2021 Ars Electronica Garden SEOUL Code H
Garden of Code H
Humans have adopted different values in different eras. Since the advent of digital technology, humans have developed a language and an aesthetics befitting the new technological environment. With the term “New Aesthetic,” James Bridle describes the emergence of a visual language and mixed reality in the post-digital era. As social networks and virtual media have a ubiquitous presence in our daily lives, we are experiencing unpredictable errors and solid messages reacting differently from their original intentions as we experience a combination of real and virtual environments and turbulent changes of the future.
The 2020 festival defined “the third life” as an issue concerning the relationship between reality and virtuality caused by the rapidly changing technological environment in the late 20th century. Conversely, the 2021 festival attempts to expand the realm of art education based on the Internet as an art school in the post-COVID era. Prompted by Ars Electronica, the attempt began by running an international collaborative education program called “Korea National University of Arts X Ars Electronica Academy,” which transcends physical limitations. The program included a team of emerging artists from various disciplines at Korea National University of Arts and international mentors from Ars Electronica. It supported eight teams to lead convergence arts education and create artworks during the first semester of 2021, through two curriculums: “Interactive+” (three teams) and “Immersive Performance” (five teams). Each program focused on games and immersive performances as new art media and created artworks that experimented with the interaction and artistic immersion of digital media. I am proud to introduce them in this festival.
The results from the various artistic education and creative attempts in a rapidly changing society will be presented at 2021 Ars Electronica Garden Seoul in September. Under the theme “Code H,” the festival focused on humor as a way to explore the new aesthetics and enable future art and technology to coexist with humanity. Henri Bergson defined humor as “very humane and a remedy for anti-sociality.” Humor is a universal language, more persuasive and inclusive than other means of expression; it has always played a significant social role. Through lectures by experts, showcase, and performance screenings, this year’s festival rediscovers the value of humor to overcome hardships during this post-COVID era and elucidate the relationship between humor and convergence art.
Director | Chungyean Cho (Director of Center for Art Convergence, Korea National University of Arts)
Events
Online Performance〈Code: Human〉
Online Performance 〈Code: Human〉 presents the invited performance/videos on the theme of the human body existing in linear time and physical space. It will screen “Neo-human Scale,” which is about a new sense of distance; “New Ritual,” a modern interpretation of Korean shamanistic ceremonies and traditional mask dance movements; and “The Purpose of Talchum,” which features a contemporary interpretation that deviates from the Korean mask dance. Through this, 〈Code: Human〉 will suggest you to imagine the possibility of a new future beyond the dichotomous limits of tradition and modernity.
Online Lecture Series
〈Code: Humor〉
〈Code: Humor〉presents seven lectures set up to share the various discourses surrounding humor as a language of empathy and communication: Day 1. Humor for Community; Day 2. Humor for Inter-play; Day 3. Humor for Future Creativity, and the like. Through talks by experts in various fields such as cultural anthropology, psychology, gaming, and arts, we will try to see the crisis as an opportunity and explore the value of humor to imagine the future in various ways.
Online Showcase
〈Code: Hybrid〉
〈Code: Hybrid〉aims to experiment with new possibilities of artistic creation through works created with virtuality and interaction of the media, based on the mixed environment of digital humanism. The showcase introduces students’ works created through the new media creative education program “K-Arts X Ars Electronica Academy,” which the Korea National University of Arts collaborated with and operated with the Ars Electronica Export team. The academy consists of two classes, Interactive+, which deals with games as creative media under the theme of Humor for Future Community, and Immersive Performance, which experimented with realistic performances using VR.
