We asked a few questions to Elwira Wojtunik and Popesz Csaba Láng, respectively director and program manager of the audiovisual event based in Krakow.

The organizers pulled off an interesting hybrid edition, fully leveraging the latest generation digital tools. And here goes our interview to Patchlab Festival!

1. PATCHLAB FESTIVAL HAS BEEN FOUNDED BACK IN 2012. IT IS NOW A REFERENCE IN THE INTERNATIONAL GENERATIVE ARTS PANORAMA. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE CONCEPTS AND GOALS THAT DROVE YOU TO THE INCEPTION OF THE FESTIVAL?

E.W.: Indeed, Patchlab Festival has happened annually since 2012, after 2 years of organising Share:Krakow – a local unit of a global organisation dedicated to supporting collaboration and knowledge exchange in new media communities.

Those were crazy times full of passion! Organising space for experimenting with digital tools, gathering with people experimenting with digital instruments, plugging in and playing.

Then we organised the 1st and 2nd edition of the festival that happened under the name of Patch: audio_visual_lab with a great support of our partners from the AVnode network.

Back then, new technologies and digital art were quite underground issues in Poland, compared to now, so it wasn’t easy to convince institutions and partners to support such a unique, niche event.

But we made it happen! During these 9 years we managed to build an internationally recognised platform. We showcase and research on one of the most rapidly developing areas of contemporary art: digital art based on the latest technologies and creative coding.

Patchlab festival is a space for meetings and discussions with the creators, experts and public. We have focused on the roles and impact that digital technology has on our everyday lives.

We explored its future developments, its multi-dimensionality, its interrelations with the artistic processes. They change rapidly and bring new possibilities and challenges, as the technology evolves.

2. THIS YEAR YOU DECIDED TO PROPOSE A HYBRID EDITION AS A RESPONSE TO THE CURRENT PANDEMIC CRISIS. WHAT HAVE BEEN THE CHALLENGES AND THE OPPORTUNITIES OF UTILIZING DIGITAL TOOLS TO ALLOW THE AUDIENCE TO VIRTUALLY PARTICIPATE?

E.W.: Due to the pandemic we had to find an alternative format compared to the past festival years. Most of the cultural events moved to the internet. But after some time people got tired of the meetings and events provided online. Mostly via Zoom.

Moreover this form of social connection became so overwhelming in every aspect of our life. Therefore attracting the attention of the public online became quite a challenge.

We have decided to experiment and diversify the program to provide the festival content in hybrid form. The digital world of the internet is a natural environment for digital art. Hence it was obvious for us that it was an opportunity to use alternative ways to reach the public internationally.

We had the chance to bring art to the users at the time they chose. We incorporated the program in a different digital format. Anyone was able to participate live online simply by entering the webpage, but also in Augmented and Virtual Reality. Via mobile phones or VR goggles at any chosen time and space.

The festival webpage was specially designed for this purpose – the exhibition of over 28 artworks was (and still is until the end of 2020!) presented online in 5 virtual rooms.

Among them, the Salon AR hosted audiovisual artworks created by e.g. Ryoichi Kurokawa or Monocolor that could be experienced in Augmented Reality.

In the Salon Virtual Ambient you could experience interactive online installations, 360° animations and immerse in surreal VR video collages.

arc/sec Lab exhibition room, built in Mozilla Hub, allows you to choose your own avatar to explore four kinetic light installations in 1:1 scale created at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

We allocated two studios for the multimedia artworks created by students from the Multimedia Studio of the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology in Warsaw and the Intermedia Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow.

This edition aimed at connecting with artists in different places around the globe. That is why we presented a 2 hours live set from Berlin by German duo INSTANT, and a round-table discussion about the roles of the new technologies during the pandemic, and its impact on our everyday lives.

The audience participated also in a virtual narrative performance: Operation Jane Walk, a dystopian video game space, carried out live straight from Vienna.

Performers from the Total Refusal collective hijacked the digital wargame environment, exploring the possibilities (and impossibilities) of new media technologies, while walking around a digital representation of New York.

We also developed something out of the box to create art projects as mobile applications: the app SOL.AR.IS, inspired by the great sci-fi novel written by Stanislaw Lem and Krakow ARtour.

