GAMESCENES

GAME ART: JUAN JOSÉ MARÍA TIRIGALL’S DRIFT ALONG THE EDGES OF THE FRAGMENTS (2024)

Juan José María Tirigall, Drift Along the Edges of the Fragments, 2024

A plumber attempts to patch an irreparable system, wandering endlessly through the fractured terrain of a world built upon its own contradictions. The system is both tangible and conceptual, a sculptural landscape of ruptured surfaces and shifting forms. The leaks he strives to seal are unrelenting, his task Sisyphean. This is the premise of Drift Along the Edges of the Fragments, the latest work by Argentine multimedia artist and researcher Juan José María Tirigall, an interactive piece that fuses video game aesthetics, mechatronic sculpture, and projection mapping.

A research professor and director of the Graduate Program in Media and Technology at the National University of the Arts (UNA), Tirigall has long explored the confluence of contemporary art, science, and technology. His artistic and pedagogical commitments extend to promoting free software and the GNU/Linux operating system, reinforcing his interest in open, decentralized forms of digital production. His works interrogate the ideological underpinnings of digital culture while actively engaging with the material conditions of artistic production in the age of automation, interactivity, and machinic agency.

In Drift Along the Edges of the Fragments, Tirigall literalizes the historical and conceptual tension between contemporary art and mass cultural spectacle through an unmistakable referent: a kitsch Latin American plumber, borrowed from the lexicon of pop culture and the entertainment industry, who traverses an unstable, modular sculpture. This structure is no arbitrary construction: it is a 3D-printed reproduction of the infamous urinal Marcel Duchamp submitted to the 1917 Society of Independent Artists exhibition under the pseudonym R. Mutt. Unlike the institutionalized readymade, however, Tirigall’s urinal is in a perpetual state of disrepair, its surfaces cracked, its integrity compromised. The plumber’s ceaseless labor reflects an exercise in futility: fixing what is inherently broken, sustaining a system that resists permanence.

At the heart of the piece lies a dynamic interplay between digital simulation and mechanical instability. The fragmented urinal, set in motion by a network of motors and gears, continuously reconfigures itself, altering both the composition of the sculptural form and the terrain upon which the game character moves. This mechanical choreography transforms the work into an evolving, unstable platformer, a literal enactment of the precarious balancing act performed by cultural laborers, artists, and institutions. By embedding game mechanics within a shifting sculptural environment, Tirigall subverts the illusion of mastery often associated with interactive media, confronting players with a task that is neither winnable nor resolvable.

The artist’s decision to deploy a pop-cultural avatar adds yet another layer of irony to the work. If Duchamp’s urinal once destabilized artistic conventions, revealing the arbitrariness of aesthetic hierarchies, then Tirigall’s urinal exposes the absurdity of contemporary artistic production under digital capitalism. Here, the plumber, a character ostensibly designed to navigate and fix digital spaces, is trapped in an unwinnable game, his own agency curtailed by the very system he is tasked with maintaining.

Drift Along the Edges of the Fragments extends beyond mere critique; it operates as a living, breathing system of decay and renewal, exposing the fragility of both material and digital infrastructures. It questions the labor conditions that sustain artistic practice, the mythology of repair as progress, and the role of the digital artifact in an age where art is as much an object of preservation as it is an act of endurance. Tirigall’s work reminds us that art history, like any system, is not a static monument but a perpetually shifting construct, which demands not just interpretation, but some special kind of navigation.

Drift Along the Edges of the Fragments is currently being exhibited at the Centro de Arte el Obrador, within the framework of the exhibition Gravitating the ground.

