Nature as Magic: AV Bridges

[Eestikeelne tekst allpool]

In 2021 Pixelache started a new collaborative project supported by Suomalais-virolainen Kulttuurisäätiö (Finnish-Estonian Cultural Foundation) called 'Nature as Magic', which bridges 4 online/festival/curatorial platforms together - Pixelache, e‾lektron, Public Art Action, Aavistus - whereby production and financial support is decentralised, so that each partner leads on how to make the 'AV bridges'.

Beginning in June 2021 and ending in October 2022, there will be 4 events in total, presented as multi-disciplinary performances, including audio and video collaborations. Each platform can propose live visual artist/VJ or audio/DJ/sound artists, who are then paired together with another complementary artist for collaboration in a live event. Each platform can stream the collaboration.

AV bridge #1: 9-10 June 2021 
As the first 'AV bridge', during Pixelache's 2021 Helsini Festival, we commissioned a new live audio-visual work by Merle Karp (aka Folded Visuals & Aavistus Festival), who invited Hendrik Kaljujärv (MIM Project & e‾lektron, Tallinn) to perform together a live audio improvisation to their new visual materials. Furthermore, during the festival we supported Animal Being live audio-visual performance by Jonna Lehto, Bráulio Bandeira a.k.a. Deepneue, Moa Larsdotter Persson & Sofia Palillo, in the context of 'Nature as Magic' project. Both live audio-visual performances were streamed live on Pixelache & e‾lektron platforms, with support from Aavistus Festival members, who shared both events to an online audience reach in Finland, Estonia and beyond. Post-festival, curatorial conversations with Amanada McDonald Crowley (Public Art Action, New York) reflected on remote & transdisciplinary performance and collaborations. 

AV bridge #2: 27-28 November 2021
The second audiovisual bridge took place in Tallinn, as e‾lektron invited artists from Helsinki, Tallinn, Viljandi, Tokyo and more for their festival Loodus kui maagia / Nature as magic.

The programme contained new audiovisual acts, such as Estonian kantele musician Marita Lumi performing together with the Finnish audiovisual duo Vongoiva. e‾lektron also invited Aavistus' Merle Karp to further develop the audiovisual live performance Nature as Magic, this time in collaboration with Estonian musician and sound designer Sander Saarmets.

During the festival weekend, the participants could listen to new elektron.signal podcast episodes in real time while they were recorded to be released at a later time.  e‾lektron invited Pixelache's Andrew Paterson to host an episode called Remembering and not remembering together with Laur Kaunissaar.

Saturday's programme culminated with a DJ+VJ jam including performers from both Tallinn and Helsinki: Katja Adrikova / Personal Space (EST, DJ), Anni Laser (FIN, VJ), VJ SSuvereeni (FIN, VJ), Random Doctors (FIN, VJ), Mary Young (FIN, DJ) and more.

AV bridge #3 & #4: Summer & Autumn 2022 (dates to be confirmed)
During the year 2022, the 'Nature as Magic' network will continue with Pixelache contributions to events organised by the other partners:

Public Art Action's event in New York in Spring-Summer 2022,

Aavistus Festival, Helsinki, takes place in 6-9. October 2022. 

 

Project background
Pixelache, Aavistus & e‾lektron have all evolved from new media art & performance scenes in Helsinki & Tallinn, with exchanges between individuals in 2000s especially. This project renews those relationships and supports each other, including new generation artists of the 2020s, connecting with the international curatorial context of New York.

Project objective
The project initiated by Pixelache Helsinki (Helsinki) will engage and make a collaboration with e‾lektron (Tallinn), plus a local partner festival Aavistus Festival (Helsinki), and an international curatorial platform Public Art Action (New York). We focus our collaboration starting from a new work commissioned from Finland-based Estonian VJ / live visual artist Merle Karp (aka Folded Visuals), although further artists will be involved via open calls.

The theme of Pixelache 2021 Festival 's #Burn____ theme which aims to “connect psychological, social and environmental collapse, and how we can survive it, developing resilience”; inspired a response from Merle Karp with a proposal to make a new work themed on “nature as magic” & regeneration, and selected for inclusion as an multidisciplinary audio-visual installation and performance. This project applied to Suvi-säätiö directly supports this work, and elaborates onwards from this context to promote mutual development in exchange and collaboration through further audio-visual 'bridges'.

The project will be supported and developed in collaboration with Amanda McDonald Crowley, based in Brooklyn, New York, as guest curatorial advisor in dialogue for a series of 4 sessions (at Pixelache Festival, e‾lektron Art Platform, Public Art Action, Aavistus Festival), and create international curatorial development and discussion around the works.

// EE //

Pixelache algatas 2021. aastal Eesti-Soome Kultuurifondi poolt toetatud uue koostööprojekti “Loodus kui maagia”, mis ühendab 4 online/festivali/kuraatori platvormi - Pixelache, e‾lektron, Public Art Action, Aavistus. Sealjuures on produktsioon ja rahaline toetus detsentraliseeritud, nii et iga partner annab juhiseid oma partneritele “audio visuaalsete sildade” loomiseks.