SOL.AR.IS is an extraordinary project that offers an interaction in real time through AR technology with ephemeral animated 3D objects. Those are inspired by the fantastic phenomena described in the book: creations of the cytoplasmic, intelligent ocean that covers the planet Solaris – mimoids, symmetries or asymmetries.

The project was created in cooperation with CGI artists from Japan, Hungary, New Zealand, Germany and Iran. It’s still accessible for everyone, despite the place and time – downloadable for free from the App Store and Google Play.

During the pandemic, walking has become the most popular physical activity. Thus we designed the mobile application Krakow ARtour for people in Krakow, using Augmented Reality technology.

The application turns a regular walk into a multi-layered journey following the trail of the 20th century architecture of the Krakow Old Town. It allows you to discover unknown stories set in the context of a sustainable future.

P.C.L. For these two applications we used the SDK – newest set of tools offered by Google and Apple – AR Core and AR Kit accordingly, which are compatible with the latest smartphones.

There are still more than 300 types of phones available, but hopefully sooner or later these technological gaps will disappear and these new solutions will be achievable for all spectators without limits.

AR is still a relatively new technology. Surprisingly, most of the artists we invited have never had any experience with it. Therefore they were all very satisfied to get acquainted with a new possibility of presenting their artworks.

In order to showcase AR artworks at the Salon AR we designed the third application – PatchlabAR, available for all phones and tablets. We wanted to create it as simple as possible, so everybody could present their artworks at the Salon AR and augment their reality.

E.W.: The pandemic showed the great potential of digital tools. The internet and technology pushed the digital revolution further.

The new situation also showed that Patchlab program might be available for a much wider audience around the world. And not only during the time of the festival, but for much longer.

That’s why we decided to give access to the online content until the end of 2020. This is one of the aspects that wouldn’t be possible to accomplish while organising it in a regular form, physically in Krakow.

3. NOWADAYS DATA HAS OVERWHELMINGLY PERMEATED EVERY ASPECTS OF OUR DAILY LIFE. IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT IS THE ROLE OF CREATIVE CODING AND GENERATIVE AUDIOVISUAL ARTS IN THIS HYPER-DIGITALIZED SOCIETY WE LIVE IN?

E.W.: Creative coding translates the world of computers and code into everyday experience. It is one of the most comprehensive and dynamically developing disciplines of contemporary art.

Thus it results in a wide spectrum of artistic activities. The community of artists using code as their medium is constantly growing, expanding our sense of what is possible with digital tools.

That’s why creative coding has an amazing role in creativity that cannot be underestimate. It opens extraordinary possibilities of artistic expression.

Open source philosophy plays a very important role. The open source platforms encourage growth and experimentation. They support a rich community of creators that share their strategies and work with unprecedented openness.

That demonstrates how artists use technology in new ways, originating innovations and new experiences that actually influence the future, changing many aspects of our world. That fosters a greater awareness of the fast changing world that we live in, also regarding the means and directions of these changes.

P.C.L.: Nowadays big corporations continuously push their products to the global market. These hardware quite often have pre-installed software and firmware but usually producers do not have time to create something ad-hoc for them.

And here come the digital artists. They hack and crack these tools using their own codes to achieve something meaningful and eye glowing, out of the mass production.

Comparing the early 2000s, today these products are accessible almost to everyone. The only limit is often just our imagination. Two perfect examples are Raspberry Pi and Arduino.

Hardware are getting stronger and faster, while the price is getting lower. Both use open source systems as codes are shared online. I dare to say that’s the best way to start your experience with expressing yourself by code.

4. THE 9TH EDITION FEATURES THE THEME “CONNECTED”. CONNECTED BY THE INTERNET AND BY THE PANDEMIC. CAN YOU GIVE US SOME INSIGHTS ON THE DECISIONAL PROCESS YOU UNDERTOOK TO SELECT THIS PARTICULAR THEME?

E.W.: The theme CONNECTED refers mainly to two global aspects. The replacement of social contacts through the internet and the impulse to think about the common public spaces, cultural events and everyday life with and after the virus.

