GAMESCENES

EVENT: HUGO ARCIER (OCTOBER 25 - NOVEMBER 7 2024, ONLINE)

LIMBUS IV

single channel video (UHD), color, sound,  8’ 27”, 2024, France

created by Hugo Arcier

 

Limbus by Hugo Arcier is an ongoing machinima series that explores inaccessible spaces within video games such as Rage, Grand Theft Auto V and now Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II through the use of glitches and modding. By positioning the camera in impossible perspectives, such as beneath the ground, Arcier reveals hidden layers of these virtual worlds, transforming glitches from technical errors into aesthetic opportunities. Drawing on the concept of “limbo” as a state of ambiguity and incompleteness, the series presents these digital environments as fragile and transient, exposing the hollowness of the virtual spaces we inhabit. Like its predecessors, Limbus IV invites viewers to reflect on the nature of virtual reality, subverting the conventional structures of video games to offer a philosophical meditation on presence and absence, unrealized potential and shadows of lost data.

Hugo Arcier transcends the conventional boundaries of artistic practice, positioning himself as an “artist in a digital world”. Harnessing the expansive potential of 3D computer graphics, Arcier channels his creative vision into a diverse range of mediums, seamlessly weaving together videos, prints, and sculptures. While his initial foray into the artistic realm was through the realm of special effects for renowned feature filmmakers such as Roman Polanski, Alain Resnais, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, it is through this trajectory that he cultivated an unparalleled mastery of digital tools, particularly in the realm of 3D graphic imagery. Arcier’s artistic prowess has garnered global acclaim, with his works showcased in prestigious international festivals, including Elektra, Videoformes, and Némo. His creative explorations have further permeated the hallowed walls of Magda Danysz and Plateforme Paris, alongside art venues like the New Museum and the New Media Art Center of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute. Notably, Arcier’s distinctive artistic voice has resonated across the global art landscape, finding a home in revered institutions like Le Cube, Okayama Art Center, and the iconic Palais de Tokyo. He lives and works in Paris.

WATCH NOW

EVENT: ALICE BUCKNELL (AUGUST 2 - 15 2024, ONLINE)

The Alluvials

digital video (1920 x 1080), color, sound, 38’ 05”, 2023, United States of America

Created by Alice Bucknell

 

The Alluvials is a seven-chapter video work — and video game — that delves into the politics of drought and water scarcity in a near-future Los Angeles. The narrative unfolds through diverse more-than-human perspectives, including the Los Angeles River, wildfire, a 400-year-old sycamore named El Aliso, and the ghost of the city’s famed mountain lion, P-22. Combining history, futurism, and speculative fiction, The Alluvials examines the complex interplay between engineered ecology, disaster capitalism, and nonhuman systems shaping Los Angeles. The story is presented across various media, featuring custom-built game environments, modified versions of the fictional city Los Santos from Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto V, 3D scans of LA captured by drone, AI-generated “hallucinations” merging historical images of the River with future development proposals, and visualizations of GIS and pollution data of the LA River. The project acknowledges Indigenous unique relationships to water, particularly those of the Tongva People of the Greater Los Angeles Basin, emphasizing that nature is an intelligent system and a technology in its own right.

Alice Bucknell is a North American artist and writer based in Los Angeles. Working with game engines and speculative fiction strategies, their work explores interconnections of architecture, ecology, magic, and nonhuman and machine intelligence.In 2021, they founded New Mystics, a digital platform merging magic and technology. In 2022, they organized New Worlds, an experimental event series expanding on emergent worlding practices, held at Somerset House Studios in London. They have presented their work internationally, with recent exhibitions at Ars Electronica with transmediale, Arcade Seoul, the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale, Honor Fraser Gallery in Los Angeles, Gray Area in San Francisco, Basement Roma in Rome, Singapore Art Museum, The Museum of Modern Art in Fort Worth, Texas, Fiber Festival in the Netherlands, and Serpentine in London. Their writing appears often in publications including ArtReview, Flash Art, Frieze, e-flux Architecture, and the Harvard Design Magazine. They are currently faculty at SCI-Arc in Los Angeles and an Associate Lecturer in MA Narrative Environments at University of the Arts London. In 2023, they are a Supercollider SciArt Ambassador in Los Angeles, a resident of Somerset House Studios in London, and a resident at transmediale in Berlin. Bucknell studied Anthropology at the University of Chicago and Critical Practice at the Royal College of Art in London.

