Digital meets Culture

Brussels, 13 December 2017

[English]

On Wednesday, December 13, PACKED and the Royal Library of Belgium, in collaboration with the University of Girona, organise a workshop “Quality Control of TIFF Files“. The workshop is intended for digital archivists who are responsible for the long-term preservation of TIFF files.

During the workshop you will learn how to gain an insight into the technical properties of TIFF files and what you can do to preserve them for future generations. The workshop is conceived as a hands-on session, where participants get started with TIFF files from their own collection. The purpose is to determine the durability of your TIFF files using the DPF Manager Conformance Checker and to create a policy profile for the files in your collection.

The workshop takes place in the Royal Sky Room 2 (6th floor) of the Royal Library In Brussels. The number of participants is limited to fifteen. Please subscribe to Piet Janssens (piet.janssens@kbr.be) before Friday November 27th.

This workshop has been made possible through the PREFORMA project, funded by the Seventh Framework Program for Research and Innovation of the European Commission.

[Dutch]

Op woensdag 13 december organiseren PACKED en de Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België, in samenwerking met de Universiteit van Girona, een workshop “Kwaliteitscontrole van TIFF-bestanden”. De workshop richt zich specifiek op digitale archivarissen die verantwoordelijk zijn voor de preservering van TIFF-bestanden.

Tijdens de workshop leer je inzicht verwerven in de technische eigenschappen van TIFF-bestanden en wat je kan doen om ze voor de komende generaties te bewaren. De workshop is opgevat als een hands-on sessie waarbij de deelnemers aan de slag gaan met TIFF-bestanden uit hun eigen collectie. Het doel is om met behulp van de DPF-Manager Conformance Checker de duurzaamheid van je TIFF-bestanden te bepalen en een bewaarprofiel op te stellen voor de bestanden in jouw collectie.

De workshop gaat door in de Royal Sky Room 2 (6e verdieping) van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. Het aantal deelnemers is beperkt tot vijftien. Aanmelden kan tot vrijdag 27 november bij Piet Janssens (piet.janssens@kbr.be).

Deze workshop is mede mogelijk gemaakt door het PREFORMA project met financiering van het Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Innovation van de Europese Commissie.

[French]

Le mercredi 13 novembre, PACKED et la Bibliothèque royale de Belgique organisent, en collaboration avec l’Université de Gérone, un workshop sur le « Contrôle de qualité des fichiers TIFF ». L’atelier s’adresse aux archivistes numériques responsables de la préservation des fichiers PDF.

Au cours de l’atelier, vous apprendrez quelles sont les propriétés techniques des fichiers TIFF et les bonnes pratiques en matière de préservation de cieux-ici. L’atelier est conçu comme une session de travaux pratiques où les participants pourront travailler avec des fichiers TIFF issus de leur propre collection. L’objectif est de déterminer la pérennité de vos fichiers à l’aide du logiciel Vera DPF Conformance Checker et de créer un profil de stockage pour les fichiers dans votre collection.

L’atelier aura lieu dans la Royal Sky Room 2 de la Bibliothèque royale de Belgique et se fera en anglais. Le nombre de participants est limité à quinze. Vous pouvez vous inscrire jusqu’au vendredi 10 novembre auprès de Piet Janssens (piet.janssens@kbr.be).

Cet atelier est parrainé par le projet PREFORMA avec le financement du septième Programme-cadre pour la recherche et l’innovation de la Commission européenne.

New Orleans, 29 November - 2 December 2017

AMIA 2017 Conference

AMIA is a nonprofit international association dedicated to the preservation and use of moving image media. AMIA supports public and professional education and fosters cooperation and communication among the individuals and organizations concerned with the acquisition, preservation, description, exhibition, and use of moving image materials.

Programmed by professionals working in the field, the annual AMIA Conference is the largest gathering of motion picture and recorded sound archivists and interested professionals. More than 550 annual attendees include members and colleagues from around the world.

