SXSW 2023

A organização do SXSW 2023 divulgou o Art Program, conteúdo preparado desde 2017 que envolve instalações artísticas que contam com aplicações de tecnologia e seus conceitos mais contemporâneos e sessões dedicadas ao tema. Nesta edição, foram selecionados quatro trabalhos para serem exibidos ao público do evento, que acontecerá entre os dias 10 e 19 de março, em Austin.

Em sua curta história, o Art Program já exibiu 31 instalações de artistas de 12 países. Já passaram pelo SXSW, dentro dessa proposta, nomes como Refick Anadol, Lisa Park e Naho Matsuda e coletivos como NeuroSpeculative Afro Feminism, Marshmallow Laser Feast e Cocolabs.

O programa tem a curadoria de estúdios, designers, coletivos e artistas individuais. O trabalho escolhido para ser exibido tem de fazer a interseção entre arte e tecnologia, criando uma experiência que provoca debate sobre o papel das artes visuais e digitais na cultura, tecnologia e sociedade. As peças selecionadas, sejam de talentos emergentes ou já conhecidos, devem ter a proposta de inspirar os participantes do SXSW.

Aimée Everett, curadora do Art Program, contou que para a exibição deste ano foram escolhidas artes que: 1) usam realidade mista para explorar o conceito de afrofuturismo; 2) holografias que se transformam entre a anatomia humana e a animal, 3) realidade aumentada em um trabalho colaborativo entre artista e um robô humanoide sobre a crise climática iminente; 4) e arte interativa que brinca com os conceitos de física quântica.

“Explorar disciplinas fora da experiência tradicional abre o programa para mais artistas e, com sorte, oferece uma conversa diversificada sobre a sociedade. Também é importante que o Art Program reflita a diversidade cultural representada em nossos palcos de conferências e festivais”, disse Aimée.

Veja as peças selecionadas nas imagens acima.

Já as sessões e os painéis do Art Program, que fazem parte da grade do SXSW 2023, seguem abaixo (em inglês):

Birds Tell Us: Inspiring Conservation Through Art - "Birds, the original musicians, have inspired joy and art from time immemorial. They also give us critical information about our environment's health, and science shows that two-thirds of North America’s birds are threatened by climate change.

Join us to hear how hundreds of the biggest names in entertainment - including Wes Andersen, Yoko Ono, ANOHNI, Karen O, Lee Ranaldo, Yo-Yo Ma, Beck, Laurie Anderson, Andrew Bird, and panelist Lili Taylor - contributed their time and talents to drive conservation action and benefit the National Audubon Society’s mission to protect birds and the places they – and we all – need.

Receive insights into how art can serve as a catalyst for change and learn more about what you can do to help birds today.

Birds tell us. Now is the time to listen".

Data Art: Processes and Perspectives - "By using data as a tool for expression, data artists illuminate untold stories about our world. The processes employed by these artists vary just as much as the art they produce: ranging from data visualization to hand-crafted sculptural installations.

The choices that artists make when working with data are distinctly different from those made by analysts, and yet, they offer a mirror through which to view our world and consider the soft subjectivity of ‘hard’ quantitative information.
This session will engage data artists from different disciplines and career stages in conversation about their varied career paths, artistic processes, and perspectives on data art, and hopefully inspire attendees to introduce data to their art flow, or creative thinking to their data flows".

Data Art as Time Capsule of the Anthropocene - "If we put the time that humans exists onto a clock, we are only the last two seconds.

Can we stop climate change if we get out of the regular perception of time, compress and defamiliarize time?

Data is the footprint of climate change over time. Not another impersonal, boring, and clinical chart on climate data! Our panel will explore how data tells stories about climate change by observing their various ways of looking at the time through data art and how we can turn the esoteric numbers into embodied experiences and foster connections.

Speakers will share their insights on deep time, data humanism, handbuilt data art with recycled materials, data feminism, and calculation of carbon footprint for their artworks. Our panelists are artists and designers deeply connected to data and ecology".

The Decentralization of Art as We Know it - "The Kunstmuseum Basel, which is considered to be the first-ever public art museum, opened in 1661. Four centuries later, 55,000+ art museums now exist in 202 countries around the world.

While each museum is unique, they all share one common practice: the art is selected by a small group of curators. Artists create their work with the intention to entertain, arouse and confuse the world. However, somewhere along the way, it became the curators’ decision as to who gets to see what. It is no secret that art museums need to evolve as art is now being shared and circulated through new mediums.

So, now the question is, what if the Smithsonian was owned and curated by the Internet? How? Decentralize it. The result? People from all backgrounds can finally feel represented through art".

The Future of Digitally Native Art and Music - "A discussion of actionable steps, balanced with visionary future thinking and concept building. The conversation will focus on what implementing XR looks like for working artists and musicians and will address how creatives can navigate the full scope of the Metaverse, including the logistics, UX / UI, curation, and idea development for future projects.

The session is designed to reflect on why right now is "the best time for artists and musicians" by taking full advantage of immersive technology. In doing so, creatives will retain ownership of their ideas, while simultaneously building community. Key topics will also focus on what steps can be taken now to start on a path for future world builders, harnessing all aspects of their creativity".

NASA Combines Art & Science To Explore & Innovate - “'The greatest scientists are artists as well.' ~Albert Einstein.

Traditionally, art and science have been treated as separate disciplines, but when paired, they impact and enhance one another.

A great deal of creativity is required to make scientific breakthroughs, and art is just as often an expression (or product) of scientific knowledge. NASA understands the interconnectedness of art and science, and the pairing is essential to the advancement of science because creativity involves imagination, and imagination is visualization.

Things that can be conceptualized, visualized, or imagined in the mind are the things that can be created. NASA leverages the interconnectedness of art and science in the creation and execution of all its missions and in disseminating that information broadly".

Remaking an American City Using Arts and Culture - "The City of Detroit, historically a headquarters for transformative music, design and art, is transforming itself, using beautification as a tool for commerce and population growth.

The city is documenting every mural in the city, placing each on a Mural Map with artist bios so residents and tourists can digitally meet and appreciate a creative workforce that is among the best in the country. The city also is placing dozens of kiosks citywide that feature art, restaurant reviews and directions to the most popular spot near WHERE YOU ARE.

Mayor Mike Duggan’s Blight to Beauty campaign is centered on tearing down every bit of ruin porn, commissioning hundreds more murals and activating art alleys across the city".

Using Art To Lift Homeless, Enhance Transit - "Mural Arts Philadelphia’s innovative Color Me Back program offers people experiencing economic and/or housing insecurity an opportunity to make art, earn same-day pay, and access social services.

In partnership with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), the program reimagines the transit agency’s public spaces with a series of colorful murals adorning its walls and concrete columns. Participants in the program engage with outreach specialists who link them with support services, including social and behavioral health services and potential longer-term employment.

Learn how Color Me Back positions art as a catalyst for change to create healthier, stronger, and more beautiful communities".

Visual Storytelling: A Way to Elevate Communities - "The social media explosion has instantly turned all of us into storytellers. We all try to tell stories that matter to us.

People and communities matter as they shape the world we live in. The stories we share create narratives that have the power to educate and elevate the profile of people and communities.

Through imagery, the stories of people can be celebrated and amplified to create a nuanced context for the narrative.

Storytelling plays an integral part in understanding our human experience. How we transfer information about culture, circumstances, and experiences from one person to the next is crucial to bringing awareness to the nuances of humanity. Our panel explores the visual mediums through which we share our diverse stories across the world to shape narratives".