SXSW Announces 2019 Art Program Installations

AUSTIN, TEXAS — It's beginning to look a lot like SXSW: Officials of South by Southwest Conference and Festivals on Wednesday announced seven art installations to be exhibited in its third annual Art Program scheduled from March 8-16.

The SXSW Art Program showcases experiential and conceptual visual artworks that apply emerging technologies and immersive environments to spark discovery, inspiration, and connection, officials described. The aim: "Incorporated into the broader ecosystem of creativity and innovation at SXSW, the SXSW Art Program serves as a launching point for collaborations and discussions around the role of visual and digital media arts in culture, technology, and the public realm," organizers wrote in a press advisory.

Hugh Forrest, chief programming officer, amplified: “The 2019 SXSW Art Program spotlights six artists from around the world whose work will resonate with our diverse audience of creative professionals. These stellar installations are physical representations of many of the topics that are being discussed at the SXSW Conference, such as the impact of technology on the human spirit, cultural tradition, and the environment.”

For SXSW attendees, the artistic showcase yields an opportunity to experience one-of-a-kind art installations by both established and emerging artists whose vision reflects the values of SXSW, including creativity, culture, storytelling, innovation, and social engagement. The SXSW curatorial team chose the 2019 selections along with a group of acclaimed creative advisers, including Suhair Khan, Ben Vickers, Kim Cook, Mia Locks, and Patton Hindle.

SXSW officials described the various elements of the upcoming program:

2019 SXSW Art Program:

APPARATUM by panGenerator - Krzysztof Cybulski, Krzysztof Goliński, Jakub Koźniewski

The APPARATUM has been inspired by the heritage of the Polish Radio Experimental Studio – one of the first studios in the world producing electroacoustic music.This installation uses analog sound generators, based on magnetic tape and optical components controlled via a graphic score composed with digital interface.

This work is supported by Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

Photo of APPARATUM courtesy of artist.jpg

Arctic Passage by Louie Palu

Award-winning photographer Louie Palu will install a series of large format photographs frozen in large ice blocks on the plaza of the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin on Tuesday, March 12, at 10 a.m. The photographs were created in the Arctic over the course of three years while Palu was on assignment for National Geographic. The project explores the evolving situation related to the geopolitics of the Arctic, its history, and climate change.

Canadian soldier, courtesy National Geographic

Belongings by John-Paul Marin, Matt Smith, Patrick Abboud, Tea Uglow, Kirstin

Sillitoe Belongings shares stories and experiences of people who left their homeland and almost everything they own, in search of a new life in Australia. The experience brings together diverse personal experiences through a single common thread: treasured possessions, with participants sharing their stories behind objects from the country of their birth that continue to hold meaning.

Photo of Belongings courtesy of artists.jpg

Blooming by Lisa Park

Lisa Park is a Korean-American artist who uses biometric sensors, such as heart rate and brainwave sensors, to create intimate environments that excavate hidden emotional states such as vulnerability, intimacy, and confrontation. Blooming highlights the importance of presence and physical connection in our lives. The installation, which takes the form of a life-size cherry blossom tree, responds to physical contact between two to four participants. When participants stand before the tree and hold hands or embrace, the tree will flourish; when they release, it will wither into its pre-bloomed state.

Park’s work is augmented by advanced research at Nokia Bell Labs into sensor technology that enables the detection and determination of contact between people. Blooming was developed during the 2017-2018 Experiments in Art & Technology (E.A.T.) Artist Residency program at Nokia Bell Labs, in collaboration with NEW INC.

Photo of Blooming courtesy of NEW Inc.jpg

EVERY THING EVERY TIME by Naho Matsuda Producer: FutureEverything

EVERY THING EVERY TIME transforms urban data into poetry presented on a mesmerizing, large-scale mechanical screen. EVERY THING EVERY TIME will draw on data streams generated by the many events that happen each day in Austin. Passersby can watch as poetry is written in real time and revealed on a split-flap display. The artwork investigates concepts of the “smart city”, questioning notions of privacy, use and the role data has in our lives.
The work is part of the Future Art and Culture programme at SXSW, presented by British Underground and supported by Arts Council England. EVERY THING EVERY TIME was first commissioned in Manchester (UK) as part of CityVerve - a project creating a blueprint for smarter cities worldwide.

Photo of Every Thing Every Time courtesy of artist.jpg

hash2ash by panGenerator, Krzysztof Cybulski, Krzysztof Goliński, Jakub Koźniewski
The installation touches on the themes of selfie-culture, and the fear of permanently losing the digital records of our lives due to technical failures, impermanence of data storage, or simply because of the obsolescence of the old digital file formats. Even with such compulsive overproduction of the images of ourselves, we might end up with nothing but the blank memories of our past. Even the data on ourselves will eventually fade away...

