The Art and Consequence of Collaboration with the Australian Network for Art & Technology and Experimenta, jointly organised by National Arts Council, Culture Academy and Esplanade –Theatres on the Bay. Supported by Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.

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With today’s ever-increasing array of technological tools, artists face many options in their creative practices. To share insights on meaningfully incorporating technology within the arts, the National Arts Council (NAC) is pleased to invite two of Australia’s leaders in the arts, science and technology fields to deliver a series of presentations. This pilot initiative is part of NAC’s drive to encourage stronger arts and technology practice by building digital capabilities within the Singapore arts scene.

Artistic Director of Experimenta and Creative Director of Robotronica, Jonathan Parsons, and Director of the Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT), Vicki Sowry, will draw upon their collective experience in the development of these practices over the past 30 years, highlighting key areas of current practice and the leading Australian artists working in these areas. Experimenta and ANAT have an ongoing partnership that covers support for artists across the full life cycle of an artwork from R&D to presentation.

Programme Details

1. Synapse: a strategic approach to art science collaboration – an Australian perspective (6 July 2018, 11am to 12.30pm – National Museum of Singapore, Gallery Theatre)

• Vicky Sowry, Director of the Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT), will share on the Synapse residency program, which was established with the support of the Australia Council for the Arts in 2004. Since then, Synapse has been critical in building an engaged and active community of artists and scientists pursuing collaborative speculative research. The program continues to develop, with the model used for new partnerships with industry partners, including the CSIRO, as well as the establishment of the Synapse Alumni Network and its annual meeting for the 100+ artists, researchers and scientists who have participated in the program to date.

2. Field notes from curating and presenting art and technology works (6 July 2018, 2.30pm to 4pm – National Museum of Singapore, Gallery Theatre)

• A practical guide to curating and presenting art and technology work. These works demand a different approach compared with more traditional artforms. Since 2003 Experimenta has curated and toured a major media arts exhibition around Australia. This has involved working with gallery partners across the country to build their capacity in the curation, technical installation and maintenance of complex technology-focused exhibitions. As well, Experimenta commissions and presents multi artform works ranging from live performance to apps. Drawing on this experience Jonathan Parsons will speak to the particular considerations required when presenting complex and technically driven contemporary artworks.

3. Talking wallpaper, singing molluscs and other amazing ideas (7 July 2018, 1pm to 2.30pm – Esplanade Theatre Studio)

• Vicki Sowry, Director of the Australian Network for Art & Technology will share about some recent ANAT projects that have involved artists working with technology in new ways. Projects include: Unfixed, an Australian/UK partnership which explored the categorisation of bodies as ‘disabled’ or ‘abled’ with artists and technology as the drivers; Echology, a multiple-stakeholder project, which sought to produce public artworks animated by locally-derived real-time data over a decade in situ; and Spectra – the inaugural art/science event taking place in Adelaide, Australia in October this year.

4. Operatic drones, stars in your hand and other maverick visions (7 July 2018, 3pm to 4.30pm – Esplanade Theatre Studio)

• Jonathan Parsons, Artistic Director of Experimenta and Creative Director of Robotronica will present on the diversity of artistic practices that have been made possible by the technological tools of the digital era. His work at both organisations supports the development and presentation of artists working at the nexus of art, digital media, science, technology and design. He will introduce Australian contemporary artists working in a range of media including AI, VR & AR, robotics, animatronics and bioart.

Please be informed that sign language interpretation will be available at all 4 sessions, and light refreshments will be served.

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About ANAT and Experimenta

The Australian Network for Art & Technology (ANAT) creates opportunities for artists to work with science and research partners, and introduces them to emerging technologies with strong creative potential. For the past 30 years, from its home base in Adelaide, ANAT has built an enviable track record for delivering impactful programs placing Australian artists in non-traditional settings, and for propelling those artists to national and international prominence. www.anat.org.au

Experimenta is Australia’s pre-eminent media arts organisation. We showcase contemporary art that intersects with digital media, science, technology, and design. We lead industry discussion and grow audiences for media art. Experimenta is an incubator for experimentation, challenges convention, celebrates the maverick, and encourages collaboration. www.experimenta.org

Speakers’ Bios

Jonathan Parsons

Jonathan has over twenty-five years of experience working as an Artistic Director, curator and creative producer in Australia and internationally. He is currently Artistic Director of the media arts organisation, Experimenta. He is also Creative Director of Robotronica, a biennial festival of robotics and interactive design at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). He has artistically led and collaborated on a broad range of cultural programs and events across all art forms including for ISEA (International Symposium on Electronic Arts), Byron Bay Writers Festival, Powerhouse Museum, State Library of Queensland, Riverfestival, London International Festival of Theatre, Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Adelaide Festival of the Arts, Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras and Pacific Wave Festival.

Vicki Sowry

For close to 30 years Vicki has initiated and delivered programs for artists in partnership with industry and academia, giving rise to interdisciplinary research outcomes and innovative creative practice. She is a peer and industry advisor to the Australia Council for the Arts, and has contributed to sector capability and policy development through the governance roles she has held over the past 25 years. She joined the Australian Network for Art and Technology in 2007 and, since 2012, has held the role of Director, providing leadership, expanding professional opportunities for artists, and championing the value of the arts in science and technology settings.