January 16–17, 2016
NRW-Forum Düsseldorf
Ehrenhof 2
40479 Düsseldorf
Germany
www.nrw-forum.de blog.goethe.de/streamingegos
One of humanity’s most ancient quests—”Who am I?”—has now been replaced by the more modern question of “Who do I want to be on the Net?” Indeed, anyone can create a virtual online image of themselves—although, at the same time, users feel the need to speak of themselves and be authentic in their digital world.
The European project Streaming Egos, based on an idea by the Goethe-Institut in southwest Europe and curated by the Slow Media Institut in cooperation with the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf, explores the risks, limits and advantages of having a digital identity which is often too far from real life.
Coordinated by the Goethe-Institut Paris, a group of curators and experts of the digital media sector work with a selected group of thinkers, artists and writers from each of the participating countries. One aim is achieving works that further explore themes associated with digital media. Another goal is reflecting upon how these identities come into being, change and develop under the influence of social media while also depending on the socio-political status quo of each country.
The works will be presented on January 16 and 17 at the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf as part of the so-called Identity Convention—two days of meetings and debates connected to the exhibition Ego Update. The Future of the Digital Identity, during which relevant projects for the future will be identified so that they can later be treated in a transnational and digital manner.
During the next few months and throughout the whole of 2016, each country will also contribute to the transnational debate by using the online platform of the Streaming Egos. Through this platform, all participants will be able to get to know the work of each country and theme group, playing an active role in giving form to narrative and artistic processes.
Through the Streaming Egos project, the Goethe-Institut encourages citizens, cultural sector workers and online experts of Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain to react to questions and thoughts expressed by the contributors and to document such a process through a collective work.
A project by: Goethe-Institut, Slow Media Institut, NRW-Forum Düsseldorf
Head curator: Sabria David (Slow Media Institut, Germany)
National curators: Bram Crevits (Ghent University College, Belgium) / Marie Lechner (Preservation & Art—Media Archaelogy Lab, France) / Sabria David (Slow Media Institut, Germany), Marco Mancuso, Filippo Lorenzin (Digicult, Italy) / Sandra Vieira Jürgens (RAUM: online artist residencies, Portugal), Mateo Feijóo (University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain)
Participants
Belgium: Marthe Van Dessel (bolwerK), Lucille Calmel, Marijke De Roover, Wim Lambrecht
France: RYBN, Nicolas Maigret, Gwenola Wagon, Jeff Guess
Germany: Dirk von Gehlen, Enno Park, Martina Pickhardt
Italy: IOCOSE, Salvatore Iaconesi / Oriana Persico, Alterazioni Video (Video Alterations), Silvio Lorusso
Portugal: André Alves, Claudia Fischer, Paulo Mendes, Pedro Portugal
Spain: Monoperro, Sonia Gómez, Gichi Gichi Do, Carlos Rod (Editor: La Uña Rota)
About the Goethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institute. It promotes knowledge of the German language and fosters international cultural cooperation. Through cultural and educational programmes, it encourages intercultural dialogue and enables cultural involvement in more than 140 cities worldwide.
About the Slow Media Institut
The Slow Media Institut is an interdisciplinary research and consulting centre for digital change and its impact on society, working environment and the world of media. Based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, it focusses on concepts and models to constructively deal with disruptive changes and offers new perspectives for a resilient digital society.
For more information, please contact:
Ulla Wester, Goethe-Institut Paris
[email protected] / T +33 1 44439261
Sabria David, Slow Media Institut
[email protected] / T +49 228 90 85 750
www.slow-media.net