Curatorial Philosophy
The discourse of “Artificial Nature” is not about the realistic (actual) meaning of virtual media world. It in itself is nature, but not what we imagine. It is artificial, but being artificial is no longer the only meaning. It originated from the realm of post-human condition, when the boundaries between human beings, the environment, and other species (whether organic or inorganic) were already blurred due to the rapid development of media technology. Moreover, it became a mixture of new (post) human imagination, and branched out toward “natural vs. artificial” and “environment vs. ecology.”
Due to all kinds of advancement in biotechnology, science, and medical field, the twenty-first century could be seen as entering an era of “transformation.” This “transformation” began with the awareness of body maintenance and the evolution to cosmetic dermatology to sculpt bodies on demands, along with the will to shape the natural ecology to the ideal of inter-dependence and co-existing. Human beings depend on the techniques and technology to fulfill their desire of perfection of body and the imagination of life-world. Karl Marx’s historical materialism denoted that humanity moves through history by a desire to fulfill material needs. In a time of civilization in which technology is highly developed, Bruce Mazlish argues that the interconnection between human and machines is no longer simply defined as a subject-object relation as oppose to the position of techniques and technologies as productive tools. Humans in the contemporary society apply the same scientific concept to explain their works; how the machines work for them, and how the material evolves. Thus, we cannot imagine how human civilization would be without the assistance of the machines. At this turning point, humankind cannot separate the two in any simple way. To some extent, Carl Mitcham suggests that relationship between humankind, machine, and technology should reveal a condition of “being-with” because machine and technology for human beings are not simply tools anymore. Ironically, machines have become the foundation for the existence of human beings, and ultimately human species will not be able to depart from the assistance and reinforcement of machines and technology. This inseparable bond forces us into post-human era.
More importantly is how do human beings face the world in this post-human condition? When humankind came to face the culture of real virtuality produced by media technology, they always believe that an immaterial and symbolic world will take over the material one. It ultimately becomes a new reality that goes beyond traditional materialism. Some arguments show that some material cultures in contemporary media technology generation, (e.g.: television, video recorder, video games, animation or virtual reality) in some degrees, will take the entire human race into a dematerialized and unnatural (artificial) world. Under this circumstance, media technology designer can make any imaginary world possible, such as playing the role of God, and imitating nature without any actual origin. Any world image eventually could become possible, and surpassing the concept of oppositional binary on natural vs. unnatural. In other words, new media technology is not only able to create a world that is different from reality, but it can also be originated from the simulation of the reality. The virtual technology of imitating reality at the end will force the fade of reality, and replace it with a kind of real called “hyper-real” by Jean Baudrillard. We have to consider what kind of world contemporary digital media technology takes us into. Does it have to be an anti-material and imaginary world? Or, has the culture of simulation made by digital media technology already become the new digital humanity? Based on the discussion above, the 7th Digital Art Festival Taipei chose the theme “Artificial Nature,” in order to claim that human beings should consider the nature created by digital media technology to be part of the life-world, or an extension of the real world, and to blur the dualistic thought between natural and unnatural.
The 7th Digital Art Festival Taipei aims to imagine the ecology of digital art through the perspective of artificial nature. In the long history of ecology, a German biologist started the research from the relations of animals and their external environment. It later became a scientific category and research field. The systematic perspective within the study was adapted into sociology, political science, and even arts theories. In Taiwan, the progression of digital art festivals have been heavily influenced by traditional western paradigm which emphasizes the artistic disciplinary categorization, and pays less attention on the trends of interdisciplinary development; therefore, it is difficult to grasp the entire ecology in the development of digital art. The 7th Digital Art Festival Taipei did not have categories when calling for entries. By breaking this traditional procedure, the festival hopes to broaden new horizon for the development of digital arts in Taiwan. In addition to the already existing five major events in previous years — International Digital Art Exhibition, Digital Art Awards, Live Performances, Digital Art Platform, and related workshops, the scale of AnimA (animation exhibition) expands greatly this year. Not only the best selection of Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Ottawa International Animation Festival are shown, there are also international animations that fit into the theme “Artificial Nature,” as well as a selection of Taiwan and Chinese animations. Moreover, the Digital Art Platform also features contemporary Spanish video art from Madatac 2012 in order to establish a real platform between Taiwan and Spain in the digital art. In expressing the imagination for ecology of digital art, the festival includes video game industry and display technology exhibitions, themed “the Chronology,” “Cinematiziation of Video Games,” “Hearing: From Digital Monotone to Symphony,” and “Apocalypse Imagination.” Also, interactive designs and digital games are included in the exhibition for the first time along with the digital related culture creative commodities. A more extreme DVJ battle is on its way to shake your senses. The 7th Digital Art Festival Taipei should be able to bring a more vibrant and fascinating digital festivity with great expectation!
