New Media : Device Art at Ars Electronica 2014, Device Art Symposium

Opening "Device Art"

Photo: touchtouchy.com

Event:	Exhibtion Opening “Device Art” and the premiere of “Story Weaver”
Date:	WED September 3, 2014, 6:30 PM
Price:	Admission free
Note:	Please RSVP by calling +43.732.7272.51 or via e-mail to center@aec.at

Device art is a relatively young art form. A group centered on Hiroo Iwata (JP) at the University of Tsukuba initiated the device art movement in 2004. The point is to use innovative materials and techniques to create high-tech appliances featuring sophisticated, cool design. They thus combine art, design, technology, science and entertainment. The content of device art is the device itself. Form, appearance and function are inseparable from one another. Though absolutely epitomizing modernity, device art also carries on ancient Japanese traditions—for example, highly esteeming playfulness and cultivating the things and practices used in everyday life.

The Device Art exhibition at the Ars Electronica Center spotlights exemplary objects that put a fun, playful exterior on a serious, high-performance core. Nevertheless, all the items on display are, at least potentially, suitable for use in everyday life. A few, such as the Otamatone, a musical instrument invented by Ryota Kuwakubo, are already on retailers’ shelves. In addition to objects by the Japanese group, the Ars Electronica Center’s exhibition includes works by artists at the ART|SCI Center of the University of California at Los Angeles (US), and Kontejner, the Zagreb, Croatia-based bureau of contemporary art practice.

Interview

Hiroo Iwata has been a trendsetter in Device Art since its inception in 2004. He previews the exhibition on the Ars Electronica Blog and explains how the essence of technology is perceived, above all in Japanese society.

The Vernissage

Greetings

Bernhard Baier, deputy mayor of the City of Linz
Hiroo Iwata, professor at the University of Tsukuba, Japan
Gerfried Stocker, artistic director of Ars Electronica

Device Art: A tour through the exhibition in the company of the artists

Prof. Hiroo Iwata, Novmichi Tosa, Kenji Suzuki, Dushyantha Jayatilake, Ryota Kuwakubo, Jaehyuck Bae, Masahiko Inami, Kentaro Yasu, Hideyuki Ando, Junji Watanabe, Eric Siu, Scott Hessels, Martina Mezak, Anselmo Tumpic, Saso Sedlacek, Jahic Sanela

Story Weaver – The Crane Returns a Favor: World premiere in Deep Space

“Story Weaver” is a musical work accompanied by animated visuals. The work will be performed by Maki Namekawa, a pianist originally from Japan who now lives in Linz. It’s based on the Japanese fable of the crane who returns a favor. Deep Space’s leading-edge infrastructure makes it possible to present this extraordinary multimedia experience. Credits: Maki Namekawa (pianist), Chiaki Ishikawa (composer), Emiko Ogawa (graphic artist), Naohiro Hayaishi (visuals programmer), Tetsuro Yasunaga (coordinator), Hideaki Ogawa (art director)
Please RSVP by calling 0732.7272.0 or via e-mail to center@aec.at.

Please note

To go more deeply into this subject, attend the Device Art Symposium during the Festival Ars Electronica 2014.

Device Art Symposium

Ars Electronica (AT) SAT September 6, 2014, 11 AM - 1 PM Ars Electronica Center, Sky Loft

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What are the requirements of a device to be included into the collection of “Device Art”?

Hiroo Iwata: First of all: The device itself is content. The mechanism represents the theme of the piece. Content and tool are no longer separable. Secondly, the artworks are often playful and can sometimes be commercialized into devices or gadgets for use in everyday life.

Food Simulator generates force according to the captured force of real food. Photo: Hiroo Iwata

Hiroo Iwata: Device Art evolved from a background of manufacturing traditions and a Japanese aesthetic. In traditional Japanese culture there are crafts in which technology and art meld in an indistinct combination, and it is possible to view Device Art as a new art form for the digital age. Unlike Western art, which is generally viewed in galleries and museums, in Japan artworks have been something to be enjoyed as a part of everyday life. A typical example of this is a tea ceremony room, which abounds with works of art—tea utensils, flower vases, etc.