The goal of the Conference is to present an broadly-based program that speaks to the wide range of attendees with a balance of theory and practice, inviting new ideas and concepts that may stimulate additional interest, involvement and educational benefit. The conference provides an opportunity for colleagues and those interested in the field to meet, share information and work together. For newcomers to this vibrant, dynamic and committed community, networking with other AMIA members and industry professionals is invaluable for professional development. AMIA conference registration includes participation in all regular sessions and screenings and some special events.

The 2017 edition of the AMIA Conference will be held on 29 November – 2 December 2017 in New Orleans.

For further details about the Conference, go to www.amiaconference.net.

For more information about AMIA, events and membership, go to www.AMIAnet.org.

Brussels, 24 November 2017

veraPDF Workshop

[English]

On Friday, November 24, PACKED and the Royal Library of Belgium, in collaboration with the Open Preservation Foundation, organise a workshop “Quality Control of PDF Files“. The workshop is intended for digital archivists who are responsible for the long-term preservation of PDF files.

During the workshop you will learn how to gain an insight into the technical properties of PDF files and what you can do to preserve them for future generations. The workshop is conceived as a hands-on session, where participants get started with PDF files from their own collection. The purpose is to determine the durability of your PDF files using the veraPDF Conformance Checker and to create a policy profile for the files in your collection.

The workshop takes place in the Royal Sky Room 2 (6th floor) of the Royal Library in Brussels and will be taught in English. The number of participants is limited to fifteen. Please subscribe to Piet Janssens (piet.janssens@kbr.be) before Friday November 10th.

This workshop has been made possible through the PREFORMA project, funded by the Seventh Framework Program for Research and Innovation of the European Commission.

[Dutch]

Op vrijdag 24 november organiseren PACKED en de Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België, in samenwerking met Open Preservation Foundation, een workshop “Kwaliteitscontrole van PDF-bestanden”. De workshop richt zich specifiek op digitale archivarissen die verantwoordelijk zijn voor de preservering van PDF-bestanden.

Tijdens de workshop leer je inzicht verwerven in de technische eigenschappen van PDF-bestanden en wat je kan doen om ze voor de komende generaties te bewaren. De workshop is opgevat als een hands-on sessie waarbij de deelnemers aan de slag gaan met PDF-bestanden uit hun eigen collectie. Het doel is om met behulp van de veraPDF Conformance Checker de duurzaamheid van je PDF-bestanden te bepalen en een bewaarprofiel op te stellen voor de bestanden in jouw collectie.

De workshop gaat door in de Royal Sky Room 2 (6e verdieping) van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek en de voertaal is Engels. Het aantal deelnemers is beperkt tot vijftien. Aanmelden kan tot vrijdag 10 november bij Piet Janssens (piet.janssens@kbr.be).

Deze workshop is mede mogelijk gemaakt door het PREFORMA project met financiering van het Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Innovation van de Europese Commissie.

[French]

Le vendredi 24 novembre, PACKED et la Bibliothèque royale de Belgique organisent, en collaboration avec l’Open Preservation Foundation, un workshop sur le « Contrôle de qualité des fichiers PDF ». L’atelier s’adresse aux archivistes numériques responsables de la préservation des fichiers PDF.

Au cours de l’atelier, vous apprendrez quelles sont les propriétés techniques des fichiers PDF et les bonnes pratiques en matière de préservation de cieux-ici. L’atelier est conçu comme une session de travaux pratiques où les participants pourront travailler avec des fichiers PDF issus de leur propre collection. L’objectif est de déterminer la pérennité de vos fichiers à l’aide du logiciel Vera PDF Conformance Checker et de créer un profil de stockage pour les fichiers dans votre collection.

Cet atelier est parrainé par le projet PREFORMA avec le financement du septième Programme-cadre pour la recherche et l’innovation de la Commission européenne.

A network on cultural participation, to promote a collaborative role of citizens in the society

TAKE PART in culture!

Collaborative approaches to culture are nowadays a current issue; they represent a valuable tool to promote democratic participation, sustainability and social cohesion by helping to address new social challenges.