The installation consists of a display that prompts you to take a selfie on your phone, which it renders in digital particles on a large 1×1 meter screen. Then a moment later, your face scatters and falls apart and the real black gravel starts to fall at the bottom of the screen in perfect synchrony with the digital simulation. Gradually, a dark mound builds up at the foot of the construction.

This work is supported by Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

Photo of hash2ash courtesy of artist.jpeg

Semeion by Circuit Circus

Semeion is an ever-evolving light and sound installation exploring artificial intelligence from an aesthetic and humanistic point of view. While AI is already an integrated part of our lives, it often exists as intangible systems working behind screens. In Semeion, the AI manifests itself in several large minimalist structures, that individually and collectively respond to human presence. In its abstract form it evokes the human relation through its behavior. The viewer is invited to suspend their predispositions about AI, and engage with it in an explorative, curious way.

The work is supported by Catch, Roskilde Festival and the Ministry of Culture, Denmark.

Semeion photo courtesy of artists.png

ART SERIES OF SESSIONS

New for 2019, SXSW will host an Art Series of Sessions as part of SXSW Conference programming. Over the span of two days, the Art Series of Sessions will take an in-depth look at the impact of technology on contemporary art and the creative community through conversations and panels. The goal of these sessions is to address key topics facing the art world and to create a dynamic discussion between patrons, curators, institutions, startups, technologists, designers and visual artists. This series will occur within the Design Track on Monday, March 11 and Tuesday, March 12.

Series of Sessions:
Humanizing Innovation Through Artist Residencies
Speakers: Julia Kaganskiy (Independent Curator), Domhnail Hernon (Nokia Bell Labs), Kenric Mcdowell (Google), Sarah Newman (metaLAB at Harvard)
400 Years of Inequality
Speakers: Jamie Bennett (ArtPlace America), Mindy Fulilove (New School), Shaun Leonardo (Artist)

The Changing Role of Women in the Arts
Speakers: Patton Hindle (Kickstarter), Suzanne Deal Booth (FOHP), Laurie Frick (Data Artist)
Acts of Sharing: How Art Fosters Empathy
Speakers: Poornima Sukumar (Aravani Art Project), Shanthi Sonu (Aravani Art Project), Dr. James R Doty (Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research)

OTHER ART HIGHLIGHTS AT SXSW

Special Events

Designing for the Five Senses with Bruce Mau presented by Freeman

As a child, you experienced the world with your whole being. Free from doubt, prejudice, and social norms, you experienced life fully and deeply through all five senses—unencumbered by limits or boundaries. Through this embodied discovery using sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell, fully engaged, you transform into who you have become.

Bruce Mau, legendary designer of human experience, invites you to revisit this time. Designing for the Five Senses is a challenge for us all to use design to iterate and improve the world. In this groundbreaking monologue – part performance art, part manifesto, part storytelling, and 100 percent multi-sensory immersion – you will reconnect with heart, mind, and memory through an orchestrated tour of all your senses that will transport you back to a time when you were discovering the world. Ignite the wisdom of our shared past of discovery and boundless possibility. Emerge inspired, reminded that the beauty of our universal humanity always was, already is, and still has time to be.

Facebook Art Research Lab

From Saturday, March 9 through Monday, March 11, the Facebook Art Department – consisting of the Artist in Residence, Analog Research Lab, and Creative Engagement programs – will present a diverse range of cultural events that explore the ways in which artistic practice fosters empathy, drives social awareness, and ultimately brings people closer together. Planned activations include: an exhibition of prints by Facebook-commissioned artists and designers from around the world, participatory maker workshops, film screenings, a community dinner, a live concert, a panel discussion on art as a radical act of sharing, a collaborative public mural with local nonprofit organization HOPE Campaign, and more.

Other Art Related Sessions

• Creating Contemporary Art in Virtual Reality (VR/AR/MR)
• The Art Of Failure: Driving Creative Innovation (Entrepreneurship & Startups)
• Art Museum as Spaces of Digital Play (VR/AR/MR)
• Hope and Healing through Arts Education (Social & Global Impact)
• Mummies to Manet: Immersive Experiments in Museums (Experiential Storytelling)
• Nonprofit Arts Administrators and Artists Meet Up (Experiential Storytelling)
• Asian American Artists and Entrepreneurs Meet Up (Entrepreneurship & Startups)
• AI and the Future of Storytelling (Experiential Storytelling)
• Do it in a Dome! The Planetarium as an Arts Medium (Experiential Storytelling)
• BANDALOOP: Performance as Social Activism (Experiential Storytelling)
• PopUps: Designing for Emotional Experiences (Experiential Storytelling)
• Being The Change Through Art Meet Up (Social & Global Impact)
• The Civics of Art and Music (Media & Journalism)
• The Future of Gender Identities in Art and Media (Social & Global Impact)