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GAME ART: ED FORNELIES’S INSIDE OUT 2 (2024)

Installation View, Ed Fornieles, Inside Out 2, Carlos/Ishikawa, 2024
Image © Ed Fornieles, courtesy Carlos/Ishikawa, London. Photographer: Damian Griffiths

Installation View, Ed Fornieles, Inside Out 2, Carlos/Ishikawa, 2024
Image © Ed Fornieles, courtesy Carlos/Ishikawa, London. Photographer: Damian Griffiths

Recently presented at Carlos/Ishikawa gallery in London between May 23 – July 6, 2024, Ed Fornieles’s Inside Out 2 is an ambitious exploration of the intersections between corporate structures, personal relationships, and digital interactions, presented through a richly narrative-driven multimedia approach. This project extends Fornieles’ continuous investigation into the dynamics of digital and social spheres, previously exemplified in his Dorm Daze project, where participants inhabited fictional Facebook profiles, blurring the lines between personal and fictional identities.

Central to Inside Out 2 is the conceptualization of a company, Fini, as both a work of art and a corporate entity, challenging traditional notions by positioning the company as a medium that generates value through engagement rather than tangible products. The narrative intricately weaves the concept of friendship into corporate dynamics, prompting profound questions about the nature of relationships within commercial and digital contexts. Drawing on the Brazilian Anthropophagy movement, which advocated for the cultural digestion and transformation of colonial influences, Fornieles illustrates how digital and corporate cultures can be absorbed and reinterpreted.

Installation View, Ed Fornieles, Inside Out 2, Carlos/Ishikawa, 2024
Image © Ed Fornieles, courtesy Carlos/Ishikawa, London. Photographer: Damian Griffiths

The gallery space, referred to as The Zone, acts as a transformative environment where objects and concepts are recontextualized, allowing viewers to engage in a suspension of disbelief. Fornieles provocatively suggests that shared hallucinations, or mutual agreements on perceived realities, form the basis of our understanding of the world, thereby challenging the stability of reality itself. The project employs a range of narrative techniques, from cute aesthetics to speculative fiction and historical revisionism, creating a multilayered experience that defies conventional boundaries between fiction and reality.

Installation View, Ed Fornieles, Inside Out 2, Carlos/Ishikawa, 2024
Image © Ed Fornieles, courtesy Carlos/Ishikawa, London. Photographer: Damian Griffiths

Envisioning future expansions, Fornieles introduces the Oom app, positioned at the intersection of messaging and mobile gaming, and a movie that combines live-action with animation, further extending the project  "narrative universe. By discussing the role of venture capital in the growth of new companies, Fornieles draws intriguing parallels between the ambitions of artists and venture capitalists in their shared pursuit of world-building, highlighting the economic and philosophical challenges of sustaining such an innovative endeavor. Inside Out 2 is a complex work that invites viewers to interrogate contemporary culture through the lenses of corporate structures, digital identities, and personal relationships, urging a reconsideration of how we engage with the so-called “digital”.

LINK: Ed Fornieles’s Inside Out 2

EVENT: FILE 2024: QUBIT AI (JULY 3 - AUGUST 25 2024, SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL)

FILE 2024: QUBIT AI

July 3 - August 25 2024

Centro Cultural FIESP

Avenida Paulista, 1313 Em frente a estação Trianon-Masp do Metrô

Bela Vista, São Paulo - SP, 01311-200, Brazil

 

In the heart of São Paulo, at the FIESP Cultural Center, the FILE 2024 festival unfurls a groundbreaking intersection of art and technology through its latest exhibition, QUBIT AI: Quantum Computing and Synthetic Artificial Intelligence. Curated by Ricardo Barreto and Paula Perissinotto, the exhibition, running from July 3rd to August 25th, promises to redefine the boundaries AI-inspired/co-generated digital art.

At the core of QUBIT AI is the revolutionary potential of quantum computing. This avant-garde technology, characterized by quantum superposition and entanglement, introduces novel creative avenues for artists. Barreto and Perissinotto articulate this paradigm shift in their curatorial text, emphasizing that quantum computing heralds an unprecedented frontier for both computer science and the arts.