On this subject, the TAKE PART project led by the AARHUS University (Denmark) is interesting: starting from studies of the different forms of participation and comparing them, the project investigates new forms of cultural participation, exploring if and how cultural, social and political participation interact. The TAKE PART network of researchers and professionals believes in the ideal of turning citizens and users into “participants”, with a key role in the arts, in cultural institutions and in society in general.

For this reason, TAKE PART promotes exchange and collaboration between separated research environments and between theoretical and practice-oriented research; moreover, the project organizes seminars and conferences to create collaborations and strengthen the commitment of local communities and citizen.

Next international conference will be in Aarhus, Denmark, 18-20 April. For more information visit http://conferences.au.dk/culturesofparticipation2018/.

TAKE PART is a 2 years project (from 1 August 2016 to 31 July 2018) funded by The Danish Council for Independent Research.

The network has around 80 members of seven universities and 25 cultural institutions.

Project website

Main output of the project will be a social platform for professionals and amateurs interested and involved in culture and cultural heritage

Starting a new EU project about participatory approaches to Culture: REACH!

Coordinated by Coventry University with participation of important international partners, the upcoming three-year REACH project will establish a Social Platform as a sustainable space for meeting, discussion and collaboration by a wide-ranging network of professionals, institutions, researchers, arts practitioners, associations, and interest groups representative of non-professionals with a stake in research and practice in the field of culture and cultural heritage (CH).

The REACH Social Platform’s activities will have a twofold scope:

₋ Support: to map and provide analysis of research results achieved in previous programmes, to identify current and emerging research trends, and to offer authoritative new knowledge of the CH field to the European Commission and policy-makers

₋ Coordination: to offer benefits to its participants, expanding knowledge of complementary research and practice domains, and of new methodologies, generating opportunities for cooperation, offering pathways to wider user-engagement with research and practitioner outputs.

The REACH Social Platform will create tools and instruments to trigger the debate on how participatory approaches can contribute to develop a common horizon of understanding and trigger social innovation processes.

To backend the project development, a wide range of research activities on cultural heritage and its changes in the digital era will be carried on, and 4 thematic Pilots will be launched soon. Each Pilot has the aim to validate and improve different models of participation showing in practice usefulness and possible difficulties that may arise. They cover the following thematic areas: Minority Heritage, Institutional Heritage, Rural Heritage, Small Towns Heritage.

In the context of radical social changes taking place at all levels – from the local to the global – , Europe faces a serious challenge: the need for its citizens to live together in peace and mutual respect and to value and enjoy the diversity of cultures across society. The REACH project is based on the proposition that CH plays an important role in contributing to social integration in Europe, and that a fuller and more detailed picture of the range, type and impact of research and participatory research methodologies, current and future, associated with these subjects will further enhance their potential for social good.

REACH partners will soon meet for kicking off all the activities. Stay tuned for more news soon.

REACH consortium:

Coventry University, UK
Promoter S.r.l. , Italy
Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Germany
Eotvos Lorand Tudomanyegyetem, Hungary
Universidad de Granada, Spain
Univerzita Karlova, Czech Republic
Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico, Italy

Viewers will now have access to extremely high resolution images of the famous Ghent Altarpiece taken before, during, and after its conservation

Major Enhancements Unveiled On ‘Closer To Van Eyck’ Web Application

The Getty Foundation and the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA, Brussels) announced today the launch of major enhancements to the website ‘Closer to Van Eyck,’ which provides breathtaking details of one of the most important works of art in the world, the Ghent Altarpiece. Enhancements include new images of the work under various stages of conservation treatment, a larger range of technical images, and the ability to see and compare multiple views of the painting at the same time.