LINK: Juan José María Tirigall

GAME ART: LOVE HULTÉN'S STUNNING DEVICE ART

Love Hultén, R - K A I D - R, Portable arcade console in solid wood

Love Hultén,  O R I G I N X, arcade cabinet in solid wood, Dimensions: 61x51x31cm, Raspberry Pi 4, 19" 4:3 LCD (incl custom barrel distortion to mimic CRT monitors)

​Love Hultén,, P Y U A, Conceptual tribute to Nintendo

 

​Love Hultén, E V O B O X X, synthesizer based on the cellular automaton Game of Life (1970)

 

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Love Hultén, P O C K E T   S P I N, Portable game console for arcade spinner titles​

 

 

Love Hultén, , C A B I N E T  o f   A L G O R I T H M I C   C U R I O S I T I E S, conceptual arcade cabinet based on a collection of three mathematical exploration games created by Happybits

Love Hultén, born in 1984 in Gothenburg, Sweden, is an audiovisual artist and woodworker renowned for his unique fusion of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology. He earned his bachelor's degree from HDK Steneby in 2014 and has since been creating bespoke synthesizers, sound sculptures, and custom game consoles. Working from his studio at Konstepidemin in Gothenburg, Hultén handcrafts each piece, blending form and function to challenge conventional perceptions of art and design. His work has attracted a diverse clientele, including notable figures such as Eminem, A$AP Rocky, and Michael B. Jordan. Hultén's creations are celebrated for their playful yet understated aesthetic, drawing inspiration from retro-futurism and mid-20th-century design principles. By integrating tactile elements into his designs, he fosters a deeper connection between users and technology, offering a personalized alternative to mass-produced digital interfaces. ​

LINK: Love Hultén (all images (c) Love Hultén)

EVENT: RADICAL SOFTWARE: WOMEN, ART & COMPUTING 1960-1991 (FEBRUARY 28 - MAY 25 2025, VIENNA, AUSTRIA)

Dara Birnbaum, Pop-Pop Video: Kojak/Wang, 1980, © Courtesy Dara Birnbaum und / and Eletrconic Arts Intermix (EAI), New York

Radical Software
Women, Art & Computing 1960–1991
February 28–May 25, 2025

Exhibition opening: February 27, 7pm

Symposium: February 28, 9am–6pm

kunsthallewien.at

Kunsthalle Wien Museumsquartier
Museumsplatz 1
1070 Wien

press release

Kunsthalle Wien presents a major new exhibition examining the pioneering role of women in digital art. Organised in collaboration with Mudam Luxembourg–Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Radical Software: Women, Art & Computing 1960–1991 brings together over one hundred works by fifty artists including painting, sculpture, installation, film, performance and many computer-generated drawings and texts.

A principally analogue exhibition about digital art, Radical Software focuses on the decades that preceded the rise of the World Wide Web and the proliferation of digital information and images that ensued, shaping artistic production and visual culture in the following decades. The exhibition is titled after the magazine that Beryl Korot started with fellow artists Phyllis (Gershuny) Segura and Ira Schneider in 1970. They adopted the term software (as opposed to hardware) as a metaphor and powerful tool for social change. The magazine’s wide-ranging editorial model and mission to serve as “an evolving handbook of technology,” decentralising access to information, predated the World Wide Web by two decades.

Beginning with works from the 1960s and 1970s, the exhibition spans a period from the first years of integrated circuit computing to the “microcomputer revolution,” which led to the birth of personal computing in the 1980s. The first works date from a time in which artists, poets, writers and filmmakers experimented with mainframe and minicomputers alongside mathematicians, scientists and engineers to produce and exhibit the first computer-generated images and texts. During these three decades the computer migrated from the laboratory to private, domestic space. Yet with each retelling of this history, the significant engagement of women with the technology has been largely overlooked. Set within a period that was also marked by the second wave of feminism, this exhibition documents a lesser-known history of the inception of digital art, countering conventional narratives on art and technology by focusing entirely on women.

Radical Software: Women, Art & Computing 1960–1991 also engages with contemporary questions of how technology interfaces with issues of identity and equality. The exhibition follows a renewed interest in the post-internet discourse of cyberfeminism, which highlights the role that women played in the creation of new digital technologies and engages critically with the entanglement of technology and power structures.

