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ANNUAL REPORT
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CONTENTS 4
2 0 2 0 F E S T I VA L OV E R V I E W
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AR T I ST S
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E D U C AT I O N I N I T I AT I V E S
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AU D I E N C E
10 CURRENTS CONDUIT 1 2 C U R R E N T S 8 26 15 FINANCES 1 6 2 0 2 1 G OA L S 1 8 LI N K S c o ver image : still f rom M O R P H O G E N E S I S , V R p ie c e b y R EI LLY DONOVAN ab o ve : menu bu t ton f rom CU R R EN TS Vir tual 2 02 0 b y C ALE X C L AR K le ft : still f rom SY N C H E D , animation b y C A S S I E S H AO
PA R A LLEL ST U DIOS 2020 A NNUA L REP ORT
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2020 FE S T I VAL OVERVIEW AU G 2 1 - S E P 6, 2 0 2 0
Parallel Studios began designing and installing new media exhibitions in 2002. Between 2010 and 2019 we opened an ever expanding festival and main exhibition each June, in Santa Fe’s Railyard Art District. With the arrival of the pandemic in 2020, we were forced to take a whole new approach to CURRENTS and to bringing new media arts to the public. Our commitment to offering the general public access to the extraordinary work of digital artists has not wavered. Our Youth Media Makers Project, that works in schools, mentors local and national interns, and offers tours to summer camp children, has been put on hold but will return gradually
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as conditions improve. Our experience and exhibitions space, CURRENTS 826, has opened and closed in response to statewide restrictions, but we have moved forward with new exhibits highlighted by virtual tours, artists studio tours and interviews. While plans for 2020 were set awry by the Covid Pandemic, we embraced the challenge of upholding our mission and addressed the changing public health environment by staying nimble. At first the festival was postponed until August. As it became clear that a physical festival was out of the question, Parallel Studios staff and Executive/Artistic Directors designed and launched a totally new festival website – currentsvirtual.com. (An abridged version of the festival can be experienced here.) The site was divided into five categories: Desktop Experiences; Videos; Presentations & Performances (some prerecorded/some livestreamed); Studio Tours; and the new CurrentsVR platform. Reilly Donovan, a designer at Oculus and a frequent CURRENTS artist, developed, pro bono, an exclusive VR/Desktop platform that allows viewers at home to experience Virtual
PA R A LLEL ST U DIOS 2020 A NNUA L REP ORT
Reality work through their own VR headsets or on their desktop. Being able to view work created for VR as a desktop walkthrough expands the reach for these exceptional artists. Livestream events included: a performance with actors in Abu Dhabi, Johannesburg and tech personal in Pretoria, South Africa and Santa Fe, NM; audio/video performances from Denton, TX, Salem, MA., San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Santa Fe; a presentation on creative approaches to the digital divide with activists and educators in South Africa, Nigeria, and Taos – moderated by Jax Deluca of the National Endowment for the Arts; and a discussion about new media art collecting between, Carl Thoma, Jason Foumberg – moderated by Sarah Rovang. We learned a great deal from this first round of the online festival and intend to make it a permanent part of the CURRENTS offerings, even after we can return to a on-site festival.
still f rom A LV I A N O G E O M E T R I E S , V R p ie c e b y R ob er t Campb e ll
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ARTISTS Artists for CurrentsVirtual were drawn from the roster of artists, originally selected for 2020, whose work translated to an online environment, and from our extensive community of past participating artists. Over 29 visual artists and 17 performers and presenters, from the USA, France, South Africa, Nigeria, Germany, Brazil, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Puerto Rico and Belgium, had work integrated into the online festival site. A complete list with links to artist work can be found here.
