree recreated through projection mapping. Screens cover every side, displaying real-time news, stock updates, and data streams. Visitors can rotate a dial to increase or decrease the information flow, symbolizing the constant barrage of data faced in daily life.

This immersive artwork captures the essence of South by Southwest London, which kicks off on Monday and runs through June 7. The festival boasts a varied lineup of speakers, including ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus, actor Idris Elba, wellness expert Deepak Chopra, primatologist Jane Goodall, and comedian Katherine Ryan. Tech innovators such as Demis Hassabis, co-founder of DeepMind and Nobel Prize laureate, along with Alex Kendall, CEO of AI-driven autonomous vehicle company Wayve, will also participate.