Artists: Rebecca Allen (b. 1953, Detroit), Elena Asins (b. 1940, Madrid–d. 2015, Navarra), Colette Stuebe Bangert (b. 1934, Columbus) & Charles Jeffries Bangert (b. 1938, Fargo–d. 2019, Lawrence), Gretchen Bender (b. 1951, Seaford, Delaware–d. 2004, New York City), Gudrun Bielz (b. 1954, Linz) & Ruth Schnell (b. 1956, Feldkirch), Dara Birnbaum (b. 1946, New York City), Inge Borchardt (b. 1935, Szczecin, formerly Stettin), Barbara Buckner (b. 1950, Chicago), Doris Chase (b. 1923–d. 2008, Seattle), Analívia Cordeiro (b. 1954, São Paulo), Betty Danon (b. 1927, Istanbul–d. 2002, Milan), Hanne Darboven (b. 1941, Munich–d. 2009, Hamburg), Bia Davou (b. 1932–d. 1996, Athens), Agnes Denes (b. 1938, Budapest), VALIE EXPORT (b. 1940, Linz), Anna Bella Geiger (1933, Rio de Janeiro), Isa Genzken (b. 1948, Bad Oldesloe), Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster (b. 1965, Strasbourg), Lily Greenham (b. 1924, Vienna–d. 2001, London), Samia Halaby (b. 1936, Jerusalem), Barbara Hammer (b. 1939, Los Angeles–d. 2019, New York City), Lynn Hershman Leeson (b. 1941, Cleveland), Grace C. Hertlein (b. 1924, Chicago–d. 2015, Chico), Channa Horwitz (b. 1932–d. 2013, Los Angeles), Irma Hünerfauth (b. 1907, Donaueschingen–d. 1998, Kreuth), Charlotte Johannesson (b. 1943, Malmö), Alison Knowles (b. 1933, New York City), Beryl Korot (b. 1945, New York City), Katalin Ladik (b. 1942, Novi Sad), Ruth Leavitt (b. 1944, St. Paul, Minnesota–d. 2025, Baltimore), Liliane Lijn (b. 1939, New York), Vera Molnár (b. 1924, Budapest–d. 2023, Paris), Monique Nahas (b. 1940, Paris) & Hervé Huitric (b. 1945, Paris), Katherine Nash (b. 1910–1982, Minneapolis), Sonya Rapoport (b. 1923, Brookline–d. 2015, Berkeley), Deborah Remington (b. 1930, Haddonfield–d. 2010, Moorestown), Sylvia Roubaud (b. 1941, Munich), Miriam Schapiro (b. 1923, Toronto–d. 2015, Hampton Bays), Lillian Schwartz (b. 1927, Cincinnati, Ohio–d. 2024, New York City), Sonia Sheridan (b. 1925, Newark–d. 2021, Hanover), Nina Sobell (b. 1947, Patchogue), Barbara T. Smith (b. 1931, Pasadena), Tamiko Thiel (b. 1957, Oakland), Rosemarie Trockel (b. 1952, Schwerte), Joan Truckenbrod (b. 1945, Greensboro), Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven (b. 1951, Antwerp), Ulla Wiggen (b. 1942, Stockholm)

Symposium: Radical Software: On the first day of the exhibition, 28 February 2025, Kunsthalle Wien and TU Wien will host a symposium bringing together highly distinguished female researchers from the fields of art and science including Gerti Kappel, Nadia Magnenat-Thalmann, Margit Rosen, Zsofi Valyi-Nagy, Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven, Ina Wagner and artists Gudrun Bielz, Inge Borchardt, Anna Bella Geiger, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Liliane Lijn, Sylvia Roubaud, Ruth Schnell, Nina Sobell, Tamiko Thiel and Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven.

Exhibition publication: The exhibition is accompanied by a new publication including essays by Tina Rivers Ryan, Margit Rosen and the exhibition’s curator, Michelle Cotton. Co-published with Mudam Luxembourg–Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean and Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König, it features over 200 illustrations, a timeline and twenty-seven new interviews with artists from the exhibition.

Kunsthalle Wien is financed by the Magistratsabteilung Kultur der Stadt Wien (MA 7). The artistic programme is also supported by the members and patrons of the Kunsthalle Wien Club. The exhibition and symposium are made possible through the generous support of Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne.