Art Related Films

• Museum Town
• Stuffed
• Well Groomed
• Vision Portraits
• Why Can’t I Be Me? Around You
• Leave the Bus Through the Broken Window

Art Highlights in Austin

UNESCO New Media Arts Exhibition

On view through March 8th - 17th
Austin Public Library - 710 W. Cesar Chavez

Presented as an official part of the SXSW Art Program, the UNESCO Media Arts Exhibition at SXSW features media art installations by artists from Austin and other UNESCO Creative Cities including Linz, Austria, Guadalajara, Mexico and Lyon, France. Hosted in the 3000 square foot gallery of the award-winning Austin Central Library, the exhibition highlights the multidisciplinary innovation of media artists from around the globe and showcases how new technologies are ever-increasingly used by artists as a means of expression and communication. A companion panel discussion held on Saturday, March 9, will highlight the role of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) and their arts communities in implementing initiatives and best practices that support and promote digital artmaking around the world.

UNESCO Creative Cities Network: Fostering a Strong Future for Digital Artmaking

Immersive media exhibitions have become highly popular in recent years, showing much success in attracting and engaging audiences. Media artists have unprecedented new opportunities but also face unique challenges. These demands include securing funding, fabricating complex artwork, creating work that can tour, and maintaining tech-dependent art. At the moment, there are few organizational or informational sources of support for media artists. In order to fill this gap, media artists and arts administrators from UNESCO Media Arts cities around the world will gather to share their lessons about how to navigate and thrive in this new art landscape.

Janine Antoni and Anna Halprin: Paper Dance

On view through March 17, 2019
The Contemporary Austin – Jones Center, 700 Congress Avenue

Paper Dance is a dynamic retrospective spanning thirty years of photographs and sculptures by Janine Antoni, accompanied by a series of solo dance performances by Antoni developed with dancer and choreographer Anna Halprin.

**All SXSW badge holders are admitted free of charge at both locations of The Contemporary Austin. Visitor information can be found at thecontemporaryaustin.org.**

Ai Weiwei: Forever Bicycles

On view through June 2019, in collaboration with Waller Creek Conservancy
Waller Delta, adjacent to the Waller Creek Boathouse at 74 Trinity Street

Positioned along Austin’s popular hike and bike trail as part of The Contemporary Austin – Museum Without Walls Program, Forever Bicycles (2014) visually reverberates through the stacked composition of more than 1,200 bicycles. The dizzying sculpture is infused with both universal meaning and specific cultural significance for the Chinese-born artist.

Data Tells A Story by Laurie Frick
On view through June 2019
South Lamar bridge underpass

Data artist Laurie Frick tackles an art intervention of two 500 ft walls that span a busy railroad underpass with 16 reflective signs that were one of Austin’s most talked about public art installations. Frick opted to tell a story about Austin and bring to life a heavily traveled spot that had grown dingy and a little depressing. Funded by the Hotel Occupancy Tax and sponsored by the City of Austin, Frick decided to focus on the astonishing 25 million visitors that come to Austin every year. The drippy stripes are visitor data (reasons + activities) and the upholstered sign patterns are color sampled from the iconic “I love you so much”, “Hi, how are you?” and “You’re my butter half” murals from Austin that visitors frequently post on Instagram. The mural’s aqua background draws from Carl Trominski’s original blue sign installation where traffic and pedestrians feel like an underwater flow thru the underpass. Panels were handsewn and created by upholstery designer Sheri Bingham of Iron Thread Design.

Suzanne Deal Booth / FLAG Art Foundation Prize: Nicole Eisenman
Selected in 2018, Exhibition premieres at The Contemporary Austin on February 13, 2020
The Contemporary Austin – Jones Center, 700 Congress Avenue

Initiated in 2016 by Suzanne Deal Booth and expanded in 2018 through support from The FLAG Art Foundation, the biennial prize includes a $200,000 cash award to an artist, a solo exhibition premiering at The Contemporary Austin, a related exhibition traveling to The FLAG Art Foundation in New York, a scholarly publication, and public programming around the exhibitions.

The 2020 winner of the Art Foundation Prize, Nicole Eisenman blends influences from Western art history and traditional figuration with elements of punk music, feminist activism, queer sexuality, and humor; creating profoundly unique paintings and sculptures. The exhibition will be on view during SXSW 2020.

About SXSW

SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. An essential destination for global professionals, the event features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2019 will take place March 8-17, 2019. For more information, please visit sxsw.com. To register for the event, please visit sxsw.com/attend.

SXSW 2019 is sponsored by Capital One, Mercedes-Benz, Bud Light, and The Austin Chronicle.

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>>> Courtesy images via SXSW, used with permission