ARTKERNEL | arte e new media

Japan at EMAF
Just like everyone else, we are deeply saddened by the effects of the earthquake and tsunami disaster, and the current situation in the nuclear power stations in Japan. Which is why we would like to express our sympathy with the victims. We have been collaborating with filmmakers, artists, universities and art academies in Japan for many years, which has led to the establishment of numerous personal contacts and friendships over the years.

From this arose the idea to present the very diverse range of Japanese Media Art this year. We are in ongoing contact with the artists who wish to visit the EMAF and represent the diversity of Japanese culture with their work.
We would like to use the festival as a platform to conduct even more intense cultural dialogue, especially in this extremely difficult situation for Japan, to show the public the cultural greatness of Japan, in spite of the sad events.
These are the wishes of the Japanese artists and the EMAF.
The EMAF team

European Media Art Festival 2011

// THE PLACE FOR EXPERIMENTAL MEDIA
The EMAF in Osnabrueck is one of the most important forums of international Media Art, and is an open laboratory for creative and artistic experiments that help shape media and the aesthetics of their content. As a lively meeting place for artists, curators, lenders, gallery owners and a specialist audience, it has been instrumental in forming the themes and aesthetics of Media Art.

//FILM PROGRAMME
This year, 2200 contributions from all over the world are being viewed by the commission led by Ralf Sausmikat, comprising Katrin Mundt, Jennifer Jones and Florian Wüst. By mid-March, all of the film and video contributions will have been viewed and selected. Having already watched around 1500 of the works, the commission is extremely confident that the programme of the 2011 European Media Art Festival will be most varied and inspirational.

//EXHIBITION: PLANET M
All of this year’s exhibitions were organised in cooperation with various international art institutions. For Moving Stories, six organisations from different countries selected one media installation each to be presented at the exhibition. These works address the subject of exploring and presenting new forms of narration.
The renowned artist Candice Breitz has created a new piece especially for the EMAF to contribute to Moving Stories.
Another international project is TRANSIT – European Young Talents Forum, which will show 15 works by students from European art academies at the exhibition. In collaboration with the festival Vidéoformes in Clermont-Ferrand and the art centre FLACC workspace in Genk, the EMAF is promoting young talented artists from six European countries.

//JAPANESE MEDIA ART NOW
Taking into account the current events in Japan, we will be focusing on “Japanese Media Art Now” to mark the 150 years of friendship between Germany and Japan. Contributions from Japan are represented in all programme parts of the EMAF in which the culture and the specific characteristics of Media Art in Japan will be shown from the areas of film, installation and performance.
These include the performances “Rheo” by Ryoichi Kurokawa and “Braun Tube Jazz Band” by Ei Wada.

//CONGRESS
Workshops, talks, presentations by artists and lectures – the congress at the 24th European Media Art Festival offers demanding and interesting events.
For instance, under the heading: “From Archive to Living Database III”, the renowned media philosopher Siegfried Zielinski from the Villem Flusser Archiv at Berlin University of the Arts and the media theorist Timothy Druckrey from New York will lecture on the significance of archives and the history and future of the media and cinema.

//MEDIA CAMPUS
The networking and project forum for new works, tendencies and concepts from media universities, art academies and design colleges in Europe.
In addition to the exhibition part TRANSIT – European Young Talents Forum and numerous performances, Media Campus offers a comprehensive film programme with works by a variety of students, and also gives a number of European academies the opportunity to introduce themselves.

//MEDIA ART GARDEN
In cooperation with the Media Art Flow Festival (MAFF) in Almelo/NL, the EMAF will present a Media Art Garden this year. This garden, which will be established in the city centres of the two festival locations, will encourage visitors and passers-by to cultivate and create, i.e. to “do a spot of gardening” in workshops with the artists Karl Heinz Jeron (G) and Wessel Westerveld, AKA “Wexel” (NL).
The Media Art Garden is funded by GrensWerte, a cross-border project of EUREGIO.

//AWARDS
In 2011, the European Media Art Festival will also be presenting several awards to outstanding artists. This year’s novelty is the “Newcomer Award”, which the Media Art Festival will be conferring for the first time this year.
The “EMAF Award” for a trend-setting work in Media Art and the “Dialogpreis” by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the promotion of intercultural exchange will also be awarded. The prize for the best German experimental film will be awarded by the jury of the German Federal Association of Film Journalists.

Info: http://www.emaf.de