Refik Anadol - "Infinity Room" © Constantinos Samaras, ADAF 2017
VR Creations Contest - ADAF & GERMANOS © Apostolos Zygouris, 2017
XCEED - "Radiance Aura" © Semeli Mesolongiti, ADAF 2017
The 14th Athens Digital Arts Festival exploring the unknown future of the upcoming Technological Apocalypse through art, science and technology, invites you to submit your proposals for its next edition, under the theme “SINGULARITY NOW”. Due to high demand by the artistic community, the applications deadline for ADAF 2018 Open Call is extended until 31 December 2017.
This year for its annual date, ADAF, the most renowned festival for digital arts in Greece, will present its content in May in the historic center of Athens. The festival attracts and presents works and artists from all over the world.
This call for entries is open to artists who evolve in the following themes: video art, animation, installations, performances, web art, digital image, workshop.
Singularity is a notion that has different definitions in the various fields of science, nonetheless, it retains a common axis regarding its main idea. In mathematics, it is the point where a function or an equation degenerates or diverges toward infinity, changing its nature and thus becoming impossible to define. In physics, it is the core of a black hole as well as the state right before the Big Bang, the zero point of space and time where everything is compressed in zero dimensions and density is infinite. In mechanics, it is the calibration of a machine in a way that its behavior cannot be predicted and the physical variants involved are either not definite or infinite. In technology, it is a scenario where artificial intelligence surpasses humanity, the technological boom becomes infinite and the outcome is unpredictable.
Is evident that singularity as notion is associated with infinity, with the unknown, and the beginning of universes, both physical and conceptual, but how does it link to art and technology?
Every universe launches its existence in subject to time, while the perception of time is by birth connected to creation and technicality. In the Promethean myth, we can perceive as singularity the gesture of the maker to offer fire to the humankind, passing thusly the torch of knowledge to the creation and enabling it to create on its own. As a consequence comes torment for the creator, but also time emerges in the form of a circular punishment considered one of the first references to the circle of a clock. Additionally, fire, which symbolizes simultaneously both intellect and technicality, was the first medium for the development of all “tekhne”. Its arrival in humanity, signifies the beginning of consciousness, thus consequently the perception of time as well as the development of art (fine tehkne) and technology (the art of making) which resulted in civilization and culture, both means for recording time. In this way, technology and art as derivatives of singularity and instruments of time, have proclaimed the beginning of this world, but maybe also its very end.
Following to this realization, the International Festival for Digital Arts of Greece, Athens Digital Arts Festival, is calling both the art world and the world of technology, to submit works and achievements which outline, comment, foresee, or determine the upcoming singularity, the human role in this new era, the role and form of art and technology in it, in order to compose the content for the upcoming 14th edition of the festival which will take place in spring 2018.
Deadline: December 31st 2017
More information here
