newsmeme

GIFF: Jean-Michel Jarre, in the spotlight

by paradoxig

The 29th edition of the Geneva International Film Festival (GIFF, November 3 – 12) will pay tribute to the legendary composer, performer, producer and creator of immersive Experiences, Jean-Michel Jarre. He will be presented with the Film & Beyond Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to music and the digital arts, and will be giving a masterclass (November 7). Jean-Michel Jarre will also be attending the world premiere of his latest immersive creation, The Eye and I (Jean-Michel Jarre and Hsin-Chien Huang, 2023, TW), which will be shown in the Virtual Territories immersive park.

A VISIONARY ARTIST AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES
A visionary artist and a key figure in electronic music, Jean-Michel Jarre has distinguished himself throughout his career with his avant-garde vision of art and his keen interest in new technologies. His musical career began in the 70s alongside pioneers such as Pierre Schaeffer and he has gone on to sell over 85 million albums worldwide, establishing his status as a master of the genre. Jean-Michel Jarre has made his mark on the music industry with memorable works such as the legendary album Oxygène and his many extraordinary concerts. His creativity is also closely linked to his exploration of new trends in technology (such as AI and the metaverse). He has excelled in the production of spectacular audiovisual experiences, producing concerts in the metaverse and creating immersive works. In 2022, he was appointed Chairman of the new “immersive creation” commission of the National Centre of Cinematography and Animated Pictures (Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée [CNC]), created to encourage the emergence of immersive works in France. As part of the GIFF, Jean-Michel will talk about his extraordinary career and his interest in new technologies in a public masterclass on November 7.

The Eye and I – Jean-Michel Jarre & Hsin-Chien Huang | 2023 | TW | 40’ | World premiere

Jean-Michel Jarre will be attending the world premiere of his latest immersive production The Eye and I, created in collaboration with Taiwanese artist Hsin-Chien Huang. Drawing on the original meaning of the word “surveillance”, which once referred to “eyes in the sky”, this collective immersive experience looks at the omnipresence of this phenomenon in contemporary society. This installation is arranged in 12 rooms/cells with a panopticon structure – a set-up which allows those in control to see without being seen; this enables spectators to explore the history and development of virtual and physical surveillance in the 21st century, as used generally in society and specifically in institutions. The Eye and I will be shown as a world premiere in the Virtual Territories immersive park throughout the GIFF event (November 3 – 12).

“If the Lumière brothers were alive today, they would be creating in the metaverse,” stated Jean-Michel Jarre.

Each year, the Film & Beyond Award presents an interdisciplinary artist with a Lifetime Achievement award. Jean-Michel Jarre is the latest recipient of this award, which has previously been presented to Apichatpong Weerasethakul (2016), Abel Ferrara (2017), Peter Greenaway (2018), Park Chan-wook (2019), Woodkid (2020), Riad Sattouf (2021) and Alexandre Astier (2022).

All photos are copyrighted by GIFF and may be used by the press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage

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art

Seed Systems: Speculative Ecologies in XR Art

by paradoxig

Grappling with climate change and collective cooperation, a collaboration emerges as the XR art exhibition: Seed Systems. Six international artists who specialize in virtual world-building and plant knowledge, explore speculative approaches to future human-nature relationships, using new digital media art to cultivate an immersive garden of growth and foliage. Surpassing borders and moving between realities, Seed Systems brings perspectives from other places to Toronto/Tkaronto as an exchange between the exhibition visitors and artists responding to our current climate crisis and envisioning potential futures together.

Artists:
Alison Bennett (AUS) | Nicholas Delap (UK) | Matthew D. Gantt (US) | Mohsen Hazrati (IRN/DE) | Nadine Kolodziey (DE) | Lauren Moffatt (AUS/DE)

Curated by Miriam Arbus (Sky Fine Foods) and Peggy Schoenegge (peer to space)
In cooperation with Goethe Institute Toronto, Radiance and STYLY

At: Goethe Institute Toronto, 100 University Ave, Toronto, ON M5J 1V6, and online via STYLY
Duration: September 21 – October 26 2023
Opening: September 21, 2023, 6:30-8:30pm
Exhibition hours: Thursdays from 4pm – 7pm, or by appointment (info@skyfinefoods.com)

Alison Bennett, Vegetal/Digital, 2022

Seed Systems: Speculative Ecologies in XR Art Today

In the age of the extractivist Anthropocene, nature is dominated by human impact. We built capitalistic structures by extracting and selling natural resources for our own benefit. The dramatic increase in CO2 emissions since the Industrial Revolution and the devastating effects of human activities on the global environment have profoundly changed the Earth system. Escalating climate disasters like wildfires, floodings or frost call for a change in overall behavior. The resulting environmental precarity underlines the need for new, innovative visions for the future.

Following the idea of neo-ecologies, virtual technologies provoke new states of being, illustrating concepts for our future. Reformulating approaches to environmental questions, interactive Expanded Realities (XR) immerse us into speculative ecosystems. Divergent futures emerge as a digital garden, where growth is as inevitable as decay. The tensions of human impact are deeply rooted within the exploration of possibilities. In this discourse, humans’ inevitable depletion of resources is the critical object of consideration.

Grappling with these topics, the XR art exhibition Seed Systems emerges as a collaborative cultivation. Six international artists use augmented and virtual realities to explore speculative approaches to future human-nature relationships, forming a spatial and sonic occurrence of growth and foliage. They unite their expertise in virtual world-building and plant knowledge, shaping alternative ecologies and biologies. The artworks create networks and systems of seeds as future concepts for environments. Activated in XR through computer-generated images (CGI), animation, point clouds and interactions, the digital biosphere – nourished by visions – grows as a space for meeting and reflection. In this speculative approach, new possibilities for action, care-taking, and reciprocity flourish, visualizing a necessary change in perspective.

Alison Bennett considers Australian native flowers as celestial encounters by exploring vegetal thinking, digital gardening and post-human neuroqueer phenomenology through today’s possibilities of expanded photography. Nicholas Delap examines histories of folklore and the nettle plant – a mysterious and overlooked plant whose medicinal qualities make it one of the most potent and widely available healing tools. Matthew D. Gantt interconnects responsive sound elements with the visual, engaging with Brian Eno’s notion of generative electronic music as bottom-up gardening – emergent structures flourish with no predicated finale. Mohsen Hazrati creates a virtual bioluminescence with a metaphorical approach to understanding wine as an alternative source of energy, which he considers in the context of Irianian culture. Nadine Kolodziey explores how to plant something digital and intangible in a physical space, while playfully questioning future interactions within our technologized environment. Lauren Moffatt establishes cycles of flourishing and decay in nature, examining how different virtual and physical ecosystems become linked by human movement and behavior.

Inspired by gardens that carefully construct spaces of experience and interaction, the exhibition considers how new media can be used to reimagine ecological systems and facilitate mindful, inclusive futures. Planting seeds of reflection and growth raises the question of what we can do at a small scale to initiate patterns for the greater system. Should this practice be considered rebellious, productive or promising? Can this artistic activism really contribute to a positive development of our planet’s ecology? How can the influence of humankind change for the better?

Participating ARTISTS

Alison Bennett, Vegetal/Digital, 2022 , AR experience
Alison Bennett considers Australian native flowers as celestial encounters by exploring vegetal thinking, digital gardening and post-human neuroqueer phenomenology through the possibilities of expanded photography and point-cloud renderings. The forms seemingly dissolve and reveal individual details of the plant’s structure. Doing so, the artist creates a unique aesthetic of nature and allows a different perspective on the plant, which evolves as an artifact within the interactive AR experience.
Referring to the philosophical concept of vegetal thinking, characteristics of plant behavior and the vegetal heritage of human thought are juxtaposed. Following this idea, Bennett adds the approach of digital gardening, in which seeds of thoughts are shared and cultivated in a public, online space. Understanding the web as a kind of garden, the artist changes the technological view of the virtual and generates a speculative idea of future natural spaces. Mediated through an autistic queer lense, Bennett’s work sides with the object, creating encounters that collapse the spectral, floral and machinic.

