Call for participants – MEDIA()MESSe – PIKSEL24

Call for participants – MEDIA()MESSe

MEDIA()MESSe: Is Caring for Media to care for the Mess? Workshops/Conferences. This conference is based on the work of COST Action Toolkit of Care (TOC), CA21102, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). https://cost.eu/

Dates 21/11/2024 – 24/11/2024 Location Bergen (Norway)

Outline of the three-day meet-up:

This conference-meet-up brings together four innovative European labs working at the intersection of media and open technologies. Over three days, participants will explore the creative and societal potential of technology, especially focusing on how digital tools and media can be instruments of care within communities. Led by expert trainers from each lab, the event offers an immersive experience, combining discussions, hands-on experimentation, and collaborative performances that push the boundaries of traditional technological use.

Thursday from 18.00- 20:00, Welcome visits at Studio 207, Strandgaten 207, Bergen
Friday 21:00 – 23:00 Public Performance, Østre / Skostredet 3, Bergen
Saturday 1pm to 5pm: Round Table and Conclusions, Studio 207, Strandgaten 207, Bergen
Sunday 11:00 – 14:00: Technology Exploration & Discussion, Piksel Library, Bergen

Free participation, limited spots. Please send an email to piksel24(at)piksel(dot)no to book your seat in any of the activities or come by Studio 207. Thank you!

Objectives and Themes

The program is designed to engage participants in understanding and expanding the creative possibilities of technology in everyday life. Through experimentation with sensor instruments, interactive performances, and technology hacking (both visual and musical), participants will explore:

  • Technology as a Tool for Care: How can technological tools be adapted to foster care, support, and empowerment in our digital lives?
  • Creative Collaboration through DIWO (Do It With Others): How can we develop new collaborative methodologies that emphasize inclusivity, support, and creative freedom?
  • Sustainable and Ethical Technology Practices: What are responsible, sustainable approaches to technology that consider societal impacts and care for participants and audiences?

Program Outline

– Day 1 (Thursday):

  • Welcome and Studio 207 Tour: Participants and trainers will gather at Studio 207 for an introductory tour, setting the stage for the following sessions and providing context for the immersive journey ahead.
  • Exchange of Ideas: An open discussion will allow participants and trainers to share initial thoughts, ideas, and perspectives, creating a foundation for collaborative exploration.

– Day 2 (Friday):

  • Afternoon & Evening – Public Performance: Participants will apply DIWO methods in a live performance open to the public, experimenting with collaboration, creativity, and expressions of care in real-time. This performance will serve as a testbed for exploring what practices and technologies work best in a shared creative context and how care can be communicated through technology to an audience.

– Day 3 (Saturday):

  • Afternoon – Round Table and Conclusions: Trainers, participants, and collectives will come together in a round-table discussion to reflect on the methods, technologies, and practices explored throughout the conference. They will discuss what worked well, what challenges arose, and how these insights can inform future collaborative and technological practices.

– Day 4 (Sunday):

  • Morning – Technology Exploration & Discussion: Trainers will introduce diverse technologies, from sensors to audiovisual tools, engaging participants in discussions on their creative applications. This session will focus on the ways these tools can be used to enhance everyday life, foster care, and express creative ideas.

This conference-meet-up offers a unique opportunity to experiment, reflect, and connect over new ways of working with technology, fostering both creative and caring approaches to our digital and electronic interactions. By the end of the program, participants will have gained new skills, insights, and perspectives on using technology collaboratively and responsibly in both personal and community contexts.

Participants

The collective members are 4 independent electronic art organizations APO33 (France), MADLAB (Cyprus), Piksel (Norway) and STWTS (Linz).

Anastasia Melandin, Dimitra Kousteridou – MADLab Media Arts & Design Research Lab, Limassol, Cyprus – Pivoting on hybrid and interdisciplinary research in arts, design, and emerging techno – scientific culture.

Jenny Pickett, Julien Ottavi, Romain Papion – APO33 is an interdisciplinary artistic, theoretical and technological laboratory that develops various collective projects combining research, experimentation and intervention in the social space.

Tanja Brandmayr, Jan-Nahuel Jenny, Taro Klemens Knopp – Stadtwerkstatt (STWST) is a cultural center in Linz, Austria, which was founded as an artists’ collective in 1979. Since the 1980s it has shaped media history with significant projects in the context of new media.

Gisle Froysland, Maite Cajaraville – PIKSEL – Piksel Festival offers an engaging and thought-provoking experience, blending art, technology, science, and critical discourse. With the involvement of artists, technologists, and activists from around the world.

Toolkit of Care
Toolkit of Care is an interdisciplinary group of creative practitioners, academics, researchers, and artistic/craft organizations specializing in creative technologies, who have come together to form a “care critical network”. The action network will collaborate to share collective expertise and creatively employed technical knowledge to develop care knowledge and methodologies. This training school is based on the work of COST Action Toolkit of Care (TOC), CA21102, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). https://cost.eu/ *COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a research and innovation network funding agency. Our actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and enable scientists to develop their ideas by sharing them with their peers. This stimulates their research, careers, and innovation.