Maotik has produced a wide variety of audiovisual projects during his long lasting career. He is highly interested in the relationship among science, art and technology.

His aesthetic is refined, well paced and alluring. Pixel by pixel, beat by beat, Maotik builds up immersive environments where the audience gradually and seamlessly slips in.

By developing his own algorithms he is able to design unique artistic experiences where the sounds and images are intrinsically connected. Nevertheless he doesn’t seek full control over the audiovisual outcome.

Across his very different projects there is one interesting component that links them all: the inclusion of outside inputs, such as data feeds or audience interaction which are not totally under his control.

By incorporating these external inputs Maotik enriches the audiovisual experience. His polished aesthetic structure is shaken by the random elements from the outside world, making each show different from the previous one.

A mesmerizing contrast between his precise geometry-based audiovisual aesthetic and the chaos born from the random elements, that are manipulated live by the performer or by the audience.

Maotik has presented his work in various festivals around the world, such as Mutek Festival, Live Cinema in Rio, Signal Festival in Prague, the British Film Institute in London and ARS Electronica in Linz.

Maotik recently moved to Berlin where he continues his artistic research by taking part in the art residency organized between Sonar+D and Factory Berlin.

He also joined the CODE university where he works as a professor giving lectures about interactive design, generative design and AR/VR environments.

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This is a world of constant evolution and incessant refinement – the “MU” in MUTEK refers consciously to the notion of “mutation”. 

MUTEK team

Year 2020. Needless to say this applies to the “special” year we are all experiencing, dare to say, more than any other year…

The 21st edition of MUTEK is happening. Following MUTEK SF NEXUS in May, the digital creativity festival is mutating into a hybrid edition.

We find this original format with both physical and virtual events to be an interesting experimental adaptation to the Covid outbreak.

Through September 8th-13th we will attend numerous events across 3 virtual stages with more than 60 performances, an interactive Gallery featuring more than 20 VR, AI, video and audio artworks, an Auditorium of master classes and lectures, and a MUTEK archives Listening Room.

The festival will include 19 world premiers and the participation of more than a 100 artists. 

On top of the wide online programme accesible worldwide for free (with one and only requirement: internet connection), there will be physical offline events across the MUTEK network locations through MUTEK Connect in Montréal, Mexico City, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, San Francisco and Tokyo. 

Physical events include:

Connect MUTEK.AR

Bionautas (Jonas Kopp & Flor del Valle) AR Live A/V Bruno De Vincenti AR – Hyper Dreams (VJ Javier Casadidio AR) Efe Ce Ele CO/AR – Biosynthetic Borders Live A/V Flor de Fuego AR – Fractal Live A/V Naiborg AR (VJ MMOS AR) SidiRum AR (VJ Tama AR)

Connect MUTEK.ES

Joana Gomila ES Marina Herlop ES

Connect MUTEK.JP

Ai.step JP Live A/V Hiroaki Umeda JP — Intensional Particle Live A/V Junichi Akagawa JP — Geist on the Lake Live A/V Sakura Tsuruta & asagi JP Live A/V

Connect MUTEK.MX

Mabe Fratti & Milena Pafundi GT/MX+AR Live A/V Wasted Fates & Future Forward MX — Illuminations Live A/V

Connect MUTEK.SF

Arushi Jain & Carly Lave US — GOLEM (via GHUNGHRU) George Hurd US — Echolocation

Moreover, three other partners will be taking part in the virtual version of the MUTEK Montreal festival: the Transart Festival in Italy, cultural venue Chapelle XIV in France, as well as artistic centre B39 and its associated festival, PRECTXE, in South Korea, adding extra diversity to the international hybrid programme. 

For more information head to their official website

Register to the virtual event.

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The overwhelming beauty of data visualization. Our world evolves at staggering speed. With it the gathering and processing of the new world currency: the data.

The importance of the audiovisual data visualization resides in the sensorial connection with the audience.

Ouchhh are absolute master of the data-visualization technique. They create awe-inspiring aesthetic representation of data through audiovisual technologies.

Their installations and data sculptures draw the complexity of big data closer to the audience, by converting it into mesmerizing audiovisual experiences.

Reading through data only provides us with a two-dimensional hint of the information landscape we live in. Through the work of the audiovisual artists, the data is turned into a meaningful immersive environment.

By experiencing this environment, we can just about grasp the scale of the information that rig our hybrid world. And we let ourselves go into the shockingly beautiful universe of data.

Ouchhh always manages to balance the big data complex analysis with the delivery of a stunning audiovisual experience to the audience.

