Having started in September 2020, MediaFutures programme will be concluded at the end of August 2023. These were three intense years, during which we supported 51 startups and SMEs and 43 artists.
Due to the high-quality of the propositions and the teams’ involvement, the artistic projects from the art residency and the art-tech collaboration tracks had a great impact, both during and after being supported by MediaFutures. Within the programme the teams had different opportunities for professional growth, and, we can highlight the following ones:
- In 2021 and 2022, several artists were invited to panel discussion hosted by Ars Electronica:
- In 2021, Hugo from the Obvious Collective (cohort 1, AfM) and Mariana Lanari (cohort 1, SmA) were invited to discuss about “Creating with Data: From Arts to Entrepreneurship”
- In 2022, Mark Farid (cohort 2, AfM) and Marta Handenawer from the Domestic Data Streamers (cohort 1, AfM) were invited to discuss about “The Stories We Tell Ourselves: Misinformation and Climate Change”
- Two projects were exhibited at Experimenta 2022, the artscience biennale in the French Alps (Grenoble):
- 730 hours of Violence by Domestic Data Streamers (cohort 1, AfM)
- Critical Climate Machine by Gaëtan Robillard (cohort 1, AfM)
- Four teams were selected for ISEA 28th edition in Paris in May 2023:
- Antoni Rayzhekov (cohort 1, SmA) held an artist talk in Salle 50 at the Forum des images and presented the artwork Fragile Perspectives, supported by MediaFuture in 2021.
- Gaëtan Robillard (cohort 1, AfM) was exhibited at the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie from May 26 to 21.
- Mark Farid (cohort 2, AfM) was exhibited at ISEA Gallery from May 23 to 30.
- Varvara Guljajeva & Mar Canet (cohort 2, SmA) held a paper presentation in Salle 300 at the Forum des images.
- Two projects developed in the framework of MediaFutures’ residency programme were selected to this year’s S+T+ARTS Prize 2023:
- Mishka Kornai for the nomination of The More the Better (Two Truths and a Lie) (AfM, cohort 2)
- Gaëtan Robillard for the nomination of Critical Climate Machine (AfM, cohort 1)
- At the 2023 IPI World Congress and Media Innovation Festival, Michael Wallinger (cohort 2, AfM) and Ionas Cheres and Mihai Topor (cohort 2, SmA) paired up for the Media Blend Hackathon. Not only was the team selected after the call for application, but they won the hackathon!
- In June 2023, a new iteration of Gaëtan Robillard art installation Critical Climate Machine took place at the Dublin Castle on June 20 and 21, in the frame of the 6th European Climate Change Adaptation Conference 2023.
- Also in June 2023, Ania Catherine and Dejha Ti, behind the studio Operator.la, presented Soft Evidence (AfM, cohort 1), their artwork produced in 2021 during MediaFutures first support programme, at the AI4Media event on June 29: “Meet the Future of AI: Countering Sophisticated & Advanced Disinformation”.
- Finally, several projects were exhibited in the frame of solo and group shows in many cities in Europe (Cluj-Napoca, Sofia, Vienna, etc.).
We are proud of all teams that went through the art residency and art-tech collaboration tracks, and we are looking forward to seeing their further development and opportunities!