For the first time, an art exhibition features a fully operational Quantum Computer. This cutting-edge inclusion is complemented by two pioneering Brazilian projects: Quantum Photography by Gabriela Barreto Lemos and Sounding Qubits by Eduardo Reck Miranda. Lemos’ work explores the visual possibilities inherent in quantum phenomena, while Miranda's installation translates the enigmatic behaviors of qubits into an auditory experience.

While quantum computing represents a nascent technological revolution, synthetic artificial intelligence is already reshaping artistic landscapes. Synthetic art, produced through AI in collaboration with human creativity, parallels the radical shifts of early modernity, offering new methods of creation across diverse media.

The exhibition's synthetic art section is divided into four thematic areas: Sound Synthetics, Aesthetic Synthetics, Cinematic Synthetics, and Architectural Synthetics. One of the standout installations, INTERATOR, is a three-dimensional cinema without VR glasses. This immersive experience allows viewers to navigate a space filled with simultaneous synthetic video projections, creating an interactive dialogue between the audience and the art.

Highlighted artists within Sound Synthetics include Dennis Schöneberg, whose works such as Bodydub and Transparenza blend visual and auditory stimuli to craft a multisensory narrative. The Spanish collective Iskarioto's dystopian AI films, paired with AI-generated music, further push the envelope of what synthetic art can achieve.

QUBIT AI’s interactive installations invite visitors to become active participants in the art. Klaus Obermaier's EGO uses the concept of alienation from psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan to distort the viewer's reflection, examining the tension between reality and symbolism. "The Forgettable Art Machine" places the visitor at the nexus of art and technology, turning each interaction into a personalized masterpiece.

Elizabeth Kolbert's influence is evident in Speculative Evolution, Prototype 1, an AI-driven simulator that allows visitors to create new species within a speculative ecosystem. Marc Vilanova’s Cascade immerses viewers in the hidden frequencies of waterfalls, transforming auditory experiences into a sensory exploration of environmental soundscapes.

Seph Li's Everything Before, Everything After transforms collective touch into a dynamic digital painting, capturing the fluidity of interaction in a visual symphony. Holly Herndon’s AI voice model, Holly+, stars in the music video Jolene, featuring Sam Rolfes, which showcases the capabilities of synthetic performers and their impact on contemporary music.

Complementing QUBIT AI, the FILE LED Show 2024 illuminates Fiesp's facade with innovative creations from USP Visual Arts Course and IED São Paulo students. Under the guidance of Dr. Silvia Laurentiz and Daniel Grizando, these collaborations highlight the interdisciplinary nature of design and the transformative power of university partnerships

QUBIT AI at FILE 2024 is not merely an exhibition; it is a visionary journey into the future of art. By integrating quantum computing and synthetic AI, it challenges and expands our understanding of creativity, inviting us to explore the uncharted territories where art and technology converge.

LINK: FILE 2024: QUIBIT AI

EVENT: MACHINIMA AND AI AT EXPO CHICAGO 2024 (APRIL 11-14 2024, CHICAGO)

EXPO CHICAGO 2024

THE INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION OF CONTEMPORARY & MODERN ART

11–14 APRIL 2024

600 E Grand Ave, Chicago Illinois 60611

Georgie Roxby Smith, Just Breathe, 2024

The 2024 edition of EXPO Chicago showcases remarkable machinima works, including selections from Jack Connolly and Georgie Roxby Smith, within two curated playlists by Daata. The exhibition features two segments from American new media artist Jack Connolly’s 2017 masterpiece Anhedonia. Set in an unspecified small town in the American South, the film, created entirely in The Sims, captures the underlying unease through daily vignettes such as characters playing violin or exercising in a basement gym. Georgie Roxby Smith’s contribution, an AI-generated video from this year titled Just Breathe showcases game avatar selfies, highlighting the rapid evolution of video-making technology.