Nicholas Delap, Urtica Portal, 2022, AR experience
Nicholas Delap’s ongoing research into intertwining of folklore and plant symbologies emerges as an AR experience that encourages a re-wilding of the mind. The user experiences an overlay of nettles that illuminate the exhibition space and become a pathway for detoxifying and cleansing. Directing the user’s focus to the natural environment, the artwork creates a contrast between the physical and digital spheres, pointing to the otherworldly qualities of what we perceive as wilderness.
Delap’s work examines wild spaces and the flora and fauna that thrive in the diverse range of landscapes of the British Isles. Examining the Urtica dioica, also known as the nettle, the artist explores a mysterious and overlooked plant whose medicinal qualities make it one of the most potent and widely available healing tools. With a rich magical history within the folklore of the British Isles and Northern Europe, the plant thrives in seemingly neglected spaces – the man-made and post-industrial landscapes that make up a large part of today’s Britain. The nettle has many properties: it detoxifies soil, regenerates ecosystems, and allows a more diverse range of plants to grow in its wake. It heals both the human and non-human worlds. Through this work, the artist responds to post-human neo-ecologies, exploring and reflecting local and global practices relating to trees and plants.

Matthew D. Gantt, Varigate, Variegated, 2022, AR experience & sound installation
Matthew D. Gantt’s AR experience immerses the visitor into a lush and imitative vegetation contained inside of a greenhouse structure. A referential experience emerges that places an immaterial architecture into the exhibition space, creating a tension between both spheres. The experience is accompanied by electronic sounds, which change and cycle over time.. Varigate, Variegated interconnects responsive sound elements with the visual, as an interactive experience, underlining the digital matter.

In the experience, the artist refers to Brian Eno’s notion of generative electronic music as a bottom-up gardening – an occurrence where emergent structures are encouraged to flourish with no predicated finale. Above this, ephemeral moments emerge, resembling the growth and mutation of vegetation. In this way, the work breaks away from rigid structures and creates something unpredictable. Gantt unveils a new, virtual dimension into the physical surroundings. In traditional analogue synthesis, a digital gate signals an electrical pulse which triggers sound events within the greenhouse. In the juxtaposition of both worlds, a reference system emerges that translates the characteristics of nature into the virtual and makes them accessible.

Mohsen Hazrati, Perception of Wine, 2022, VR experience
Mohsen Hazrati creates a virtual bioluminescence with a metaphorical approach to understanding wine as an alternative source of energy, which he considers in the context of Irianian culture. References to our technologized everyday life such as computers, screens, hard drives, and geometrical formations build an abstract architecture accompanied by floral structures and text fragments. Neon lights flicker in different colors, creating an electrifying atmosphere. The user is invited to explore the virtual realm, being confronted with Irianian literature and the meaning of.

The artist reflects on the metaphor of wine. Not just being a culinary drink that refers to from blood to a friend, among others, it also had a practical function in ancient Iran. The so-called Baghdad Battery is the oldest known example of a battery. It was invented around 2000 years ago in Khujut Rabu, near the ancient metropolis of Ctesiphon. Archeologists found this battery consisting of a ceramic pot, a copper tube, and an iron rod. In order to make the battery work, the pot was filled with wine, generating around 1.5-2 volts. Hazrati adapts this idea into our post-digital age, contemporary lifestyles, and his artistic production. This ancient improvised battery serves as a symbol for the many developments that followed it in science, product design and electricity, which passed through the ages to today’s WLAN, computer screens and countless digital devices.

Nadine Kolodziey, Root About, 2022, AR experience
Artist Nadine Kolodziey’s three-dimensional anthropomorphic figures appear as a floral formation in the middle of the physical space, breaking through the environment’s material conditions and extending its structure. The artist technologizes the image of nature and changes the way we experience it. The augmented plants are composed of shiny chrome-like surfaces, beyond physical though reminiscent of glass spheres, making the intangible forms almost fragile. They create a visceral contrast to the building that houses the exhibition space. Kolodziey invites the visitors to engage with virtual nature and explore the immaterial artwork spatially.
The artist’s depiction of a virtualized nature playfully addresses the question of future interactions with our technologized environment. At the same time she explores how to plant something digital and thus immaterial in the physical space. Thorugh this approach, a hybrid user experience opens up, oscillating between both spheres. The virtual landscapes relate to and interact with the direct, physical surroundings, illustrating a symbiotic interrelationship. Kolodziey makes clear that the communication and understanding of our environment not only takes place directly in natural space, but also through the experience of virtual landscapes. Acknowledging all that we do not know, Kolodziey broadens our understanding of reality. In this discourse-relevant approach, she shows viewers a speculative reality of nature, offering an opportunity to connect in new ways.

Lauren Moffatt, (De)Composition , 2022, VR experience
In the VR experience (De)Composition Lauren Moffatt presents a series of digital collages from the Compost series, as part of her larger Flowers for Suzanne Clair body of work. We enter a dark moonlit landscape at the scale of a tiny insect, surrounded by hybrid plants that seem to breathe and reach for us. Referencing Suzanne Clair, a secondary character in the apocalyptic fiction novel The Crystal World, written by J. G. Ballard in 1966, the artist deals with an unseen or unnoticed perspective, presenting it as a different approach for reflection. In doing so, Moffatt creates an aestheticized approach to technology.
(De)Composition explores cycles of flourishing and decay in nature and how different virtual and physical ecosystems become linked by human movement and behavior. Using photogrammetry, the artist transforms plants into 3D meshes. She virtually photographs these digital reconstructions, paints them, and projects the digitized painting back onto the 3D model, creating virtual sculptures that exude a type of organic digitality. In this context, the hybrid digital flowers take on a metaphorical function. On the one hand they are an offering of mourning for Suzanne’s missing story, the missing female voice and perspective. On the other hand, they are a tribute to the power of her imagination, which, in its absence, is infinite. In this context, technology becomes a tool of deceleration and regeneration, enabling a new, technical approach to understanding in which time we live.

Partners

About STYLY
STYLY, The Real Metaverse Platform
STYLY is the real metaverse platform that gives artists a space to express their creativity, and provides an intuitive tool for creating VR, AR, and MR content easily using a web browser. XR content can be distributed to a variety of devices such as VR HMDs, web browsers, smartphones, and AR glasses. Furthermore, the software is compatible with Mac and Windows and can be operated on popular PCs, not only VR-compatible PCs. STYLY is compatible with 3D software like MAYA and Blender, as well as with services like YouTube and SoundCloud, so you can easily import different digital media and use them to build your own unique 3D environment and experience.

STYLY Official Site：https://styly.cc/
STYLY GALLERY：https://gallery.styly.cc/

About peer to space
peer to space is an independent exhibition platform that was established in Munich in 2010 and is now based in Berlin. The ever-changing team of curators under the direction of Tina Sauerlaender has realized numerous international group exhibitions in cooperation with institutions and museums such as Parsons / The New School, New York, the Goethe Institutes in Montréal, Toronto, Washington DC and Barcelona, the House of Electronic Arts Basel, or the NRW Forum, Düsseldorf. The name peer to space combines the concept of peer-to-peer networking with the ideas of space, freedom and openness to artistic expression. peer to space is not an actual place but collaborates with other spaces to realize exhibitions and projects related to art dealing with effects of the digital and Internet on our personal environment and society.
http://www.peertospace.eu/


About Sky Fine Foods
A rejuvenating experience, concerned with ecologies, inclusion, simulation, screens and realities. An experimental project space representing international contemporary and other artists with new ideas and new methods. Specifically focused in new media, digitally informed practices, and digital processes.

https://skyfinefoods.com

About Radiance
Radiance is a research platform and database for VR art. Its mission is to present artists working with VR from all over the world to create visibility and accessibility for VR art and for faster adoption of virtual technologies. The platform works closely with artists, institutions and independent curators to select the highest quality of virtual art for public institutional exhibitions.