LINK: Radical Software: Women, Art & Computing 1960–1991 

Previously

GAME ART: POLINA LOBANOVA AND JOSEF SEIDL’S PLAYFUL INSTALLATIONS

Polina Lobanova and Josef Seidl are a Berlin-based artist duo whose work challenges the standardized, boring, flat aesthetic of modern computing by exploring the tactile and intimate dimensions of digital devices. Their practice moves beyond the conventional interfaces of contemporary technology, instead creating artifacts that evoke personal engagement, ambiguity, and layered meaning.

Polina Lobanova and Josef Seidl, computer is a feeling, web interface, aluminium case, wooden plate, 2024

Their projects often integrate custom-built electronics, mechanical components, and unconventional interfaces, fostering reflection on the ways we interact with technology. For instance, computer is a feeling (2024, above) reimagines computing as a deeply personal and affective experience, assembling an interface from fragments of the artist’s browsing history to explore how technology could be shaped by care rather than corporate design. Paktomat (2024) invokes a mix of magical thinking and mechanical ingenuity, presenting an automaton that grants wishes - at the cost of one’s soul - thus questioning belief systems in an era of technological commodification.

Polina Lobanova and Josef Seidl, multiple choice game, aluminium case, 2021

Their earlier works also investigate digital-human relationships with a critical and poetic approach. DEWISE FR-ND (2021, above) stages an interaction with a supposed digital assistant that gradually reveals itself as manipulative rather than helpful, exposing the exploitative underpinnings of AI-driven personal assistants. Pocket Stones (2022) introduces an element of chance and materiality through a vending machine that dispenses unique stones, encouraging users to reconsider their engagement with randomness and symbolic meaning. Meanwhile, Ordinary Object (2020) juxtaposes physical and digital representations of stones, questioning whether raw materiality or data-driven abstraction holds more reality.

LINK: Polina Lobanova and Josef Seidl (all images courtesy the artists)

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

GAME ART: OLIVERY PAYNE’S CRUST SHMUP (2023)

Safe Crackers Entertainment, CRUST SHMUP, 2023
Custom arcade cabinet on cinder blocks with customized controller and stool
Software: CRUSH SHMUP 2023, 8 minutes, made in Unity
30 ¾ x 31 ½ x 20 ½ in / 78.11 x 80 x 52.07 cm

Oliver Payne latest creation is titled CRUST SHMUP, an innovative video game, housed within a modified amp cabinet complete with a custom controller and drum stool, inviting gallery visitors to experience a unique blend of arcade gameplay and crust punk aesthetics. CRUST SHMUP draws inspiration from Napalm Death’s seminal album SCUM (1987), translating its anarchic spirit into a pixelated, black-and-white world reminiscent of gritty gig posters. Players navigate through relentless waves of enemies using missiles shaped like anarchy symbols, set against a backdrop of looping, bleak landscapes. Unlike traditional shoot 'em up games, CRUST SHMUP subverts norms by rewarding players for pacifism—offering extra lives for evading rather than engaging enemies. This inversion challenges players to navigate levels through evasion and stealth, reflecting themes of resistance and nihilism prominent in crust punk culture. The work was presented at Overduin & Co gallery in Los Angeles between May 11 – June 8, 2024. The exhibition featured collaborative artworks by Safe Crackers Entertainment, including silkscreens and banners, alongside individual pieces by Oliver Payne and Brennan Stalford. A live performance of the game’s intense sound, by Scott Eastwood and Kern Haug accompanied the exhibition’s opening.