Due to the pandemic the world is undergoing an accelerated digital revolution. it is happening in front of our eyes. The Internet has become our primary channels of communication as never before.

Imagine the pandemic hit us 20 years ago. There wouldn’t have been such global access to the Internet or even no Internet at all! That situation would have been much more difficult for everybody. The pandemic appeared as a an external impulse. It made us develop pre-existing solutions and raise the digital competences, within the contemporary society.

There is also another aspect of this topic. The reliable connection we have with our partners, who we share common values with.

We joined forces with Athens Digital Art Festival, arc/sec Lab of the Auckland University in New Zealand or Digital Cultures among others, to create an intensive program, supporting each other in these difficult times for art and culture.

P.C.L.: A nice and positive example of how pandemic connected people is the Folding movement, which resulted in the creation of the most powerful supercomputer on the planet.

After installing the software you can share the free capacity of your computer’s processors to speed up the mapping process of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 DNA, causing COVID-19 illness.

Hundreds of thousands people around the world gave access to their computer processors. They connected and raised computing capacity, letting the researchers work faster towards the common goal, through this super globally connected power.

5. IN 2018 THE THEME WAS “ARTBOTS”, WHERE YOU REFLECTED ABOUT CREATIVITY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. IN 2019 YOU CHOSE “REALITIES” AND YOU REFLECTED UPON THE DIGITAL WORLDS PARALLELY GROWING TO OUR ENDANGERED PLANET.


WHAT IS THE CONCEPTUAL LINK THAT CONNECTS THE LAST THREE YEARS EDITIONS? HOW DID THE SOCIETY AND ARTS SCENE EVOLVED ACCORDINGLY?

E.W.: Each edition focused on a certain topic of the wide spectrum of the artistic activities that explore the creative potential of machines, algorithms, programming. Therefore each edition of Patchlab festival incorporated key phenomena in contemporary culture and art, including VR, AR, AI, hacking and digital identities.

Artificial intelligence algorithms, reality and simulations, AR, VR, interaction and collaboration between human and machine, the technologies that have a strong impact on our lives and the world we live in now and in the near future. These have always been urging topics for us, since the beginning of the festival.

The world is changing very fast in front of our eyes. Every year there are new improvements, new fascinating technologies that are instantly taken over by creatives and artists.

New technologies play also important roles in enhancing productivity and raising sustainability, such as the efforts to use AI and carbon removal technologies to fight climate change.

Raising awareness of urgent climate issues and acting for significant prompt change should be highly important to every human being. Hence it’s natural for us to implement these topics into the program. We show that digital art as well can make us think about the complexity of the ecology and how to act in alternative ways.

6. THE AUDIOVISUAL EVENT REACHED ITS 9TH EDITION THIS YEAR. TO WRAP UP OUR INTERVIEW TO PATCHLAB FESTIVAL WE WOULD LIKE TO ASK:

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE 10TH EDITION NEXT YEAR? AND WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NEAREST TECHNOLOGICAL FUTURE?

P.C.L. So many aspects can change the future, that we can easily fantasize about the future of digital technologies. The forthcoming 5G and Elan Musk’s StarLink will change the internet in the next few years. In the same ways as it has evolved from the 70s until today.

The Internet of Things will create a better global network, expanding the playground for the digital artists. Big Data, Bioart, AI will become more common. Art as well will become more accessible to the audience.

We are going to leave our beloved friends, the smart phones, forever. We will be using HoloLens or similar Mixed Reality devices, where all the calculations will be made in cloud systems, on a supercomputer. The rest will be just displays and terminals to access the network.

E.W. The pandemic year showed enormous growth in the video games industry among others. In the previous editions we already considered some aspects of the valuable creations developed in this significant discipline of digital culture.

Next year we prepare for the 10th edition and we plan to dedicate part of the festival program to creative video games and the interventions in the virtual space. In 2021 Poland will celebrate the 100th birthday of the great sci-fi writer, Stanislaw Lem.

We would like to grace this year by continuing the development of the SOL.AR.IS art mobile app with new content inspired by the creatures of the intelligent ocean described in the Solaris novel. Additionally for this great occasion, we are preparing an interactive AR city game that will be designed together with invited artists.