Radiance is a research platform and database for VR art. Its mission is to present artists working with VR from all over the world to create visibility and accessibility for VR art and for faster adoption of virtual technologies. The platform works closely with artists, institutions and independent curators to select the highest quality of virtual art for public institutional exhibitions.

Currently 193 artworks by 180 artists or artist collectives from 38 countries are presented.

In addition, we have launched the Radiance VR App for the Oculus Quest > Get the app here!

About Goethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of Germany with a global reach. We foster international cultural cooperation and convey a comprehensive image of Germany by providing information about its cultural, social and political life. Our cultural and educational programs encourage intercultural dialogue and encourage worldwide mobility. We present important positions in contemporary German culture by bringing art and creators from Europe to Canada and introducing next ideas with an impact on a broad range of communities. We are partners for all who actively engage with Germany and its culture, working independently and without political ties, and in sustainable partnerships with leading institutions and individuals in over ninety countries. goethe.de/toronto

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opportunitart

NewImagesFestival 2024: Calls for Projects

by paradoxig

Now, you can apply at the biggest international competition for XR Creators, NewImages Festival. You can register your project till January 30th, 2024 (11:59pm, GMT). XR Competition & Out-of-competition: find all the information on the 2024 calls for projects below! NewImages XR Market calls for projects will open during September 2023, stay tuned!


You can participate for the 7th edition of NewImages Festival (24-28 April 2024), by registering your digital, immersive and/or innovative artworks in one of our calls for projects:

XR COMPETITION

Since 2020, the XR Competition (official competition) has been open to all XR contents, in order to always be at the forefront of immersive creation. Open to any narrative and immersive work (video games, digital creation, augmented or virtual reality, binaural sound, hybrid performance etc.) Selected works will be exhibited at the Forum des images and/or in other venues of the festival, as well as on the virtual platform, if applicable.
Selected works will be judged by an international jury. Three prizes will be awarded, with endowments from €3,000 to €6,000.
Please see: Regulations and technical specifications  
Submit

Registrations close on Tuesday, January 30th, 2024 (11:59pm, GMT). Deposit: €48 incl. VAT

XR OUT-OF -COMPETITION PROGRAM

This year’s theme will be “Heritage”, may it be natural, historical, material, immaterial… Call is open to all artworks and projects dealing with heritage subjects that include
an immersive device or technology (VR, AR, MR, VR games, sound or binaural sound projects, VR immersive theatre, digital installations, etc.). Between 10 and 20 artworks will be selected and exhibited as part of the 7th edition of NewImages Festival from April 24th to 28th, 2024 at the Forum des images and/or in other Parisian venues of the festival, as well as on the festival’s virtual platform.

Please see: Regulations and technical specifications  
Submit

Registrations close on Tuesday, January 30th, 2024 (11:59pm, GMT). Deposit: €48 incl. VAT

XR Art Fair

The XR Art Fair program is open to any completed immersive experience (film, game, performance, installation etc.), already distributed and designed for physical distribution
Open to all finalized project: immersive and original (film, game, performance, installation); already distributed once; designed for physical distribution

Pre-organized meetings with Decision Makers on site from April 24 to 26, 2024

Terms and conditions available soon
Registrations close on Tuesday, January 30th, 2024 (11:59pm, GMT). Deposit: €48 incl. VAT

XR Development Market

Open to any digital and/or immersive creation project, regardless of its stage of development and the amount of funding already acquired.
Since 2019, the XR Development Market has been the leading market in Europe for the funding and the co- production of immersive contents (film and narrative experience, modern or live performance, game, etc.). The XR Development Market has been designed to support the development of the immersive arts industry by organizing individual business meetings (in person or online) between project holders and leading actors looking for projects to produce or distribute (co-producers, representatives of private or public funds, museums, online distributors, LBE or industry key players, etc.).
The XR Development Market is open to any work:
○ immersive and original (film, game, performance, installation)
○ in development
○ no minimum funding required

Pre-organized meetings with Decision Makers on site from April 24 to 26, 2024

Terms and conditions available soon
Registrations close on Tuesday, January 30th, 2023 (11:59pm, GMT). Deposit: €48 incl. VAT

The 7th edition of the NewImages Festival will take place in Paris from April 24 to 26, 2024
Some useful tips for applicants:
*All entries can be made in English or in French (depending of the link used)
*There is no time limit for completing the forms.
*Your information is automatically saved locally (same computer, same browser, no private browsing)
*If you can’t find the answer to your question, please contact the organisers: newimages@forumdesimages.fr

SAVE THE DATE!

September 1st, 2023 – January 30th, 2024: opening of XR Competition and Out-of-Competition calls for projects

End of September – January 30th, 2024: XR Market calls for projects open.

During November 2023: Early Bird accreditation opens

January 30th, 2024: close of all NewImages Festival 2024 calls for projects

Early March 2024: notifications for the participants of calls for projects

March 15th, 2024: Early Bird accreditation closes

End of March 2024: program announced

April 24th, 2024 – April 28th, 2024: 7th edition of NewImages Festival

About NewImages Festival
Dedicated to digital creation and to virtual worlds, NewImages Festival combines a rich professional component with a program open to all audiences. With prizes at stake, its international XR competition is submitted to a jury of creators and professionals. Its XR Financing Market brings together leading actors in the XR industry around a selection of projects open to all immersive formats. The festival also supports immersive creator and its industry by initiating collaborations, under the form of VR creation residencies, with other countries and regions of the world, such as Taiwan (Kaohsiung Film festival and TAICCA) and Africa.
NewImages Festival is produced and organized by the Forum des images, the cultural institution of the
City of Paris, dedicated to cinema and digital creation.
Website: https://newimagesfestival.com/en/

Source of information
Forum des images – phone: +33 (0)1 44 76 63 00
newimagesfestival.com and forumdesimages.fr

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newsmeme

Venice Biennale 2023: The Winners

by paradoxig

The award ceremony of the 80th Venice International Film Festival, took place on Saturday September 9th in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema and was hosted by Caterina Murino. The VENICE IMMERSIVE Jury, chaired by Singing Chen and comprised of Pedro Harres and German Heller, after viewing the 28 projects in competition has decided to award:

Grand Prize of the Jury: Songs for a Passerby

Director: Celine Daemen
Production: Silbersee (Dominique Slegers, Romain Bischoff), Studio Nergens (Celine Daemen), VIA ZUID (Ton Driessen, Joost Segers), Muziekgebouw Productiehuis (Leonie Baars, Joost Heijthuijsen)
Synopsis: How does one relate to a world of things that are passing? Are we a part of it? Or are we just looking at it? And what about the body—is it something that we are or that we have? There is an ambivalence here that prompts the question: could this be the origin of all melancholy? In Songs for a Passerby you will autonomously walk through a musical dreamscape shown in a VR headset. You are following your own 3D mirror image and on the way you will pass by various scenes: a dying horse, a choir of murmuring people, two playing dogs. Songs for a Passerby is a meditative quest that allows you to step outside reality for a moment and look at yourself. As a puppeteer of your own body you will be entering a poetic space where the melancholy question arises: is this me passing by moments, or is it rather the moments passing by me?

