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Science and Technology in Cultural Context

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VIRTUALE SWITZERLAND IN SEOUL

-the world’s first biennale for the virtual arts

Exhibition Opening: October 8th, 16:00 to 19:00
Exhibition Dates: October 9th ~ December 7th 2014

About the Exhibition

Virtuale stands for virtual biennale and is a festival for public space using new digital tools not only to view the artwork and to interact with them, but also to design the experience of participation itself. The program content for Virtuale Switzerland focuses on the use of public space, mobile communication technologies, and explores the types of audiences found in public space, as well as inventing “playful” new strategies to bring the public into the exhibit as “real” visitors being offered a unique experience. The project encompasses Artworks using Augmented Reality, Urban or Location Based Gaming, and Digital Heritage applications. It is interdisciplinary, bridging areas such as art and technology, digital heritage and tourism, as well as digital culture and art mediation.

Artists

Curious Minds + Guests (CHE)
Laile Pascual(CHE)
John Craig Freeman (USA)
Caroline Bernard (CHE)
Peter Aerschmann (CHE)
Michael Spahr (CHE)

Venues MoA→ more info
Seoul Station → more info
National Palace → more info

VIRTUALE SWITZERLAND ARTWORKS at Seoul Station

Platonic Solids Craig Freeman, Lalie Pasquale and Caroline Bernard (INT) Platonic Solids is an augmented reality art installation inspired by Johannes Kepler’s Mysterium Cosmographicum published in 1595. Kepler speculated that by nesting the five Platonic solids, octahedron, icosahedron, dodecahedron, tetrahedron, hexahedron, he could explain the orbits of the six known planets around the Sun. Although fundamentally flawed, the theory paved the road to modern astronomy. Platonic Solids recreates the Mysterium Cosmographicum using images and videos of the city of Zurich. It explores notions of change, movement and the ephemeral, and suggests new representational models of Platonic solids that not only blur of the borders between the past and the present, the virtual and the real, but also aim to pave the road to new dialogs, conversations and possibilities.

Freedom Fighters Michael Spahr (CHE) On a square in front of the Culture Station284 Soul there are several virtual statues of freedom fighters with radio heads. As soon as you touch them on your mobile device a radio show starts to play. It’s either a live broadcast from a free radio station or it’s a produced show with a message, which expresses freedom of speech. The freedom fighters make twisted moves, while the radio plays. The statues are all twisted characters from human history such as Mao, Jesus or Martin Luther, which also once fought for freedom.

Danse Macabre The Curious Minded + Guests (CHE) The project draws on the illustrations found in the “Heidelberger Totentanz”, a book containing a series of prints. Sixteen images were taken from the collection to which 16 music fragments are linked to them. Each of the music fragments lasts from 1 to 5 seconds in length and can consist of a chord, a melody, a sustained tone or tones, or any combination of such. Each of the music fragments is played by the instrument depicted in the image.The collection of short music works (Danse Macabre) are made available by placing them into virtual space using Augmented Reality. Here, semi each of the images depicting a death are spread out in public space using GPS coordinates to place then. Using a mobile phone and a downloadable application, the viewer can search for the images seen through a mobile device when at the location where they have been placed.

VIRTUALE SWITZERLAND ARTWORKS at NATIONAL PALACE

People We Have Met Peter Aerschmann (CHE) The work created by Peter Aerschmann for the Virtuale Switzerland has its roots in how the artists has been experimenting with the visible and the hidden using both still and moving imagery. The images selected are virtual and combine in their presentation in reality in an extreme ironic manner and extend event further the artistic basis of his work in that, it puts the visitor in check being able to distinguish between everyday reality and fiction.

Dream Machine The Curious Minded (CHE) + Guests (KOR) The original dream machine is said to be invited by an English visionary who built a high tower so that he could come closer to the sun`s light unfiltered by shadows. Once at the top of the tower, he would wave his hand with fingers spread out fingers and wave his hand in front of his eyes, letting the light hit the his closed eyelids. Burroughs together invented a mechanical apparatus that created the effect of non-drug induced "trip" state, allowing those seating around the machine to simultaneously enter a hypnagogic state. The DreamMachines on display in the National Palace are virtual versions whose goals is to provide an outlet for those seeking vision as well as escape.

Copyright @ ETH Zürich

Page last modified on December 16, 2014, at 02:20 AM