In the hope that next year the restrictions will be lifted, we are also planning an on-line strategy. It worked great this year as it allowed us to reach a wide audience and to give access to the program for a much longer time.

I would like to emphasize that the Patchlab Festival remains CONNECTED until the end of the year. There is still time to dive into digital art programs online for those who missed it!

We hoped you enjoyed our interview to Patchlab Festival. We are definitely looking forward to the next year edition. As always, Stay Tuned!

Stay connected with Digital Arts Festival

Learn more about the 9th edition of the Patchlab Digital Art Festival

Read our interview to Athens Digital Arts Festival

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A special online edition offering an alternative way of enjoying the numerous audiovisual artists involved from all over the world.

The festival is organised by the same ensemble that has been delivering the massive audiovisual artists meeting LPM, since 2004. Flyer SRL, Linux Club and FLxER.net are also behind Live Cinema Festival, the boutique event we attended (physically!) back in September.

Fotonica features a wide focus on the audiovisual arts, embracing the many features and different expressions within the new media.

Not just performances and VJ sets but also installations, lectures and workshops. In each edition, Fotonica offers a space for both artistic networking and outreach of new audiences.

This year, the organizers have created a virtual environment and live streaming channel where it is possible to discover and to participate in a safe, interactive and innovative way.

The team behind Fotonica is very conscious of the importance of international partnerships. This year the festival is collaborating with Athens Digital Art Festival , Lunchmeat Festival, Cerrado Mapping Festival, Live Cinema Festival, Cairotronica, Bright Festival and System11.

Therefore the event does not offer simple entertainment. Fotonica is a valuable hub for all audiovisual artists to keep inspiring and being inspired. Even from their own studios.

Arte19VVR VR Rooms will host the digital exhibitions, VR Mapping, lecture and live AV performances through VJTelevision and Twitch. Workshops, lectures and talks will take place on Meet and Zoom.

A full array of digital and virtual platforms to maintain the audiovisual event alive, despite the second wave Covid restrictions.

Hence the organizers are sending an important message to the audience: arts have to adapt to any arising scenario leveraging the full creative potential of the latest technologies.

Read our report about Live Cinema Festival

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DJ Wallizz and DJ Nomi are both from Berlin. They have run monthly parties such as “The Afro House Experience”, “Bantu’s Diary” or “Black Paper”.

Hence they created a nightlife audiovisual experience that fusions rhythms of African clubs with sounds from the Berlin clubbing scene.

Expanding their vision, Wallizz and Cambel decided to start their own project called Freak de l’Afrique (The Monster of Africa). Recently the collective has started to incorporate audiovisual in their shows and performances.

Their aim is to bring the modern side of African music to the clubbing scene.

Through music, events and fashion they continuously spread a lifestyle inspired by Africa. It is forward-thinking, unexpected, sometimes provocative but above all positive!

Among their project we find “Wena – Jame”: A Journey through Afropolitan Musical Encounters. Wena translates into the pronoun “you”. It comes from the Zulu, one of many languages in South Africa. “Wena” is often used to ask someone to do something.

The project is the result of the combined effort among Freak de l’Afrique sound system, six dancers and a team of creative light and projection artist.

They all invite you (WENA!) to join them on a journey through the modern musical landscape of Africa and its diaspora.

This trip unravels as a 90-minute stage show with DJs, dancers and visual art with music from Ghana, Congo, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Angola, South Africa and many other places.

The collective wants to develop audiovisual content and projection mapping to make the experience more immersive.

They aim to connect the dancers, the music and the audiovisual content with an urban, modern and futuristic style rather than the traditional cliché one.

I think the concept is very powerful, not only for the magical moment they bring but also because of its originality.

I definitely look forward to seeing how it evolves! We will definitely keep an eye on them, as we always follow closely any type of audiovisual innovation.

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EXTRAsync is an inter-disciplinary platform that develops innovative projects and devices within the Audiovisual culture.

Of course when we found out about this new device we asked the developers Marco Monfardini, Gianluca Sibaldi and Amelie Duchow for an interview. And here you got it!

