Part of ‘La Settimana delle Residenze Digitali’, Anatomies of Intelligence ended yesterday in the AMAT Virtual treater. The audiovisual performance hosted 25 spectators at the time letting the visitors interact with the data sets during the performance.   

Promoted by Umanesimo Artificiale, the performance by international artists Joana Chicau e Jonathan Reus creates a parallel between an anatomic understanding of the body and the investigation on the anatomy of AI processes. The idea of the project is to open a dialogue between live performances and algorithmic processes combining research and bodies’ spectacularisation. While performances manipulate the browser, unlike live performances in the virtual theatre visitors can interact with the virtual archive on the screen.

Part of the program of La Settimana delle Residenze Digitali, this performance is promoted by Centro di Residenza della Toscana (Armunia – CapoTrave/Kilowatt), in collaboration with AMAT, Regione Marche, Anghiari Dance Hub, ATCL, Spazio Rossellini, under the supervision of researchers Anna Maria Monteverdi and Federica Patti. Started with the first lockdown in March, the project challenges the art community proposing a digital habitat to engage with the audience experimenting new forms of theatre and performances. 

For this week of digital residency, the organization selected 5 projects to explore the potential of combining art and technology. Among Anatomies of Intelligence, the interactive performance Olympus: Prometeo by Spanish company Agrupación Señor Serrano critically explores Greek myths engaging with children through a narrative voice and images; K by Illoco Teatro is interactive research on Karl Rossmann transformed into a digital production with Andrea Cosentino and Sabina Guzzanti. Shakespeare Showdown – With a Kiss I Die by Turin collective Enchiridion is an idea of Francesca Montanino, Mauro Parrinello and Matteo Sintucci. The show re-interpret Romeo and Juliet’s story as a videogame where the visitors can also explore what is behind the digital scene. 

For the last night on December 6, Isadora – The TikTok Dance Project by dancer and choreographer Giselda Ranieri, digital communication expert Simone Pacini, Isabella Brogi and Elisa Sirianni explore TikTok as a new mode to engage with the audience as a contemporary dancer. Starting during the first lockdown, before the performance artists will share their impression on limits and potentials of creative actions born on the web. The same day, there will also be the conference ‘Schermati’ organized by Genoa theatre in which Residenze Digitali’s partners will share their thoughts on the present and future of the digital scene. 

Combining diverse performative media and digital explorations, this digital residency explores the possible interactions between digital tools, dance and theatre. Thinking in terms of hybridisation, the projects explore different ways not only to interact with the audience online but also to let the visitor interact with the digital space during the performance. Still research in progress, this digital event is an example of a proactive attitude to the digital world and its potential, not only in terms of use but also to question our approach to technology.

The virtual museum ‘The Dome’ opens last weekend with a combination of audio-visual artworks and performances. Accessible from any device, the virtual museum will be open 24/7 in alternative to Algoritmi Festival suspended because of COVID-19 emergency.

After The Circle virtual club, Algoritmi promotes a new interactive space for cultural production, educational workshops and social communities in collaboration with VR developer Enea Le Fons and graphic designer Jay ID. Curated by Karin Gavassa, the Dome is a virtual museum to experience digital art, live coding and electronic music completely conceived in, and for, virtual reality.

Opening with the show ‘When Code Becomes Art’, the group exhibition explores the creative side of digital techniques without limitations of physical space and materials. Roman artist Nesso presents ‘HyperGlass 2.00’, a VR installation in 3 interacting moving paintings. Imagining a painter brushing pixels on the screen, the artist portrays how sound and lights behave through a glass investigating how humans interpret and relate to reality on diverse levels. On the opposite virtual wall, ‘Truth of the Universe’ by Japanese artist Toshikazu JaySon Toyama is a projection interpreting the truth of the universe as a perpetual circulation and movement of things.