APRIL 13 2024 12:00 — 12:45 PM
SCREENING: DAATA | THE ROCKERS UPTOWN (CHICAGO VERSION)

Daata presents a playlist of commissioned video animations that embody the profound, equivalent coolness of the eponymous reggae dub, King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown by Augustus Pablo and King Tubby, released as the b-side to Jacob Miller’s record Baby I Love You So in 1975. Exploring collective memories grounded in music, Daata curator David Gryn showcases the digital work of George Barber, Phillip Birch, Jacky Connolly, Jeremy Couillard, Ollie Dook, Ed Fornieles, Jess Johnson & Simon Ward, Takeshi Murata, Eva Papamargariti, Puck Verkade, and Lu Yang.

APRIL 13 2024 3:15 — 4:00 PM
SCREENING: DAATA | DEEP SPACE MATHEMATICS & OTHER STORIES

Curated from the Daata archives, Deep Space Mathematics & Other Stories presents digital and video works that are unpolished yet glamorous, always energetic, girly, and unflinchingly raw. Spotlighting works by Rebecca Allen, Helen Benigson, Keren Cytter, Keiken, Rosie McGinn, Hannah Perry, Georgie Roxby Smith, Molly Soda, Anna Sophie de Vries, Chloe Wise, and Zadie Xa, the playlist takes its title from the featured video by Xa, originally introduced to Daata by Legacy Russell in 2016.

EXPO CHICAGO returns to historic Navy Pier on April 11–14, 2024 for its eleventh edition. The Galleries section features leading international exhibitors presented alongside one of the highest quality platforms for global contemporary art and culture. Additional sections include: EXPOSURE, featuring solo and two-artist presentations represented by galleries ten years and younger; PROFILE, presenting solo booths and focused projects that showcase ambitious installations and tightly focused thematic exhibitions; Editions + Books, showcasing limited editions and publications offering a diverse array of print media and object-based practices; and Special Exhibitions, featuring select regional, national, and international non-profit institutions, museums, and organizations.

EXPO CHICAGO 2024 will welcome 170 leading international galleries representing 29 countries and 75 cities from around the world. Countries represented at the 2024 exposition include: Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Denmark, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States.

The EXPO CHICAGO 2024 Selection Committee is comprised of the following leading gallerists: John Corbett and Jim Dempsey | Corbett vs. Dempsey, Chicago; Leslie Hammons | Weinstein Hammons Gallery, Minneapolis; Rhona Hoffman | Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago; Miles McEnery | Miles McEnery Gallery, New York; Monique Meloche | moniquemeloche, Chicago; Nick Olney | Kasmin, New York. With the advisement of the Selection Committee, Rosario Güiraldes | Curator of Visual Arts at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, will be curator of the EXPOSURE section —highlighting solo and two-artist presentations of emerging work from galleries ten years and younger.

LINK: EXPO CHICAGO 2024: Dialogues

EVENT: MMF MMXXIV (MARCH 11-17 2024, MILAN, ITALY)

press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Milan Machinima Festival MMXXIV unveils groundbreaking programs for 2024 edition

Milan, Italy - The Milan Machinima Festival MMXXIV is thrilled to announce its highly anticipated programs for the 2024 edition, showcasing the best in machinima art from around the world. The festival will feature four unique programs: Auteur Theory, Game Video Essay, Made in Italy, and Slot Machinima.

This year, a concurrent event is FOTOLUDICA, the first Italian conference on in-game photography (March 14-15 2024). Both are free and open to the public.

The Game Video Essay program will present thought-provoking pieces by Cat Bluemke and Jonathan Carroll, Guilhem Causse, Ekiem Barbier, and Quentin L'helgoualc’h, Gina Hara, and Yemen Liu that explore the intersection of gaming and critical analysis. These works delve into the cultural, social, and political implications of video games, offering fresh perspectives on the medium and its impact on society. The program aims to foster a deeper understanding of the potential of video games as a tool for artistic expression and social commentary. The Game Video Essay program will be screened on Thursday March 14, 2024, in the Sala dei 146 (IULM 6).

Made in Italy will celebrate the ingenuity and craft of young Italian machinima artists. This program features three films that showcase unique aesthetics and styles, highlighting the vibrant and thriving Italian machinima art scene. The featured filmmakers, Alberto Calleo, Simone Fiorentino, and Elia "marasma" Strazzacappa, utilize real-time computer graphics engines to craft artworks that challenge traditional notions of cinema and transgress the boundaries between virtual and real-world spaces. Made in Italy will be screened on Friday March 15, 2024, in the Sala dei 146 (IULM 6).

