Nov 6 to Nov 29
Within the framework of Novembre numérique 2020 (i.e. Digital November 2020), we bring to you <de>confine – a completely free and open-to-all digital festival from Nov 6 to Nov 29! The initiative is one of the first fully-online Digital Media Art Festivals in South Asia and will comprise of an online exhibition, online panel discussions, and an online film screening. The artists and other creators featured in this festival have used technology to tell stories about the world around them and to ask questions about the future of the human-technology relationship through Film, Sound, Augmented Reality, and Artificial Intelligence amongst others.
The online exhibition on the Festival’s Official Website will feature works that are diverse in content and form: While Vincent Moon (‘Shahi Qawwals of Ajmer’), Pierrick Mouton (‘Sector 13’), Danushka Marasinghe (‘Now I never go home on the old road’), Pierre-Jean Giroux (‘Metabolism’), Parvathi Nayar (‘Water Exchanges’) and Palash Bhattacharjee (‘Special Feature’) and Bidhata KC (‘Aadhar’) have worked with video, Faisal Anwar (‘Char Bagh’) and Amay Kataria (‘Mom I’m Safe’) have created interactive artworks, and Justine Emard and Beatrice de Fays (‘InSpace’) have worked with Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality respectively. The exhibition will be available for free throughout November.
<de>confine will also feature a series of online conversations between the festival’s curators, participating artists, and the Directors of the participating Alliances Françaises which will be streamed on our Facebook Page. Researchers / Curators Anushka Rajendran, the INCOMMON Collective, the Hidden Pockets Collective, and Pauline Fournier will also participate in live conversations about their work.
Festival curated by Media Art South Asia
Under the aegis of Novembre Numérique by Institut Français (Paris)
Supported by the network of Alliances Françaises in South Asia (India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh) and the French Institute in India
Festival Directors (Curators): Khayal Trivedi and Proiti Seal Acharya
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
WEEK 4 – Nov 23 to Nov 29
Apart from the events listed below, do go through the Online Exhibition accessible here (Nov 6-29)
Online Discussion | Making of ‘Water Exchanges’
Nov 27 (Fri) at 5:30 pm | Direct Link
Features the Chennai-based artist Parvathi Nayar in conversation with Bruno Plasse (Director – Alliance Française de Madras) + Khayal Trivedi (Co-Curator of the festival <de>confine)
Focuses on the crisis that informed the artist’s work ‘Water Exchanges’ and sheds light on the process of adapting the same for the online exhibition. ‘Water Exchanges’ can be accessed on this link as part of <de>confine.
Event in English | Free and Open to Everyone | No Registration Needed
Online Discussion | Interactive Art in the age of technology
Nov 28 (Sat) at 5:30 pm | Direct Link
Features the media artist Faisal Anwar in conversation with the critic Premjish Achari + Proiti Seal Acharya (Co-Curator of the festival <de>confine)
Focuses on Anwar’s artistic process which is centred on data driven art and the ethical use of social media. The artist will also discuss the possibilities for creating dynamic interactive art on digital platforms. His work ‘Char Bagh’ can be accessed on this link as part of <de>confine.
Event in English | Free and Open to Everyone | No Registration Needed
Online Discussion | Human Dependency on Technology
Nov 28 (Sat) at 6:30 pm | Direct Link
Features the Nepal-based artist Bidhata KC in conversation with Anne-Laure Petit (Director – Alliance Française de Kathmandu) + Proiti Seal Acharya (Co-Curator of the festival <de>confine)
Focuses on the artist’s foray into the media arts in the context of contemporary arts in Nepal. The artist will also talk about ‘Aadhar’ (her first experimental video piece) and reflect on her creative process. ‘Aadhar’ can be accessed on this link as part of <de>confine.
Event in English | Free and Open to Everyone | No Registration Needed
Online Discussion IN FRENCH | InSpace: Storytelling with Augmented Reality & Painting
Nov 29 (Sun) at 5:30 pm | Direct Link
Features Béatrice de Fays in discussion with Samuel Berthet (Director – Alliance Française of Hyderabad)
Focuses on the artist’s ongoing series ‘InSpace’ which combines painting with augmented reality. ‘InSpace’ can be accessed on this link as part of <de>confine.