The studio integrates art, science, and technology in every work they create. A multidisciplinary creative hub focused on new media platforms, offering direction and art direction and also producing video mapping projections.

Skilled in animation, design, illustration, 3D, 2D, interactivity, interaction, and live-action -and seamlessly combining some or all of these- OUCHHH considers each project as a challenge and takes a fresh and unique approach to each other.

They have an office in Istanbul, and partnerships in L.A., Vienna, Barcelona, Paris, and Berlin.

Ouchhh has created the “POETIC AI” Solo Exhibition at Atelier des Lumières, the largest AI exhibition using 50K pixels and 136 projectors. One million people visited the exhibition!

The studio worked with many brands such as Google, Cern, Nike, Wired, their collaborators transcend all industries and all continents.

Their works have received multiple accolades and awards in the international arena. Ouchhh has been featured at Ars Electronica 4 times and will be attending for the 5th time this year.

They became Istanbul’s first new media agency to win Reddot design awards, German Design Award, 10th Annual IDA Awards (The International Design Awards) and ADC Awards ( The Art Directors Club), in addition to an Honorable Mention from the City University of Hong Kong.

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The CITIC Press Lightening Selection is a China based open call for the discovery and support of outstanding audiovisual artists.

The selection aims at showcasing amazing new media based artwork to the public. The art award focuses on light-based art and its professional and academic development: “Everything in sight is light”

The initiative is run by CITIC Press Multimedia Lab and MANA Global New Media Art Platform.

It features partnerships with internationally renowned institutions as Elektra Festival and The Montreal Digital Art Biennal.

The CPML is a research institute for multimedia art created by CITIC Press Group, publishing company based in Beijing, China. While MANA is a platform for the promotion of new media arts based in Shangai.

We praise the organizers for developing an open call as a specific response to the COVID-19 art crisis. At the current state only the Award Ceremony has been planned to go ahead in October 2020. If restrictions ease down more exhibitions and events will be planned.

The jury is made by international academic researchers, artists and curators. The ultimate goal of the selection is to build a platform for communication, mutual learning and collaboration among audiovisual artists.

The CITIC Press Lightening Selection features different categories and many awards. The categories include projection mapping, immersive and interactive experiences, light installations, video art and outdoor works using natural sunlight. Here a list of the awards:

Lightening Award: 1 Prize worth 100.00RMB

Individual Awards: 7 prizes worth 20.000RMB each plus 21 nominations worth 3.000RMB each.

Emerging Talent Awards: 7 prizes worth 10.000RMB each plus 21 nominations worth 1.000RMB each.

Best Popularity Awards: 1 Prize worth 10.00RMB

The artwork requirements to apply are the following:

– Video example of the artwork (min 1280*720 px, MP4/MOV)

– 3 images of the artwork (min 1280*720 px)

– Description of the artwork, MAX 1000 words

Candidates applying for the emerging award will need to submit the certificate of studies, as it’s exclusively dedicated to students.

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At Audiovisual City, we are always interested to know more about audiovisual artists balancing their career, between sales-driven corporate events and artistic experimentation.

INTUS approach to audiovisual is wide open. They are constantly on the lookout for new tools and experiments. Nevertheless their forte is definitely the creation of immersive and interactive environments.

We asked a few questions to dig deeper into their background, techniques and what’s cooking up in the near future.

1. Can you tell us about the history and concept behind the foundation of the audiovisual studio INTUS?

INTUS means “intuition” in Latin, inner search and it is related to thought as self-knowledge. Since its inception INTUS has been interested in the positive development of intuition and self-knowledge through new technologies.

We need to seek in art and technology the way to bring ourselves back to our inner cosmos, utilizing technology for the positive development of human values. 

2. INTUS is internationally renowned for its immersive and interactive audiovisual experiences. Can you give us some insights about your creative process when approaching a client’s brief?

Hey thank you very much. Generally the first thing we do is ask a lot of questions, most of the time the client himself does not know what he wants as a final outcome and it is important to discover it through questions. 

We carry out a process similar to Socrates mayeutica, both towards ourselves and the client in order to arrive at an idea that we intuit will be successful.

For us, the creative process must be linked to intuition and feeling. Brainstorming should always take us to a pleasant place. 

When we find a place where the client and us feel good, that is where we carry out a process of architecture of the experience.

We tried from the beginning to incorporate real-time tools for prototypes and pre-visualization to have software architectures that will work for us in the final installation.

3. During the years, INTUS has built an impressive portfolio of both artistic and corporate projects. In your opinion, which are the main differences in the approach and realization between corporate and artistic projects? 