The Auteur Theory program will highlight three exceptional works by leading machinima creators — Jacky Connolly, Lawrence Lek, and Total Refusal — examining the role of the individual artist in shaping the medium. This program celebrates the unique visions and styles of these artists, emphasizing their distinctive contributions to the field of machinima. The Author Theory program will be screened on Friday March 15, 2024 in the Sala dei 146 (IULM 6).

The Contemporary Exhibition Hall will host Slot Machinima, an immersive program featuring eight video installations that will be presented in a loop from March 11-15, 2024, featuring works by renowned artists such as Adonis Archontides, Steven Cottingham, Kara Güt, Thomas Hawranke, Andy Hughes, Carson Lynn, Stephan Panhans and Andrea Winkler, and Bram Ruiter. This special program is designed to immerse viewers in often absurd and deranged virtual environments within the video game imaginary, showcasing the incredible range and depth of avant-garde machinima.

“We are excited to present these groundbreaking programs that showcase the incredible talent and diversity within the machinima avant-garde community,” said festival director Matteo Bittanti. “The Milan Machinima Festival MMXXIV aims to push the boundaries of what is possible with this medium and inspire both artists and audiences alike. Through these four distinct programs, we hope to foster a deeper appreciation for the art of machinima and its potential to shape our understanding of the world around us.”

These year’s submission were judged by an international panel of scholars, critics, artists, and curators: Marco De Mutiis, Henry Lowood, Jenna Ng, and Martin Zeilenger.

The poster of the 2024 edition was designed by artist and musician Babak Ahteshamipour. Babak’s vivid new poster design epitomizes the festival’s ethos of propelling machinima into unmapped creative frontiers. Electrifying colors and fantastical shapes blend gaming visuals with mysterious organic shapes, suggesting unexpected artistic dimensions virtual worlds could unlock.

For more information about the Milan Machinima Festival MMXXIV and its programs, please visit the official website at https://milanmachinimafestival.org

About Milan Machinima Festival:

The Milan Machinima Festival MMXXIV is an annual celebration of the art of machinima, featuring works by established and emerging artists from around the world. The festival aims to promote the creative potential of real-time computer graphics engines and foster a global community of machinima creators and enthusiasts.

Contact:

Artistic director: Matteo Bittanti

Communication Manager: Colleen Flaherty

IULM Eventi: Caterina Angeretti

Directions to IULM University

News:

For updates, follow us on Patreon, Instagram, Twitter/X and the Festival’s website.

More:

Would you like to get involved? Drop us a line!

CALL FOR PAPERS: REIMAGINING GAMES, ART, AND PERFORMATIVITY (DEADLINE: APRIL 14 2024)

 

Reimagining Games, Art and Performativity 

 

CEEGS2024

 

10th and 12th of October 2024

 

Nafplio, Greece

 

 

This year, scholars, researchers, artists, and game design professionals are invited to submit proposals for presentations within one of these thematic areas: 

• Games as an artistic expression
• Art games versus game-based art
• Games and “high art” versus “folk art” and camp
• Radical art games and identity exploration
• Archaeology and historiography of games and art
• Playful immersive technologies and embodiment
• Performance studies and video games
•  Playformance and experimental design
• Modding as a creative pursuit
•  Player performances
• Games as a creative industry
• Independent developers and video game artists
• Contemporary art and video games
• Reimagining society through games and art

Important Dates 

 

Submission deadline: April 14, 2024 

 

Abstracts of approximately 500 words (400 words minimum and 600 words maximum)

 

Notification to authors: June 15, 2024 

Early bird registration deadline: July 31, 2024 

Regular registration: August 1 - 30, 2024 

Late registration: September 1 - 15, 2024 

Conference: October 10 - 12, 2024 

 

Doctoral Consortium  

 

Doctoral students are invited to submit abstracts for papers or chapters (400-600 words excl. references) by May 1, 2024. 

 

For submission instructions and further details, please see the Call for Papers: EludamosDoctoral Consortium at CEEGS 2024.   