Special Jury Prize: Flow

Director: Adriaan Lokman
Production: Valk Productions (Richard Valk, Eline van Hagen), Lucid Realities (Chloé Jarry, Alexandrine Stehelin) with the support of The Netherlands Film Fund, the Creative Industries Fund, PROCIREP-Société des Producteurs, ANGOA, Région Auvergne-Rhône- Alpes

Flow invites you to surrender to the whims of the wind on a seemingly ordinary day, concealing within its turbulence a captivating night in the life of a woman, portrayed through the dance of air currents. The interplay of scents, warmth, respiration, and both natural and artificial gusts of wind, influenced by invisible forces, renders the imperceptible tangible. These atmospheric movements unveil a sequence of events inviting us to follow the woman on her meanderings, plunging us into a realm crafted entirely from air.
However, as the storm subsides and the woman awakens from what transpires to have been a dream, her world is no longer the same.

Achievement Prize: Empereur

Director: Marion Burger, Ilan Cohen
Production: Atlas V (Oriane Hurard), Reynard Films (Katharina Weser), France Télévisions (Jeanne Marchalot)

Empereur is an interactive and narrative experience in virtual reality, which invites the user to travel inside the brain of a father, suffering from aphasia. It is the story of a man who’s lost his ability to speak, and of the daughter trying to communicate with him. It is the story of a woman, who wasn’t given the chance to know the man behind her father, now obscured by this illness. As she tries to piece together what remains of his language, she discovers that his relationship to words is connected to his memories. The memories of an entire lifetime… Step by step, clue after clue, we will dive alongside her into the inner world of this man, in an attempt to decipher the story he can no longer tell us. In a monochrome aesthetic, close to traditional animation, this personal story is told as a journey with surreal overtones, exploring aphasia as a faraway land. Empereur is a poetic experience of the loss of one’s faculties, of the passing of time, and of the bonds that, despite everything, remain.

Venice 2023 winners

Competition

Golden Lion – Poor Things, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos
Special Jury Prize – Green Border, dir. Agnieszka Holland
Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize – Evil Does Not Exist, dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Silver Lion for best director – Matteo Garrone, for Io Capitano
Volpi Cup for Best Actress – Cailee Spaeny, for Priscilla
Volpi Cup for Best Actor – Peter Sarsgaard, for Memory
Golden Osella for Best Screenplay – Pablo Larrain, Guillermo Calderon for El Conde
Marcello Mastroianni Award – Seydou Sarr, for Io Capitano

Horizons

Best Film – Explanation For Everything, dir. Gabor Reisz
Best Director – Mika Gustafson, for Paradise Is Burning
Special Jury Prize – An Endless Sunday, dir. Alain Parroni
Best Actress – Margarita Rosa de Francesco, for El paraiso
Best Actor – Tergel Bold-Erdene, for City Of Wind
Best Screenplay – El paraiso, dir. Enrico Maria Artale
Best Short Film – A Short Trip, dir. Erenik Beqiri

Horizons Extra

Armani Beauty prize – Felicita, dir. Micaela Ramazzotti

Lion of the Future Luigi de Laurentis Award for a Debut film – Love Is A Gun, dir. Lee Hong-chi

Venice Classics

Best documentary on cinema – Thank You Very Much, dir. Alex Braverman
Best restored film – Moving, dir. Shinji Somai

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art

Exploring Infinity with Sen: XR Experience of Tea Ceremony

by paradoxig

A different kind of Japanese tea ceremony! One with a distinct flavour, where its savour is enhanced by remarkable visuals, that will lift your spirit. “SEN” a multiplayer VR animation, presented at Venice Biennale 2023, Venice Immersive, is an outstanding experience – playful, reviving and meditative – where you can rediscover yourself, and at the same time, share the joy of this journey alongside other people.

From the start, the three guests are invited into a special tea-house. Once you take off your shoes, and sit comfortably on the small pillow, the already hi-tech tea pots herald a different kind of experience.

The user is immersed in the traditional Japanese Ritual, holding a black Raku tea bowl in the tea house called Tai-an, both national treasures of Japan.

Once immersed, the ceremony starts, and your tea is filled with small luminescent particles – just like green tea, but with more luminescent varieties of green – that slowly move and take different shapes. First it would seem to take the form of a fish that swims in the tea-house, and then becomes a small, cute, and cheerful spirit – that looks at you.

The Spirit is called Sen, an incarnation of tea, born into the world from a Chawan device held in both hands. Sen (one thousand) represents a very large number, infinity. “I have come to believe that we, the life forms on earth, are as pale as particles dissolving in an infinite universe and exist for the time of a heartbeat”, says the creator, Keisuke Itoh.

Furthermore, the user witnesses how Sen discovers the world, the nature with flowers, and butterflies, the amazing dandelions, or the lights that travel, the rocks. And as you move the teapot, the spirit and its world moves alongside your movement.

At a certain point, you can see the Spirit of the other guests in the room – the same Sen. And you realize that you can be linked to each-other as maybe we, all humans, are interconnected in this world – and no matter how we move, these lines of interconnectedness are kept. It is an intriguing moment that gives an edge to the experience to see how the others play with their own Spirits, how the Spirit are connected and play with each other or simply how they multiply. The sound during the experience is just multiplying the effect of relaxation, cheerfulness, and good-mood.

The technical part of the experience is ingenious, as well. As the users are immersed in a room, and at the same time, can see a lot of visuals in the tea-pot and interact with it. During the experience, the clock attached to users hands measures the heartbeat and transmits this information to the sensors from the tea-pot that modules the movement of the particles that give birth to Sen. The device replicates the heartbeat obtained from the watch, allowing the users to feel the rhythm in their hands through the tea-cup device.

From the colourful experience in green tones, something happens: a red shadow – like a fire or a tree – destroys a world and the user is transported into a black and white space. Everything seems lost, but users can still see their tea-cup, in an environment with drops of rain, before meeting the playful Sen once again in its green-luminescent colours, before it falls back into the cup and dissolves itself.

The entire VR experience is like a meditation from the moment of birth till the dissolution, with the joy to discover the surroundings- the space, the nature, the flowers, and other beings, the realization of the connections that link to others, the loss and dissolution. A kind of meditation through life itself, that makes you reflect on yourself, on your life, and on your relations with others. Definitely a must-see experience, one of our favourites that we hope to see in many festivals.

About XR Creator Keisuke Itoh

Born in 1986, in Yokohama, Keisuke Itoh graduated from the Department of Graphic Design at Tama Art University. After working as a graphic designer for a manufacturer, he now works as an XR artist. His works have been shown at the Venice International Film Festival, Cannes International Film Festival, and SIGGRAPH, the world’s largest CG festival. In 2019, “Feather” premiered at the 76th Venice International Film Festival as the first Japanese VR film in the Biennale College Selection. In 2020, “Beat” was nominated for the 77th Venice International Film Festival’s VR section and Cannes XR VeeR Future Award 2021. In 2021, “Clap” was nominated for the 78th Venice International Film Festival’s VR section and Cannes XR VeeR Future Award 2022. In 2022, “Typeman” was nominated for the 79th Venice International Film Festival’s XR section.
https://keisukeitoh.com/

CAST AND CREDIT:
Director: Keisuke Itoh
Production: CinemaLeap (Katsutoshi Machiba, Yuta Naito, Taisei Yamaguchi, Kana Kondo), KDDI Corporation, STYLY (Katsutoshi Machiba)
Screenplay: Yosuke Suzuki, Keisuke Itoh, Raita Nakashima
Music: Yui Morishita
Sound: Lactoice
Story: Keisuke Itoh
Art direction: Keisuke Itoh
Lead developer: Katsuya Taniguchi
Developers: Yoshinori Ikeda, Hikaru Takatori
Artist: Keisuke Itoh
3D modeler: Hideyuki Kido
Technical team: Yutaka Hal Hashimoto, Hideyuki Ando, Kayo Watanabe

All photos are copyrighted by STYLY and CNEMALEAP and 80 the VENICE IMMERSIVE and may be used by the press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage

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COMFORTLESS. “Your Silence is a Mirror”

by paradoxig

There are histories that we dislike and we want to forget. But we should not. ”COMFORTLESS”, presented at Venice Biennale 2023, Venice Immersive, tells such a story that humanity should always remember: the stories of ‘US military comfort women’.

