VIRTUALITIES AND REALITIES

• 11th April 2017
• festival2017

Moderator: Ellen PEARLMAN

Vincenzo SANSONE. Augmented Reality between a philosophical meaning and a technological one. Some questions about the semantic shift of the concept of AR

The notion of Augmented Reality is not new. One already speaks about its theoretical and philosophical fundamentals around the middle of the 20th century. Nevertheless, the diffusion of an organised research begins in the 1990s, alongside the diffusion of digital technologies. The first researches about Augmented Reality are mostly of a philosophical nature and are often opposed to Virtual Reality, since, unlike the latter, AR overlaps virtual information to reality, increasing and not replacing it. In addition to the theoretical-philosophical slant, the initial devices were often laboratory experiments, too expensive to be marketed, though they had the purpose of letting Augmented Reality enjoy. Recent revolutions, linked to mobile technologies, have altered this order. The technological gadgets market has been invaded by a myriad of end-user devices, leading to a sort of semantic shift of the meaning of Augmented Reality. In fact, nowadays, when one thinks about Augmented Reality, it is thought in terms of families of devices, almost erasing its original philosophical meaning and creating a definition problem. The purpose of this discussion is to rebalance the semantic shift, analyzing the steps that caused it since the beginning until now and redefining with Augmented Reality not the devices but the original philosophical ideas and all the implications they determined. To refer to the devices, it is rather appropriate that the general word is preceded by the technical specificity (e.g. Hand-held augmented reality), because in their technical differences, they share the same intent: augmenting the daily reality with virtual information.

Biography. Vincenzo Sansone, master’s degree in Digital Performance at Sapienza University of Rome, is a PhD student in European Cultural Studies at the University of Palermo and Visiting Scholar at Pompeu Fabra University of Barcelona and Polytechnic University of Valencia with a research about video projection mapping and its relationship with performing arts. The focus of his research concerns these areas: theatre, dance, new media, animation, AR technologies, software culture, urban design. He is also an actor and a digital set designer. He published some essays in several books and journals. He took part to some international conferences: “Bodies on Stage” (Paris 2015), “Presenting the Theatrical Past” (IFTR-Stockholm 2016), “Open Field” (RIXC-Riga 2016).

Livia NOLASCO-ROZSAS. Knowledge of the Virtual

Although the importance of temporary exhibitions has been on the rise due to the “curatorial turn” and the changing role of museums throughout the last decades careful preservation of the exhibition display including spatial arrangement, installation design, as well as the visual and contextual aspects of presenting information is not yet a common practice, although these aspects on the one hand would add to the history of the exhibited works of art, on the other they would document and preserve curatorial concepts, manifested in the exhibition space.
The exhibition becomes a statement, a presentation of ideas (Gedankenausstellung); it represents the cultural, philosophical or political standpoint of the curator and the institution where it takes place. It invites the visitors to take part in a thought process or an intellectual travel, while visiting the exhibition.
Virtual Reality could be a solution to ‘perpetuate’ curatorial endeavours. It implies the preservation of the scenography, and of the spatial part of curatorial work. In this sense these data sets could become comprehensive knowledge containers of exhibitions, where the exhibition’s accessibility is prolonged.
Artists are still experimenting with VR; some examples show that preservation of interiors has also been thematized. A few museums started to experiment with the production and publication of virtual tours, but this type of documentation is far from ubiquitous.
The paper attempts to bring up questions related to this field. The further research aims to develop a toolkit for the preservation of the exhibition display including the artworks, their spatial arrangement and the related information, which can be achieved with an analytical approach towards VR technology and the organisation of information within the exhibition space.

Biography. Lívia Nolasco-Rózsás is an art historian, curator, writer and editor. She studied art history and aesthetics in Budapest, she has been curating and co-curating exhibitions throughout Europe since 2006, focusing on the rapidly changing and expanding media of contemporary art and its intersections with various disciplines, with exhibitions related to topics such as economy, architecture, computer science or the question of perception. She worked as a curator at the Kunsthalle Budapest (2012-2014), editor at Flash Art Hungary (2014-15), has been part of the curatorial team at ZKM Karlsruhe (2015-) working currently on the thematic shows such as GLOBAL CONTROL AND CENORSHIP and Open Codes – Living in Digital Worlds.

Kristin BERGAUST. Oslofjord Ecologies: Experience, Artistic Research and Education

Oslofjord Ecologies is an ongoing artistic research project consisting of workshops, exhibitions, performances and publications. The Oslofjord represents both nature, economy, infrastructure, biology, materiality, culture and history as well as future plans and challenges. Inspired by Felix Guattari’s three ecologies, the project deals with ecological connections and challenges that are specific and tangible, as well as cultural practices and experiential interactions with the environment. The Oslofjord Ecologies project functions as a context for artistic research, documentation, research and interdisciplinary collaborations.

Biography. Short bio Kristin Bergaust is educated at the University of Oslo and at National Academy of Fine Art in Oslo. She works as an artist, researcher and educator. She is a professor at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design in HiOA, Oslo since 2008. She was formerly professor and head of Intermedia at Trondheim Academy of Fine Arts (2001-2008) and artistic director of Atelier Nord media lab for artists (1997 to 2001). Kristin is one of the pioneers of video and early media art in Norway. Her activity covers both international and national presentations and projects. Currently she develops contributions to the international network within art, technology and ecology Renewable Futures, focusing on sustainable and transcultural processes in urban and artistic research contexts.

Raphael KIM, Guy HANKE, Stefan POSLAND. Bacterial Candy Crush? Heuristics of Bio-Digital Gamification

Peering into a microscope, we are presented with an invisible ‘micro-paradise’ belonging to thriving microbial communities. With increasing accessibility of digital tools, this miniature landscape is becoming an increasingly shared playground, where we dictate some of the play through bio-digital augmentation: A relatively recent breed of video game, also known as ‘biotic games’ allow users to control, digitally track, overlay, and gamify micro-organisms using a combination of low-cost imaging platforms and open source programming tools.
Synechocystis spp. are a type of cyanobacteria, that are single-celled, spherical, and highly motile microbe with which its movements can be controlled using directional lighting. During the presentation, Raphael will outline his current progress on developing a smartphone-based game application that controls Synechocystis, and use it as an example to explore heuristics behind developing a biotic game: What are the practical and social considerations that need to be taken into account, and what are the potential implications of biotic games with the advances in technology?

Biography. Raphael Kim is a designer and researcher, using bio-digital technology as a narrative tool to explore implications of games development. A graduate and a former visiting lecturer from Design Interactions at the Royal College of Art, Raphael is currently undertaking PhD at Media and Arts Technology, Queen Mary, University of London.