Patchlab Digital Art Festival

Thursday, October 6, 2022 - Sunday, October 9, 2022

  • Thursday, October 6, 2022 - Sunday, October 9, 2022
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The Patchlab Digital Art Festival is entering its second decade. This year’s edition is held under the banner “_econtinuum”. As in previous years, the artists and the organisers explore some of the most important issues facing us today by encouraging discussion and reflection, and searching for creative solutions to bring hope for the future.

The 11th Patchlab is dedicated to building environmental awareness and examining digital art from the perspective of rebuilding humankind’s relationship with nature and working to protect the environment. What role can technology play in the face of the impending climate catastrophe and building a better future? Over forty artists from all corners of the globe will seek answers over the course of the four festival days. They will present works revealing the scale of the problem as well as shining a hopeful light on the future. The programme includes two exhibitions, discussion panels, audiovisual concerts, video screenings and music events.

“We have reached the point when, while we are ‘armed’ in digital tools and are at the mercy of algorithms, we are often unaware of our destructive impact on the environment. It is entirely up to us whether we will continue using them as tools to further damage our planet, or if instead we choose to use the potential of new technologies to build a better future. Are we are ready for the Symbiocene – an era when humankind is a part of nature and uses technology to care for the environment? We will work together to find answers at this year’s event,” explains Elwira Wojtunik, Artistic Director of Patchlab.

“The Małopolska Art Garden presents the e-SEED installation by the Brazilian artist and researcher Ivan Henriques: electrical energy generated by synthetic photosynthesis supports plant growth,” adds Wojtunik.

Immersive installations

The exhibition Immersive Garden at the former hospital at 15 Kopernika Street presents four immersive installations, including Natalia Chabrera’s Hypha VR project and a lighting experiment by the IP Group from Wrocław.

Audiovisual concerts and AVnight

As well as exhibitions, the programme also features performances at the Małopolska Art Garden at 12 Rajska Street. We will see the Canadian artist Martin Messier in his spectacular performance Field inspired by atmospheric discharges, while Franck Vigroux and Kurt d’Haeseleer present their audiovisual concert The Island asking questions about blind faith in progress.

Panel discussions

Irini Papadimitriou, Creative Direction of the British organisation FutureEverything working at the convergence of art, technology and society to promote digital culture in Europe, leads a series of online discussions. Her guests – artists, designers and scholars – share their experiences, work and methodologies which break the boundaries of existing power structures and ways of thinking, from R&D to new opportunities and visions of the future.

Film screenings

The film section features productions exploring topics of new ecology and post-naturalism prepared jointly with the MIRA festival in Barcelona. We will also see animations awarded at the Ars Electronica festival in Linz.

The festival organisers are not forgetting about the ongoing war in Ukraine. They support Ukrainian artists in many ways, such as by presenting their works at the festival exhibition.

Full programme: https://patchlab.pl

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