CURRENTS VR
PERFORMANCE
R O B E R T C A M PB E LL
DAV I D S TO U T
LEO N H A R D M Ü LLN E R
M E N GY U C H E N
A N D R E A PE N S A D O
+ R O B I N K LE N G E L
R E I LLY D O N OVA N
S M A LL C R E AT U R E S
B R YN O H
B R YN O H
M O R AKAN A
J OÃO -PE D R O O LI V E I R A
B R YA N W H I T N E Y
( S E B A S T I Á N M O R A LE S
TA B I TA R E Z A I R E
DAV I D S TO U T
+ T I R I KA N A N U RU K )
C A S S I E S H AO
JOHN GRADE
AV I TA L M E S H I
RONEN SHARABANI
M A R C O BU O N G I O R N O
A X LE C O N T E M P O R A R Y
T R I TO N M O B LE Y
N A R D E LLI
DESK TOP EXPERIENCES YA KU N C H E N
C O LI N I V E S P O N C I LI C R E AC I Ó N
P R E S E N TAT I O N S C A R L T H O M A , JA S O N F O U M B E R G + S A R A H
I S A AC C O H E N
VIDEO
X I N LI U + G E R S H O N
S AR AH B AN K S
RU C E R A S E E T H A L ,
D U B LO N
INA CONRADI
J U D I T H O KO N KWO,
O W E N LO W E R Y
+ M A R K C H AV E Z
AG N E S C H AV E Z
M AT T M C C O R K LE
PAB LO -M AR T Í N
+ JA X D E LU C A
A LE X A N D E R R E B E N
C Ó R D O B A
A LE X A N D E R R E B E N
ZO E S A N D OVA L
PI X I E C R A M
T R I TO N M O B LE Y
LE I L A A N D E R S O N
LYN N K I M
S YLVA I N E S T R I K E
+ S TA N WA N N E T
C A R LOS LU N A JA M E S
DAV I D S TO U T
J E A N- C H A R LE S M B OT T I
R OVA N G
+ JA M E S C U N N I N G H A M
M A LO LO le ft : still f rom E N O U G H , interac ti ve stor y b o ok b y IS A AC C OH EN (c abb ib o)
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E D U C AT I O N The workshops, and presentations in the schools typically take place throughout the school year. Some pre-Covid outreach did take place but, in general, school visits and initiatives have been put on hold until 2021-2022, though we are working on having some online workshops for younger members of our audience this coming June. Online presentations included several topics that did broaden the discussion around technology + the arts.
The wonders of live streaming brought together participants and performers from around the world. (Click here for expanded information.) • The Collector’s Eye: Carl Thoma and Jason Foumberg Discuss Collecting Digital Art, moderated by Sarah Rovang • Jigsaw Webinar: Sylvaine Strike and James Cunningham, a discussion of the performing arts and the online environment • Remapping RGB Light to Foreign Bodies – Triton Mobley • The Digital Divide – Rucera Seethal, Judith Okonkwo, Agnes Chavez, Jax Deluca (pictured below)
The li ve stream discus sion, T h e D i g i t a l D i v i d e , brought to ge ther sp eaker s f rom around the glob e. ( top le ft to right ) Judi th Okonkwo o f Nigeria and A gne s C have z o f Tao s , Ne w Me x ic o (b ot tom) Jax De luc a o f Washington DC and Ruc era S e e thal o f S ou th Af ric a
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PA R A LLEL ST U DIOS 2020 A NNUA L REP ORT
AT T E N D A N C E While we had to make many adjustments, moving from an on-site festival to an online form, our goals/mission remained the same: supporting and presenting the work of new media artists; providing free or low cost access to the general public; being sure our workplace and environment for staff, interns, and volunteers represents inclusivity, empowerment, and enjoyment.
We discovered that the online festival reached viewers in all corners of the world and in small and large towns across the US, allowing us to engage many who would not have been able to attend the onsite festival. With this in mind, whether the pandemic has subsided sufficiently for us to go forward with some iteration of a physical festival, we will continue to develop its online form.
The follow ing audience number s are based on metric s from G oogle A nal y tic s : TOTA L US ERS
TOTA L S E S S ION S
visitors to the virtual festival
distinct sessions from 6500 visitors
6500
8848
US ERS C A M E FROM A LL 50 U.S . STAT E S A N D
748 cities
95
countries
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CURRENTS CONDUIT One of the outcomes of the pandemic is that it shifted the organization’s workload and permitted us to tackle some long awaited projects. One of those was expanding our year-round online presence. CURRENTS CONDUIT is locus, on our website, for artists’ studio tours, CURRENTS team livestreams, interviews, audience engagement projects, (like CurrentSoundscapes), virtual exhibition tours, and revisitng past CURRENTS video work.
top right : ZOE S AN DOVAL Vir tual S tudio Visi t middle right : CU R R EN TS Team L i ve stream #3 featuring B e l Sigado, C Ale x C lark , Alison Ni tk ie wic z + sp e c ial gue st William Dunn b ot tom right : Ar tist Inter v ie w : S NOW YU N XU E FU
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top le ft : Vir tual S tudio Visi t : AN N E FAR R ELL b ot tom le ft : FEDER IC O CUATL ACUATL , T i e m p o top right : CurrentS oundsc ap e s We e k 1 prompt b ot tom right : Ar tist Inver v ie w : B AR AC K C H AMO
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CURRENTS 826 In December 2020, we celebrated our second anniversary in the CURRENTS 826 gallery space, donated by one of our generous board members (rent is $1 a year). It is a beautiful adobe building in Santa Fe’s famous Canyon Road art district. The Gallery allows us to have a year round presence exhibiting smaller, more intimate work that could be lost in the scale of the festival, maintain a small gift shop, offer space to local media artists for popup exhibits and performances, and to hold workshops and talks throughout the year.