Credit
Organization
Hosted by
Korea National University of Arts, Ars Electronica
Project director
Chungyean Cho
Organized and Operated by
Art Collider Lab
Project Management
Hana Yun, Dayoung Lee, Myungyeon Lim
Immersive Performance Operation
Art&Technology Lab
Administration Cooperation
Delightful
Online Lecture series〈Code: Humor〉
Chanho Kim (Professor of Liberal Arts, SKHU)
Heo Yong-ho (Visiting Professor at the School of Traditional Arts, K-Arts)
Young Yim Doh (Professor of KAIST GSCT)
Sun Park(Independent Game Developer)
Yang Jing(Game Designer, curator, writer)
Clarence Ng Kian Peow(Production Manager, YCAM)
Gilles Jobin(Choreographer, Artistic Director of The Cie)
Kiheon Shin(Freelance Creative Director)
Online Showcase〈Code: Hybrid〉
K-arts X Ars Electronica Academy
Martin Honzik (CCO and Managing Director Ars Electronica Festival)
Christl Baur (Head of Ars Electronica Festival)
Laura Welzenbach (Head of Ars Electronica Export)
Interactive+
Main Lecturer
Loopntale(Game designer Duo)
Associated Professor
Insoo Park (Professor of Korean Traditional Dramatic Performing Arts, K-Arts / Master of Bongsan Talchum)
Technical Mentor
Jinsoo Kim(Game Developer)
Ideation Mentor
Myeongjin Yang(Game Designer)
International Experts
Jeremiah Diephuis(Lecturer and researcher in the Digital Media department, the Hagenberg Campus of the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria), Seiichi Saito(Art Director of Rhizomatiks), Johannes Pöll(Lead Designer & Artist of FutureLab)
Interactive+
Participating Artist(team)
1. Hop Step
Doyeon Kim, Minjae Kwak, Jungsoo Lee, Hyun Cho
2. Ingrowing Liaison Office(Ingrowing Liaison Office)
Seuli Lee, Teo Bahk, Moses Yu, Jiwon Kwak, Jinkyung Her
3. No-Normal
Eunkyeong Kang, Jihye Park, Bora Youn, Jisoo Lim
Immersive Performance
Professor
Chungyean Cho(Professor of School of Film, TV & Multimedia, K-Arts)
Technical Mentor
Jeonghoon Han, Sanghun Heo
Teaching Assistant
Jeeyoun Kim(Majoring in Architecture, School of Visual Arts, K-Arts)
International Experts
Jurgen Hagler(Lecturer and researcher in the Digital Media department, the Hagenberg Campus of the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria), Miwa Matreyek(Founding member of Cloud Eye Control, independent Artist), Arno Deutschbauer(Researcher & Artist of FutureLab)
Immersive Performance
Participating Artist(team)
1. 30,000ft
Kyoungbin Son, Jihyo Han, Sejun Lee, Jiyoung Park
2. Inter-cumulation(Inter-cumulation)
Jeeyoun Kim, Minjin Jeong, Sooyeon Choi, Jun Ryu, Teri Seo
3. ARTNORI(Art Nori)
Ark Park, Junghoon BakShim, Jun Ryu, Minah Kim, Jiyoung Hong, Hyeri Lee, Wonjeong Lee, Sol Yoon, Jeongwoo Park, Woogyeong Lee, Juyeong Park, Jeongwook Goh, Hongseok Lee, Dongyoung Won, Junghoon Han, Yunjeong Kim, DarwinTech Corp.
4. On and Off
Jiyoung Park, Jihyo Han, Lime Gwon, Sujin Park, Jeongeun Park, Heesu Mun
5. MANANA
Yunji Kwon, Minhee Kim, Minyoung Lim, Wangwon Lee, Jahyuk Koo
Online performance〈Code: Human〉
SaaWee
Sita Chay, Jihye Kim, Insoo Park
Insun Park
HjkEg Collective
Heeju Kim, Eugene Godunov
Closing event〈Welcome to the Jang-gu in the Club〉
ARTNORI
Ark Park, Junghoon BakShim, Jun Ryu, Minah Kim, Jiyoung Hong, Hyeri Lee, Wonjeong Lee, Sol Yoon, Jeongwoo Park, Woogyeong Lee, Juyeong Park, Dongyoung Won, Jughoon Han, Yunjeong Kim, DarwinTech Corp.
WorldWideLab Website
Web Development
Jinoon Choi, Loopntale
Key Design & Trailer Production
Studio Zaanchii
3D Graphic
KIM WHEESUNG
VIdeo Production
Journey of the Academy, Showcase Interview
Seven Cloud(Sanghyun Kim)
How to talk about Play
Woogyeong Blair Lee(Cast), Hojun Yoon(Film/Edit), Mijin Kwon(PD)
Lecture, Performance video editing
Myungyeon Lim, Jin Kim, Hana Yun