Located at St. Bavo’s cathedral in Ghent, Belgium, The Mystic Lamb of 1432 by Hubert and Jan van Eyck, also known as the Ghent Altarpiece, is a stunning and highly complex painting composed of separate oak panels. Since 2010, several Getty Foundation grants have supported the conservation planning, examination and training related to the altarpiece as part of its Panel Paintings Initiative. A collaboration among the Flemish government, the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage and their partners led to the first much-needed conservation treatment of the work in 2010. The panels and frames of the closed altarpiece were treated between 2012 and 2016 and the large-scale campaign now continues with the panels of the lower register of the open altarpiece. The “Closer to Van Eyck” website launched in 2012, and had yet to receive major updates until now.

“The Getty Foundation is pleased to have supported the research and study that has led to the restoration of the Ghent Altarpiece currently underway,” says Deborah Marrow, director of the Getty Foundation. “The enhanced documentation now available through ‘Closer to Van Eyck’ brings even greater access to the genius of the artists that will both delight viewers and inspire new scholarship.”

[Show as slideshow]

The altarpiece was painstakingly recorded at every step of the conservation process through state-of-the-art photographic and scientific documentation. Thanks to the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage’s imaging team, digital processing and design led by Frederik Temmermans of Universum Digitalis and the Vrije Universiteit Brussels, and imec’s Department of Electronics and Informatics, the altarpiece can now be viewed online in visible light, infrared, infrared reflectograph, and X-radiograph, with sharper and higher resolution images than ever before. Visitors to the site can now also adjust a timeline to view key moments in the conservation process, and have access to simultaneous viewing of images before, during, and after conservation. Users can zoom in even closer on details of the painting, exploring microscopic views of the work in 100 billion pixels.

A tour of the site can be taken here:
http://closertovaneyck.kikirpa.be/ghentaltarpiece/#home/sub=sitetour

“We are proud and pleased to now also offer unparalleled access to the results of the first stage of the restoration of the Ghent Altarpiece,” says Dr. Ron Spronk, professor of Art History at the Department of Art History and Art Conservation at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada and Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, who initiated and coordinated Closer to Van Eyck. “Our site provides images and research materials of unprecedented quality and scope, both on and below the paint surface that will serve both specialists and general audiences for many years to come. We truly have come much, much closer to Van Eyck.”
The conservation work also led to the discovery that around 70% of Van Eyck’s original paint layer on the panels of the closed altarpiece had been hidden beneath overpaint for centuries, requiring painstaking removal. The removal of this paint is reflected in the images seen online.

“We are convinced that through direct comparison of the closed ensemble or details before and after overpaint removal, art professionals and amateurs alike will be startled by the spectacular result of this intervention,” says Hilde De Clercq, director of the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage. “From the strengthened sense of space and restored visual unity, to the remarkable lighting effects, this website truly offers a front row seat to view the world of Van Eyck.”

The website Closer to Van Eyck is the result of the close collaboration of numerous institutions and individuals. The full listing of participants can be found on the site, at: http://closertovaneyck.kikirpa.be/ghentaltarpiece/#home/sub=wcredits.
More information about the Getty Foundation and the Panel Paintings Initiative can be found at: http://www.getty.edu/conservation/our_projects/education/panelpaintings/.

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The J. Paul Getty Trust is an international cultural and philanthropic institution devoted to the visual arts that includes the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Research Institute, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the Getty Foundation. The J. Paul Getty Trust and Getty programs serve a varied audience from two locations: the Getty Center in Los Angeles and the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades.

The Getty Foundation fulfills the philanthropic mission of the Getty Trust by supporting individuals and institutions committed to advancing the greater understanding and preservation of the visual arts in Los Angeles and throughout the world. Through strategic grant initiatives, the Foundation strengthens art history as a global discipline, promotes the interdisciplinary practice of conservation, increases access to museum and archival collections, and develops current and future leaders in the visual arts. It carries out its work in collaboration with the other Getty Programs to ensure that they individually and collectively achieve maximum effect. Additional information is available at www.getty.edu/foundation.

The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA, Brussels) is a federal scientific institution responsible for the documentation, study and conservation-restoration of Belgium’s cultural and artistic heritage. Art historians, photographers, chemists, archaeologists, engineers and conservator-restorers carry out interdisciplinary research on the materials and techniques used in works of art and cultural artefacts and on the materials and methods used in conservation-restoration. The KIK-IRPA is a unique resource for scientific, photographic and technical documentation of Belgium’s cultural heritage.

