Conversations with My Deepfake Dad, a series of conversations, was created through my interactions with the audio deepfake of my father. His responses are based on different sources of information, producing a kaleidoscope of different dads. For each of the conversations in the series, I visit family members, Gestalt therapists, mediums, and others who can help me imagine what these conversations would have been like. When my research is completed, I sift through the transcripts and identify the pieces that resonate with me. I position and rearrange each piece until they start to take the shape of a conversation. After the script is completed, I record my part and then work with the AI model to create my father’s responses. The final step is reassembling the clips in ProTools, where I can adjust the timing and refine the sound. In our conversations, I struggle with the question – how do you reconstruct someone who is no longer here?

Sarah Sweeney explores photography and documentary media through digital manipulation, transforming fragments of recorded memory into new visual and sonic confabulations. Working with found materials—Flickr feeds, eBay wedding albums, paparazzi photos, and voice memos—she reconfigures these digital remnants like a skin grafter, blending memory and invention. Her manipulated works twist and elongate bodies and landscapes, making visible the unseen forces of desire, anxiety, fantasy, and loss—emotions often absent from curated photo streams and social media archives. Sarah’s recent accomplishments include a residency at CultureHub, a Media Arts Assistance Fund grant via Wave Farm, and recognition as a finalist for the Arte Laguna Prize. She has presented on ethics and AI at Colby College, appeared on Radia, and led a listening session with seniors through DOROT.

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@sarahelizabethsweeney