Ars Electronica Garden Nicosia WADS irl : an interactive experience

@ RISE Makerspace – Plateia Dimarcheias, 14 Alkiviadi street, Nicosia Cy, 1016.

Thursday, October 15

Exhibition Opening and Round Table Discussion

Opening Hours: 18:30 – 22:00

Grafting in the Digital – Round Table Discussion

Time: 20:00

Friday, October 16

Virtual Exhibition Viewing

Opening Hours: 10:30 – 13:30 and 16:00-20:00

Responding to this year’s Ars Electronica Festival call, with the title “In Kepler’s Gardens”, RISE ITICA Group invited local artists to pollinate the digital by employing a technique derived from gardening: namely, grafting. WADS, a digital garden of commoning formed by 21 local artists, explores the potential of digital hubs as grounds of artistic and technological co-creation. The digital exhibition is created and experienced in the online environment of Mozilla Hubs. During the Ars Electronica Festival 2020, which took place between September 9 and 13, the WADS Garden was accessible through the Ars Electronica Digital platform.

The Ars Electronica Festival was first organized in September 1979, with the aim to takes the approaching digital revolution as an opportunity to ask about possible futures and to locate this research at the interface of art, technology and society. This year’s restrictions due to the global pandemic have led the festival to an new adaptation: It has evolved and transitioned to the future, creating “a journey around the world” through the digital participation of groups from 120 countries, including the RISE ITICA Group with WADS irl.

WADS irl (in real life) extends the exhibition beyond the AE Festival and transposes the virtual experience of WADS Garden in the real world by bringing together participating artists, curators and the public at the newly established RISE Makerspace. The exhibition invites people to navigate through the WADS Garden, viewing the artworks that graft it using VR headsets and PCs.

On Thursday, a hybrid round table discussion with the artists, curators and facilitators of the project will take place. The discussion aims to both revisit and reflect on the WADS project as a whole. The exhibition will also be open for viewing on Friday, October 16.

Please note that all measures for COVID – 19 will be effective during the exhibition with a limited number of people allowed inside at any given time. In compliance with public health directives, the use of masks is mandatory during the event. Special care will be taken to sanitize technical equipment accessible to the public after each use. Hand sanitizer will be also available.

Facilitated and Hosted by RISE ITICA Group

With the support of the Austrian Embassy IG: Wads.Garden

Artists:

Raissa Angeli

Maria Andreou

Marina Ashioti

Pandelis Diamantides

Anastasia Dolitsay

Peter Eramian

Ibrahim Latif Ince

Stelios Ilchouk

Marina Kassianidou

Irini Khenkin

Angeliki Koutsodimitropoulou

Marinos Koutsomichalis

Marietta Mavrokordatou

Panagiotis Mina

Faysal Mroueh

Lina Protopapa

Doros Polydorou

Despina Rangou

Kleanthis Rousos

Elena Savvidou

Nico Stephou

Curatorial Team:

Demetris Shammas

Constantinos Miltiadis

Emiddio Vasquez

Myrto Aristidou