Tristan Zand is a Swiss and American conceptual artist, experimental photographer, videographer, musician, software developer, and physician specializing in radiology and medical informatics. His multidisciplinary practice combines analog and digital media, artificial intelligence (AI), and distributed networks to explore human experiences, sensory perception, and creative interactions between technology and humanity. Zand divides his professional life between Switzerland, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Iceland.
Tristan Zand grew up between Switzerland and the San Francisco Bay Area, developing an early passion for electro-acoustics and punk-rock music in the 1980s. His early studies at Calvin Collège in Geneva, Switzerland, and Menlo-Atherton High School in California established his foundation in science and electro-acoustics. Zand continued his education at the University of Geneva, receiving his Swiss Federal Diploma in Medicine (1997) and specialization in Radiology and Pediatric Radiology (2008). He also engaged in a European Science, Society, and Technology master's degree (ESST) at EPFL Lausanne and Maastricht University (1999).[citation needed]
Career
Medical and scientific work
As a physician specializing in pediatric radiology and medical informatics, Zand has worked extensively in university hospitals, notably Geneva University Hospitals. His research emphasizes web-based data publication and segmentation for future AI training, pediatric medical imaging, radiation dose optimization, and advanced image-processing protocols to enhance diagnostic quality and patient safety. He has published scientific articles in prominent journals and presented his research at international radiology conferences.
Pediatric radiology and dose optimization in computed tomography (CT)
Open source multimedia e-learning platforms for medical training[3][4]
Innovations in medical imaging techniques including EOS imaging and MRI fusion technology[5][6]
Multimedia, technology, and media production
Zand has been involved in multimedia production, web development, and software creation since the mid-1990s. He created pioneering internet platforms including Wild.ch (1995),[7]Poinch.ch (2000),[8] and BolinOS (2000–2005)—an open-source web operating system used in medical informatics.[9][10]
He is the founder and CEO of Loopr.net, a live-looping music app available on iOS, and continues to create bespoke software, photographic tools, and apps focusing on image manipulation and music creation.
He is also referred through his writings of 2006-7 to as one of the first to coin and define the meaning of Web 3.0.[11][12] He regularly writes articles on various media and platform, including on Medium.com where he discusses mainly photography and technology (e.g. NFTart).[13]
His early expertise in Internet technologies and online art practice lead him from 1996 to work as a presenter, journalist and producer at Télévision_Suisse_Romande (French Swiss National Television).[14]
Artistic work and exhibitions
Zand's artistic production combines photography, videography, conceptual art, and AI-driven music. He served as Art Director of the Geneva International Photo Festival.[15]
His artistic production frequently emphasizes digital artifacts, glitches, and creative coding, integrating custom software and AI technologies as tools and conceptual elements. Zand has created bespoke generative AI models for Alias Studio, designed specifically for artistic image generation.[16]
Music projects
Under his artistic alias DrilX, Zand produces music using AI-driven generative techniques,[17] frequently presenting live performances and digital media installations at festivals and exhibitions. His previous notable music-related projects include:
Zand-O-Matics (1996): Experimental solo bass and software-based music project.
VTT and The Stunted (2001): Post-grunge trio composed of Vincent 'Vinston' Thaon on guitar, Thierry 'Paley' on drums, and Tristan 'Z' Zand on bass and vocals, where they went by the nick names respectively of Max, Bob, and Jim.[18]
Youpi (2004): Jazz-metal trio composed of Fred Boss (drums), Christophe 'Papa Ours' Aliaga (guitar), and Tristan 'Z' Zand on bass and voice. Vincent 'Vinston' Thaon joined the guitar section from the second concert on.[19]
The BootyMachine (2006–2009): Collaborative multimedia platform, documented in the book The BootyMachine 2007: 366 Days of Experimental Narration.[20] The project won an award at IRCAM in Paris (third place) for a real-time trained generative AI model (RAVE) based on two of the musicians' dataset generated following the original art protocol of the project.[21]
Infinite Slop (2025): experimental AI mixtape revisiting by means of seeding his music loops from Z O Matic into generative AI tools and resulting in the form of a continuous one hour podcast of wildly different style songs.[22]
Discography
As DrilX, Zand released several albums:
AI's Hit (2024)
Hits Sif Kudecup (2024)
Cold Tunes For a Dark Supper (2023)
Sounds Like Two Sounds of Nineteen (2019)
AI-generated music videos
Zand has produced numerous AI-generated music videos under his DrilX alias, gaining recognition at international film festivals. Notable selections include:
"Hide the VHS" – Official selection for the 2025 ANIMED Mediterranean Animation Film Festival in Alicante, Spain.[23]
"Why Wonder" – Official selection for the 2025 Berlin Lift-Off Film Festival and Paradise SHREDition in New York's Lower East Side.
"Ecoutez La Gaité l'Eté, l'Eté C'est Dédé les Catelles" – Finalist at the 2025 East Village New York Film Festival.
"Why Wonder" and "Hide the VHS" – Official selections for the 2025 Europe Music Video Awards in Košice, Slovakia.
"Why Wonder" – Official selection for the 2025 Burano Artificial Intelligence Film Festival (BAIFF) in Venice[24] and the first Seattle Artificial Intelligence Film Festival in 2025 [25]
He is also credited on Peter Gabriel's 5050.dev project website as the artist who created the video for Peter Gabriel's "Road To Joy (Dark-Side Mix)" music video.[26]
Artistic philosophy
Zand’s artistic philosophy integrates digital and analog methodologies, advocating for balanced and conscious use of AI and technology. His creative approach seeks to bridge human emotional depth and narrative complexity, viewing digital artifacts and computational techniques as complementary tools to traditional sensory experiences.
His writings and research explore the ethical and philosophical implications of AI technologies, emphasizing the need for responsible integration within artistic and scientific disciplines.
Additionally, his work catalyses open-source and open-data initiatives. He joined a group of supporters and is one of the signataries of the activist double-page Mozilla Foundation New York Times ad to promote open source software in 2004.[27]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
