OPEN - Online Expo
leader video by Mitchell Bosch
OPEN - ABOUT THE EXPO
"If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern.” William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
Join us on July 4th, 8pm CET for a talk show featuring works by creative student researchers of the Media Technology MSc program at Leiden University, exploring the theme "OPEN", to be streamed live from our Media Technology Youtube channel.
We have been hiding in our high tech caves for a couple of months, and societies are now opening up again. Will we go back to the old days or to a new normal? It's no coincidence there has been an explosion of debate now on the lack of openness of certain groups, politicians, institutions and systems, and that we want to change this. And more generally, despite economical restrictions, we seem to be a lot more open now to design new futures with respect to society, politics, nature and technology. Being confined to our homes has not only given us think time, but being physically distant but digitally close has given us new perspectives and ways-of-seeing of the digital-natural universes we live in, and open the doors of perception.
In this online expo creative student researchers from the Leiden University Media Technology MSc program imagineer new realities, blending art, research and technology. The expo spans a continuum of documented works created out in the open, in public space, to more intimate works created in the lockdown confinements of our homes. It's not static expo, more a playful research lab, where the creative researchers work from personal inspiration, and in a matter of days create physical/digital works to quickly explore concepts and create projects that trigger the audience to evoke ideas or questions. The works are the outcomes of the New Media New Technology course within the Media Technology program.
EXPO LAUNCH - LIVE STREAM TALKSHOW
The expo was officially launched during an online-only live stream talk show from our Media Technology Youtube channel on July 4, 2020 and featured a kaleidoscopic overview of the works, interviews with the makers, flashbacks to works from the previous editions of this expo and a lot more. See below for a recording of this event.
Find the original Facebook event here and follow us on Facebook and Insta @mscmediatechnology to stay tuned to future events.
The descriptions below and on this website provide a snapshot of the experience and the ideas behind most works, whereas some can be experienced fully online. And most makers will be keen to re-exhibit their work physically once the opportunity will arise again, reach out to Peter van der Putten to get in touch.
This event is supported by The Grey Space in the Middle. Note there is no access to the talk show on site due to COVID restrictions.
EXHIBITED WORKS AND CREATIVE RESEARCHERS
Below, you'll find information about the projects in the expo. You can also explore the portfolios on the right.
// RED ENERGY //
by Daphne Wong-A-Foe, Veerle van Reisen & Peng Song.
While being stuck during lockdown we all face some sort of fear. And as the great Yoda from Star Wars once said: "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering". Our piece gives you the opportunity to open yourself up and let it all go! At the same time, we think about a better future with energy transition - What is your footprint post Covid-19? Find out: come RAGE & CREATE Red Energy! >> Read more and meet the angry creators
// □■□■□□■■ □■■■□■■■ □■■□□□□■ □■■■□□■□ □■■□■■□■ //
by Carlo ter Woord & Caitlin Schäffers
To behave is to show a piece of oneself. It lets others look into your inner state, opening yourself up to them. No matter the form, it’s an information transaction between entities. □■□■□□■■ □■■■□■■■ □■■□□□□■ □■■■□□■□ □■■□■■□■ is an experiment in the decay of copied behaviour of living things. How entangled are these robots? How do they respond? What makes them what they are?
// OPEN UP, ATOM! //
by Marthe Visser & Bart van Son.
Every atom has its own unique emission spectrum with all the colours it can form. We feel these emission spectra reflect properties and character of the atoms very well. We invite you to explore these characters, and for you to get more familiar with the very core of what you are made of.
TELEPORTREE
by Kamil Roman, Melle Lefferts & Vitor Senna
Open to us means exercising our imagination. An opportunity to combat real-world issues without the real-world barriers holding us back..
// IF BLINDS COULD SEE //
by Pien Leeuwenburgh and Simone Lammertink
If blinds could see, would you still dare to take a peek?
Image scource: He Walked by Night (1948, Alfred L. Werker)
// As The Waves Speak //
by Avita Maheen and Orissa Vellekoop
Do you believe in the invigorating intensity of the sea?
// OPEN YOUR MIND //
Be receptive to novel concepts.
Let go of your commitments and experience relativism.
// City Rhythm //
by Mitchell Bosch, Olaf Wisselink, Xiaoqing Ji and Ingrid Weerts
Listen to the collective rhythm of how people move through the city.
// ChessJazz //
Exploration of the conceptual possibility space of the game of Chess.
PAST NMNT EVENTS FEATURED IN THE TALK SHOW
In addition to the 2020 works, as this was the tenth and final edition of New Media New Technology, the talk show also featured a number of flashbacks to works from previous editions including:
Creatures: Desyncapitator, FaceDrone, We The Robots, Ediacaran Dreaming, Hello World
Space: The Space of the Self, Trails, SpaceLapse, I See You, 95 Invisible
Nature: Happy Plant, The Wood Wide Web, @Whale
Closing: Bed Time Stories
See Past NMNT Editions for more.
,
ABOUT NEW MEDIA NEW TECHNOLOGY
In media technology one trend, technology or fad quickly follows the next. For anyone with an interest in media technology and creative science it is important to be up to date with the latest and greatest, from augmented reality to bioengineering, and from fabrication to responsive environments. However it is equally important to be able to critically reflect on these trends, to connect these to classical discussions, and to identify what is really novel and what is merely a hype. Only then we will truly be able to research and imagineer for the future in non incremental ways.
The New Media New Technology (NMNT) class explores the latest media and creative research technologies and concepts, organized by more timeless themes such as new media history, social relationships, space and intelligent perception and action, so that these technologies can be placed into perspective and context. The course follows a tinkering approach and is a mix of lectures and practical assignments, and students are asked to create works that incorporate a new technology or concept and motivate why it is not just a gimmick or hype. Prototypes and end results will be presented at an exposition open to the general public, at the end of the first year in the master program.
Lecturer and Curator: Peter van der Putten.
Creative Research and Producer: Lesley van Hoek
This was the tenth and final edition of New Media New Technology. Past editions of NMNT can be found here.
ABOUT THE MEDIA TECHNOLOGY MSC
New Media New Technology and the semester project are courses in the Media Technology MSc Program at LIACS, Leiden University, The Netherlands. The Media Technology MSc program is a place where students are encouraged to formulate their own scientific questions, and to translate personal inspirations and curiosities into their own research projects. To answer these questions, students create actual products, because we are convinced that by doing and creating, new scientific insights into the underlying question are encountered.
Leader video and background graphics by Mitchell Bosch.