Skip to main content
Contemporary Art Practice (MA)

Alyse Stone

Alyse Stone (b. New York, NY) is an American, multi-disciplinary visual artist, engineer, and historical futurist. She lives and works between London and Los Angeles.

Stone’s work has been exhibited in museums and galleries internationally. Her mural-sized paintings, material evolutionary sculptures, sci-fi writing, and large-scale installations merge to build worlds that foreground the Black imagination in an entirely new terrain. Moments of history in the present are recreated through both virtual and physical storytelling in a method that she has defined as Historical Futurism for her universe The Black Alchemisphere. Stone presents a challenge to the past from the present: engineering new methodologies and mythologies for a democratic future. She previewed The Black Alchemisphere, at the Beyond Surfaces festival at the Tate Modern.

Alyse is the second Black student in the history of the RCA to attend the institution on a Global Talent Visa sponsored by the British Arts Council. She received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from George Washington University and was sponsored by Northrop Grumman as a Jackie Robinson Scholar. Stone’s tech credentials include launching her first start-up at 21 years old and as Product Design Engineer has spearheaded projects for Apple and Google that have driven ~$24 million in revenue.

She was shortlisted for 2023 Bloomberg New Contemporaries and has been profiled by Calvin Klein. Involved in social/political work for a decade, Stone received a commission encouraging voting for the United States 2020 Election and led an art activism initiative in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, titled THE ART OF MAKING NOISE.

Solo Exhibitions:

Shoreditch Arts Club

July 15: 12 PM - 6 PM

Performance:

An Evening with Alyse Stone

July 15: 7 PM - Midnight


House of Annetta

July 13: 6 PM - 9 PM

July 14: 3 PM - 6 PM

July 15: 12 PM - 6 PM


RSVP Here

Degree Details

School of Arts & HumanitiesContemporary Art Practice (MA)Critical PracticeRCA2023 at Truman Brewery

Truman Brewery, F Block, Ground, first and second floors

artist looking at her shadow in a mystical blue setting

Alyse Stone is a multi-disciplinary visual artist and engineer whose practice is rooted in time-parallel fictioning through a method she defines as Historical Futurism. A historical futurist, Stone re-imagines the complexities of contemporary ecosystems through analytical worldbuilding. The artist examines painting, sculpture, writing, immersive, robotics, and installation as a means to explore a new landscape of Black imagination and escapism as a concourse to freedom. By combining art, technology, storytelling, and archival research, Stone bridges the informational gaps that have the power to transform conversations in our society. With each developed narrative, the artist immerses herself in these new realities of mixed media and technology to revolutionize the visual dialogue.

The Black Alchemishpere, is a 10-chapter time-parallel fictional universe, driven by historical futurism: a method to reclaim Black Freedom through virtual and physical storytelling.

The introductory chapter of the project is presented in several locations as a walkable journey in London in July 2023. The beginning of this universe explores robotics, machine learning-driven paintings, material evolutionary sculptures, immersive installation, and performance.


Stone constructs her detailed universe of Black Alchemy and auto-theoretical science fiction to immerse the viewer into a universe where Black Women are the main characters, and history is re-imagined. In this realm of time travel, the main character, Selika Laveski (the alias of an actual historical figure) discovers the deep well of her powers and the unlimited possibilities.

The three exhibition spaces are designed to function as the various acts/chapters: The Waiting Room, teleports the audience into Stone’s re-imagined reality. A short walk away, The Black Alchemist Boudoir includes: Dark Matter, embracing the viewer in an oasis of new cosmic materiality, and The Portal, a painting installation with a VR experience. The last space, The Origin Story, is a multi-channel film installation with an evening performance featuring Stone.