Thanks so much, we appreciate your feedback a lot.  Creatively there are many differences. Commercial projects will always be tied to the same discourse that is to sell, but in terms of selling the projects or executing them I think they are quite similar.

I think it helps a lot to have knowledge of commercial projects to be able to sell and better execute your artistic works.

4. In addition to the audiovisual installation work, you have developed innovative softwares for Natural User Interfaces. Can you tell us a bit more about this type of work and what you have achieved so far?

We develop our own systems for immersive or interactive installations. For example we have developed our own multi-gpu system for immersive projections, calibration systems for Lidars, laser mapping calibration systems and many other custom projects we have for private clients.

5. Your works feature a high complexity and impeccable technical development. What are your preferred tools to work with and why?

Thank you very much. Our main tools in the studio are TouchDesigner for systems development, Notch for real-time visuals development, Unreal for virtual and augmented reality application and Unity for game development. 

6. What do you consider is the biggest achievement in your career? What are you most proud of?

Good question, I had not thought of it.  Perhaps it is the experience we have acquired through the years. I think that our experience combined with our mistakes is what brought us where we are today, by teaching us to constantly improve ourselves. 

7. What shall we expect from your future projects? Are you currently working on something you would like to share?

We are adding a new service to our portfolio that we are calling InSpace. InSpace is a multidisciplinary space dedicated to audiovisual communication.

It specializes in multimedia installations and interactive spaces for hybrid encounters with comprehensive support in production, programming and design. Here more info.

Also we released a new platform for workshops where we are offering teaching activities related to the industry.

Despite the current situation, we consider ourselves lucky as we have more projects coming up on our radar, but we cannot talk much about them.

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The Iberian Peninsula has been a hotspot for audiovisual culture and new media arts for many years.

Groundbreaking events such as LEV Festival and Sonar (just to name a couple) have left an indisputable mark in the international AV panorama.

UMBRA Light Festival is a new audiovisual event in Vitoria-Gasteiz celebrating its second edition in February next year.

UMBRA is launching an open call for all audiovisual artists working the field of Light Art.

If you feel like exhibiting your work in the beautiful Basque Country, surrounded by lovely people and delicious food… Well, this might just do the trick!

The festival showcases projection mapping, audiovisual installations and light sculptures in order to develop a dialogue between new media and the urban context of the Basque Country capital city.

The participants have total freedom regarding the proposal theme. However proposals addressing environmental issues and/or United Nations  Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be highly valued by the jury.

These will be the main focus of the 2021 edition of UMBRA Light Festival.  The installations will be selected accordingly to the sculptural value and interactive implementation of art and light.

The selection process will be finalized within one month after the submission deadline. All finalists will be notified individually by e-mail

The artists may present proposals as an individual and/or collective. There is no limit to the number of members per team, however each proposal requires a distinct form and must be completed accordingly.

The Jury or selection committee, appointed by Argia_3, is made by professionals from lighting design, public space intervention and the Light Art sectors.

The Jury shall take into account the artistic quality, originality, innovation, and themes regarding sustainability (SDGs), as well as features of the artwork regarding the actual set up within the festival capabilities.

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Sometimes even artists that we should already know, but that we discover late, like Memo Akten.

I stumbled upon Memo’s work in my investigations and learnings of the well-known VJ software, VDMX (which is to put it quite lightly – VDMX is a very powerful visual creation tool).

Memo Akten describes himself as:

“an artist and researcher from Istanbul, Turkey. He works with emerging technologies as both a medium and subject matter, investigating their impact on society and culture – with a specific interest in the collisions between nature, science, technology, ethics, ritual and religion.”

http://www.memo.tv/

Artificial Intelligence

His work goes much further your average visual artist, as he specialises in Artificial Intelligence, works with algorithms and large-scale responsive installations with image, sound and light.

In AV culture’s layman terms he’s an audiovisual jack-of-all-trades and a true techy, oh and he’s studying for a PhD in AI as if that wasn’t enough. Here you can see a selection of his work in the very accurately named video, ‘Selection of work in 3 minutes’ (2017).

Audiovisual awards and prizes

Akten received the Prix Ars Electronica Golden Nica – the most prestigious award in Media Art – for his work ‘Forms’ in 2013.

He has exhibited and performed internationally at exhibitions including The Grand Palais’s “Artistes & Robots” in 2018 (Paris FR), The Barbican’s “More than human” in 2017 (London UK) and the Victoria & Albert Museum’s landmark “Decode” exhibition in 2009 (London UK).