 

Workshops

Each submission should be around 1,000 words and needs to be accompanied by a list of references cited within the abstract, which do not count towards the word limit. 

 

Proposals should include: 

• Title of the workshop 
• Organizers’ names, contacts, and affiliations 
• Detailed description of the workshop 
• Information about previous editions (if applicable) 
• Any other relevant information (e.g., tentative program) 

Submission deadline for workshops: May 22, 2024 

 

Notification of acceptance: July 7, 2024 

 

Organizing committee

• ●  Elina Roinioti, Assistant Professor, University of the Peloponnese

• ●  Anastasios Theodoropoulos, Assistant Professor, University of the Peloponnese

• ●  Katerina El Raheb, Assistant Professor, University of the Peloponnese

• ●  Bill Psarras,Assistant Professor, University of the Peloponnese

• ●  Nikos Vasilopoulos, Assistant Professor, University of the Peloponnese

• ●  Charalampos Rizopoulos, Assistant Professor, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

• ●  George Lepouras, Professor, University of the Peloponnese

• ●  Kostas Karpouzis, Assistant Professor, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences

• ●  Renard Gluzman, Senior lecturer M.Des in Digital Game Design, Shenkar. Engineering. Design. Art

• ●  Iro Voulgari, Teaching and Laboratory Staff at National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

• ●  Elissavet Koutsi, Special Teaching Scientist, University of Cyprus

CEEGS (Central and Eastern European Game Studies conference) is a gathering of game scholars organised annually by DiGRA Central and Eastern Europe, but its thematic scope is not limited to regional topics, and it welcomes participants from anywhere in the world. The 2024 conference will be hosted by the
Department of Performing and Digital Arts, University of the Peloponnese, Greece.

 

LINK: Call for papers

EVENT: PHOTOGRAPHY IN VIRTUAL CULTURE (MAY 13 - 14 2024, LONDON AND WESTMINSTER, UNITED KINGDOM)

Photography in Virtual Culture

Date: 13th – 14th May 2024, 09:00 – 18:00 BST

Location: University of Westminster, Regent Street Campus & The Photographers’ Gallery, London

Registration: Photography in Virtual Culture

 
The last decade has seen a clear shift in the operational frameworks for the production, dissemination and consumption of photographs in contemporary computerised societies. The representational apparatus of photography is being progressively converted into algorithmic and generative processes through computer automation, connectivity and algorithmic control. Recent developments of AI systems and expanded technologies exponentially transform the possibilities for image making and the ways in which photographic images might be created and used within and beyond virtual space. While this might be exciting times for creators, thinkers and developers, it is also a pivotal moment in the history of photography, with debates taking place about its materiality, social function and essence. Through this conference, we aim to develop a communal discussion, inform critiques and thinking on the making of ‘virtual photography’.

Conference conveners:

Prof. David Bate, Professor of Photography, University of Westminster, UK

Dr Paula Gortázar, Senior Lecturer in Photography, University of Westminster, UK

Programme

Monday, 13th May 2024, 09:00 – 14:00

University of Westminster, Regent Street Campus

9:00 Registration

9:30 Introduction: David Bate and Paula Gortázar

10:00 VIRTUALITY AND THE STILL IMAGE

Peter Ainsworth and Sam Plagerson, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
The Fractional Space of 3D Computational Images and Ruptures in Visuality

Liat Lavi, Bezalel Academy for Arts and Design, Israel
Ethical Imaginariums and Grassroots Metaphysics

Ziggy Kolker, University of Portsmouth, UK
Chasing the Trace

Panel Discussion and Q&A

11:20 Break

11:40 LIQUID IDENTITIES

Gemma Marmalade, University of Derby, UK
V is for Virtual: ‘Thirst Trap’ Lesbians and Masculine Performativity of TikTok Visual Content

Chu Yinhua, National Taipei University of Education, Taiwan
Beyond the Mirror: Selfie Expression in the Age of Virtual Imaging

Stephanie Hartle, Sheffield Hallam University, UK
‘To Weave the Mirror's Magic Sights’: Mimesis and Posthumanism in the Virtual Selfie

Panel Discussion and Q&A


Monday, 13th May 2024, 14:00 – 18:00

The Photographers’ Gallery, Ramillies Street

14:00 NEW PRACTICES IN VISUAL AND COMPUTATIONAL ART

Roc Herms, Visual Artist, Spain
This is Real, Man!