A conscious effort to bury part of South Korean history: the stories of women that were stationed in towns and forced into prostitution for US soldiers, with the complicity of authorities. A reality and history that is even today repressed in Korean society, is brought to life through ”COMFORTLESS”. Because these stories should not be wiped-out of humanity’s collective memories, even if these memories are… comfortless.

The VR experience, ”COMFORTLESS”, introduces us to a powerful artistic narrative that forces a deep reflection on historical tendencies to minimize and ignore the suffering inflicted on victims of military interventions.

The VR experience is inspired by the stories of the so-called “US military comfort women’.
In 1969, a brothel was established exclusively for the US military near the US Air Force Base in Kunsan, South Korea.
The “American Town”, established with approval from the Korean government, and the comfort-women were recruited from all over the country. Evident from the name, American Town was built specifically for US Soldiers.
It was a project led by one of the members of the group that staged a military coup who eventually became the Director of the Korean CIA. He purchased 8.5 acres of land near Kunsan and established “American Town, Inc.”
Up to 1,000 US soldiers would visit in a single night.

As if the authorities are now ashamed, American Town was designated as a redevelopment area, and the brothels were the first to be demolished. This happened during the pre-production for COMFORTLESS, and the film should be seen also as a race against time to archive this history. Ironically, on the day the production was wrapped, the South Korean Supreme Court announced its final verdict on a lawsuit filed by the women from the US military camp towns.
The judgment acknowledged the government’s responsibility and awarded compensation, pointedly using the term “US military comfort women.”

”COMFORTLESS” is the last part of Gina Kim’s VR trilogy on US military comfort women in South Korea following BLOODLESS and TEARLESS. Shot on actual location, BLOODLESS is a VR experimental documentary that traces the last living moments of a real-life sex worker who was brutally murdered by a US soldier at the Dongducheon camptown in South Korea in 1992. TEARLESS, the second part of the trilogy is about a detainment center called “Monkey House”—a medical prison established by the South Korean government and staffed by the US military in the 1970s to isolate and treat camp town women with STDs.

The experience begins exactly in the ‘American town’ by facilitating to visit the remains of the city, now in ruins- its narrow streets, the so-called International Culture Ville, the Los Angeles club, ironically right near the Russian cuisine restaurant, different bars or clubs. As you slowly immerse yourself to discover the surrounding, you can already start to hear the boots of the military that walks around mixed with noises from clubs. In this area, a small shop, maybe a beauty salon, is in ruin. In the mirror, you can meet the protagonist, the reflection of a young woman who looks maybe dreamy, maybe questioning. She will accompany you through her memories.

Throughout the story, the mirror becomes the camera, the lens through which you not only see the story, but the character reveals herself, the depth of soul, mind, memories, emotions. A mirror that apparently is silent, but can reveal and show you an untold story, and silently it lifts the silence.

Between reflection of events and reflecting on the events, the mirror symbol brings an element of considerable plasticity.
The games of history about reflections, about looking and mirroring, passivity and involvement, power and powerlessness, about conflicting states and collective traumas are passed in front of the mirror. A mirror that reflects reality, but at the same time preserves the mortuary silence of facts, voices being reduced to the silence of time, passage, which remains somewhere deep in the memory of a mirror that is broken into shards of consciousness.

The re-memorising starts and when the night falls, various sounds from the past begin to fill the space. While the sound is focusing on what we think is ‘just innocent clubbing’, man just having fun during the night, visuals are showing you the destroyed space, as if they are the results of an exploitation, the mess that was left behind. You can hear the sound of laughter, glasses of alcohol, and the introduction of women: “What is your name? Her name is’ hot-mama’”, while viewing broken windows, glasses, or ruined furniture.
This contradiction between the sound of ‘having fun’ and the ruin-type images, is used to describe the story, while the mirror reflects the image of a woman, remembering her journey.

Interestingly, the director chooses not to show violent images, and carefully avoids the (re)victimization of victims, also protecting the users from secondary traumatisation.

The victim is not reflected as a victim, but as a companion that reveals part of her life, and only from the surrounding space, the user witnesses the unpleasant experiences.
The woman is given the power to choose ‘not to be the victim’ but to dare to reflect upon her past, upon those that harmed her, upon those who witnessed silently. She dares to become uncomfortable, and in the end, to look you directly in your eye to ask boldly: who are you?
And as a witness, the question remains with you and triggers other questions: what will we do with these collective memories? What will we do in the future with this past? Why do we keep the SILENCE?

An exceptionally powerful story, told boldly, but also delicately, COMFORTLESS challenges us to confront uncomfortable truths, to remember and honor these forgotten victims, and work together toward a future where all mirrors begin to speak.

About Director GINA KIM:
Los Angeles-based Gina Kim is one of the few South Korean filmmakers to produce works in Hollywood and her home country. Her award-winning films reimagine cinematic storytelling across different genres and platforms, developing a unique transnational perspective centered on female protagonists.
Kim’s five feature films and works of media art have screened at over 150 prestigious international film festivals and venues such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Sundance, as well as MoMA, Centre Pompidou, and the Smithsonian. Kim’s films have been theatrically released to critical acclaim in Europe, Asia, and the US. Praised by Le Figaro as a “fearless feminist who conceals an extreme sensitivity,” Kim’s Invisible Light (2003) was selected as one of the 10 best films of 2003 by Film Comment. Never Forever (2007), starring Jung-woo Ha and Vera Farmiga, was the first co-production between the United States and South Korea. Final Recipe (2014), starring Michelle Yeoh and Henry Lau, was wide-released in China in more than three thousand theaters.
As an academic, Kim was the first Asian woman in her department at Harvard, and now a professor at UCLA in the department of Film, TV, and Digital Media. In 2019, Kim’s retrospective titled “Desire and Diaspora” was held at Neues Asiatisches Kino in Munich, Germany.

Since 2017, Kim has turned to immersive technology to further investigate the issue of ethics of representation. Kim’s US military comfort women trilogy transforms the controversial issue of crimes by the US military personnel stationed in South Korea into an embodied experience of a viewer. The first piece of the trilogy Bloodless (2017) traces the last day in the life of a sex worker who was brutally murdered by a US soldier in South Korea in 1992. Shot at the actual military brothel, the film won the Best VR Story Award at the 74th Venice International Film Festival, Best VR Film Award at the 58th Thessaloniki International Film Festival and the Best Virtual Reality Short Film at the 15th Bogotá Short Film Festival. Filmmaker Magazine selected Bloodless as the Best VR Storytelling of 2017, praising the film as a “12-minute immersive stunner.” Next, Tearless (2020) premiered at the Venice Film Festival and won the Best Immersive Work Award at Geneva International Film Festival. The final work in the trilogy, Comfortless, will premiere in 2023. Kim’s immersive work has already been the subject of a retrospective by the Seoul International Women’s Film Festival. In fall 2022, “Remembering Oblivion: Immersive Cinema of Gina Kim ” showcased Bloodless, Tearless, and two augmented reality (AR) installation projects on the hidden history of U.S. military comfort women in Korea.

