*/ 20th Athens Digital Arts Festival | Program & Highlights

20th Athens Digital Arts Festival
«TECHNO(S)CENE»

May 16-26, 2024
Former Santarosa Courthouse
Justice Square
Rex Theatre – “Eleni Papadaki” Stage

❝20 years of digital revolution in Athens. A unique immersive experience.❞

The Athens Digital Arts Festival, the first and largest international platform for digital arts in Greece, unveils the program of its 20th anniversary edition, ADAF 2024: TECHNO(S)CENE, inviting you to explore the intersection of art and technology that redefines the boundaries of human creativity. From May 16 to May 26, the Former Santarosa Courthouse and Justice Square transform into vibrant hubs of artistic expression and technological experimentation through digital landscapes that will leave you in awe.

With 350 works by 305 artists from 76 countries, the 20th Athens Digital Arts Festival promises the most immersive experience of the year. This year’s event features a diverse exhibition with interactive installations, video art, animation, VR/AR/XR, web art, digital image, and video mapping, along with a comprehensive program of live events including performances, concerts, workshops, talks, special tributes, screenings from the world’s most significant festivals, and collaborations with academic institutions from Greece and abroad. Additionally, it presents ADAF KIDS, a special program for children featuring interactive installations, animation screenings, and workshops.

On Friday, May 24 and Saturday, May 25, the Rex Theatre – “Eleni Papadaki” Stage will host the performance “Uncanny Valley” by Rimini Protokoll, a play that explores the blurred boundaries between human and machine, investigating the implications when a humanoid copy replaces the author, prompting questions about identity, self-discovery, and the dynamics between original and electronic double.

“We are thrilled to present such a diverse array of works to celebrate ADAF’s 20th anniversary,” says Ilias Chatzichristodoulou, founder and director of ADAF. “ADAF is not just a festival; it’s a testament to the transformative power of digital art and its ability to create captivating, almost magical experiences that challenge our beliefs, inspire us, and envision a different future. We invite the city’s residents and visitors to join us in this unique experience and celebrate with us the era of digital revolution at the “stage” of the 20th Athens Digital Arts Festival.”

Check out the detailed program at 2024.adaf.gr and book your tickets at more.com.

HIGHLIGHTS

*/ IMMERSIVE ROOM | Brèche | Sébastien Labrunie, Lu Yi (FR/TW)
Βrèche meaning breach or rift, is an immersion into matter, light, and memories. It’s a dive into a photogrammetry journal of 30 days alongside 3D elements scanned from real life. A hybrid, narrative sculpture of material memories, where the boundary between macro and micro perspectives becomes indistinct, evoking ancient parts and moments.

When: 16-26 May, MON-FRI 17:00-23:00 & SAT-SUN 11:00-23:00
Where: Former Santarosa Courthouse (Main Exhibition Venue)

*/ IMMERSIVE KINETIC LIGHT INSTALLATION | Flux | Collective Scale (FR)
Flux since its creation in 2021 has become a huge success worldwide. Its mutant, modular form is controlled in real time, creating poetic waves and frenetic undulations. Spectators can interact with it, through its music, movement, and light in a playful and intuitive way.

When: 16-26 May, MON-FRI 17:00-23:00 & SAT-SUN 11:00-23:00
Where: Former Santarosa Courthouse (Main Exhibition Venue)

*/ LARGE SCALE OUTDOOR INSTALLATION | FLUX 2023 | Ksawery Kirklewski (PL)
FLUX is a huge interactive light outdoor installation brought to the city of Athens by Athens Digital Arts Festival for its 20th anniversary. Strategically placed on Justice Square in the very heart of the city, next to our main venue, FLUX gives the opportunity to the audience to endlessly play with a statement piece; a commentary upon the revelation of hidden algorithms that shape our online encounters at the speed of light. An immersive experience pushing the technical aspects of digital interaction to the maximum inspired by the ways that modern technology pushes communication to its limits.

When: 16-26 May, MON-SUN 20:30-00:00
Where: Justice Square

*/ SPECIAL TRIBUTE | Women in Video Art
In its 20th edition, the Athens Digital Arts Festival, honoring its roots and identity, pays tribute to the pioneering women of video art and digital arts. Over the years, the festival has focused on female creators, aiming to highlight their work and their impact within this predominantly male-dominated field. Thus, there couldn’t be a more fitting tribute for its anniversary edition. The festival will showcase works from a range of highly significant creators who have left their mark on the history of art, in a room specially dedicated to the female perspective in video art. Names such as Shigeko Kubota, Pipilotti Rist, and Judith Barry are just a few of those featured in this extraordinary tribute.

When: 16-26 May, MON-FRI 17:00-23:00 & SAT-SUN 11:00-23:00
Where: Former Santarosa Courthouse (Main Exhibition Venue)

BONUS TALK!
*/ TALK | Liquid Reality: The Artwork and Legacy of Shigeko Kubota | Reid N. Ballard (US)
Reid N. Ballard, Director of Exhibitions and Collections at the Shigeko Kubota Video Art Foundation will discuss the life and artworks of Shigeko Kubota, including the processes and ideology utilized in her video art, and its relation to early video art experimentation. In addition to providing a more in-depth summary and insights into her videos being shown during this exhibition, the presentation will include images and exclusive video clips from her archive, some of which have never been viewed publicly.

