ArtFutura 2004
Augmented Reality
October 28 – 31 / Mercat de les Flors, Barcelona
Futura Circuit: Granada, Madrid, Pamplona, Donostia- San Sebastián, Valladolid, Vigo, Vitoria
Howard Rheingold . Martin Chatrand . René Barsalo . Rebecca Allen . Fiona Raby . Andrew Shoben . Jonah Brucker-Cohen . Regine Debatty . Richard Fenwick . Blast Theory
Based on the premise that the physical and virtual worlds cannot be understood as disconnected universes, ArtFutura 2004 explores concepts such as ubiquitous computing, localization technologies, mixed architectures, and social networks.
The festival hosts notable guests like Howard Rheingold, presenting “Smart Mobs: The Power of Mobile Masses” or the urban game “Can You See Me Now?” by Blast Theory, one of the first creative projects on augmented reality.
ArtFutura 2004 reviews the state of digital art and animation in our country with round tables, conferences, and debates on 3D and New Media Art.
Among the conference program, notable presentations include those by Martin Chatrand (from SAT Montreal) and Rebecca Allen (from MediaLab Europe, Dublin).
The round table “Things that Think,” moderated by Regine Debatty, features contributions from Fiona Raby, Greyworld, and Jonah Brucker-Cohen.
Within the Audiovisual Programming, Ryan stands out as one of the crucial works by Chris Landreth, along with the special program “Art and Thought,” which explores the history of digital thinking through some of the most important participants who have taken part in the festival.
In the video game section, the Full Motion Theater program presents titles such as Onimusha 3, Forbidden Siren, Anna, and Dog’s Life, while the retrospectives Funnies Futura and Imagen Futura are dedicated to the best animated shorts.
Lastly, there is a special program dedicated to Richard Fenwick, a renowned director of music videos and motion graphics.
The festival revives EstaciónFutura, a playful area with musical and audiovisual performances in a festive atmosphere, in collaboration with the SAT technology center in Montreal.
Internationally recognized, SAT specializes in creating immersive experiences, developing advanced technologies for video projection, spatial sound, and virtual reality. SAT is also a space for training and experimentation, connecting artists, scientists, and technologists.
“The human mind will not be replaced by a machine, at least not in the immediate future, but there is no doubt that the global availability of amplifiers of fantasy, “intellectual toolboxes,” and interactive electronic communities will change the way people think, learn, and communicate.
From Virtual Reality, digital culture has gone through the metaphors of simulation, virtual communities, the digital revolution, dot-coms, and smart mobs, and now we are in the metaphor that could swallow them all: the era of ubiquitous computing”.
Howard Rheingold
Can You See Me Now? by the group Blast Theory is inspired by the ubiquity of portable electronic devices in many developed countries. Blast Theory is fascinated by the penetration of mobile phones into the hands of poorer users, rural users, teenagers, and other demographic groups that are typically excluded from access to new technologies.
The piece uses the structure of a real city and a virtual city to explore the ideas of absence and presence. By sharing the same “space,” online players and runners on the street engage in a relationship of confrontation, play, and ultimately filled with pathos.