Juanrie Strydom, Solent University, UK
Disability as a Visual Language: Technology and Accessibility

George Legrady, University of California, USA
Mythic Narratives in MidJourney and Stable Diffusion

Simone Santilli, Visual Artist, Independent Researcher and Educator, Italy Galactic Mine. Photography and Extractivism in the Procedural Universe of No Man's Sky

Panel Discussion and Q&A

15:50 Break


16:10 PERFORMING NETWORKED ARCHIVES

Anshul Roy, Syracuse University, USA
Rage Against the Archive: Institutional Critique through New Media Art

Livia Foldes, Rhode Island School of Design, USA
NSFW Venus: On Classifying Bodies, from Colonial Archives to Machine Learning Datasets

Ochi Reyes, University of Westminster, UK
She Dreamt...

Panel Discussion and Q&A

17:30 Plenary Session

University of Westminster, Regent Street Campus


9:00 Registration

9:30 GENERATIVE POLITICS AND ACTIVISM

Lee Wing Ki, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
Disobedient Imageries: Netizens and their Critical-political Practices in Hong Kong

Nina Mangalanayagam, HDK-Valand, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Generating the Past

Megan Williams, Journalist, Creative Review, UK
Visualising Unrest in the Age of Generative AI

Basil Al-Rawi, Visual Artist, Independent Researcher and Educator, Ireland
Building a House of Memory: Expanding Iraqi Archive Photos with Oral History and VR

Panel Discussion and Q&A

11:20 Break

11:40 THE MACHINE AS CO-CURATOR

Nicolas Malevé, Aarhus University, Denmark
The Exhibitionary Complex of Image Generation

Nathalie Dietschy, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Towards Techno-Worlds: Photography in the Hands of AI Systems

Catherine Troiano, V&A Museum, London
Distilling the Dataset: Ethics and Artistic Practice in Generative Image Cultures

Panel Discussion and Q&A

The Photographers’ Gallery, Ramillies Street


14:00 REBEL ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES

Catherine M. Weir, Glasgow School of Art, UK

Frankenstein’s Camera: Reflections on Practice Between Photography and AI

Benjamin Mehigan, Royal College of Art, UK

Light Without Heat: The Virtual Reproduction of Wildfire

Adam Brown, London South Bank University, UK

Images in Advance of the State: Photorealistic Architectures after the Blockchain.

Panel Discussion and Q&A

15:20 Break

15:40 EXPANDED VISION AND HYPERSPACE

Alison Bennett, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
The Desire of a Third Dimension in Photography

Jack Lander, Visual Artist, UK
Indexical Encroachment in Semi-Synthetic Landscapes

Giles Price, Visual Artist, UK
Remote Documentary: What is it to Document Virtually?

Panel Discussion and Q&A

17:00 Closing Remarks

full program: Download Conference_Program_Photography_in_Virtual_Culture

LINK: Photography in Virtual Culture

EVENT: FIRST ITALIAN CONFERENCE ON IN-GAME PHOTOGRAPHY (MARCH 14-15 2024, MILAN, ITALY)

Thursday March 14 and Friday March 15 2024, 10 AM - 1 PM

Sala dei 146, IULM 6

Università IULM

Via Carlo Bo, 2 20143 Milano

In English and Italian

Free entry/Ingresso libero— advance registration is recommended/prenotazione consigliata

contact: Matteo Bittanti [email protected]

Directions

 

Fotoludica is the first Italian conference dedicated to examining the burgeoning artistic practice of in-game photography and machinima. Across two days of talks, presentations and discussions, creators, researchers and theorists explore the complex intersection of video games, photography, copyright law, activism and visual culture.

A keystone of the event is discussing in-game photography as an emergent art form, looking at how players leverage tools ranging from photo modes to hacking screenshots to produce dynamic images. Presentations analyze works by artists like Boris Camaca, Leonardo Magrelli, Simone Santilli and Adonis Archontides, uncovering conceptual depth within gaming spaces. Legal questions also take center stage regarding whether player-created screenshots can be considered proprietary artwork or remain protected as game developer assets.