Berlin (Germany) 24-25 May 2018

16th KUI Conference “Culture and Computer Science”

Announcing the “Culture and Computer Science” conference entitled “Hybrid Systems” – the 16th edition of the ”Culture and Computer Science“ conference series brings into focus best practice examples, challenges and future trends in the fields of hybrid systems, augmented, mixed and virtual reality, 3D technology, data collection and management, media integration, modelling, visualisation and interaction. The conference targets cultural policy makers, employees of cultural and creative industries, communication scientists, cultural and artistic actors as well as computer scientists and engineers, who conduct research and development on cultural topics.

Focus topics:

The key aspects of the conference are:

– Technologies for hybrid systems

– Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality and Virtual Reality technologies

– 3D technologies

– Digitalisation in the cultural and creative industries

– Visualisation and interaction technologies

– Interactive multimedia solutions for museums, theatres, concert halls, exhibitions etc.

– Digital exhibitions, science centres, museums and galleries

– Virtual reconstructions

– Location-based and context-sensitive services in a cultural context

– Documentation, visualisation and interaction in museums and archives

– Digital storytelling

– Multimedia guides with Augmented Reality components

– Ethical issues concerning the use of virtual and augmented reality

More info: https://inka.htw-berlin.de/kui/18/

Call for papers open until 30th January 2018: https://inka.htw-berlin.de/kui/18/call

Cologne (Germany), 22-24 November 2017

EXPONATEC 2017 trade fair and congress

EXPONATEC COLOGNE – Europe’s leading communications platform of the museum, conservation and restoration segments will present valuable information, solutions proven in practice, surprising visions and international exchange of experiences in 2017.

In four exhibition areas, institutions and companies from all relevant segments of the culture market will show new products, solutions and concepts revolving around exhibiting, restoration and cultural heritage and thereby provides groundbreaking impulses.

With its combination of trade fair and congress, EXPONATEC provides exhibitors and visitors valuable impulses for their work. The exhibition in hall 3.2 of Koelnmesse, with more approx. 160 exhibitors from 16 countries, is accompanied by a first-class supporting programme that offers relevant associations and institutions of the industry interesting lectures and workshops.

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For the seventh time in a row, the European Heritage Association is using EXPONATEC COLOGNE as a platform for presenting prize-winning projects and concepts of European museums to a specialist public. Thus, the “Projects of Influence” winners from the event in Dubrovnik of 2016 and 2017 will be presented in the context of the Best in Heritage Excellence Club symposium on 22 November from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. In addition, successful projects with a focus on New Technologies, as well as multimedia of the “Imagine” event, which this year took place for the first time in the context of the conference in Dubrovnik, will be presented. Best in Heritage also offers many more presentations on 23 and 24 November. Here visitors receive insights into the quality standards for current museum, restoration and conservation projects from around the world.

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On the occasion of the European Cultural Heritage Year 2018 (ECHY), the German-speaking European restorer associations within E.C.C.O. VDR (Germany), SKR (Switzerland), ÖRV (Austria) and VRKS-ARCA (South Tyrol) would like to shift the focus to the connecting elements in the European cultural region and deepen their cooperation with a joint specialist conference. The theme of the conference, ‘Trompe-l’oeil − Illusion and reality’, deals with a genre of visual arts that makes demands of conservation and restoration in an interdisciplinary fashion. It provides an opportunity to discuss a variety of themes and materials for “deceiving the eye” from many artistic disciplines with inspiring individual solutions.

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Our world is no longer conceivable without digitality. It characterises both our work routines and our private lives equally. Digitality opens up possibilities and makes many things much easier, but it is at the same time seductive and influences thought and action. Critical reflection on its benefits is therefore an important basic ability, which people today need to acquire. The “Denkmal Digital” (digital monument) seminar of the European monument protection association Europa Nostra examines these questions with a view to monument preservation, whereby one area of focus is on questions of the digital distribution and mediation of content, goals and ideas relating to monument preservation. What is the digital monument, and to what purposes do we actually digitalise monument preservation? These are the core questions.

