new media art
festival VOLUME X, ISSUE Y
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NEW MEDIA FESTIVALS Before we answer this question, we need to ask ourselves what is new media art? New media art started its presence in the 1960s but it was until the 1980s that it began to take shape. Throughout the 80s and 90s, Europe and Japan were the places to go to visit and understand new media artworks, the U.S. took much longer to catch on. The main reason behind this was government funding for cul-
Why can’t new media art be displayed in museums and galleries?
tural engagement of the arts did not happen in the
Well it can, but new media art consistently pushes
U.S. However, in Europe and Japan not only did the
the boundaries so it challenges the museums and
governments fund the display of artwork, but they
galleries. Often, museums and galleries can display
also funded the development of new forms of art
limited amounts of new media work due to space,
such as interactive computer-based installations.
time, and technology restrictions. Also, people tend
With the increasing presence of new media, there
to be more comfortable in a festival environment
was a need for the work to be exhibited and inter-
rather than a gallery space as there are less im-
active with, and so new media art festivals were
posed limitations such as being able to interact
born.
freely with the works presented.
New media art festivals are exactly what they sound
In a festival setting, the relationship between the
like; festivals designated to showcase works of
audience, the piece and also the environment its
new media art. The work can include installations,
situated in can be explored and fully appreciated,
computers, interactive technology, bioart, photog-
especially if the work is more site-specific. Festivals
raphy and so much more. Festivals such as ISEA,
create opportunities for sharing, sharing experi-
Ars Electronica and DEAF are amongst some of the
ences with the works and their interactions, shar-
oldest new media festivals which still continue to
ing opinions and thoughts of the theme explored
this day and attract not only artists but scientists,
through the works as well as be able to have an
engineers, critics, curators, and musicians.
open dialogue with artists.
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New Media Art Magazine
Expect pretty much anything and everything! The topic of new media art is incredibly diverse and it can encompass pretty much anything imaginable. Unlike other genres of art, new media art focuses on both the production and the concept behind the work. It can be physically interactive or change in response to audio or the environment, it can take the form of photographs, videos or even be presented using biological material. Also, you should expect lots of people, all of who
What to bring to a new media art festival 1. An Open Mind An open mind! This is key to fully immersing yourselves into the artwork. There might be pieces that you won’t consider as art or shouldn’t be displayed but by having an open mind, you can understand why they were chosen or why an artist went in a certain direction.
will want to try out every interactive art piece so
2. confidence
make sure you allocate sufficient time to seeing
Some artworks are made for interactivity so don’t
those on the top of your priority list. There will
be afraid to try them out! Other people will be ex-
also be artists, either ones presenting their works
perimenting with the works, and it won’t be like a
or those leadings workshops and lectures so you
museum or gallery where touching the art is usually
will have lots of opportunity to talk to them and
unaccepted.
gain more understanding about their works or the
3. event map
topics presented. Expect to get your hands dirty, either through interacting with works or by participating in workshops and playing with technology that the artists aim to explore.
Most festivals have a variety of locations for exhibitions, lectures, and workshops so have the map handy to check the locations.
4. itinerary
Finally, expect an international representation.
Some festivals allow you to create your own itiner-
Some festivals invite artists from over 50 different
ary so you can choose the artworks, exhibitions,
countries and visitors travel all over the world to go
workshops etc that you want to see. Also hav-
to the new media festivals as they are tend to travel
ing the times of the different events will help you
around the world.
maximise your time at the festivals!
WHAT to expect Volume 2 Issue 10
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past festivals DEAF BIENNALE (DUTCH ELECTRONIC ART FESTIVAL)
21ST - 24TH MAY 2014
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TRANSMEDIALE 29TH JAN - 2ND FEB 2015
ABOUT: The DEAF festival is held roughly every 2 years and exhibits either the research or production of new media art. It originally began in 1987 as the Manifestation for Unstable Media and became DEAF in 1994. The festival showcases art, science, technology and their relationships with the society we live in. The festival includes large exhibitions of artwork and installations, concerts, performance, seminars, workshops, and an academic symposium. On top of all this is a designed production area where visitors can get in touch with their creative side and experiment with technology and materials.
ABOUT: The Transmediale Festival began in 1988, originally as a festival dedicated to video art but in 1998, it transitioned into presenting new media artworks. There are generally two sections of the festival, the main festivals itself and CTM (Club Transmediale) which is dedicated more to music and sound art. CTM discusses cultural appreciation and takes a look at the surrounding culture through music. This year, it was focused more on club music of Germany. Artworks presented have raised issues and questioned elements of society, politics, globalisation and biotechnology. These discussions also are integrated with the idea of new media art, are we straying too far from tradition or are we not developing enough?