Event in French | Free and Open to Everyone | No Registration Needed
Closing Ceremony | Closing Note of the Festival & Open Call
Nov 29 (Sun) at 6:30 pm | Direct Link
Features Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens (Counselor for Education, Science, and Culture at the Embassy of France in India) in conversation with Khayal Trivedi and Proiti Seal Acharya (Festival Curators – <de>confine)
Focuses on the closing note and the announcement of the open call for media artists in South Asia
Event in English | Free and Open to Everyone | No Registration Needed
WEEK 3 – Nov 16 to Nov 22
Apart from the events listed below, do go through the Online Exhibition accessible here (Nov 6-29)
Online Discussion | Contemplating a Shifting Digital Culture in the Arts
Nov 20 (Fri) at 5:30 pm | Direct Link
Features Anushka Rajendran (Researcher and Curator) in conversation with Khayal Trivedi and Proiti Seal Acharya (Festival Curators – <de>confine)
Focuses on Rajendran’s insights on curating digital exhibitions and the implications of the format for South Asian arts. Rajendran is the Curator for Prameya Art Foundation (PRAF), a not-for-profit arts organisation based in New Delhi committed to approaches that enable audience-thinking for Contemporary Art in India. She is also the Festival Curator of the 2021 edition of Colomboscope and was Assistant Xurator for Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2018. As a research scholar, Rajendran is completing her PhD in Visual Studies at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Event in English | Free and Open to Everyone | No Registration Needed
Online Discussion | Technology as Metaphor: Time and Empathy
Nov 21 (Sat) at 5:30 pm | Direct Link
Features Amay Kataria in conversation with Khayal Trivedi (Co-Curator of the festival <de>confine)
Focuses on Kataria’s practice (situated at a convergence of physical and digital materiality) deconstructs temporality and considers new models of human empathy by repurposing existing technologies. His work ‘Mom I’m Safe’ is live on this link as part of <de>confine.
Event in English | Free and Open to Everyone | No Registration Needed
Online Discussion | The Body in Space: Video and Performance Art
Nov 22 (Sun) at 5:30 pm | Direct Link
Features Palash Bhattacharjee (Bangladesh) in conversation with Selvam Thorez (Director – Alliance Française, Chittagong) + Nadia Samdani (Vice-president – Alliance Française Dhaka) + Proiti Seal Acharya (Co-Curator of the festival <de>confine)
Focuses on the artist’s creative journey in the context of contemporary media arts in Bangladesh. His work ‘Special Feature’ is accessible via this link as part of <de>confine. Apart from the discussion with the artist, the conversation also includes Samdani’s insights about her work as the co-founder of Samdani Foundation and the Dhaka Art Summit.
Event in English | Free and Open to Everyone | No Registration Needed
Online Discussion | History of Violence: Irony in Video Art
Nov 22 (Sun) at 6:30 pm | Direct Link
Features Danushka Marasinghe (Sri Lanka) in conversation with Bruno Duparc (Director – Alliance Française, Kotte) + Proiti Seal Acharya (Co-Curator of the festival <de>confine)
Focuses on contemporary media arts in Sri Lanka along with the historical and societal influences on the artist’s work. His work ‘Now I Never Go home On The Old Road’ is accessible via this link as part of <de>confine.
Event in English | Free and Open to Everyone | No Registration Needed
Ongoing | Participate in the Creation of the Digital Artwork ‘Char Bagh’
Char Bagh is a dynamic, virtual artwork by the artist Faisal Anwar. To participate in the same:
Step 1: Ensure that your Instagram account is public.
Step 2: Select any hashtag and the corresponding question from the list given below:
#CharbaghTechnology: What is the role of technology in your life? What devices do you use most frequently, and what kind of impact (positive or negative) do they have on your life?
#CharbaghHeritage: What does heritage mean to you? Is it rooted in your family history or the culture of your community? Do you have your own personal idea of heritage?
#CharbaghCommunity: What community do you belong to and identify with? Your ethnic/linguistic community? Your community of friends?
#CharbaghNature: How would you visualise your connection with nature? How does nature affect your psychological state and/or creative instincts? What do you do to preserve nature?
Step 3: Create a post on your Instagram account using ANY PHOTO (one photo per Insta post) of your choice. Ensure that the caption of this post includes your response to the chosen question AND the corresponding hashtag.
Step 4: Once the artwork goes live on this link, you will be able to the experience the growth of the digital artwork Char Bagh and engage further with it by clicking on individual tiles to change tile colours. The data collected from different cities and time zones through the thematically curated Instagram hashtags mentioned above will grow over time to create a dynamic, digital garden! More information about the artist and the artwork on this link.
WEEK 2 – Nov 9 to Nov 15
Apart from the events listed below, do go through the Online Exhibition accessible here (Nov 6-29)
Online Discussion | Metabolism: Between Real and Fiction, Past and Present – A convergence
Nov 10 (Tue) at 5:30 pm | Direct Link
Features Pierre Jean Giloux in conversation with Eva Martin (Director – Alliance Française de Trivandrum)
Focuses on the works of Giloux which are based on the Metabolism movement in Japan in the 60s. These works exist at the intersections of the biological, material, virtual, and real worlds. The artist will also talk about his ongoing project in India! The work Metabolism can be accessed on this link.