1. We were truly excited when you first showed us this new audiovisual projection tool you have developed. Can you tell us how you came up with the idea of the EXTRAscan?

Marco: My initial idea dates back to a few years ago, when I wanted to create an instrument that could generate sounds and visuals by using video projection on any given surface.

I wanted to experiment a new way of both visual and sound composition. After a long time of fruitless research I was almost on the verge of giving up.

However I told Gianluca about my idea, knowing him as a soundtrack composer and ever since a “computer alchemist”. Combining these two types of experiences, we began to transform our imagination into reality.

The first steps were exhilarating and pushed us to completely immerse ourselves in creating this new “device”.

2. Technically speaking, how does the audiovisual scan work? What kind of technological set up does it require?

Gianluca: this is a “slow” version of a structured light projection, a technique commonly used to perform 3D scans. We project lines on the scanned object by using a video projector. It then detects shapes and colors through 4 specially modified cameras.

The collected data information is processed in real time via a network of 5 computers. We use a mix of standard visualization algorithms and others we developed ourselves. Each computer has a specific task and contributes to the final audio and video output.

3. This cutting-edge tool is designed for live performances. Can you describe how the live manipulation works, once receiving the data parameters from the projector scanner?

We designed this tool to be independent, playing sound and generate images based on what it “reads”.

During a live performance we use a basic structure created ad hoc for the hosting venue. We modify the parameters according to the evolution of the performance while also modifying the structure itself in real-time. Both the audio and the video elements undergo a continuous elaboration.

4. In terms of artistic expression, what are the creative possibilities you discovered by utilizing this tool as audiovisual artists?

It is a tool for exploring and reading reality. It extracts features that are usually undetectable through a cross-contamination between visual elements that generate sound and sound elements that have visual correspondences.

This transports us into an additional dimension that becomes itself an object of stimulation and creation.

5. Could you share with us the audiovisual projects you have been working on thanks to this technology, both in the artistic and corporate world?

We have developed several projects with EXTRAscan in collaboration with both corporate and artistic entities.

Porsche recently commissioned us a live scanning for the launch of the new electric Taycan 4S. We presented a performance at the Scuola Holden in Torino in collaboration with Garofalo & Idee Associate.

For the Bonotto Foundation we developed a study for an audiovisual installation. For the LEV Festival 2019 we have developed the site specific live performance SCANAUDIENCE.

6. You have showcased the EXTRAscan at LEV festival 2019, by delivering an audiovisual representation of the audience called SCANAUDIENCE. Can you tell us about this remarkable performance?

SCANAUDIENCE was born from the study of the human figure and the idea of reversing the roles of a common performance. The audience itself is the protagonist of the performance. They are the subject of the scan and thus directly determining the audio and video result.

In order to develop SCANAUDIENCE at LEV Festival we built a scale model of the Laboral theater. The model included an audience made of small paper dolls that we used to fine-tune the performance.

The technical realization of SCANAUDIENCE is a fairly complex operation. Therefore we had to foresee the characteristics of both the venue and the array of the people to optimize timings for the sound check.

The result greatly exceeded our expectations, thanks to a large number of visitors and excellent technical support from the LEV organization.

Before our premiere set at LEV we did not have the opportunity to do a rehearsal with about 1000 people at the same time.

We had a rough idea of the outcome thanks to our model construction, but actually the real result was far more exciting and surprising for both us and the audience.

SCANAUDIENCE at the Laboral theater revealed a further dimension in addition to the sound generation and video output represented on the screen.

The scan lines projected onto the audience became themselves an additional spectacle inside the main show: an evocative feedback of the action of the “machine”.

7. Can you give us some insights about any further developments you are planning for the EXTRAscan?

We are currently studying the development for large scale scanning of buildings, monuments and architectural elements. We have worked on a draft of “innerVoices”. It is project that “gives voice” to historic buildings and other elements within the context of urban development.

Another area of development is the contemporary design. We aim to carry out the scanning of design objects in a more “chamber music” dimension, as they were generative elements of a small ensemble of voices and instruments.

From a technical standpoint, we are designing a new software that is even more advanced and offers a more immediate way of work.

