Feeling futureproof? Scotland’s only digital arts festival, NEoN, returns for its sixth edition. The seven day programme includes exhibitions, workshops, performances, screenings and a mini-symposium, bringing the work of local, national and international artists to the fore.
The theme of this year’s festival in Dundee is FUTUREPROOFING. Research tells us that we are the first people in history to create vast digital files and online records but who is looking after it and how much of it will endure when we are gone?
Artists whose works will be celebrated include Oliver Mezger, Edward Shallow, Sara Robertson, Murray Ballard, Thomson&Craighead, Yuk N Yum, Carla Gannis, Claudia Hart, Kate Rich, Cornelia Sollfrank, Lorna Mills, Lilianne F. Schwartz, Erica Scourti, Rosa Menkman, and Olia Lialina.
This year NEoN welcomes the expertise of guest curator and media art historian Sarah Cook and the support of New Media Scotland, the national development agency fostering artist and audience engagement with all forms of new media practice.
Cornelia Sollfrank – anonymous_warhol_flowers@Aug_28_20 15 51_2014
199 years since the birth of Ada Lovelace, who is credited with inventing the computer, the flagship exhibition – Coded After Lovelace – brings together the work of seven pioneering female computer artists who have forged new ground in their respective fields, not only embracing new technologies, but also inventing new forms and uses for them. Guest-curated by Nora O’Murchu and Faith Holland, the exhibition seeks to bring greater visibility to the work of women artists who have often been left out of histories of art and technology.
Murray Ballard
The field of cryonics – the practice of freezing people after their deaths – is explored in an illustrated talk by photographer Murray Ballard.
His images in The Immortality Series take the viewer on a journey through the tiny but dedicated international cryonics community who hope that one day medical advances will mean those they are preserving can be brought back to life.
The mini-symposium on Friday 7 November, Show us your Assets, brings together academics and artists from across Scotland to debate the best ways of ensuring knowledge about digital art is preserved as well as the works themselves.
Crafting light
The week-long festival will kick off with Smart Materials expert and local artist Sara Robertson’s interactive ‘Crafting Light’ workshop on Sunday 2 November. This will be a chance for anyone interested in wearable technology to learn more about it, the science behind it, and how to craft their very own fibre optic designs.
BYOB
The festival will close with BYOB (Bring Your Own Beamer): a one-night extravaganza that will see 6,944 sq ft of the Vision Building covered from floor-to-ceiling in a patchwork of light, colour and sound.
BYOB is an open-source event that was founded by New York based visual artist Rafaël Rozendaal in 2010. The concept is simple: find an exhibition space, invite artists and ask them to bring their projectors. Feature films, animation, performance art and more is projected onto every available surface of the building, in a 360 degree experience that will saturate the viewer’s senses.
Other events during the week include a screening of the Chiptunes Documentary ‘Europe in 8 Bits’, followed by a live performance from Gameboy-wielding genius Edward Shallow; the first ever Electric Bookshop event in the city, curated by Literary Dundee; a screening of artist videos from the 70’s and 80’s on retro technology such as 16mm projectors and VCR’s, and much, much more. See the programme for full details.
LISTINGS
Crafting Light Workshop – create your own wearable fibre optic piece.
Sunday 2nd November, 2pm, Dundee Arts Scociety, 17 Roseangle
Booking details here
Coded After Lovelace Exhibition Opening – NEoN’s flagship exhibition preview.
Sunday 2nd November, 4pm, Hannah Maclure Centre, Abertay University
Further info here
Europe In 8 Bits – documentary following the Chiptune scene in Europe, followed by live performance from Edward Shallow.
Monday 3rd November, 7pm, Club Romano, 16A West Wynd
Booking details here
Pecha Kucha – 12 totally diverse individuals who speak about whatever they fancy!
Tuesday 4th November, 7pm, Bonar Hall
Booking details here
Electric Bookshop – demonstrations of new projects and products that are revolutionising the book and the written word.
Wednesday 5th November, 8pm, Folk Cafe
Booking details here
All Your Media Are Belong To Us – artist videos from the past alongside contributions from Alt-W and New Media Scotland.
Thursday 6th November, 7pm, Nilupul Centre
Booking details here
Show Us Your Assets – mini symposium on futureproofing the digital arts.
Friday 7th November, 1030am, Malmaison Hotel
Booking details here
Murray Ballard – illustrated talk on cryogenics and reanimation
Friday 7th November, 530pm, Dundee Science Centre
Booking details here
Click Click Click – contemporary digital video and GIF works that encompass a broad variety of practices and approaches.
Friday 7th November, 8pm, Hannah Maclure Centre
Booking details here
TV21 Forum – project involving 16-19 years to make new short video art works inspired by the REWIND collection at DJCAD
Saturday 8th November, 12pm, Hannah Maclure Centre
Booking details here
NEoN Finale – projections, DJ’s, live zine-making and alcohol!!!
Saturday 8th November, 8pm, Vision Building
Further info here