p a t c h: audio_visual_lab 2013

CYBEREmpathy ISSUE 7/2013. Visual Stategies

Elwira Wojtunik, Popesz Csaba Láng CE/7, patch:audio_visual_lab2013-report 10-12.10.2013

www.CyberEmpathy.com

Source: www.patchlab.pl/gallery/

Abstract:

New technologies, open-source platforms, machinery and tools, which are

developed and processed by the users, co-inherence between ‘digitalism’

and ‘analogism’, digital and post-digital art - that’s some of the topics to

which the international event PATCHlab in Krakow, Poland is dedicated.

The second edition of the event took place in October 2013 and was

dedicated to contemporary digital art forms, where world of science and art

meets to focus on new trends and opportunities in digital, audiovisual art

created with new means of communication.

p a t c h: audio_visual_lab 2013 New technologies, open-source platforms, machinery and tools, which are

developed and processed by the users, co-inherence between ‘digitalism’

and ‘analogism’, digital and post-digital art - that’s some of the topics to

which the international event PATCHlab in Krakow, Poland is dedicated.

Elwira Wojtunik, Popesz Csaba Láng

p a t c h: audio_visual_lab 2013 - report 10-12.10.2013 Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.

http://www.patchlab.pl/gallery/




The second edition of the event took place in October 2013 and was

dedicated to contemporary digital art forms, where world of science and art

meets to focus on new trends and opportunities in digital, audiovisual art

created with new means of communication. It included exhibition at the

Contemporary Art Gallery Bunkier Sztuki presenting selected installations

and audiovisual works created by Polish and foreign artists from fields such

as generative art, interactive art, D-I-Y, net-art, video art, sound art,

experimental audiovisual forms, projektionism, mapping and other

overstepping known disciplines.

Among 12 works presented on the ground floor of the gallery there was an

video installation entitled ‘Life Needs Internet’ by Dutch designer Jeroen

van Loon - a project that examines the rise of digital technology and the

influence of the internet on different cultures today. The installation

presented on LCD displays eight animated authentic handwritten letters

from people in various corners of the earth - from the jungle of West-Papua

to cities like Singapore or Amsterdam - generating a representation of the

extreme possibilities of our access to the world wide web. Together the eight

letters portray the evolution of our global digitalization and documents

digital culture, but instead of criticizing our increasingly technologically-

based modern world, as some could suggest, it leaves the question of

whether it is 'good' or 'bad' open for the public to decide for themselves. The

project exists as an online platform - during the exhibition each visitor

could become a part of the project writing his own letter which after-all was

delivered to the author.

One of the biggest names on the festival - German pioneering multimedia

artist Thomas Koner's presented his audiovisual installation ‘Im

Taborschatten’ which was literally eye catching - videos, based on the

scanned images of selected icons from the collection of the Ikonenmuseum

Recklinghausen, originally still images, became enlivened faces of the

saints, whose piercing glances were cutting through darkness of the space,

observing the visitors. As the visitors move through the corner space of the

exhibition area, the eyes of the saints follow them, revealing that the

boundary between 'ordinary' onlookers and 'holy' spectators is becoming

more and more permeable. Quoting the artist’s work description “The name

of the installation comes from the term 'Taboric Light' used by icon painters

to describe the source of light and its quality that illuminates the painted

pictorial image space of icons. It is named after Mount Tabor, where -

according to biblical legends - three disciples experienced the

transfiguration of Jesus as a light phenomenon. Here, the transfiguration of




the saints occurs in the shadow of the nave and in the mind of the visitors.”.

That was one of these works which are combining analogue still technique

with a digital manipulation bringing stunning audiovisual and close to

spiritual experience.

There were also few interactive installations, to mention capturing attention

‘Arrow Things‘ - Magdalena Pińczyńska, Patrycja Ochman-Tarka and

Elektro Moon Vision cooperative work-in-progress research on the

boundaries of parallel co-existence of virtual space and reality. The

installation used Virtual Reality which could be discovered by the user

entering shiny silver tubes equipped with an attached tablet consisting an

application to scan the QR code given in the tube leading to discovery of the

virtual space. Each of the three tubes offered different spaces. Great interest

of this installation showed how big public demand there is for interactivity

in the contemporary art these days.

Also ‘The Archetypture of Time – The Time of Interaction’ by Marika Wata

with a collaboration team gathered a crowd willing to interact with a piece

of art, creating and changing it in time by leaving personalized message.

‘Fast Forward’ an audience reactive video installation developed in C++ by

German artist and programer Mauritius Seeger used time warping - the

motion of the observer advances a short time-lapse sequence. Each pixel

has its own playback time controlled by the audience.

There was also a place for very conceptual works as ‘Nudoskop’ where

Mateusz Pęk touched the basic issue of the creation act and inspiration in

the past confronted with ‘here’ and ‘now’. Inspired by the first projection

mechanisms focuses on the boredom of the internet chat as one of the

significant attribute of the present-day culture. Therefore the author leads

the question whether downtime and awaiting might be as inspiring as an

acceleration and progress. While Swedish artist Jesper Norda eximined the

essense of projectionism counting in his work entitled ‘Torch/ 17987162521

Meters in 1 minute’ how far the light will travel through the space during

the following 60 secunds.

But PATCHlab offers not only the review of selected works. As the name

indicates - it’s a laboratory which allows encourages experiments and new

interdisciplinary connections, but also follows the needs of present-day

creative education bringing an opportunity to gain new skills during the

workshops dedicated to new tools in a broad sense, emerging outside the

main trends and as an important element in the hands of contemporary




innovators, creators, artists. During the free workshops, noted Polish and

foreign artists and lecturers introduced the possibilities offered by new

technologies and show how those can be used in practice. This year the

proposition contained Graphic programming for not-programmers using

Pd-extended language, Mapping with PaintWithLight program and

Programming for live performance - coding in Processing. There was also a

special edition workshops in collaboration with Architecture Interior

Design of Krakow Fine Art Academy covering mapping techniques, AV

content creation 2&3D graphic and interactivity implementation

(Pd+Kinect) hosted by Martin Boverhof [Netherlands], Bordos László Zsolt

[Hungary] and Peter Kirn [USA/Germany]. As a result of these latter

lessons students will create their own installations which will be presented

during the III. International Interior Design Biennale in March 2014 at the

Bunkier Sztuki Gallery.

After so many intriguing artistic impressions and a bunch of new

information the festival invited for a preview of few audiovisual

performances and audiovisual night at the Forum Przestrzenie closing the

event with ambitious electronic music with live visuals - both presented by

international artists crews often brewing fresh ideas and new connections.

The third PATCHlab edition in 2014 will likely take place in the beginning

of October bringing again noted artists from abroad and from Poland giving

new inspirations and possibilities of creation new media art forms.

webpage: patchlab.pl

p a t c h: audio_visual_lab 2013

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