Crafted and developed by Stone for the past three years, the project culminates in the book, The Origins of The Black Alchemishpere, which will be released in 2024 and accompanies the installation work. In addition, she was awarded Distinction on her dissertation, Engineering a New World Order: an Afrofuturist’s Critique on the Contemporary Divide which delves into her methodology and research. Alyse aims to teleport her viewers with art, in addition to innovating and re-imagining data-driven storytelling.

map to walk the black alchemisphere
painting
Aurora Consurgens: Decoding the Enigma of Historical Truth
detail painting sho
detail painting shot

Medium:

mixed media, archives, metal patina, gold leaf on canvas

Size:

130 cm x 182 cm x 10 cm
painting
Paphnutia, The Black Alchemist

Ensorcels: the Black Alchemists

Reborn a Black Alchemist, each woman traverses the corridors of time. A carbon copy of the lantern of her soul becomes the steadfast anchor for her and the transformative journey that lies ahead. The mixed media composition showcases archival images, alongside genuine alchemical texts sourced from Stone's meticulous research.

Within this Black Alchemical Universe, the central characters engage with numerous historical figures, breathing life into encounters that transcend the boundaries of reality. Fiction gracefully weaves itself into the narrative, seamlessly bridging the gaps for conversations, interactions, and the retelling of speculative histories, all with the intent of reshaping the trajectory of contemporary discourse.

The archives swiftly emerge as a cornerstone of this artistic methodology. However, they often bear the weight of incompleteness, with forgotten tales or unrecoverable remnants. Within every step of the process, gaps persist, as eloquently expressed by Ines Ponte, who regards archives as "structured repositories whose dynamics rely on the archivist," thereby introducing the possibility of human fallibility in the preservation of history. The culmination of this three-year research initiative presents an idea: a methodology and a visual practice that both scrutinize and establish a sacred space wherein new possibilities can emerge for Black women, both in the present and the future.


An ongoing series of about 10 pieces. To see more works and explore acquiring a piece, please visit this collector's link. Password: stonestudiosvip

Medium:

Archives, mixed media, gold leaf, on canvas

Size:

180 x 127 x 4 cm
 

Unlocking the gateway requires an intricate cipher, an entryway into a realm where equilibrium is disrupted, paving the way for a collective sojourn. Within this passage, Stone prepares the viewer for an immersive plunge into her universe—a realm interwoven with threads of history, science, and the audacious notion of traversing time itself. Here, the boundaries blur between enchantment and technological fusion, offering a conduit to delve into the depths of inner exploration and unearth the mysteries that unfold within.

abstract painting

Stone aspires for her audience to be enveloped in the very essence of dark matter, immersing them within its depths. Through her ongoing series of 15+ paintings, she redefines the notion of materiality within her cosmic universe. In the creation of these artworks, Stone articulates how the matter seemingly transcends the confines of the canvas, effortlessly leaping into existence. Within this celestial realm, the infinite expanse of obsidian black emerges as a resolute and commanding hue, symbolizing ancestral energy, strength, and liberation.


To see more works and explore acquiring a piece, please visit this collector's link. Password: stonestudiosvip

Medium:

Stone's paint formula, mixed media on canvas

Size:

160 cm x 338 cm x 4 cm
sculpture

One specimen from a series comprising more than 20 Dark Matter organisms.


Within the second chapter of Stone's expansive universe, Selika finds herself amidst a desert landscape, but not on her own familiar planet. Within this alternate time dimension, the Dark Matter entities assume a stature surpassing mere corporeal existence. It is here that Selika comprehends the profound truth—that this primordial ancestral energy has been guiding her throughout her journey. Rendering in virtual reality, Stone immortalizes the data sourced from her digital realm, transposing it into tangible form.

These forms, evoking a sense of biological essence, manifest within the ethereal layers of space and time. Microbes of cosmic significance. Ancestral energy pulsating through the membranes of the universe's cells. And at the utmost boundary, an almost diminutive congregation of nano-biological particles.

This matter underwent a transformative black alchemy at the beginning of time, when the original being time walked. The very essence of herself, an ancient sacred being, interweaving with the fabric of time and space, eternally entwined yet transcendent.