Juunist 2021 kuni oktoobrini 2022 toimub kokku 4 sündmust, mille raames toimuvad multidistsiplinaarsed etendused, sealhulgas heli- ja video koostööd. Iga platvorm võib välja pakkuda live-visuaalkunstniku/VJ või heli-/DJ-/helikunstniku, kes seejärel teeb täiendavalt koostööd teise kunstnikuga. Iga platvorm korraldab sündmuste voogedastuse.

AV sild #1: juuni 2021
Pixelache 2021 Helsingi Festivalil toimus esimene “AV sild”, kus festival tellis Merle Karpilt (aka Folded Visuals & Aavistus Festival) uue live audiovisuaalse töö. Merle kutsus Hendrik Kaljujärve (MIM Project & e‾lektron, Tallinn) koos esitama heliimprovisatsiooni oma uuele visuaalsele materjalile. Peale selle toetati festivali ajal projekti „Loodus kui maagia” raames “Animal Being” live-audiovisuaalset esitust, mille autoriteks on Jonna Lehto, Bráulio Bandeira a.k.a. Deepneue, Moa Larsdotter Persson & Sofia Palillo. Mõlemad audiovisuaalsed etendused voogedastati otseülekandena Pixelache & e‾lektroni platvormidel. Koostöös Aavistus Festivali liikmetega, jagati mõlemat sündmust veebipublikule nii Soomes, Eestis kui ka mujal. Festivalijärgsed kuraatorivestlused Amanda McDonald Crowley'ga (Public Art Action, New York) kajastasid kaug- ja valdkondadevahelist esinemist ja koostööd. 

AV sild #2: 27-28 November 2021
November 2021 toimub projekt e‾lektronis, kes kureerib uue “AV silla” koostööprogrami.

AV sild #3 & #4: kevad & sügis 2022 (kuupäevad TBC)
2022 aasta jooksul jätkub “Loodus kui maagia” võrgustik Pixelache-i panusega sündmustele, mida korraldavad teised partnerid: Public Art Action sündmus New Yorgis kevadl 2022 ning Aavistus Festival Helsingis oktoobris 2022.

Jaanuaris 2022 tuleb täpsem teavet nende sündmuste kohta. 

Projekti taust
Pixelache, Aavistus ja e‾lektron on kõik arenenud Helsingi ja Tallinna uue meedia kunsti- ja performance skeenedest, eriti 2000ndatel toimunud koostööde kaudu. See projekt uuendab neid suhteid ja toetab üksteist, sealhulgas 2020. aastate uue põlvkonna kunstnikke, ühendudes New Yorgi rahvusvahelise kuraatorikontekstiga. 

Projekti eesmärk
Pixelache Helsinki algatatud projekt teeb koostööd e‾lektroniga (Tallinn) ning kohaliku partnerfestivaliga Aavistus Festival ja rahvusvahelise kuraatoriplatvormiga Public Art Action (New York). Keskendume oma koostööle, alustades Soomest pärit Eesti VJ/ live-visuaalkunstniku Merle Karpilt (aka Folded Visuals) tellitud uue teosega. Kaasame täiendavaid kunstnikke open call-i kaudu.

Pixelache 2021 festivali teema on #Burn____, mille eesmärk on ühendada psühholoogiline, sotsiaalne ja keskkondlik kokkuvarisemine ning kuidas me suudame selle üle elada, arendades vastupidavust; mis on inspireeritud Merle Karpi ettepanekuga luua uus multidistsiplinaarne audiovisuaalne installatsioon/etendus teemal “Loodus kui maagia”. See projekt, mis kirjutati  Eesti-Soome Kultuurifondile, toetab otseselt “Loodus kui maagia” tööd ning edendab vastastikust arengut vahetuses ja koostöös täiendavate audiovisuaalsete „sildade” kaudu.

Projekti toetatakse ja arendatakse koostöös kuraatori Amanda McDonald Crowley'ga, kes asub Brooklynis, New Yorgis. Korraldades neli dialoogi (Pixelache Festival, e‾lektron Art Platform, Public Art Action, Aavistus Festival) loob Amanda teoste ümber rahvusvahelise kuraatoriarenduse ning arutelu. 

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Event documentations

Wednesday 9.6. - 18:00-19:00 - Oodi Keskustakirjasto, Maijansali + Online 

ANIMAL BEING, live audio-visual performance by Jonna Lehto, Bráulio Bandeira a.k.a. Deepneue, Moa Larsdotter Persson & Sofia Palillo.

https://elektron.art/other/pixelache-festival-2021-animal-being [also streamed on Pixelache's Twitch, FB and YouTube channels]

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Thursday 10.6. - 18:00-19:00 - Oodi Keskustakirjasto, Maijansali + Online

NATURE AS MAGIC, live audio-visual performance by Merle Karp a.k.a. Folded Visuals & Hendrik Kaljujärv

 

 

The project is generously supported by:

 

Image (banner) credit: Merle Karp (Folded Visuals).