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September 20, 2006

The International Digital Art Festival

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On the Edge

The International Digital Art Festival :: In November 2006 Denmark’s biggest international digital art festival so far, will be unrolled. The festival includes exhibitions, concerts and real-time events in a number of cultural institutions in Aarhus. Amongst the bigger international names are Critical Art Ensemble and Eduardo Kac, who both exhibit their work in Aarhus Kunstbygning from November 3.-26. and also participate in the festival’s seminar from November 4.-5. at Kasernescenen at Institute for Aesthetic Studies, University of Aarhus.

Critical Art Ensemble, USA, is known for its work on critical theory, bio tecnology and political activism. On May 11. 2004 Steve Kurtz, lecturer in Art History at University of Buffalo, co-founder and a member of CAE, was seriously in the searchlight of the authorities. Steve kurtz found his wife Hope dead from a heart attack and called 911. When the authorities came to his home, they found the materials that Kurtz and CAE so frequently had used at art arrangements all over the world. Due to the find/discovery of these materials, which can all be easily required, Kurtz was accused of bio-terrorism, in spite of the fact that it was only a contemporary art matter.

Eduardo Kac, USA/Brazil, is known for his creation of a luminous/flourescent green rabbit by means of a GFP gene. Eduardo Kac is one of the pioneers of the new art trend in USA: Biotech Art. By manipulating the gene material in living organisms, the artists are capable of making “living works of art”. Besides from the luminous/flourescent rabbit, Eduardo Kac has also created a tobacco plant, the leaves of which have an extra twist, making the plant sculpturally beautiful. The plant is a part of the artwork “Move 36”, which will be on show in Kunstbygningen during the International Digital Art Festival.

The International Digital Art Festival is divided into two sections:

Theme projects: The exhibition “On the Edge” and the seminar to match “Crime and Political Aspects in New Media Art” focus on the human curiosity and need of posing questions. The artists challenge the dominant structure and order represented by society in general, for instance by affecting the very goal-directed results of research and the technological and commercial product development. What is in question is art on the edge, that seeks to tickle and disturb the present order

Satellite projects: In a local network of cultural institutions, educational institutions and organisations that hold resources and experience on digital art, the festival and its collaboration partners present an excellent row of exhibitions, concerts and performances. Each location that covers the Festival will, as far as possible, illuminate digital art from their own point of view and proportional to the locations own perspective on the digital field. The satellite projects will among other places be shown at: The Centre for Advanced Visualization and Interaction, The main Library, Gallery Splab, Gallery Image, Aarhus Film Workshop etc.

The International Digital Art Festival, that will be launched in November 2006, is arranged by Kulturforeningen Pappagallo.

Curator
Annette Damgaard
International Digital Art Festival
Skt. Nikolausgade 4
8000 Aarhus C
info[at]digitalfestival.dk
Mobile phone: (+45) 60 64 18 16

Posted by jo at September 20, 2006 10:12 AM

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