Nesso (Francesco Corvi) – HyperGlass 2.00

Last but not least, Franz Rosati captures with ‘Hyletics’ an immaterial and borderless landscape, in which sound and images challenge the prevailing idea of territory and the authoritarian concept of maps and borders. In another room, the artist presents a series of digital synesthetic sculptures depicting a virtual organic being trapped in an aseptic world.

Franz Rosati – Machine/Structure (SKL001)

Among the artworks, visitors could virtually enjoy live performances and VR Holographic DJ Set. Dutch creative coder Timo Hoogland inaugurates the opening night, while last Monday DJ Graham Neil Dunning opens the new space #ALGO24-7 Floors. Combining live performances to audio-visual artworks, the exhibition focuses on the creative side of coding and computational practices. Accessible to all, visitors can interact and visit the museum as an avatar while staying home.

Timo Hoogland x Algo:ritmi – Opening night (extract)

While museums and galleries are carefully thinking about re-opening and how to deal with social distancing in public spaces, The Dome museum is an alternative example to present digital art and interacting performances online. Rather than replacing a physical space, The Dome is a cultural hub where artists can play with computational practices and visitors can interact in real-time. Especially in these times of social isolation, the exhibition is an inspiration to become more familiar with digital practices and to engage new technologies in more creative and proactive terms.

On Monday night, Algo:ritmi presented The Circle Virtual Club with live performances by Enea Le Fons, electronic project Alienated Entity and live coders Olbos and Nesso. While staying safe at home, people could ‘escape’ quarantine as an avatar to be part of this interactive event in live stream.

Algo:ritmi is a new project promoting audio-visual interdisciplinary meetings to explore the intersection between programming languages and art with live performances, interactive installations and electronic music sets. On the edge of institutional settings, the project is a space to explore the potential of coding practices through a creative and educational lens. Following the radical restrictions and change of habits to fight this current global emergency, Algo:ritmi opens an online space where to meet and discover new creative languages in between art and coding. Meeting every two weeks, musicians, live coders and DJs will come together to The Circle exploring new ways of presenting cultural events during this messy time.

Curated by Karin Gavassa, The Circle is a virtual club in which you can virtually participate enjoying live performances while safely staying at home. Login in, you could choose an avatar to interact not only with your friends and other people, but also actively explore the virtual environment. Once inside, you could wander around the virtual building, adding objects – like a huge Corinavirus or digital burgers – and taking pictures and virtual selfie, while enjoying music performance and lively discussion.

The virtual room was created on the online platform UXR.zone, which allows people across the world to create a virtual space and interact as avatars in real-time. Spin-off of the #30daysinVR challenge, UXR.zone is a platform to connect and decentralise social VR communication from different digital devices. Free from users tracking and advertisement, the platform was developed in 2018 by cybernaut and artist Enea Le Fons, who opened the first night with a VR Holographic Dj set. Right after, followed the electronic project from Paraguay Alienated Entity.

The first online session ended with two artists based in Rome, both active in the Live Coding and Algorave scene. Olbos presented Vortex_004, a live coding performance exploring the interaction between web textures, statistical variations and rhythms. Visual artist and sound designer Nesso closed the first night with Lamba Madness, improvising with sounds and visuals creating a system in continuous evolution.

As an avatar, anyone can be anonymous and participate from all over the world. Promoting a decentralised and privacy-focused approach to Virtual Presence, The Circle is an alternative space to freely interact with your friends and socialise with people from different places. During this unpredictable COVID-19 emergency, virtual clubbing becomes an alternative way to keep the connection with others while exploring new forms of art with programming languages. While social isolation is the only way to slow down this sanitary emergency, technology is not only an invisible bridge to stay connected to the rest of the world, but also an opportunity to explore the boundaries between art and coding.

In these times of uncertainty and change, live coding becomes a precious example to think of alternative ways to transform our daily habits playing with the creative potential of digital devices. Rather than a tool for efficiency and control, live coding explores computational logic as a space of encounter and exploration of something that is already deeply entangled with our daily habits, but that can still tell us something new.

Don’t miss out the next one!