UNIVERSAL EVERYTHING

Meta.Morf X – Digital Wild / Trondheim kunstmuseum – Gråmølna, March 5 – May 3, 2020 / Curator: Espen Gangvik

UNIVERSAL EVERYTHING [gb]
FUTURE YOU

How do you feel when you see a synthetic version of yourself?

In Future You, you are faced with a unique reflection of your potential, synthetic self. Starting as a primitive form, it learns from your movements to adapt, suggesting an agile, superior version of you. This artwork evolves, creating a new visual response for each visitor, generating thousands of possible variations.

universaleverything.com

Universal Everything is a global collective of video artists, experience designers and future thinkers. We collaborate with pioneering brands and institutions to develop video artworks and immersive installations, to illuminate iconic architecture, and to produce major launch events. Our artworks are exhibited by museums and galleries worldwide, held in the Borusan Contemporary Art Collection and Odunpazarı Modern Museum collection, and our VR explorations have premiered at Sundance Film Festival. A monograph on Universal Everything was published by Unit Editions in 2019.

Technology that has a soul in it”: A chat with Universal Everything founder, Matt Pyke @ It’s Nice That.

 

 

MARIA SMIGIELSKA – PIERRE CUTELLIC

Meta.Morf X – Digital Wild / Trondheim kunstmuseum – Gråmølna, March 5 – May 3, 2020 / Curator: Espen Gangvik

MARIA SMIGIELSKA [ch/pl] / PIERRE CUTELLIC [ch/fr]
PROTEUS 2.0

Proteus 2.0 is the second version in a series of experiments on modulating matter with both human and machine intelligences. It employs the complex behaviour of ferrofluid material, which through magnetic fields, constantly changes its shape, from dots to meandering stripes and coagulated regions. Visual exposure to such a black and white graphic pattern is used as an apparatus to understand human intelligence, that of making meaning in a constantly changing flow of images of unpredictable symbolic relations.

The exhibited installation recalls an experiment run during the Ars Electronica Festival 2018 by presenting an artefact of the experiment’s interaction with the audience. As a hybrid analog and digital display, it is a low resolution device with grid based magnetic actuators that modulate highly sophisticated and no-end resolution ferropixels. This instrument inferred on digitally-encoded material properties with the use of a computational mixture of both human neural patterns and machine vision. Through an individual and prolonged visual experience, the visitors were brought into an implicit and intimate interaction with the material with the use of a custom, gaze-based, brain-computer interface. A pre-trained machine learning model was fed with real-time neural signals produced by the visitor’s gaze while being exposed to the rapid serial change of patterns. During about 15 mins of gazing, visitors would witness a certain stabilisa- tion of the ferrofluid pattern based on their own brainwave signals.

Just like the greek god Proteus was capable of assuming many forms, the formal representation of this idea in a project follows the ever-changing nature of the ferrofluid. It has iteratively evolved during the artistic research, software/hardware developments and explorations of varied modes of interaction, yet it always revolves around the same questions and amplifies the body of the project.

Project team: Maria Smigielska / Pierre Cutellic / Daniel Nikles
Production support: TEKS – Trondheim Electronic Arts Centre

mariasni.com/proteus

Maria Smigielska
MSc Arch, MAS ETH CAAD

Maria is an architect and researcher educated in Poland (TU Poznan) and Switzerland (ETH) and based in Zurich. Her interest lies in the enhancement of creative potentials through automated procedures in design and architecture. Her recent work is focused on holistic approach of computational design, machine learning for knowledge encapsulation (f.ex. material knowledge in robotic rod bending – bendilicious.com), as well as robotic procedures for post-industrial fabrication, performative and interactive processes. Her work is conveyed through talks, publications, educational workshops and frequent exhibitions, with the most recent ones at Tallinn Architecture Biennale 2017 or Ars Electronica Linz 2018. She currently works as a researcher at FHNW Integrative Design Basel and runs her design practice in Zurich.

mariasni.com

Pierre Cutellic
Phd Fellow, Architect DPLG – FR
cand. Dr Sc. ETHz

Pierre is an architect, designer and researcher educated in France and based in Zürich. He is currently a Phd Fellow at CAAD, ETH Zürich researching on neurotechnologies, machine learning, cognitive science, perceptual and cognitive curation. His recent projects focus on interfacing human cognitive visual discrimination patterns found in neural activity, together with generative design models, to create closed computational loops of inference for new modelling technologies. His work and research has been published and exhibited frequently in Europe since 2010. Most recent appearances include exhibitions of his art and design work at Art Electronica Festival 2018, and the upcoming Exhibition “Neurons” at Centre Pompidou Paris in February 2020.

compmonks.com

 

HIROKI YOKOYAMA

Meta.Morf X – Digital Wild / Trondheim kunstmuseum – Gråmølna, March 5 – May 3, 2020 / Curator: Espen Gangvik

HIROKI YOKOYAMA [jp]
SCENES FROM DAILY LIFE

Scenes from Daily Life (video 2 min. loop) depicts a future in which humanoid robots blend into our daily lives.
In such a world, even their malfunctions would be mundane events.

hirokiyokoyama.com

Hiroki Yokoyama is a Japanese designer and filmmaker whose work explores how everyday life in the future or in alternative worlds is changed by existing, emerging, and speculative technologies. He is especially interested in the blurred boundaries between reality and fiction in mundane daily events.