Additional topics trace photography’s usage as architectural visualization rendered through speculative Minecraft builds. Presentations also cover documenting in-game performance art and interventions as contemporary extensions of war photography traditions. Throughout the event, speakers highlight how rendering gaming environments through a photographic lens reveals underlying themes related to violence, labor exploitation and colonial ideologies.

Featured speakers apply lenses — no pun intended — spanning art history, visual culture, game development, software studies and internet law. Keynotes include Marco De Mutiis discussing “Playable Imaging” and the uneasy combination of image-creation and play. Artist Joseph DeLappe joins scholar Laura Leuzzi in conversation around artifacts created through his daring in-game interventions. Additional highlights involve a series of panel discussions moderated by Matteo Bittanti and Marco De Mutiis focused on questioning boundaries of creativity, authorship and ethics tied to photographic practices using proprietary game engines and assets.

By gathering voices from game studies, art, law and beyond, Fotoludica seeks to cement in-game photography as a serious art form while unpacking vital questions through multidisciplinary dialogue. The event also solidifies IULM University’s pivotal role in advancing photography focused game studies research.

Ultimately the conference provides vital scholarly infrastructure legitimizing artistic interrogation of games using techniques from photography to machinima.

LINK: Fotoludica

EVENT: DIFFERENCE MACHINES: TECHNOLOGY AND IDENTITY IN CONTEMPORARY ART (JANUARY 6 - 27 2024, CHICAGO, IL, USA)

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, WE ARE HERE BECAUSE OF THOSE THAT ARE NOT, 2020
Digital game displayed on projector; gaming chair; pink lights; and vinyl text
Courtesy of the artist

Difference Machines: Technology and Identity in Contemporary Art

Hours:
Oct 13-Dec 16, 2023
Friday 12-7 pm and
Saturday 10 am-5 pm

Jan 6-27, 2024
Saturday 10 am-5 pm

Closed for the Holidays
Dec 17, 2023-Jan 5, 2024

659 W. Wrightwood
Chicago, IL 60614

press release

"Difference Machines: Technology and Identity in Contemporary Art addresses the complex relationship between the technologies we use and the identities we inhabit. The exhibition presents the work of 17 contemporary artists who ask some of the most urgent questions we face today: How is technology changing the way we see ourselves, and each other? In what ways does it contribute to—or allow us to resist—prejudice and systemic forms of oppression? What role should it have in our lives and in our communities?When the web first emerged in the 1990s, many people imagined that it would allow us to escape our bodies. Some celebrated the idea that attributes like our race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and dis/ability would become irrelevant. Instead, the opposite became true: Our offline and online selves have fused. We upload our identities when we put our real names in our Facebook profiles, post selfies to Instagram, or use hashtags like #BlackLivesMatter and #TransDayofVisibility to advocate for our communities.

While the internet allows us to express ourselves and connect with each other, there is also a darker side to digital technologies. Some governments and corporations are creating databases that surveil and monetize our identities, as well as biased algorithms that perpetuate discrimination in everything from education and healthcare to employment and the justice system. The forerunner of the computer was called a “difference engine,” as it was used to calculate the differences between numbers. Today, we are surrounded by “difference machines,” or computers that are used to encode the differences between us.

The artists in this exhibition explore our newly digitized identities by creatively adapting both familiar and emerging technologies. Their projects span the last three decades, and range from software-based and internet art to animated videos, bioart experiments, online games, and 3-D printed sculptures. Many examine how digital systems contribute to the exclusion, erasure, and exploitation of marginalized people. Others emphasize how digital tools can be repurposed to tell more inclusive stories or imagine new ways of being. Dynamic and interactive, these projects transform the space of the museum into a laboratory for experimenting with our increasingly powerful “difference machines,” as we strive to invent a more equitable future.

Difference Machines: Technology and Identity in Contemporary Art is organized by the Buffalo AKG Art Museum.

Difference Machines is co-curated by Tina Rivers Ryan, PhD, Curator, Buffalo AKG Art Museum, and Paul Vanouse, Professor, University at Buffalo.

The exhibition is presented by Alphawood Exhibitions at Wrightwood 659."

LINK: Difference Machines: Technology and Identity in Contemporary Art