We have recently started the development of new cameras for EXTRAscan. By integrating many functions directly into the camera software, we are automating many delicate calibration operations that had to be done manually.

We are also designing a new device that will use some of the EXTRAscan technology. The device will allow other artists, performers, VJ’s, DJ’s, etc. to have a customizable graphics engine. It will be driven directly by the sound and programmable through a touch interface.

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SCANAudience

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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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The very first hybrid edition of MUTEK has come to an end after some eventful days

They have successfully achieved to present their incredible curatorial and technical work to a virtually-connected audience.

The online platform built specifically for their memorable hybrid edition allowed festival attendants across the globe to enter a virtual space filled with pure talent and inspirational work.
 

Within their programme we find the Nocturne series, presented and recorded inside Montreal’s la SAT (Société des Arts Technologiques) running since 2011.

The live performances did have a reduced crowd enjoying the physical on-site experience following the measures and protocols needed for this year’s edition.

The space (Satosphère) is an immersive dome with a spherical projection screen ideal for audiovisual shows in a 360º environment. 

Moreover, they included many “Replay” sessions throughout the long weekend. If you missed a show (time zones would be a fair reason to some extent) or there was a show you couldn’t get enough of (more than one myself) you could rearrange to watch it. Not too bad. 

The following are only a few of the numerous stunning shows I attended at MUTEK Montréal 21. Here I will briefly cover some of the mainly Canadian artists that contributed to an international, diverse and enriching audiovisual experience. 

Neo Edo premiers A World Within a World with visuals by the video art group TiND (it actually stands for This is Not Design), also VJing for  Softcoresoft’s set. 

Some absolutely jaw-dropping landscapes were created through the elaborated, trippy visuals. I could almost hear the “wow”s inevitably uttered by the crowd. Both Neo Edo’s futuristic beats and Softcoresoft’s ravey acid sounds were perfectly in tune with the visually hypnotic atmosphere created.

As introduced on her website, VJ BunBun’s style “is best described as brightly hued, ultra-textured, beat-synced, and holographic looking”. She debuted in MUTEK adding a tropical atmosphere which nicely adapted to the sounds of T. Gowdy and Priori. From milder beats even bringing morning coffee break vibes, to heavier sounds inducing trance, both sets were enjoyable regardless of your time zone. 

Myriam Boucher’s work reflects a deep observation and meditation on nature and its polymorphic beauty. The visuals blended seamlessly with Racine’s elegant, ambient sounds. Truly impressive and feeling-provoking. 

Boogieman & Samito’s groovy vocals and notes were delivered with the exotic colours and modern motifs of VJ Danica Olders. 

And last but not least, the fresh, unexpected sounds by the duo Musique Nouvelle were one of the most genuinely experimental – and very fun – experiences I personally enjoyed last weekend. The minimal, simple patterns of the visuals by VJ Melesul3 (Jérôme LeBel) worked very nicely with the set. His experience offering visuals at the SAT started back in 2013, which was clearly reflected through his ease and adaptability during the performance.

It has been a special edition where there has evidently been a lot of hard work, care and creativity put into organising such a “genuine” experience considering the challenge current times entail. Bravo! 

All images are screenshots taken by Sumire Moncholi of the MUTEK virtual platform. Transmission Montreal is the official broadcaster of all MUTEK Montreal 2020 performances at the SAT.

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They craft beautiful light geometrical shapes, slowly pulling the viewer into a trance-like state. The soundscape is dense and absorbing, precise and analytical.

Their immersive environments are pervaded with a dreamy, hermetic atmosphere.

NONOTAK explore the full potential of minimal forms by combining lights and sounds to build delicate audiovisual architectures.

Instead of offering a colorful audiovisual feast, NONOTAK prefers basic structural elements slowly appearing and conquering the dark space.

We are hypnotised. We step into a dream-like state by wandering around this otherworldly and ethereal landscape, built upon three key elements: light, sound and movement.

Fascinating and mysterious, each installation leaves the viewer with an impelling feeling of wanting to know and explore more of their audiovisual art.

The studio is the result of the collaboration between the illustrator Noemi Schipfer and the architect musician Takami Nakamoto.