Oliver Payne (b. 1977, London) lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. He received his BFA from Kingston University of Fine Art in London. Solo exhibitions have been organized by Nanzuka Underground in Tokyo, Meredith Rosen Gallery in New York, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in New York, Herald St in London, Frederico Vavassori in Milan, Aishonanzuka in Hong Kong, and 356 Mission in Los Angeles. Payne’s work has been exhibited internationally at the Serpentine Gallery in London, the Kunsthalle Zurich, The National Museum of Contemporary Art in Oslo, MoMA PS1 in New York, the Institute of Contemporary Art in London, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Payne’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Tate Britain in London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and The National Museum of Contemporary Art in Oslo. Payne is also the publisher of Safe Crackers fanzine, and organizer of a series of performances titled, "Chill Out" in which he requires all mobile phone and internet systems to be turned off in order to allow the public to immerse in a listening session for “Chill Out,” the concept album by late-80s British house band KLF. The last iteration of “Chill Out” was hosted by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

LINK: CRUST SHMUP (all images courtesy of Overdoing & CO)

GAME ART: LAAB'S HARBOUR COUP (2024)

Harbour Cup, an interactive artwork created by the artist collective LAAB for the Science in Art exhibition along the Central Harbourfront promenade in Hong Kong, seamlessly integrates sports, science, and art. Reminiscent of traditional table soccer, Harbour Cup diverges by eliminating goals and predefined teams. Players are thus compelled to negotiate and determine their gameplay approach, whether through competition or collaboration. By rendering the familiar unfamiliar, LAAB fosters a setting that encourages reflection, communication, and negotiation among participants. Competition is replaced by cooperation and experimentation.

The installation features solar-powered LED lights embedded within the artwork. The movement of the ball activates capacitive sensors inside the watertight 3D-printed consoles, illuminating its trajectory at night. The shiny metallic surface of the artwork reflects the chromatic lighting of the surrounding high-rise buildings. Comprising three pieces of varying heights and dimensions, Harbour Cup accommodates individuals of different body sizes. Through this piece, LAAB invites people of all ages to set aside their phones and engage with each other through play.

LAAB is a cutting-edge laboratory for art and architecture, dedicated to crafts and innovation. Co-led by Otto Ng and Yip Chun Hang, this collective of artists, architects, designers, engineers, makers, and sociologists collaborates laterally to bring visionary ideas to life. The studio believes that art and architecture can bridge the gap between people and nature, community, and culture. Utilizing a precise blend of cutting-edge digital technology and traditional craftsmanship, LAAB's design process explores inventive spatial experiences and intricate details. The studio's work encompasses art installations, interior design, architecture, and public spaces. Notable projects include the Flying Window at Hong Kong International Airport, Harbour Kiosk at the Avenue of Stars, and Hong Kong House at Echigo-Tsumari Art Field in Japan. LAAB's innovative designs and craftsmanship have garnered recognition from esteemed international design communities, including Japan Good Design Award Best 100, Architizer A+ Awards, and Design Anthology Awards. In 2021, LAAB was honored as The Best Design Studio by the INDE Awards.

LINK: LAAB (All images courtesy of LAAB)

CALL FOR ENTRIES: FILE FESTIVAL 2024 (DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 10 2024, BRAZIL)

FILE Call for Entries 2024 – Electronic Language International Festival

The FILE Call for Entries 2024 is officially open! This is an extraordinary opportunity for artists and technologists to showcase their innovative and original works at the prestigious Electronic Language International Festival – FILE.

FILE 2024 seeks to explore the intersection of art and technology, inviting submissions from both Brazilian and international artists. The curators are looking for groundbreaking works in a variety of categories:

- Interactive Installations: Engage the audience with immersive and interactive experiences.
- Sound Art: Explore the boundaries of music and sound in the digital era.
- Video Art: Push the limits of storytelling through moving images.
- Robotics: Blend art with robotics to create dynamic and thought-provoking pieces.
- Animations: Bring your digital narratives to life with cutting-edge animation techniques.
- Virtual Reality: Offer a glimpse into alternate realities with innovative VR experiences.
- Augmented Reality: Blend the digital and physical worlds in creative ways.
- Games: Craft interactive experiences that merge artistry with gameplay.

This festival is not just an exhibition but a platform for the fusion of art and technology, fostering a community of creative minds who are shaping the future of digital culture. The curators encourage submissions that challenge conventions and offer new perspectives on technology's role in contemporary art.