Event in French | Free and Open to Everyone | No Registration Needed
Online Discussion | Performance, Artificial Intelligence, and Video Art – A trilogy of Artworks
Nov 11 (Wed) at 5:30 pm | Direct Link
Features Justine Emard (Visual Artist from France) in conversation with Khayal Trivedi (Co-Curator of the festival <de>confine)
Focuses on Emard’s artistic process and throws light on the emerging field of artificial intelligence art around the globe. Her artworks explore the new relationships that are being established between our lives and technology and are accessible via this link.
Event in English | Free and Open to Everyone | No Registration Needed
Nov 12 onwards | Participate in the Creation of the Digital Artwork ‘Char Bagh’
Char Bagh is a dynamic, virtual artwork by the artist Faisal Anwar. To participate in the same:
Step 1: Ensure that your Instagram account is public.
Step 2: Select any hashtag and the corresponding question from the list given below:
#CharbaghTechnology: What is the role of technology in your life? What devices do you use most frequently, and what kind of impact (positive or negative) do they have on your life?
#CharbaghHeritage: What does heritage mean to you? Is it rooted in your family history or the culture of your community? Do you have your own personal idea of heritage?
#CharbaghCommunity: What community do you belong to and identify with? Your ethnic/linguistic community? Your community of friends?
#CharbaghNature: How would you visualise your connection with nature? How does nature affect your psychological state and/or creative instincts? What do you do to preserve nature?
Step 3: Create a post on your Instagram account using ANY PHOTO (one photo per Insta post) of your choice. Ensure that the caption of this post includes your response to the chosen question AND the corresponding hashtag.
Step 4: Once the artwork goes live on this link, you will be able to the experience the growth of the digital artwork Char Bagh and engage further with it by clicking on individual tiles to change tile colours. The data collected from different cities and time zones through the thematically curated Instagram hashtags mentioned above will grow over time to create a dynamic, digital garden! More information about the artist and the artwork on this link.
WEEK 1 – Nov 2 to Nov 8
Apart from the events listed below, do go through the Online Exhibition accessible here (Nov 6-29)
Festival Inauguration
Nov 6 (Fri) at 5:30 pm | Direct Link
Features Khayal Trivedi and Proiti Seal Acharya (Festival Curators – Media Art South Asia) + Gael de Kerguenec (Director – Alliance Française d’Ahmedabad) + Jean-François Hans (Director for Africa, Indian Ocean, Asia and Oceania – Fondation des Alliances Françaises)
Event in English | Free and Open to Everyone | No Registration Needed
Online Discussion | Community Empowerment with Open Source Technology
Nov 7 (Sat) at 5:30 pm | Direct Link
Features Jasmine George and Aisha George (both from Hidden Pockets) in conversation with Natacha (In Common)
Focuses on how technology can be leveraged to benefit local communities. The speakers will discuss their respective projects: a co-operative data library and a women’s health initiative. Conversation moderated by Proiti Seal Acharya (Co-curator of <de>confine)
Event in English | Free and Open to Everyone | No Registration Needed
Online Discussion | Ethnographic Explorations and the Digital Commons
Nov 7 (Sat) at 6:30 pm | Direct Link
Features Vincent Moon (Filmmaker, Explorer, Artist – France) and Thomas Simoes (Director – Alliance Française de Bhopal)
Focuses on the philosophy of work of Vincent Moon as part of Petites Planètes, the rich archive that the project offers, creative commons, ownership, spirituality in the digital age and much more!
Event in English | Free and Open to Everyone | No Registration Needed
Global Film Premiere | ‘TAJALLI’ – The Shahi Qawwals of Ajmer
Nov 7 (Sat) at 8:30 pm | Accessible till Nov 20 via this link
Documentary consisting of live performances by the main singers of the largest Sufi shrine in Southeast Asia – Ajmer Dargah Sharif
No subtitles | Free and Open to Everyone | No Registration Needed
Online Discussion | Behind the Scenes of Toulouse Hackerspace Factory
Nov 8 (Sun) at 5:30 pm | Direct Link
Features Pauline Fournier (one of the Curators of Toulouse HackerSpace Factory)
Focuses on Pauline’s behind-the-scenes experience with the Toulouse HackerSpace Factory (a space for exploring different facets of hacker culture with more than 300 participants every year). Pauline will share her insights on the underground media and arts scene in France. She will also share her reflections on how models like the Toulouse HackerSpace create alternate pathways for artists and technologists.
Event in French | Free and Open to Everyone | No Registration Needed
Do keep an eye on this space throughout November for details of upcoming <de>confine events!