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The Deutsche Museumsbund (German federation of museums) is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and will this year offer daily Tea Time Lectures on the stage of the Meta Plaza of EXPONATEC in the form of short lectures by Dr Ulrike Lorenz, Director of the Kunsthalle Mannheim, and Dr Peter Assmann, Director of the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua on a pioneering project with a subsequent possibility to ask questions. You will soon be able to find the detailed programme at our website.

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EXPONATEC website with info and programme: http://www.exponatec.com

Featuring from October 11 to November 5, [B] Force is inspired by the ethereal aspect of dance

Roberto Fazio | [B] Force – interactive installation in Florence

The intensity of a dance resides in its weightless stream of movement and harmony, and in the single beat which connects one moment to the next. Dance has the power both to give meaning to time and to create the illusion of suspending it. [B] Force is an interactive installation based on a Natural User Interface (NUI). It is inspired by the ethereal aspect of dance. Viewers leave a stream of dancing particles which follow the movements of their bodies.

[B] Force
11 October to 5 November
SACI Studio Arts College International
Via Sant’Antonino, 11
50123 Firenze Italy

Roberto Fazio’s work investigates the relationships between nature, art and technology. Fascinated by human-machine interaction and artificial vision, he focuses on a computational approach, drawing inspiration from physical phenomena. Being a strong supporter of open-source software, he is attracted to the expressive potential of creative coding, generative and computational design.

Roberto Fazio is a multimedia artist and educator from Verona who is now based in Florence. He has created many interactive installations for cultural events and international institutions. In addition to working as an artist, he runs a small interaction design studio, where he creates digital solutions for numerous companies and clients such as Nike, Ralph Lauren, BMW, Heineken, Asus, Hugo Boss & McLaren, Ferretti Yacht, Bridgestone, Bacardi, Ferrari, Triennale di Milano and many more. He teaches Interaction and Multimedia Design, Generative Design, and Creative Coding, and has taught or guest-lectured at IED Firenze, SACI, IUAV University Venice, and Universidad Autonoma de Occidente Cali, Colombia. Always dedicated and passionate about studying new technologies, he organizes workshops and gives presentations on interactivity and coding.

Roberto would like to thank Teresa Dal Dosso for her valuable assistance on this project.

www.robertofazio.com
https://www.saci-florence.edu/

Krakow (Poland), 24-29 October 2017

Patchlab Digital Art Festival 2017 – Data art and artificial intelligence

Patchlab Digital Art Festival, organised in Krakow since 2012, is an international event dedicated to interdisciplinary (post)digital art forms, created at the intersection of art, new technologies and creative programming. During the 6th edition, taking place 24-29th October this year, the main focus will be at Data Art and AI.

This time during the exhibitions there will be 14 installations focused on Data Art and AI including a unique installation ‘Reading Plan’ by Lien-Cheng Wang, showcased at this year’s Ars Electronica, which brings up the topic of authorities controlling content read by students at schools in Taiwan. One of the most important events – presentation of ‘RadianceScape’ by XCEED from Hong Kong, an installation for electromagnetic field, projection and laser visualising radiation data from Fukushima and Chernobyl and predictions paths of development of art as seen by artificial intelligence (Predictive Art Bot, Nicolas Maigret and Maria Roszkowska). There will be also an audiovisual concert, 6 performances and live acts, screenings as well as medialabs in the 6th edition of Patchlab Digital Art Festival’s program.

Patchlab Festival is a member of AVnode network uniting artists and events presenting contemporary audiovisual art supported by the Creative Europe EU program.

