Digital Arts in Athens, Greece
Athens Digital Arts Festival, Call for Entries
A horizon of events, the mental surface of a black hole where gravity bends the
space-time to the extent that there is no possibility of escape, not even from light itself.
In its center exists point-zero, singularity, where space and time are destroyed
and where what is taking place is unknown.
A wormhole; the destruction of everything; the creation
of a new world through a white hole.
When something goes through the horizon of events, all natural laws
are distorted as the pull of gravity is so strong that it
inevitably leads to singularity, and from there…
Singularity is a notion that is defined differently in every science
field even though every definition reserves a connection to the
concept. In mathematics it is the point where a function an equation or
a surface is degenerated or diverges towards infinity,
changes its nature and therefore is impossible to be defined.
In physics it is the center of the black whole, but also
the condition right before the Big Bang,
the point-zero of time and space where everything is
concentrated into null dimensions, making their density infinite.
In mechanical engineering, it is the configuration of a machine
in such a way so that its behaviour cannot be defined and the natural
variables that are involved become un-decisive or infinite.
In technology it is a scenario in which artificial
intelligence overcomes humanity, the technological evolvement
becomes infinite and the effect of this process is unknown.
It is clear that singularity is associated with infinity,
the unknown and the beginning of the universes, natural ones
and conceptual ones, but how does this connect to art and technology?
Every universe begins to exist in association with time,
whilst the perception of time at the moment of birth is associated with
creation and technique. In the Legend of Prometheus,
we perceive the gesture of the creator to give fire to the human race as singularity,
transmitting knowledge to its creation and giving
it thus the capacity to create on its own.
As a consequence the suffering of the creator follows, but also,
time appears for the first time as a circular punishment,
which can be considered the first recording of the clocks cycle.
In addition to that, fire, the symbol of enlightenment
and of technique at the same time, is the fundamental
medium for the development of all “crafts”.
Its arrival signals the beginning of consciousness and therefore
of perception of time and of the development of fine arts and technology,
which led to civilisation and culture, the mediums of recording time.
In this manner, technology and art as generative of singularity
and tools of time function as the basic elements for
the creation of the world, and possibly for its ending.
The evolvement of Prometheus’s gift, slowly takes the reins from its creator,
“degrades” tending towards the transformation of its nature,
making us witnesses of an upcoming technological singularity,
with whichever of its infinite forms it can take.
The continuous developments in robotics, AI, biotechnology, biometrics,
nanotechnology of quantum computing and technology of outer space,
flirt with the possibility of surpassing humans, revealing to the viewer
an introduction into a “horizon of events” where no one knows what the future holds.
The union of man with machine or the slavery of humanity?
The upload of the human brain and attainment of
immortality or the end of the mankind? Progress or anachronism?
Futurism or archaism? Physics or Metaphysics?
Utopia or Dystopia?
A Beginning or the End?
With this ascertainment, the International Festival of Digital Arts in Greece,
Athens Digital Arts Festival, invites people of arts and technology
to submit their works but also their other possible accomplishments which outline,
comment on, predict or define the upcoming singularity,
the role of man in this new era and the role and form of art and technology in it,
so as to compose the content of this year’s 14th organisation
which will take place in May of 2018.
Will you tell us your stories from the horizon of events…?