R EC E N T E X H I B I T S : (links in blue)
Stitching and Weaving in the Digital Age c urated by Christine Duval CENTER + CURRENTS
a collaboration between Parallel Studios and Center Photography, curated by Frank Ragano and Mariannah Amster
Winter Tales
featuring 3 artists rethinking their approach to narrative
Performative Ecologies
curated by Patricia Watts, ecoartspace
A World Contained
past and present work by Anne Farrell
O PE N I N G I N F E B RUA R Y Altered Light
7 artists working with light
f ront entranc e to CU R R EN TS 826 on Cany on R oad
le ft : photo b y MAN U EL A TH AM E S par t o f C E N T E R + C U R R E N T S b ot tom le ft : still f rom 3D tour o f P E R F O R M AT I V E E C O LO G I E S b ot tom right : T h a t O l d W i tc h installation f rom W I N T E R TA L E S
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still f rom S P H E R E S , a V R p ie c e b y B R YAN W H I TN E Y
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PA R A LLEL ST U DIOS 2020 A NNUA L REP ORT
FINANCES Finances, have at times, felt quite demoralizing. However, we were able to continue programming thanks to loyal foundation funders, (The Carl and Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation, The Kind World Foundation, The Thanksgiving Fund, and mediaThe foundation), the New Mexico Arts Commission, PPP support, and Cares Act funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, Santa Fe County and the New Mexico Finance Authority. Their support allowed us to launch the online festival, develop online content for CONDUIT, mount two exhibits at 826--Performative Ecologies and A World Contained, and keep the Parallel Studios staff employed and the Parallel Studios’ organization’s face to the world.
As we move forward into 2021 and address the upcoming festival, we expect a somewhat smaller budget and a festival scaled in response. Our staff has approached fundraising in many new, fun, and interesting ways including a digital Twitch Telethon, a raffle for a 3D print and one for a Quest VR headset. We continue to reach out for corporate support, and new grant opportunities. For CurrentsVirtual 2020, we asked for a $5 donation. For the 2021 virtual and street versions, we will be putting some virtual and live performances behind paywalls. While we strive to keep our commitment to accessibility we also are committed to decision making that will ensure Parallel Studios’ longevity.
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2021 AND BEYOND As we review the hurdles we have overcome in 2020 and the lessons we have learned, it’s clear that remaining nimble and having flexible plans that provide options for moving forward are essential. Right now, we are working with an assortment of possible solutions for the 2021 festival and main exhibition, that can stand alone or be launched together as a multifaceted solution to the demands and restrictions of the moment. We believe that as the pandemic wanes but still remains an influence on social interaction, that the most likely scenario is a two track solution – CURRENTS NEW MEDIA 2021 Street! in tandem with the online, 2021 edition of CURRENTS VIRTUAL: CURRENTS NEW MEDIA 2021 Street! (working title) Work will be installed in smaller venues, where attendance is easier to control, and outdoor spaces where health concerns are less of an issue. PLANNED FOR 2022-23: • a live Conference that will run concurrently with on onsite festival • a traveling version of the festival to tour destinations in the Southwest
CURRENTS VIRTUAL 2021 The online version will be an enhanced edition of the 2020 virtual festival. We will be working to develop technical and aesthetic approaches to heightening the immersive quality of the online experience. We will also be continuing to develop the virtual reality platform, CurrentsVR, which allows artists working in the VR environment to share their work with viewers at home.
still f rom T U N N E L O F LOV E , animation b y CU R R EN TS 2 02 0 ar tist and CU R R EN TS 2 01 9 i ntern, S AR AH B AN K S
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LINKS
CURRENTS CONDUIT
https://currentsnewmedia.org/conduit
MAIN WEBSITE https://currentsnewmedia.org/
ARTIST INTERVIEWS https://currentsnewmedia.org/category/ interviews/
VIRTUAL FESTIVAL (abridged) https://currentsnewmedia.org/festivals/currents-virtual-festival-2020/
CurrentSoundscapes https://currentsnewmedia.org/category/ currentsoundscapes/
CURRENTS 826 https://currentsnewmedia.org/826-canyon/
GALLERY TOURS https://currentsnewmedia.org/category/ 826gallerytour/
DOCUMENTATION VIDEOS https://vimeo.com/user3864456 OR https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtrgskSV8FrOYNMNZRTDmgw
PAST VIDEO WORK https://currentsnewmedia.org/category/ revisiting/ STUDIOS TOURS https://currentsnewmedia.org/category/ studio/
b e lo ve d CU R R EN TS masc ot/rob ot , STA N L E Y , b y M IC H AEL S C H I PPLI NG
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PA R A LLEL ST U DIOS 2020 A NNUA L REP ORT