Faith Aya Umoh

New Media Artist, Creative Director & Applied AI Researcher

Faith “Aya” Umoh is a new media artist, creative director, Applied AI researcher and the founder of Creative Aya. Her work blends cultural narratives with technology to create immersive, interactive experiences. With 15 years in technology and a Master’s in Biostatistics and Public Health, she has developed 11 AI-driven products, including her first co-creative AI software funded by a Stanford research grant. Aya’s work spans generative AI, motion capture, and participatory storytelling, exploring identity, memory, and ancestral knowledge in transformative ways.

At the heart of her immersive practice is a drive to preserve heritage and lived knowledge while opening new spaces for reflection and co-creation. She builds participatory environments where audiences move beyond spectatorship into active dialogue—experiences that honor tradition while imagining future possibilities. She is also developing a neuroscience-informed Social Impact Model linking immersive media to community healing and cultural preservation. Beyond her own projects, Aya is passionate about making immersive storytelling more participatory and accessible for creators, brands, and communities worldwide.

Her work has been showcased in exhibitions across seven countries, including Artists Who Code with W1 Curates and Artsy in London, and the Max Ernst Museum in Germany. In 2024 she debuted her solo show Aya’s Rhythmic Wave at UCLA’s Social Software Lab, reimagining African diasporic dance through AI and motion capture. In 2025 she won the MIT Reality Hack XR Grand Prize and Black Public Media’s Immersive Pitch. A Royal Shakespeare Company Artist Research Fellow and Artist-in-Residence at The Music Center Los Angeles, Aya’s multidisciplinary work explores the boundaries of how technology can honor heritage, spark reflection, and reshape the future of storytelling.