Center for Future Art in Stavanger, Norway, has produced and hosts the Sixth Article Biennal 2016 in Stavanger. Article Biennial – represents the region’s most innovative arts festival focusing on media art that expresses contemporary technology and science.
The first Article Biennal was arranged in 2006, and the main purpose is to promote art forms commenting on our contemporary technology that affects ethical and political issues concerning our time.
Article Biennal is a dynamic festival arranged at various places and with a new theme for each production.
Article Biennial 2016 is curated by i/o/lab by Hege Tapio in collaboration with co-curator Nora Vaage, who wrote her doctoral thesis on Bioart at the University of Bergen.
The theme for this year’s Article Biennal is “New Eden” or the new paradise. What happens when human beings become aware of everything and the opportunity to create the world in his own image? Where is the line between good and evil, and will we be able to know everything, or have eternal life?
According to Christian creation story, man lived thoughtless and innocent in the Garden of Eden, until the serpent tempted Adam and Eve to eat of the tree of knowledge.
Article Biennial 2016 exhibition New Eden explores our advanced knowledge of manipulating life, and where we might be heading with this.
In the New Eden you may experience creatures that have been created through advanced intervention in the natural order. Today we have enough knowledge to create gold, make skin to withstand bullets, and store information in DNA. What do we do with this knowledge? And what does it do to us? What are the implications of the new biotechnology on society?
The art exhibition will feature art with advanced use of biotechnology, participatory plant breeding, continuation of primeval Norwegian traditions and the ability to preserve your secrets for eternity. During the opening weekend, Norway’s premiere film festival BIO · FICTION will also be presented in collaboration with Stavanger Kino. This international film festival for synthetic biology, science and art is produced by Biofaction.
Afterwards, you can quench your thirst of knowledge under i/o/lab`s suite Art Science & Cocktails – and pamper yourself with exquisite experiences of the three things we love most.
The opening weekend will be spiced with opportunities for discussions, reflections, and a meeting with artists who have made their mark internationally with their research.
Participating artists are Eva Bakkeslett (Norway) / Joe Davis (USA) / Jalila Essaïdi (Germany) / Gints Gabrans (Latvia) / George Gessert (USA) / Margherita Pevere (Germany)
The Sixth Article Biennial is presented in Stavanger
August 11th – 2nd October 2016 at Sølvberget Galleri
Feature image (on top): Ten blows rouge by Marie Vic
Future Art in Stavanger, source: i/o/lab