{some workshop_notes)
In a time when energy use and electronic waste production should be rapidly decreasing, can media artists comfortably use arsenals of computers and their peripherals in the name of art? Should we gather together to design and deploy new strategies for functioning independently of power-grids, proprietary networks and established waste disposal networks? Can we become true media ecologists and design systems that can become self-sustaining, from production to dismantling, following cyclical, 'cradle-to-cradle' processes? Should we plug our computers and sewing machines into sunlight collectors and plant windmills on our rooftops? Will our artworks change when we can only count on low-power computing for processing and presentation? What software protocols should we develop for such computing units? What kind of displays can we use for audiovisual works, without relying on power-sucking projectors and amplifiers? And - what is the low-power, renewable aesthetics of ecologically sustainable media arts?
In a four day workshop, several artists and designers will come together to explore the opportunities and challenges of working to minimise our ecological foot-prints, while maximising our cultural hand-prints. Using a collaborative, DIY methodology, we will learn about designing miniature solar power plants and conduct tests for waste processing using microwave ovens. We will build networks of solar-powered sound robots and look at designing artworks from a whole-systems perspective. Each day will start with a theoretical presentation or a technical tutorial, while the afternoons will be reserved for hands-on experiments in small teams of artists and technologists. The evenings are scheduled for screenings, discussions and salon-type presentations, where the participants can have a chance to get to know each other, spawn new collaborations, or just chill-out in good company.
On Saturday the 5th of May, at 5PM, we will open our doors to everyone interested in experiencing the process and the results of the workshop. The participants will show their experiments, discuss the outcomes and talk about some of the questions that the workshop brought about. The kitchen will host a cooking workshop on 'Leftover cuisine' while the bar will serve FoAM's famously shaken cocktails. It will be a luminous closure of an intense week!
Tuesday 1st of May 2007, 2PM - 7PM )
Wednesday 2nd of May, 10AM - 10PM )
Thursday 3rd of May, 11AM - 10PM )
Friday 4th of May, 11AM - 10PM )
Saturday 5th of May, 11AM - 5PM )
Saturday 5th of May, 5PM - 8PM )