Commissioned by the Architect Bigoni-Mortemard to create a mural in the lobby of a public housing building in Paris, NONOTAK was created in late 2011.

In early 2013, they started to work on light and sound installations capitalizing on Takami Nakamoto’s approach to space & sound, and Noemi Schipfer’s experience in kinetic visual.

NONOTAK have been commissioned by the Mapping Festival ( GENEVA ), EM15 ELEKTRA / MUTEK ( MONTREAL ), MUTEK.JP (TOKYO), MUTEK.MX (MEXICO), MUTEK.SF (SAN FRANCISCO), MUTEK.ES (BARCELONA), la Nuit Blanche ( PARIS ), Roppongi Art night ( TOKYO ), Axcess Art Gallery ( NEW YORK ), Stereolux ( NANTES ), Playgrounds Festival ( TILBURG ), Mirage Festival ( LYON ), Vision’R, Insanitus Festival ( LITHUANIA ), FUZ Festival ( PARIS ), Lunchmeat Festival (PRAHA ), KIKK Festival ( BELGIUM ), Nokia by Lumia ( ISTANBUL ). 

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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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We are constantly scanning our map for new opportunities for audiovisual artists, especially outside the European network.

It is quite hard to map out the Asian audiovisual scene, mostly due to language barriers and different social media landscape.

Therefore we are very pleased to present you with this art contest for the Tokyo based media arts festival.

The Japan Media Arts Contest is a long-lasting institution reaching its 24th edition this year. The call is open to all audiovisual artists worldwide and encompasses the following categories:

Art Division | Entertainment Division | Animation Division | Manga Division

For each division the elected jury will award the following prizes, based on the artistic value and creativity of the artwork:

Grand Prize (1.000.000 JPY), Excellence Awards (500.000 JPY), Social Impact Award (500.000 JPY), New Face Awards (300.000 JPY), U-18 Award (certificate, trophy), Special Achievement Award (certificate).

It is interesting to notice the wide range of categories not necessarily related to the new media arts world. The inclusion of animation and manga highlights their wide recognition in the Japanese scene as special forms of art.

The Japan Media Arts Contest offers opportunities for young and emerging artists as well as recognized professionals making the audiovisual event a turning point every year for artistic innovation and excellency.

The Japan Media Arts Festival has been awarding prizes to outstanding artistic works since its establishment in 1997.

It is supported by The Agency of Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan to develop and promote the creation of Japanese and international media arts.

Through the annual Exhibition of Award-winning Works, the festival has offered the opportunity to the audience of directly appreciating these celebrated works.

The attendants are also invited to participate to the side events such as symposia, screenings and artists’ showcases.

WEBSITE

APPLY TO THE OPEN CALL

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The theme of the 2020 edition is CONNECTED. It explores the implications of the digital revolution we are undergoing in our lives due to the pandemic.

The head-spinning rise of the internet based communication during the last months is still quite hard to grasp. The internet was created originally as an effective and immediate form of communication.

With the evolution of social media platforms, the world wide web is now a primary channel to express our emotions.

Audiovisual artists can help us understand the fast-changing environment we live in by visualizing the Nietzsche’s unsaid. Anything that is too complex for a total comprehension can be grasped by living the artistic experience.

Immersive installations, interactive artwork and live performance communicate complex statements through sensorial experience, giving us the chance to digest information slowly, at our own pace.

Generative art as an antidote to the overwhelming data dump we experience everyday.

Due to the uncertainty of in-person attendance, the organizers are planning the audiovisual event through virtual platforms. It will be therefore accessible to a wider audience through the experimental use of new technologies.

Patchlab Festival will present art projects online and via AR (augmented reality).

There will be experimental computer animations presented in the virtual cinema, remotely accessible workshops and also a dystopian multi-person computer game allowing the exploration of a post-apocalyptic New York.

The 360° Gallery will also hold the premiere of audiovisual projects from the Artist in Residence #homeedition program.

Inspired by space and nature, the artists-residents from France, Canada and Spain will design artworks for a system of 10 projectors, which cannot only be seen on site, but also online in the 360° digital format.

Contact

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