Małopolski Ogród Sztuki, Galeria Sztuki Współczesnej Bunkier Sztuki, Pawilon Wyspiańskiego, Pałac Czeczotki, Szpitalna 1

International Digital Arts Festival connects interdisciplinary digital art created across the fields of art, new technology, creative coding. The target audience are people who are aware of the changes in the surrounding world and who are brave enough to raise subjects concerning our nearest future. It’s one of the few festivals in Poland presenting creative potential of new media, new technology, coding and virtual reality.

Data art and artificial intelligence

Between 24th and 29th October, for the 6th time Patchlab will raise the subjects relevant in the fast-changing world. The topics are sometimes uncomfortable, but always remain relevant from the point of view of a modern man, living in the digital age.

This year’s main theme is data art and artificial intelligence. There will be projects presented that are created with usage of extraordinary material – big data bases, which have an increasing impact on our life and the whole society. Together with the growth of data amount and its role, there are now new possibilities of artificial intelligence development – total new level of being, which brings a lot of hope, but also anxiety. – explains Elwira Wojtunik, Artistic Director of Patchlab Digital Art Festival.

The works displayed at this year’s edition will be exhibited in Małopolska Garden of Arts and at the Contemporary Art Gallery Bunkier Sztuki. The festival will comprise 14 installations, 6 performances, 3 workshops, meetings and presentations with electronic media artists from Poland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, France, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Iran, Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan.

The official opening of the festival will take place on 24th October, but we invite everyone to visit Czeczotki Palace on 23th October, where, together with Conrad Festival and Hungarian Institute of Culture, we will open a light installation ‘Dark Matter’ inspired by atmosphere of Heart of Darkness – reveals Elwira Wojtunik.

The works displayed during the festival include a unique installation ‘Reading Plan’ by Lien-Cheng Wang, showcased at this year’s Ars Electronica, which brings up the topic of authorities controlling content read by students at schools in Taiwan. One of the most important events – presentation of ‘RadianceScape’ by XCEED from Hong Kong, an installation for electromagnetic field, projection and laser visualising radiation data from Fukushima and Chernobyl. There will be opportunity to meet artificial intelligence, which is able to write a book and to learn how to interrogate (Pretext and Triolog by Jerry Galle); to listen to the sound of stars and constellations (Stellar, Francesco Fabris); to track own activity on Facebook and see real profiles created by algorithms (Data Selfie, Hang Do Thi Duc); to see a reflection in a digital mirror, which projects one’s emotions right here and right now (Emotional Mirror, random quark), or to check what are predicted paths of development of art as seen by artificial intelligence (Art Predictive Art Bot, Nicolas Maigret and Maria Roszkowska).

This year, one of the creator of the special project, which has always been a unique part of the festival, is Michał Jacaszek – renowned Polish sound artist, producer and author of experimental electro-acoustic and movie soundtracks . This project will be prepared together with Turkish visual art duo NOHlab, awarded at numerous audiovisual art festivals, inluding Ars Electronica and Japan Media Arts Festival.

Patchlab also will host this year multiple live acts and audiovisual performances. Lien-Cheng Wang from Taiwan and Boris Chimp 504 from Portugal will perform during the opening of the exhibition and on Friday night XCEED from Hong Kong will present live performance of their project criticising catastrophe in Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant No.1 and Microseq will present project shown at this year’s TodaysArt Festival in Amsterdam.

A night with Anthony Rother at Szpitalna 1 will be the culmination act of the festival. This composer doesn’t need long introduction, he’s a living legend, the most influential continuator of Kraftwerk group. – His famous live acts attract huge crowds of fans. Rother will present ADJ set (Artistic DJ set), a unique performance based only on his own productions, not released to wide audience. – I’m sure that it will be an unforgettable night for Kraków’s club scene – emphasises the Festival’s Artistic Director.

There will also meetings and workshops in the program of the Patchlab festival – „(NOT)safe data online. How do we lose control on our digital footprints”, “Play with PureData – workshops on music programming and interaction for Youth” and a meeting with members of Technopolitics group from Vienna, who work on innovative projects across the fields of art, research, science and education and will share their experiences of working on visualisation of a huge amount of data.

More info: http://patchlab.pl/