He has shown work at venues such as the Moscow Museum of Modern Art (Moscow RU), Shanghai Ming Contemporary Art Museum (Shanghai CN), Mori Art Museum (Tokyo JP), Royal Opera House (London UK), Lisbon Architecture Triennale (Lisbon PT), Itaú Cultural (Sao Paulo BR) and many others.

Creative Collaborations

He has collaborated with celebrities such as Lenny Kravitz, U2, Depeche Mode and Professor Richard Dawkins, and brands including Google, Twitter, Deutsche Bank, Coca Cola and Sony PlayStation. A

kten’s work is in numerous public and private collections around the world.

Alongside his practice, Akten is currently working towards a PhD at Goldsmiths University of London in artificial intelligence and expressive human-machine interaction.

He is deepening collaborative creativity between humans and machines and augment human creative expression.

Fascinated by trying to understand the world and human nature, he draws inspiration from fields such as physics, molecular & evolutionary biology, ecology, abiogenesis, neuroscience, anthropology, sociology and philosophy.

Marshmallow Laser Feast

Memo hasn’t just emerged on the scene by any means. In 2007 Akten founded The Mega Super Awesome Visuals Company (MSA Visuals), an art and tech creative studio.

For some of those who have been following audiovisual culture since before even Audiovisual City was born, then they’ll recognise the name Marshmallow Laser Feast (MLF) – the evolution of MSA Visuals in 2011.

In more recent years and a lot of success, Akten is now focusing on his own work and research, though his contribution to audiovisual culture and performance, must not go unmentioned.

I strongly recommend that you explore his exceptionally wide and varied body of artwork and scientific investigations, as it takes you on a socia cultural journey that goes beyond audiovisual art.

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She is best known for her works with biofeedback devices, such as heart rate and brainwave sensors to express invisible biological signals and emotions as auditory and visual representations.

In creating art installations and performances using sensor technology, Lisa Park strives to explore the importance of human relationships and connections.

Park is a recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship. Her works have been featured by Art21, Artnet, The Creators Project, New York Times magazine, Wired, PBS, Time Out NY, the New York Post, and through many other media outlets.

She received BFA in Fine Arts at Art Center College of Design and her Masters from the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

One of her interactive audiovisual installations left us particularly fascinated: “Blooming”.

It highlights the importance of human presence and physical connection in our lives. It cannot be bloomed alone and is only bloomed by the relationship between people.

As a response to participants’ skin to skin contacts, heart rate, and gestures, “Blooming” blossoms according to their intimacy. As audience members hold hands or embrace , the digital Cherry tree flowers bloom and scatter.

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We present the new media artist, Mónica Rikić, whose work focuses on code, electronics and non-digital objects to create interactive projects often framed as experimental games.

Her interest lies in the social impact of technology, human-machine-human coexistence and the reappropriation of technological systems to rethink them through art. From educational approaches to sociological experimentation, her projects propose new ways of interacting with the digital environment that surrounds us.

She’s participated in festivals such as Arts Electronica, Sónar and FILE, among others. She’s been awarded at Japan Media Arts Festival, AMAZE Berlin, Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition (Atlanta) and with a BBVA Foundation Leonardo grant to work on a research project about robots and social interactions.

She has also done artistic residencies at TAGin Montreal, QUT- The Cube in Australia, Platohedro in Medellin and Medialab Prado in Madrid.

Currently she’s part of two Creative Europe projects: Contested Desires and ARTificial IntelligenceLab.

We encourage you to see her webpage to know more about different projects that connect humans with technology.

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Miguel Neto (Sound) and Rodrigo Carvalho (Visuals & Interactive Systems) – tells the tale of Boris 504,  a chimpanzee sent to the moon by the soviets in 1969 getting stuck in space forever.

Since then he has been exploring the space-time continuum, jumping between several dimensions of the universe.

With this starting point, Miguel & Rodrigo have been exploring the relation between sound & image since 2010 mixing techno, psychedelia and noise, along with audio-reactive visuals generated in real time.

Boris Chimp 504 creates an immersive voyage strongly influenced by science fiction, interspersing with the most current scientific discoveries and merging reality and fiction into a narrative of its own.

They have presented both av performance & interactive installations on festivals such as Sonar (Barcelona), Mutek.Es (Barcelona), ADAF (Athens), BAM (Liège), ECHO (Dubai), Stereolux (Nantes),  Iminente (Lisbon) among many others.

Feature image and hero image photo credit: Ariel Martini, for Sònar 2017

Vanishing Quasars | AV Live (2019- …)

Multiverse | AV Live (2016 – 2018)

Future Sound of [ ] | AV Interactive Installation 

InterWorlds | AV Installation 

Read our interview to Boris Chimp 504

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