THEME: The Progress Trap
THEME: Capture All
LOCATION: Rotterdam, Holland
LOCATION: Germany
New Media Art Magazine
ABOUT: This festival was founded in the Netherlands in 1990 and travels around the world every year to different locations such as Istanbul in 2011, Albuquerque New Mexico in 2012, Sydney Australia in 2013 and Dubai in 2014. It showcases works involving art, science, or engineering as well as experimentation in other branches such as literature, theatre, and music. THEME: Disruption WHAT TO EXPECT: Along with the installations and exhibitions, there are workshops and tutorials on hactivism, digital vs analog, glitching and sound walks as well as artists talks, works in progress and demonstrations. LOCATION: Vancouver, Canada
ISEA
ABOUT: ARS Electronica started in 1979 by the ORF Austrian Broadcasting Corportation’s Upper Austrian Regional Studio and the Brucknerhaus Linz and is held roughly every 1-2 years. In 2014, there were over 85000 visitors, 579 artists and scientists from 59 countries and 427 individual events.Each year, the numbers have been increasing (in 2005, there were 33000 visitors and only 90 events). THEME: Post City - Habitats for the 21st Century LOCATION: Linz, Austria WHAT TO EXPECT: Conferences, speeches, exhibitions, concerts, performances and interventions! There is a big concert night in bars, clubs, museums and concert halls around the festival area which showcase both orchestral and digital music.
FOR THE ELECTRONIC ARTS)
ARS ELECTRONICA
14-18TH AUGUST 2015
3RD-7TH SEPT 2015
(INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
upcoming festivals Volume 2 Issue 10
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previous artists ABOUT: These sculptures are made of a fluid material that changes over time called Bitumen. They represent buildings which will lose their form over time and refer to the human impact on the natural world by going through an irreversible transition to formlessness.
ABOUT: Foglia presented a series of photographs of people living “off the grid� in Southeastern U.S. His intentions were to focus our attentions of the modern world, the people presented step away from the modern world and accept only a certain parts of it.
ABOUT: The group has created 3D works that are taken from 2D video files submitted by the participants of their own personal environments. A software was then used to create the 3D polygonal shapes by putting the 2D environments together.
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TRANSMEDIALE
NAME: La Turbo Avedon WORK: Commons
DEAF
NAME: Lucas Foglia WORK: A Natural Order Series
DEAF
NAME: Julie Mecoli WORK: Dark Matter Sculptures
New Media Art Magazine
TRANSMEDIALE
ARS ELECTRONICA ARS ELECTRONICA
NAME: Heather Dewey-Hagborg WORK: Invisible ABOUT: Dewey-Hagborg is a bioartist and produced a kit for protection against emerging threats to biological privacy such as tracking, analysis or cloning. There are two sprays: Erase™ and Replace™. Erase™ deletes 99.5% of the DNA you leave in public whilst Replace™ deletes the remaining 0.5% thus making you 100% invisible when used together.
NAME: Universal Everything WORK: Walking City ABOUT: This a video sculpture which takes on different materials patterns to represent those seen in radical architecture. It investigates human movement and the relationship with architecture and its surroundings.
NAME: Bots and Dolly WORK: Box ABOUT: Box is originally a live performance but has been videoed for archiving purposes and to allow viewers around the world to see it. It explores the digital and real space through 2D and 3D representations using a combination of animation, robotics, and projection mapping.
previous artists Volume 2 Issue 10
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LOCAL FESTIVAL SOUNDPLAY
(NEW ADVENTURES IN SOUND ART - NAISA)
2014 ABOUT: 2014 marked the 13th anniversary of SOUNDplay series. The festival incorporates sound art with new media through multimedia performances, installations, and screenings. LOCATION: Toronto, Canada ARTISTS AND WORKS: Hopkins Duffield: Hive (2.0) Sound Sculpture (1st picture on the right) Jaap Blonk: Polyphtong Performance (2nd picture on the right) Ellen Moffat: Book, Table, Chair (2015) Interactive sound installation (3rd picture on the right)
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New Media Art Magazine
ARTIST: Felicity Vanderhorn TITLE: Webbed ABOUT: This work was created using the software ‘Processing’ and above is an example of part of the code that creates the generative art piece.The work starts from the middle of the canvas and gradually grows randomly creating a spider-web like effect by generating random numbers and directions.
GENERATIVE ART
reader artwork Volume 2 Issue 10
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crossword puzzle
New Media Art ACROSS
DOWN
6. Using pre-existing objects/images and re-using them in one’s own work 7. Artworks created using new media technology such as biotechnology, digital, computer, video etc 8. Uses digital technology 11. Working with living tissues, organisms, bacteria etc 12. Can use a computer program or machine to create moving and self-generating artwork 13. Sound is used as the medium
1. A piece of music or sound composition considered as a whole 2. A photograph taken of oneself, usually at arm’s length 3. Art that uses computers in production or display 4. Relies on moving pictures and comprises of video and sometimes audio 5. David Rokeby’s Very Nervous System is an example of this 9. Oilia Lialina’s My Boyfriend Came Back From The War is an example of this 10. Examples include genetic engineering, tissue culture and cloning
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New Media Art Magazine
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