Submissions are open until February 10th, 2024. Don't miss this chance to be a part of a global community of innovative artists and technologists.

For more information and to submit your work, please visit the official website.

LINK: FILE 2024

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: MASTER IN ALGORITHMIC AND NETWORKED PHOTOGRAPHY

Master’s Degree in Algorithmic and Networked Photography

Degre issued by UVic-UCC

Directed by Jon Uriarte, Marco De Mutiis

ECTS credits: 60

Language: English

September – June 2024

ELISAVA

La Rambla 30-32

08002 Barcelona

Spain

The photographic image has been radically transformed by its recent digital and networked developments. The impact and relevance of photography today lies not only in its representational layer, but beyond the visual surface of the image. Its invisible algorithmic and networked properties turned traditional photography into an assemblage of intertwined apparatuses, agents and media. Contemporary forms of digital images capture, circulation and consumption have been redefining the role of the photographic as an expanded and exciting field of visual culture in constant mutation. From AI generated images and computer-generated imagery to screenshotting, from CGI to Photoshop, from VR to in-game photography, practices of image-making and modes of experiencing visual art have created a vast and rich territory, explored by contemporary artists, photographers, curators, researchers, technologists and designers.

The Master in Algorithmic and Networked Images offers an uncompromising investigation into the world of chronically digital images and terminally online visual culture. Through a series of lectures and workshops from some of the most relevant and inspiring actors in the field, this one-year master programme combines a sharply curated scholarly foundation with an intense practical education. Creative, conceptual and critical, the programme provides you with theoretical and practical knowledge of post-photography, AI images, networked images, machine vision and synthetic imaging. It invites participants to reflect upon the social, political and economic implications of different technological imaging systems. Simultaneously, the programme encourages you to experiment and create with hardware and software, as well as appropriating and misusing media platforms through artistic and alternative forms of image-making.

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GAME ART: YUCEF MERHI'S WHERE DO WE GO (2023)

Yucef Merhi, Where Do We Go, 2023
3 CRT TVs, Atari 2600 consoles, custom cartridges, Plexiglass furniture
31 x 59.5 x 34.5 in.

Yucef Merhi's thought-provoking installation Where Do We Go explores notions of physical confinement and mental freedom. The piece features three vintage CRT television sets with transparent casings, connected to Atari 2600 game consoles from 1977. Each console contains a custom cartridge programmed with one part of the central question that titles the work: "Where do we go/when we stay/in the same place?". The old-school game systems and their ponderous query sit atop two wide plexiglass pedestals, giving the impression that the technology floats in space.

Notably, Merhi acquired the televisions from prisons, where transparent-cased models were used to prevent contraband smuggling. This imbues the work with another layer of meaning tied to incarceration. Even confined to a cell, the human mind remains free to wander to new spaces through creative thought, imagination, and introspection. Merhi invites us to move around his installation and reflect on this interplay between physical restrictions and mental liberation. The blinking text onscreen reads like an existential mantra, while the visible interior workings of the TV sets symbolize the untethered workings of the mind. Ultimately, Where Do We Go investigates where the human spirit travels even when the body cannot, suggesting that new perspectives emerge whenever we quest inward.

installation view

Yucef Merhi is an interdisciplinary artist, poet, and programmer whose innovative works fuse technology, language, and philosophical ideas. Born in 1977 in Caracas, Venezuela, Merhi studied at the Universidad Central de Venezuela before moving to the United States to continue his education. He earned a bachelor's degree from the New School University in New York City, followed by a master's degree in Interactive Telecommunications from New York University. Merhi creates conceptually driven installations, sculptures, and digital works that engage electronic devices in unconventional ways. For example, his Poetic Clock converts the passage of time into computer-generated poetry, producing 86,400 unique poems daily. After establishing himself in the New York art scene over the past two decades, Merhi continues to push creative boundaries with his multidisciplinary practice today. His avant-garde works offer unique insight into the intersection between technology, poetry, and philosophy in the contemporary world.

LINK: Yucef Merhi