(Linz, 8.10.2019) From fictitious worlds and Internet memes as poetic organisms to sound installations that transform bioelectrical signals from microorganisms into sounds: Under the title BestOff 2019, the Linz University of Art is presenting works by its students and graduates. The exhibition can be seen in the Linz Art University and in the splace on Hauptplatz as well as in the Ars Electronica Center. The projects shown at the Ars Electronica Center focus on the art of anticipating – realistic scenarios that could flourish in the future. The exhibition runs from Wednesday 9.10. to Tuesday 22.10.2019.
BestOff 2019 at the Ars Electronica Center:
About sceptism and euphoria / Paul Eis (DE)
About scepticism and euphoria shows a world in which people no longer have to work due to newly invented technologies and still live in abundance. This situation eventually leads to a social standstill. The work is the the artist’s critical and ironic response to the urban utopias of the 1950s and 1960s, in which technical progress was seen as a panacea for all problems.
Visual Invisibility / Sara Kickmayer (AT)
Inspired by nature, Sara Kickmayer’s work deals with molecular technologies and their aesthetics.
Meme The Future / Thu Trang Eva Ha (AT/VN)
In her video work, Thu Trang Eva Ha attempts to portray Internet memes as poetic, living organisms that rapidly find their way onto the World Wide Web as carriers of political messages or sexist and racist ideas.
Knotting the memory // Encoding the Khipu / Patricia Cadavid H. (CO)
A Khipu is a device that was used in the old Inca empire to process information. This system was widespread throughout the Andean region, until the Spanish colonization, which banned and destroyed much of the existing Khipus. Knotting the memory // Encoding the Khipu is a tribute to the Khipu, using it as a tool for interaction and generation of experimental live sound and video.
Sonomatter / Sabina Hyoju Ahn (KR)
Sonomatter is a sound installation and performance in which bioelectrical signals emitted by microorganisms are converted into sound.
Pear Juice / Verena Aigner (AT)
Rapidly changing camera angles show a woman in a dark room interacting with various objects, speaking incoherent sentences accompanied by expressive facial expressions. A short film inspired by Dadaism, in which the search for meaning is in the foreground.
The forgotten generation / Victoria Berger (DE)
In this 45-minute documentary, Victoria Berger uses the example of Korea to address the problem of the poverty risk of old people.
Very lukewarm / Lisa Maria Bickel (AT)
The short film focuses on the life of a young woman who, together with a friend, sells drinks during the summer. Disoriented, she drifts through the summer and undertakes a journey to herself.
Newcomer / Ashkan Nematian (IR), Parisa Ghasemi (IR)
The 15-minute short film Newcomer gives viewers an insight into the life of an Iranian couple in Austria. The visit of the woman’s brother, who has fled his homeland, triggers a conflict that ultimately breaks the relationship.
Halima / Sarkaut Mostefa (IQ)
Halima is a young woman who came to Europe illegally with her husband and son. At the subsistence level and torn by personal conflicts, she tries to find out who the decision-makers in asylum procedures are.
Meat Weeks / Joachim Iseni (AT)
During the meat weeks, the Feichmair’s slaughter and production takes place on the farm, where the family is fighting for financial survival. The 81-year-old farm owner Rosa Feichtmair can only keep the farm afloat with the financial and physical support of her daughter Margarete. Due to the enormous double burden Margarete falls ill and questions her personal future as well as that of the company. Joachim Iseni documents the conflict within a family environment, the adherence to times and structures long past, the burden of internal conflicts and the problems associated with them.
Photo:
Meat Weeks / Photocredit: Joachim Iseni / Printversion
