In case you were wondering, ISEA stands for The International Symposium on Electronic Arts. This bi-annual event celebrating the media arts sector will be happening on our humble shores for the first time, although it’s the second time it’s been held here in Asia.
Consisting of a peer-reviewed conference to stir up ideas and inspiration for the electronic arts industry, as well as an internationally juried exhibition open to the public, this event will involve a staggering 800 artists, academics and conference attendees. The five themes of the exhibition (Locating Media, Wiki Wiki, Ludic Interfaces, Reality Jam and Border Transmissions) help stimulate creativity and bring to the fore new and old technologies. There will also be a series of partner exhibitions that present works from artists all around the world—so expect names like Kelly Jaclynn Andres (Canada), Momoyo Torimitsu (Japan/USA), Jee Hyun Oh (South Korea), Metahaven (Netherlands/Belgium), Tsila Hassine (Israel) and loads more.
Most works of art here involve some form of music. Tad, a Filipino artist, works with user-activated solenoid beaters on gamelan instruments in the main juried exhibition. Gamelan, the traditional music found in Indonesia, has a unique quality about it—consisting of patterns for lyrics. Tad exploits this detachment by removing the musician and replacing it with technology, therefore emphasizing the coldness that is a distinctive trait of gamelan. The audience is welcome to be part of this installation if they are adventurous enough to assume the roles of the interactor and conductor—to a symphony of robots. Who would have guessed technology could bring to life such beautiful possibilities?
One exhibition to look out for is a collection of 16 artworks specially developed by 22 international artists who were selected and asked to work at a number of new media and technology labs based at the National University of Singapore. From body language, mapped out electromagnetic fields to the flow of water, these artists explore every possibility—engaging all of one’s senses. So get set for an experience that will open your mind in ways you probably never even knew existed.