When: Thursday 16 May, 19:00-20:00
Where: Former Santarosa Courthouse, 1st floor

*/ IMMERSIVE AR EXPERIENCE | Entangled Landscape | Studio Above and Below (DE, UK)
Entangled Landscape is a digital sculpture revealing the hidden collaboration within soil, exploring mutualistic behavior across industries, nature, and cultures. Utilizing live environmental data from South West Flanders, Belgium, the installation features neural networks responding to microscopic interactions, inspired by mycorrhizae systems. This interdisciplinary project, born from collaboration among soil scientists, city planners, and data analysts, aims to revitalize built spaces through digital technologies, fostering sustainability and inclusivity.

When: 16-26 May, MON-FRI 17:00-23:00 & SAT-SUN 11:00-23:00
Where: Former Santarosa Courthouse (Main Exhibition Venue)

*/ PERFORMANCE | Uncanny Valley | Rimini Protokoll (DE)
We mostly think of robots as work machines, as efficient and precise executors of tasks. In German industry, they barely look like people, to avoid emotional complications. Unlike in Asia, where humanoid robots have already been developed for some time, for example for care-work or as sex partners. The external similarity to human beings makes the acceptance of machines easier. However, if the machine is too similar to a human, we begin to feel mistrust: what is human, what is machine? Japanese robotics researchers call this weird similarity the “uncanny valley”.
For his play, Stefan Kaegi works with a writer and playwright for the first time: Thomas Melle allowed an animatronic double of himself to be made. This humanoid takes the author’s place and throws up questions: what does it mean for the original when the copy takes over? Does the original get to know himself better through his electronic double? Do the copy and his original compete or do they help each other?

When: Friday 24 & Saturday 25 May, 20:30
Where: Rex Theatre – “Eleni Papadakis” Stage

*/ MUSIC | Die Arkitekt Live (GR)

Die Arkitekt is a multi-instrumentalist music producer that uses avant-garde elements to create techno loyal to his classical music upbringing. Emerging from Athens, Die Arkitekt launched his solo career in London with the release of his EP Wilmheim in September 2020. His debut album, Dark Colors was released in 2022, including collaborations with Lena Platonos, Kid Moxie, Tamta and Charity Kase. His singles had the support of WONDERLAND,VICE, KALTBLUT and METAL Magazine. His upcoming album “The death of Postmodernism” is set for release on May 17th 2024.

When: Saturday 25 May, 22:30
Where: Former Santarosa Courthouse, Yard

 */ SCREENING | Video Art Special Screening Compilation | Enter the Techno(s)cene
“Enter The Techno(s)cene” navigates the intersections of human existence and technological advancement through a curated selection of video art pieces. This compilation lies at the heart of the festival’s theme, dissecting the concept of the Techno(s)cene in various unexpected ways. Through subtle yet thought-provoking narratives, the artists illuminate the nuanced complexities of our relationship with technology in the contemporary age.

When: 16-26 May *for the days and times of the screenings, please refer to the detailed program
Where: Former Santarosa Courthouse, 1st floor

*/ SCREENING | Animation Compilation | WOMB
Strength, wisdom, patience, inner work, nurturing, love, abuse, violence, harassment, oppression, femicide, misogyny, patriarchy.
Now you understand
Why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud…
— Maya Angelou

When: 16-26 May *for the days and times of the screenings, please refer to the detailed program
Where: Former Santarosa Courthouse, 1st floor

*/ KIDS INSTALLATION | Bouncer | Yuki Anai (JP)
Uniquely connecting light and movement, the work enables people to create music through their body’s energy, fostering social interactions regardless of language barriers.

When: 16-26 May, MON-FRI 17:00-23:00 & SAT-SUN 11:00-23:00
Where: Former Santarosa Courthouse (Main Exhibition Venue)

*/ KIDS INSTALLATION | An interactive wall for collaborative entertainment | Kamel Ghabte (FR)
The interactive wall merges digital projection and motion sensors, inviting children to play collaboratively and engage in physical activity while seamlessly blending technology and fun.

When: 16-26 May, MON-FRI 17:00-23:00 & SAT-SUN 11:00-23:00
Where: Former Santarosa Courthouse (Main Exhibition Venue)

*/ MAPPING PROJECTION CONTEST
As part of the main program of the 20th anniversary edition of ADAF, an exclusive video mapping contest is presented featuring some of the most prominent artists in the field. Paying tribute to the festival’s foundational medium, video, with a contemporary twist in mapping technique, and recognizing our history as the organization behind the country’s most significant video mapping events, audiences will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a stunning performance of light, color, and animated designs on the facade of the festival’s main building after sunset.
When: 16-26 May, MON-SUN 23:00
Where: Former Santarosa Courthouse, Facade

INFO
20th Athens Digital Arts Festival
16-26 May 2024
Former Santarosa Courthouse (18 Stadiou & Arsaki)
Justice Square (Arsaki & Panepistimiou)
Opening Hours: MON-FRI 17:00-23:00 & SAT-SUN 11:00-23:00
Tickets: more.com
Website: 2024.adaf.gr
#ADAF #ADAF2024

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The event is organized within the framework of the Action “20th and 21st International Digital Arts Festival of Greece – Athens Digital Arts Festival”, which is expected to be included in the Operational Program “Attica” NSRF 2021-2027, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and national resources.

The 20th Athens Digital Arts Festival is implemented under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Development, the Ministry of Tourism, the Municipality of Athens, the Greek National Tourism Organization, and the Athens Chamber of Commerce, with the support of the Region of Attica and in collaboration with the Athens Culture, Sports, and Youth Organization (OPANDA).