CAST AND CREDIT

COMFORTLESS

A VR Film by Gina Kim. Cyan Films Production Starring Boryeong Kim
Produced by Gina Kim Written and Directed by Gina Kim
Executive Producer Zoe Sua Cho
Associate Producer Moa Son Director of Photography Ji-Hyun Kim Co Producer Eunsuk Jo, Seunghyeun Lim, Hanjae Kim Assistant Director Hyeonseung Kim
Script Supervisor Moa Son Editor Gina Kim, Moa Son Production Designer Jongjin Kim Art Assistants Hoonjong Song, Mijeong Lee Hair | Makeup Do Eul Lee, Hyeonmin Park Costume Young A Lee Production Assistants Daewon Lee, Young-in Cho, Hansol Seo VR Cinematographer Alex Lee VR Camera Assistant Sang Hwa Lee, Wooseok Cheon, Hyeongdeok Jeon Gaffer Soo Yeol Im Grips Chel-hwan Kim Location Sound Sol Kim VFX Supervisor Jae Chan Ka CGI Supervisor Dong Hwan Lee Sound Design Marco D’Ambrosio Lead Composite Artist Gihyeon Kim Publicity Sue Kim, Da Ye Kim Marketing Creative Sue

COMFORTLESS is sponsored by; Korean Creative Content Agency, Jeonju International Film Festival, UCLA Faculty Research Grant and UCLA Center for the Study of Women

All photos are copyrighted by ginakimfilms.com and 80 th VENICE IMMERSIVE and may be used by the press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage

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Tulpamancer: Personalized XR Stories?

by paradoxig

In an era that is heading rapidly toward ‘personalized-everything’ (ads, movies, medicine, finances, luxury products, etc.), why not have personalized stories? And this is what an experience presented at Venice Immersive 2023 is trying to do.

Tulpamancer is an immersive experience that is uniquely tailored to each user. It uses AI-tools such as ChatGPT or Stable Diffusion to generate unique immersive stories (both visuals and narration) for each participant, in the same main theme. 

So, how can the creators get to know you so fast to generate a tailored story? The experience introduces a storyline to collect information that will be used to generate images and narratives. The user is invited to the first room, where an old-generation computer asks you questions about your past and present, making you think about (maybe) forgotten memories of your childhood, but also about your present. All questions are the same for all participants, but based on their responses, the stories are different. In the second room, an immersive experience is generated, that makes you reflect on your past and possible futures. A unique storyline, a unique visual in the same main theme – as such showing the multiple and infinite possibilities available by using AI, even in this incipient and not so perfect stage of both technology development and new storyline productions.

Fascinated by the idea behind Tulpamancer, TechvangArt talked with the creators Matthew Niederhauser and Marc da Costa about their vision for the future regarding stories using XR and AI, challenges in creating stories using AI, but also about memories, and what collective memories could be erased 😀 😀 

Matthew Niederhauser has been taking computers apart since he was a kid. The first time he encountered VR was in the 90s, playing video games when he always wanted to strap a monitor to his head. He worked as a photojournalist for a while and eventually came back towards creating new media projects, especially VR, when he co-founded the studio Sensorium. He caught up with his friend from college, Marc, and started to plan immersive works and artificial intelligence.

Marc de Costa is an anthropologist by training, but he has always been interested in the relationship between technology, society, and human experience. In addition, he has done a lot of work with AI and data, being interested in how VR and AI can open up new ways for storytelling.

OK, but before, let us explain what is the Tulpa.……


The ‘‘Tulpa” – an idea rooted in Tibetan Buddhism but popularized by the theosophical thinker Annie Bessant (1847-1933) – refers to the physical manifestation of thought through spiritual practice and intense concentration. A transformation in society now appears to loom with the emergence of AI, a technology that derives its power by concentrating intensely on enormous volumes of online text and images – the digital traces of our collective unconscious. The ‘‘Tulpa” was a way of making sense of and providing alternative frames for modernity. This work thus provides participants an occasion to explore alternative histories and futures for AI.

TVA: You are working at the intersection of XR and AI, and for me, it is very interesting, because it can offer new forms of storytelling, but how do you see yourself as creators in this type of intersection, why did you choose to use AI?

Matthew Niederhauser: We’ve seen a very large seismic shift in the quality of large machine learning models in terms of emulating language, and speech. We felt it was compelling as artists to begin experimenting with it, especially since we have always been interested in how it can try to engage and talk with you and then tell you a story. And so in the purest sense, that is how we approached Tulpamancer and of course, there’s a lot of structure and inside story, but we wanted to take this very particular moment in terms of the development of the technology to expose both its limitations, but also to point to what I personally feel is going to be a new realm of storytelling: very personalized, based on your data, and it’s not only going to be only images and video, but immersive as well.

Marc Da Costa:  I would add that one of the interests that we have in AI is the fact that it is increasingly being woven into our everyday lives in a lot of ways. It’s certainly still quite new and emergent what’s happening right now. But, we’ve seen in the last 10 years the emergence of big data, data analytics, and the ways in which it’s converged with things like surveillance, capitalism, etc. We’re now at a moment where we approach this as experimental artists who are trying to understand not how this can be applied commercially but to understand what the implications are for real human experience in everyday life and how we can potentially find new ways to apply it as a creative medium.

TVA: And as I saw Tulpamancer – for me, it was kind of an experiment to do personalized storytelling, which is interesting, but it has also its limitations due to technology, but also because it is done maybe for the first times, how do you see this evolving in a couple of years?

Matthew Niederhauser: It’s been interesting days because we worked really to get it ready up to the last minute so even you were some of the first 30 or 40 people that we were able to interact with after coming out of the experience. I think that people that came out of the experience, it compelled them to think more deeply about the technology itself, which is probably been the most important impact. It gave people pause, to take a moment to think about the implications of what the technology is going to do. And I don’t think it’s going to be next year, but definitely, within the next 5 to 10 years, you’re going to see this type of personalized content, especially through video, podcasts, and all sorts of different mediums – and quite frankly, the time necessary to produce that content is getting shorter and shorter. And there’s a part of me that thinks on a longer timescale – in the decade or two if we think about a Metaverse or large 3D immersive and interactive worlds, which take lots of labor; AI is probably one of the perfect tools for creating large immersive environments for this type of interaction. 

Marc Da Costa: And I would say the other side of that coin, which is very important to keep track of, is the fact that there are very powerful financial incentives for companies to implement it; and also potentially, companies might abuse this technology in a lot of ways. There are a lot of early concerns about how it will be applied, and people worry about misinformation. But also there’s certainly going to be huge transformations in a lot of labor markets. If we think of a country, such as the Philippines, where a lot of the middle class has jobs such as outsourced animation work, architectural rendering or call centers – these sorts of jobs will really change. When we talk about AI, it’s important for everyone who’s engaged in a political citizenship sort of way to really ask a lot of questions about it and track how it’s being implemented. Because of everything that happened over the last 10 years (with data analytics, for example), it would not be unfair to anticipate something similar and we have to keep an eye out for it.

Matthew Niederhauser: Also, building a Metaverse with this technology can potentially be a form for the most invasive forms of data collection. And the ability to use the power of immersive storytelling to shape behaviors. This also can get us to the discussion that some of these tools are open source and who owns them, can use them. That is why it’s important to know how this technology is rolling out right now, as well.

TVA: These are really important conversations, indeed…But getting back to your experience, you used a lot of things related to memory. You put the users in a situation to dig into their memory, and then talk about personal memories, in front of/with a computer, you collect these memories, and then force users to re-memorize them, in the form of an immersive experience. Why did you choose the topic of memory?