After gaining a B.Eng. Design Engineering from Chiba University in Japan, he started working in a film production company and directed TV commercials, music videos, and short films. After working in the industry, he moved to London to study critical design and speculative design in the Design Interactions programme at the Royal College of Art, London. After completing an MA from RCA, his films have been exhibited and screened internationally at museums, art venues, and film festivals, such as the Design Museum (London, UK), the Southbank Centre (London, UK), the South London Gallery (London, UK), V2_Lab for the Unstable Media (Rotterdam, NL), Berlin Short Film Festival (Berlin, DE), Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (Tokyo, JP), Sci-Fi-London Film Festival (London, UK), Other Worlds Austin SciFi Film Festival (Austin, U.S.), Shift Film Festival (Maastricht, NL), and Filminute Film Festival.

He currently lives in Tokyo and recently completed an artist in residence programme at the BankART in Yokohama, Japan.

THE NORWEGIAN MEDIA ART LIBRARY

Meta.Morf X – Digital Wild / Trondheim kunstmuseum – Gråmølna, March 5 – May 3, 2020 / Curator: Zane Cerpina

THE NORWEGIAN MEDIA ART LIBRARY

ABOUT THE PROJECT
The Norwegian Media Art Library (Norsk Mediakunst Bibliotek) is a collection of printed publications covering the Norwegian media art field. The collection represents the most comprehensive knowledge and documentation of media arts in Norway, in terms of history, artistic activities, artists, and developments within the field.

The project shows the media art field’s important role in the Norwegian art scene. The library con- tributes to further development of the Norwegian media art field by providing a solid basis of the field’s history in one complete archive. The project also encourages the growth of publishing, which is necessary for future developments in the field.

The Norwegian Media Art Library is produced and maintained by TEKS – Trondheim Electronic Arts Centre. The full collection is available for viewing at TEKS.studio in Trondheim, and by agreement, can be lent out to relevant exhibitions and showcases in Norway.

Preservation of digital art relies heavily on the lifespan of technologies used to create the work. The hardware and software of digital artworks frequently face updates and eventually grow obsolete. These aspects render the preservation of the digital art field a challenging task. Visual and textual documentation, as well as publishing, therefore, plays a significant role in preserving knowledge about the achievements in the field.

The Norwegian Media Art Library contains printed material about some of the wildest art works and events realized in the media art field in Norway. The collection allows us to search through the history of three decades of visual and textual documentation about wild experiments done in the media art field in Norway.

THE FIRST EDITION 2018
The first edition of the The Norwegian Media Art Library (initially titled The Temporary Library of Norwegian Media Art) was produced and launched for the 5th Trondheim International Biennale for Art and Technology – Meta.Morf and it consisted of 103 printed publications, released between 1992 and 2018. The first edition was curated by Alessandro Ludovico (concept author of the “Temporary Library”), Stahl Stenslie (NO), and Zane Cerpina (NO/LV).

THE SECOND & CURRENT EDITION 2019
The second and current edition of the Temporary The second and current edition has been updated with 44 new titles, setting the current total number of publications to 147. It was launched during FAEN – Female Artistic Experiments Norway – a three-week exhibition and symposium program at Atelier Nord gallery in Oslo, October 2019. During the production period of FAEN, The Norwegian Media Art Library was utilized as a resource to uncover important contributions, artistic activities, and achievements by female artists in the field.

THE NORWEGIAN MEDIA ART LIBRARY AT DIGITAL WILD – THE THIRD EDITION
During Digital Wild exhibition the library will be divided into three collections: i) Digital Wild, ii) PNEK publications, iii) Individual contributions.

i) The Norwegian Media Art Library at Meta. Morf 2020 celebrates the digital wild artworks documented within the collection.

ii) PNEK publications explore the printed material produced by PNEK – Production Network for Electronic Art, Norway. PNEK network has been active for 20 years and has an essential role in the The Norwegian Media Art Library project. PNEK member nodes have altogether contributed with 90 publications – producing around 60% of all the material within the library. The published material includes many serial publications, such as exhibition and conference catalogs, indi- vidual books, and yearly reports. The many serial publications help to ensure an in-depth ongoing archival coverage of the field, not only exposing individual works and artists but also showing long term developments and changing patterns of the art field over an extended period.

The exhibition also includes a newly developed digital archival platform by BEK – Bergen Centre for Electronic Art showing the activities at BEK over the past 20 years.

iii) Individual contributions at the library document the wide variety and stunning creativity in the field of media arts in Norway over the past three decades.