Medium:

3D printed polycarbonate, painted, glass vessel

Size:

27 cm x 15 cm DIA
sculpture
sculpture
sculpture
sculpture
sculpture
sculpture

Labyrinth, an ongoing series of 10 works, encapsulates a captivating series of Stone's abstract renderings that delve into the enigmatic realm of Dark Matter—the primordial energy that serves as a guiding force for the protagonists throughout their odyssey. Within these intricate compositions, Stone masterfully weaves together alienesque entities, which emanate an ethereal quality, evoking an otherworldly allure. Rooted in her background as an engineer, Stone draws upon her meticulous examination of product architecture, specifically the sinuous contours that define their surfaces.

These clay formations, while abstract in nature, exude an intriguing lack of symmetry, assuming an almost extraterrestrial corporeality. They arise from a harmonious amalgamation of interconnected curves, meticulously woven together in an organic, spontaneous manner. While Stone's discerning eye dissects the curvature and architectural elements, she humbly surrenders to the clay's innate essence, allowing it to dictate the course of its own creation.

Labyrinth symbolizes the profound interplay between Stone's analytical prowess and the intuitive conversations she engages in with her chosen medium. The series harmoniously merges the precision of engineering with the untamed allure of clay, resulting in a body of work that invites viewers to explore the enigmatic depths of existence itself.


To see more works and explore acquiring a piece, please visit this collector's link. Password: stonestudiosvip

Medium:

clay, metal patina, acrylic

Size:

all sculptures are around 50 x 40 x 30 cm
sculptural painting

An ongoing series comprised of almost 10 works. Within the expanse of a mural-sized sculptural painting, a tapestry unfolds, seamlessly intertwining with Stone's Black Alchemical universe. It serves as a testament to our ongoing exploration of collective histories, both as a community and as a people within the present timeline. As we delve deeper into the land we inhabit and the future we endeavor to construct upon it, this artwork becomes a gateway to unearthing hidden truths and narratives.

In this abstract landscape, where sculpture seamlessly transitions into painting, a terrain emerges—a topography of interconnected data points. We embark on a quest to unravel the multifaceted layers of truth and stories that lie dormant. Each brushstroke and sculpted form becomes a guiding marker, illuminating the path towards a deeper understanding of our shared heritage.

As we navigate this expanse, we are beckoned to embrace the revelation of these concealed truths, to breathe life into forgotten tales, and to forge new connections within the ever-evolving tapestry of human existence. This painting and series serve as a vessel, melding artistry and exploration, empowering us to embark on a transformative journey towards collective growth.

Medium:

Stone’s paint formula, spray paint, mixed media on canvas

Size:

254 x 432 x 15 cm
 
hand holds face
text reading "the archives speak of their wonder"

In the Beginning, There was Alchemy

It started with Black Alchemy

Black intellectualism.

Black prestige.

The birth of ancestral magic

The birth of time

They walked through the timelines appearing in plain sight.

The archives speak of their wonder.

A force took her over... A whispering...

There was something waiting for her.

Looming, evading,

Ever present, and always watching.

Its darkness was warm, inviting, and wise.

She beckoned to “it”

The “it” a curiosity and longing she could not quite describe.

It was a door. An invitation.

A portal to another world, another life

Another understanding of this universe.

Medium:

multichannel video installation
gallery installation
Launch Project
gallery installation
Launch Project

This Private Gallery next to the American Embassy was the site for two intro chapters of Stone’s Black Alchemisphere. The 360 gallery walk through features the first chapter titled, A Portal to the World, which teleports the audience and introduces this new universe. The second introductory chapter titled, Dark Matter, leaves the viewer in an oasis of new cosmic materiality. The installation is comprised of over 10 paintings, 13 sculptures, video installation, as well as mixed media works, and works made using virtual reality.

To explore acquiring a piece from the exhibition, please visit this collector's link. Password: stonestudiosvip

Royal College of Art, Los Angeles Dream Fund, Center for Cultural Innovation