Marc Da Costa: From my perspective, there are two levels.  The first one is at the beginning of the experience when you’re sitting down and going through this chatting or interviewing process where users are recovering different memories. Here, we were interested in creating a context for people. By moving through different timescales and different parts of your life that have happened and your dreams for the future, the hope was to help people touch memories that were even a bit forgotten or quiet. And as such to have openness to the experience that follows because the interest in the work is to give people a very personal and intimate encounter with the help of AI technologies in a way that equips them to understand or to question or to reflect. So for us, memory gives someone a good basis of experience to approach it.

We were also interested in the longer historical context in which new technologies have emerged and been taken up by creative communities in different ways. This project is also inspired by some movements that were happening in the early 20th century, which was itself a time of great technological change that gave birth to abstract painting and there were changes in aesthetic styles, and through our conversations and work, we are also interested in giving a point of reflection on this contemporary technology that can hearken back to a previous moment where changes happened.

Matthew Niederhauser: I would briefly add that in terms of an installation or an experience like this, the moments leading up to being in a headset are sometimes the most important, such as priming the person to be potentially open, and pulled into a form of media consumption. Marc did a lot of the design of the objects in that first room which can make people feel nostalgic to it in terms of the chat and it puts people into a place where they feel ready to engage with what’s going to come in – as being in a headset really impacts you. This can potentially reinforce or even help users reimagine their own memories of these very specific times and even potentially give them a new basis for thinking about their future as well. So, it just felt like the right direction in terms of the theme that I feel…

TVA: What was the most challenging part in setting up the experience? I mean, it was the technical part, to get running it, to build custom experiences, or..? 

Marc Da Costa: These are difficult things to build because they’re totally custom software. And because we’re really at the very leading edge of all of these tools. We’re the first ones discovering a lot of the problems, a lot of the bugs, and so on. There’s certainly an implementation challenge to things that always need our attention. And on top of that, certainly working with the indeterminacy of AI is challenging. So for instance, unlike Photoshop, where you apply a filter, and you kind of know exactly what you’re going to get, because AI is statistical, you don’t know, so you have to develop intuitions for managing all that chaos.

Matthew Niederhauser: We were lucky that our technical director, Aaron Santiago, a very talented coder, had been exploring the space in the same way as us. So he understood a lot of the ideas that we were trying to bring to fruition. But the biggest challenge is that as much as the systems that you build around it, you’re eventually sending something into the abyss of the model itself. And, you do have consistency to a certain extent in its responses. But, particularly as a storyteller who has worked in this medium for a while, and you are making very deliberate decisions about script, and animation art, then suddenly when involving AI you have to ‘let it go’. Especially when creating an open-ended responsive piece like this, because we have used AI to create, we would go through 1000s of iterations to find the one that we like, and then edit it and move through it. And it’s a different way of using AI as a tool, it is structured so differently, as a a creator, you just have to approach it in a new manner.

TVA: From a process perspective, how did you work, you create different scenarios or puzzles, prompt structures, or..?
Marc Da Costa: It’s a work with a four-act structure that takes you through a journey from the intimacy of a bedroom to the ineffable unknown. There’s definitely sort of a framework put in to carry you through these 12 scenes across four arcs. So it’s sort of defined in archetype, but algorithms are fitting in – it’s almost like a coloring book where you have the outlines, and then the AI is doing the coloring.

Matthew Niederhauser: There is something called prompt engineering. And that is finding a larger structure in which we are taking the responses from the participants and filtering them through to create a certain tone and structure. And so in that sense, there is definitely an architecture in it. A lot of time was spent thinking about the structure, even though every single time it is very different and based on the responses of the participants. And quite frankly, it really is the first time we are showing it to a lot of different people, which is one of the more exciting parts about participating here. There’s just been so much more to think about after, now just showing it to the public for the first few times, but for me, we’ve been very focused on making it stable and presentable to the public. We’ve had a tonne of new ideas just from seeing a response.

As we have become accustomed at the end of the intervieTECHVANGART asked some Crazy Questions

Shot Questions:

TVA: A book that you will save if the world is collapsing:

Matthew Niederhauser: Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

Marc Da Costa: Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes

TVA: False memories. If you both have the power to induce to your co-creator a false memory, what would it be?

Matthew Niederhauser: Probably trivial things, such as I was much cooler at college than he potentially thought I was.
Marc Da Costa: This is a very scary idea, I don’t know if I can do that with other people’s heads. That is my answer

TVA: What would you ask the psychologist about memory?

Matthew Niederhauser: Is it the amygdala or other parts of the brain that make me wake up every morning

Marc Da Costa: What do you find most surprising about memory?

TVA:  If you had the power, what would you erase from out collective memory? 

Matthew Niederhauser: I mean, to be sincere, I would probably erase some of the larger collective acts of violence that have occurred… But, at the same time, that’s the only way we learn… So, I don’t know…
Marc Da Costa: steam engine, learning how to bust fossil fuels

TVA: OK, that is a very contemporary topic :)))


MATTHEW NIEDERHAUSER
CREATOR		Matthew Niederhauser is an artist and photojournalist.
His work pushes the limits of emerging AI and XR technologies within a wide range of mediums. He studied anthropology at Columbia University before earning his MFA in Art Practice from SVA while also a Pulitzer Center Grantee, Visiting Artist at the MIT Center for Art, Science, and Technology (CAST), and Member of New Inc. At New Inc he co-founded Sensorium, an experiential studio working at the forefront of immersive storytelling. When not focusing on projects that have premiered at Sundance New Frontier, Tribeca Storyscapes, and IDFA DocLab, he teaches at NYU Tisch and Tanden. Most recently, Matthew became a Studio Fellow and Technical Director at ONX Studio in New York.
matthewniederhauser.com

MARC DA COSTA
CREATOR		Marc Da Costa is an artist and anthropologist whose work explores the relationship between emerging technology and lived experience. Da Costa’s artistic research and interactive installations examine how data and technical infrastructures focus our attention on the world in particular ways and, in so doing, shape the structures of experience available to us. Da Costa’s anthropological scholarship has explored these
themes through studies of placemaking practices in the Anthropocene, with a particular focus on Antarctic research expeditions and critical cartography. Da Costa’s work has been exhibited widely in the US and Europe and his writing on the intersection of data and society has appeared in The New  York Times, The Guardian, Vice, and elsewhere.
marcdacosta.com

MICHELLE OLIVER GUTIERREZ
INSTALLATION DESIGN		Michelle Oliver Gutierrez is an architect and experiential
designer. Her work shapes physical settings to amplify
storytelling through unique interactive experiences. She is
typically involved in all aspects of design, from concept and art directing, 3D modeling, and rendering, down through coordinating fabrication – often serving as the bridge between every design aspect and production partners.
Michelle mainly focuses on new media activations and
interactive spaces that integrate digital components within story-driven settings, both in the real world as well as in virtual environments.
oliver.studio

AARON SANTIAGO
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR & LEAD DEVELOPER		Aaron Santiago is an XR new media artist based in NYC.
Aaron has years of experience in XR including live VR
installations, performances, and experiential VR work.
Aaron’s work has been shown internationally in New York
Live Arts, Boston Cyberarts, and The Shed.
Aaron works across a wide range of technology with a cross-disciplinary practice of combining software engineering across a range of artistic mediums. Aaron’s work is collaborative and hybrid, including websites, VR, AR, and computer sculpture.
aaron.work

All photos are copyrighted by TULPAMANCER and 80 th VENICE IMMERSIVE and may be used by the press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage

https://techvangart.com/
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MSc in Metaverse – University of Nicosia

by paradoxig

The University of Nicosia (UNIC) announced the launch of the world’s first Master of Science (MSc) in Metaverse, promising a ground-breaking and interdisciplinary program built on the needs of creators, developers, architects, social scientists, financial professionals, policymakers, and individuals interested in shaping the future of the metaverse. Considering, the University’s history in cutting-edge technology education, TechvangArt was curious to find out more about the MSc in Metaverse, so we talked with Prof. George Giaglis – Executive Director at the Institute For the Future (IFF) of the University of Nicosia (UNIC) as well as one of the first academics to research and teach on the blockchain.