During the show, we welcome new donations of books, catalogs, magazines, and other relevant printed material. The contributions will be included in the The Norwegian Media Art Library online archive and the next edition of the printed catalog.

mediakunstbibliotek.no


PNEK – PRODUKSJONSNETTVERK FOR ELEKTRONISK KUNST

Art Republic
artrepublic.no

Art Republic is a platform dedicated to art and new technology in public and online space. The platform explores the expanded cinematic experi- ence, and the relation between image, sound and architecture. The platform curates and commissions moving image, interactive (immersive) site- specific art installations, and performances. It also offers residencies, public talks and an online journal. One of Art Republic’s main projects, is the Screen City Biennial (SCB) in Stavanger, the first Nordic Biennial dedicated to the expanded moving image in public space, presents artworks that explore the relation between the moving image, sound, technologyand public space.

Atelier Nord
ateliernord.no

Atelier Nord is a platform for contemporary art with a focus on media art. Atelier Nord shows a program of exhibitions, screenings, performances and workshops in the gallery space in the Grünerløkka neighborhood of Oslo. Atelier Nord facilitates art production by offering a studio for audio and video editing. In addition to the gallery space, they also use the office space for artist talks, screenings, and smaller exhibitions.

BEK – Bergen Centre for Electronic Arts
bek.no

BEK is an interdisciplinary centre for the develop- ment of art and new technology. We aim to extend the field of electronic art through collaboration, critical reflection and the sharing of knowledge. BEK initiates and develops projects within the fields of art and technology that are experimental, creative and shareable. We offer our expertise through supervision, project management, and training. Our studios and proj- ect rooms are used for audio and video recording and editing, integration of technology in art and the development of spatial art practices. We actively support artists by initiating, producing and presenting art projects, and assist in finding partners for exhibitions, concerts and art events.

Dans for voksne
dansforvoksne.no

Dans for voksne has in the past 15 years put on more than 300 concerts, performances, and workshops in the field of noise, experimental, improvised or baroque music, gradually. In addition to this, they have been involved in projects with artists from different fields, for example in their low-frequency music project by deaf and deaf-blind people and the ongoing project DNA? AND?. DNA? AND? is a collective where special kids play improvised music with professional musicians, with annual workshops and more frequent gigging. They have played at various festivals for improvised or experimental music, such as All Ears (Oslo), Blow Out (Oslo) and Sonic Protest in Paris.

i/o/lab – Centre for Future Art
iolab.no

Based in Stavanger, i/o/lab has since 2001 promoted artistic projects that explore the interplay between new technology, science, bio-art, and social context. i/o/lab contributes as a resource through presentations, productions and as a partner in the field, both nationally and internationally.
“We need to speculate about what consequences development may bring, both technological devel- opment and art pushes boundaries and redefines a new understanding of how we think and feel. Moving towards a holistic approach embracing ecology, ethics, and creativity we might be better equipped to describe and shape the new world.”

Lydgalleriet
lydgalleriet.no

Lydgalleriet is an exhibition platform for sound art and sound-related art practices, situated in Bergen, Norway. We explore today’s plethora of experimental sound-based art practices and auditive cultures through gallery shows, concerts, workshops and interventions in public space. Lydgalleriet was initiated by a group of musicians, sound artists and art historians in 2005 and founded formally in 2007. Lydgalleriet is managed by its artistic director and board, and funded by Arts Council Norway and Bergen city council.

Notam
notam.no

Notam is the Norwegian centre for technology, art and music. We are a centre for professional artists who work with art, music and technology. We are part of the whole process from idea to execution. Our main activities are: help in the creative process, research and development, education and presentation of art. Helping in the creative process is the main area of interest for Notam. Our competences cover programming, physics, research, sound engineering and art. We use these to develop solutions and projects in collaboration with artists.

Piksel
piksel.no

Piksel is a distributed network of artists and developers, and an annual festival for electronic art and technological freedom, organised in Bergen, Norway. The festival involves 50–60 participants from more than a dozen countries each year; exchanging ideas, exhibiting and presenting art and software projects, hosting workshops, offering performances and discussions on the aesthetics and politics of free and open source software, DIY/open hardware and art.

TEKS – Trondheim Electronic Arts Centre
teks.no

TEKS is a non-profit organisation founded in Trondheim in 2002. The organisation is a resource and competence centre that aims to produce and convey techno related art projects within all art disciplines. TEKS is the founder and organiser of the Trondheim biennale for art & technology – Meta.Morf. TEKS initiates and organises artistic productions and projects, works with promotion and education through courses and workshops, and acts as organiser or co-organiser of various techno related cultural initiatives.

Vandaler forening
vandalerforening.org

Vandalerforening.org is an artist-run-space which organises, conducts and facilitates art events with a special focus on experimental, time-based, collaborative and collective practices in relation to landscape and public space. Vandaler forening organises, conducts and facilitates art events with a special focus on experimental, time-based, collaborative and collective practices in relation to landscape, public space and societal issues.

PNEK – Production Network for Electronic Art, Norway
pnek.org

PNEK is a network structure aiming to provide good production conditions for artists working with electronic and interdisciplinary art. PNEK assists artists and structures with competence building, project development, workshops, screening/distribution of works, and activities aiming to raise the general awareness about hybrid art forms through seminars and social/ artistic events. PNEK can provide limited travel support for artistic/structural exchange between the nodes, and for developing international relations (artists, curators, critics, etc.).