SPACE/S – 12th Patchlab Digital Art Festival
- The 12th edition of the Patchlab SPACE/S Digital Art Festival will take place from October 19th to 22nd in Krakow and on October 28th at the Silesian Planetarium in Chorzow
- The title SPACE/S refers to SPACE in its broadest sense and the impact that the technology has on its creative, social and spiritual aspects
- 4 days: an exhibition of VR/AR/XR works and installations, an interactive VR performance, a 3D performance, live audiovisual performances and concerts, dozens of artists from different parts of the world and a special event at the planetarium
Space, black holes and space debris
VR Laurie Anderson, Darren Aronofsky, Rebecca Allen
“Space is one of the basic philosophical categories that refers to all the relationships that take place between objects, events and us – humans. It is one of the two, besides time, vectors of our lives that we can influence by creating social, cultural and artistic space. We will explore the broad context of this concept and the impact of technology in creating immersive, intellectual and spiritual spaces. We will also reach for the stars – a universe that is a field of unlimited exploration and inspiration for digital artists” – explains Elwira Wojtunik, Artistic Director of the festival.
The SPACE/S exhibition at 15 Kopernika Street will feature as many as ten immersive VR works and films. These include the work of digital art pioneer Rebecca Allen (Inside VR), and Laurie Anderson (To The Moon) – a renowned New York avant-garde artist whose artworks are in the collection of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. Also on display will be Spheres: Songs of Spacetime VR – a spectacular journey exploring the sounds of the cosmos, produced by Darren Aronofsky. And François Vautier’s Odyssey 1.4.9 VR will delight more than just fans of Stanley Kubrick’s famous film.
Yiannis Kranidiotis’ luminous and sonic sculpture Black Hole, inspired by the philosophical aspect of Einstein’s theory of relativity, will provide a glimpse into the phenomenon of a black hole. Benjamin Vedrenne, using topographic data recorded in real time by NASA, will zoom in on a faithful image of the surface of Mars in the Orbis Tertius installation. The level of space junk will be seen in augmented reality artwork Fallin’ Sky by Italian studio WOA. The topic of the latest scientific discoveries on volcanoes on the Silver Globe will be taken up by the duo Elektro Moon Vision as part of their five-channel audiovisual installation Moonaris, specially designed for the Copernican Year in collaboration with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw. After exhibitions in Athens and Paris, it will be presented for the first time in Poland at the Patchlab Festival.
Spiritual spaces – Ayahuasca and cyber shamanism in VR
We will be taken on an ethereal journey by Jan Kounen in the work Ayahuasca – Kosmik Journey VR. This immersive experience references the meditative and transformative ritual of consuming a psychedelic plant in the Shipibo tradition in Peru. There will also be a unique opportunity to explore the practice of techno-shamanism during one of the #ALPHALOOP sessions, an interactive VR performance by French artist Adelin Schweitzer. Throughout this immersive experience, participants, wearing mixed reality goggles, will embark on a transformative journey that reshapes their perception of the interplay between nature and technology.
3D dance spectacle Dökk and audiovisual performances
At the festival, we will have the opportunity to experience one of the most remarkable interactive new media art dance performances in recent years: Dökk. This performance seamlessly fuses dance and acrobatics with 3D spatial projection and represents the culmination of a three-year research experiment conducted by the Milan-based Fuse Team. You can catch this extraordinary show on Sunday at the ICE Krakow Congress Centre.
On Friday’s AVnight at the Gallery 360°/Hevre+1, teams from France, Belgium, and Austria will take the stage. They will present three audiovisual performances that will transport the audience into the breathtaking imagery of the Milky Way (Out Of Your Mind, Unify) and offer live spatial visualisations drawn live and synchronised with vibrant electronic rhythms (ALEA(s)). All of this will unfold in an immersive 360° format.
On Saturday evening, the SPACE FLARES event at Cricoteka will showcase two experimental performances. In ‘hex/A,’ Alex Augier employs a laser as a painter’s brush of light to craft a transient visual layer in space, further enriched by the generated imagery. Florent Di Bartolo will present ‘Solar Flares,’ an audiovisual performance where visual shapes and sound waves emerge through the analysis of data depicting the evolution of sunspots and solar flares on the Sun’s surface.
EMIKA at the Silesian Planetarium in Chorzów
The Patchlab SPACE/S Festival will culminate in a special event. On October 28th, the Silesian Planetarium in Chorzów will be the venue for an audiovisual concert titled ‘If We Disappear’ by EMIKA, renowned for her collaborations with Massive Attack and the legendary Ninja Tune label, among others. This immersive symphony promises to transport the audience into a captivating and enigmatic universe. Originally designed for the Zeiss Planetarium in Berlin, its Polish premiere will unfold right here in Chorzów, hosted by the largest and oldest planetarium in Poland. Emika’s concert will be supported by a projection of the oniric short animation Dream by Warsaw artist Ari Dykier, which was awarded in 2023 in the Best Art Film 360° category at the Melbourne Planetarium.
Discussions on VR, animations awarded at Ars Electronica and evenings at the festival club
The festival program also features a session with creators and experts from vnLab studio at the PWSFiT in Lodz. During this session, we will discuss the challenges associated with immersive narrative spaces, including VR, as well as explore forecasts and directions for the development of new digital experiences.
The festival will include screenings of award-winning animations from the Ars Electronica Animation Festival in Linz, as well as audiovisual events at the Festival Club in Hevre+1.
The Patchlab Festival has been taking place in Krakow since 2012. It is organised by the Photon Foundation. The event has been awarded the European Festivals Association (EFA) quality label, which is awarded to outstanding arts festivals for their unique and innovative approach, contribution to the arts, social engagement and international openness.
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