TVA: How did the idea of launching a Metaverse program in the university come about?

Prof. George Giaglis, Executive Director of IFF, UNIC: The idea to launch a Metaverse program at the University of Nicosia stemmed from recognizing the growing impact of the Metaverse on various aspects of society, business, and technology. The university has always been at the forefront of embracing emergent technologies, as witnessed with our pioneering courses in blockchain and digital currency (we have been running the world’s largest online academic program in crypto since 2013). The creation of a Metaverse-specific program is a natural extension of our commitment to preparing our students for the future.

TVA: Can you please provide an overview of the first Metaverse programme study being conducted at the university?

Prof. George Giaglis, Executive Director of IFF, UNIC: The MSc in Metaverse covers a broad spectrum of topics that encapsulate the Metaverse, from the underlying technology and infrastructure to design principles, economic systems, social implications, and more. Students will explore both theoretical and practical elements, including virtual worlds’ creation, augmented reality (AR) integration, and the ethical considerations that come with immersive virtual spaces.

TVA: Is this program interdisciplinary in nature? If yes, which disciplines are involved and how do they contribute to the study of Metaverse?

Prof. George Giaglis, Executive Director of IFF, UNIC: Absolutely. Understanding the Metaverse requires a synthesis of various disciplines. Key among these are:

Computer Science: For building the infrastructure, virtual worlds, and understanding the technological underpinnings.

Design: Covering the principles of creating engaging and usable virtual environments.

Economics: As the Metaverse has its own emerging economies, understanding virtual currencies and trade is essential.

Sociology & Psychology: To study the social implications and understand user behavior in virtual spaces.

Law: Addressing the legal implications, rights, and digital property considerations within the Metaverse.

TVA: Are there any industry collaborations or partnerships that the program has established to provide students with real-world exposure and opportunities?

Prof. George Giaglis, Executive Director of IFF, UNIC: We are forging partnerships with several key players in the Metaverse space, from virtual reality hardware manufacturers to Metaverse platform providers. These collaborations provide our students with internship opportunities, real-world projects, and a chance to network with industry leaders. The first course in the program is co-taught with Punk 6529, a pseudonymous visionary thinker in the Web3 space, who has co-created his own virtual world (OM, for Open Metaverse), in which the University of Nicosia is building a virtual campus.

TVA: What are some potential career paths or job prospects that students can explore after completing this program?

Prof. George Giaglis, Executive Director of IFF, UNIC: Graduates from our program could explore various roles, including Metaverse Architect or Developer, AR/VR Application Developer, Digital Economy Strategist, Digital Rights Policy Advocate, User Experience Designer for virtual environments, and more.

TVA: How do you envision the future of the Metaverse impacting various industries such as gaming, entertainment, education, etc?

Prof. George Giaglis, Executive Director of IFF, UNIC: The Metaverse will profoundly impact multiple sectors. In gaming, it will create more immersive experiences and persistent virtual worlds, where players will for the first time truly own their in-game artifacts, but maybe also fully programmable on-chain game logic. For entertainment, it will offer new forms of media consumption and participatory experiences, some of them built by high tech Web2 companies, some others crowdsourced from independent creators. In education, virtual classrooms and experiential learning can revolutionize the way we understand and interact with information – the University of Nicosia is actively researching the future of immersive learning in virtual worlds.

TVA: What technological advancements are necessary for the Metaverse to reach its full potential in terms of seamless integration, user experience, and widespread adoption?

Prof. George Giaglis, Executive Director of IFF, UNIC: We will definitely need more advanced and affordable AR/VR hardware before we see mass adoption of virtual worlds and mixed reality applications. Improvements in connectivity, potentially leveraging 5-6G technologies, are also probably going to boost adoption. Next-generation blockchain-based applications, too, including decentralized and secure identity management systems. 

At the level of the economy, more research is needed to understand and design robust digital economies, especially with interoperability between different virtual spaces and with the “real” world. 

Finally, I see quite a few possibilities to seamless integration of AI to enhance user experience and content generation, especially for worlds that include NPCs (non-player characters).

TVA: How will the implementation of the Metaverse influence social interactions, communication, and overall human connectivity?

Prof. George Giaglis, Executive Director of IFF, UNIC: The Metaverse holds the potential to redefine human interaction. It can bridge geographical gaps, allowing for more immersive and meaningful connections. However, it also raises concerns about digital addiction, privacy, and the dilution of real-world experiences. As with any technological advancement, a balance must be struck to ensure that it augments rather than diminishes the human experience. 

Our program delves deep into these aspects, ensuring that our graduates are not just technically proficient but also ethically and socially aware Metaverse leaders.

More information about the MSc in Metaverse, please find on the University of Nicosia website HERE

About the University of Nicosia

The University of Nicosia is the largest university in Cyprus, renowned for its pioneering efforts in blockchain and cryptocurrency education since 2013, when it launched the world’s first academic cryptocurrency course. UNIC also launched the world’s first specialized degree programme, MSc in Blockchain and Digital Currency, in 2014. Since then, UNIC has educated over 100,000 students from 120+ countries in academic and professional training courses focused on cryptocurrency, blockchains and Web3.

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China, Sichuan: Metaverse Strategy

by paradoxig

Sichuan aims to contribute to the development of the Chinese Metaverse. Recently, local authorities have outlined their action plan for the development of the metaverse industry that focus on the continuous development of research and advancement of new technologies, industrial collaboration and creation of open platforms, but also highlight the role of content creation using new technologies with a focus on cultural and creative industries, radio and TV, entertainment, education, and marketing type of content.

One of the ambitious objectives is that by 2025, Sichuan’s metaverse industry will reach 250 billion yuan (approx. $34 billion), and the comprehensive industrial competitiveness will reach the leading position in the country. In addition, it is envisioned that key laboratories, engineering (technology) research centers and other technical research and innovation platforms in the metaverse field will be established. As such the growth of key industries, including cultural tourism, radio and television, entertainment, education, urban development will be ensured.

To ensure all these several tasks were suggested in the document. Strengthening key core technology research is a priority with a focus on key technologies such as 8K ultra-high-definition, accelerate the development and application of chips such as CPU (central processing unit), GPU (graphics processing unit), and enrich ultra-high-definition screens and naked-eye 3D, holographic display and other products.

The plan also outline the creation of an industrial collaborative innovation platform that will support major public innovation platforms such as enterprise technology centers, engineering (technology) research centers, manufacturing innovation centers, technology innovation centers, and innovation consortiums in the province’s digital twins, virtual and augmented reality, and fusion simulation, and empower around the Metaverse.

The consolidation of the base for infrastructure innovation is also envisioned by accelerating the construction of communication infrastructure such as 5G/6G, Internet of Things, and satellite Internet, while carrying out advanced computing technology research, and promoting the optimization and upgrading of existing computing technologies such as high-performance computing, cloud computing.

Furthermore, the tasks also specify the adoption and several use cases for Digital Twin Space construction and applications in the metaverse for Digital Humans in the field of entertainment, culture, tourism or sport, but also finance and health. We can expect an as the strategy also highlights the Content Creation aspects with a focus on cultural and creative industries, radio and TV, entertainment, education, and marketing type of content.

The White paper also suggests improving industry service capabilities by strengthening the role of bridges between relevant industry associations and industry alliances in the metaverse and the government, enterprises, and markets.

The entire paper can be read HERE.

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