Art + technology intersect for Convergence at Banff Centre

Banff, Alberta, August 27, 2014 -- Experience a conversation with a Telenoid robot, conduct a concerto with a garden of interactive plants and meet the creative minds behind the Atari Research Lab, the Barbican’s Digital Revolution and Madonna’s Superbowl half time show at Convergence, November 27-29. An international summit of art + technology at Banff Centre, Convergence brings together representatives from Australia, USA, UK, France, Canada and Japan to explore the intersection between art and technology, and build connections across communities and disciplines. Robots admitted free of charge.

Convergence provides a unique opportunity for guests to hear from individuals who are shaping the next generation of art + technology, as well as participate in exhibitions, present their own research and practice, and attend cutting edge performances.

“This gathering will be the first time so many innovative leaders in art + technology will be in Canada at the same time, it’s going to build relationships and change the way you think you think about art, ” said Jen Mizuik, director of visual & digital arts at Banff Centre.

Inspirational keynote speakers for Convergence include:

Eric Fournier, Partner and Executive Producer, Moment Factory (Canada)
Since its inception in 2001, Moment Factory has created more than 300 installations, events and shows across the world including the new interactive design of LAX, Madonna’s Superbowl half time show and the transformation of the Sagrada Familia, in Barcelona, into a spectacle of sound and light. They have also worked with Sony, Microsoft, Cirque du Soleil, and Disney and are leaders in the conception and development of multimedia environments.  

Conrad Bodman, Curator Digital Revolution, Barbican (UK)
The curator of Digital Revolution at the Barbican, Bodman will be speaking about the immersive and interactive exhibition, which brings together artists, filmmakers, architects, designers, musicians and game developers - all pushing the boundaries of their fields using digital media. Digital Revolution also looks at the dynamic developments in the areas of creative coding and DIY culture and the exciting creative possibilities offered by augmented reality, artificial intelligence, wearable technologies and 3-D printing.  

Performances include:

Hiroaki Umeda, artist & choreographer, dancer (Japan) – Presenting a one off adaptation of the internationally acclaimed Holistic Strata. This interdisciplinary performance includes a range of butoh, ballet, hip-hop, sonic textures, entrancing video and theatrical effects.
kondition pluriel, interdisciplinary, dance, digital performance (Montreal) – Presenting a new, immersive, location specific performance.
Clea Minaker, performing artist, designer and director (Canada) in collaboration with Antoine Bédard, sound designer and composer (Canada) – Premiering a new Banff Centre commission.  

Exhibitions include:

Akousmaflore from Scenocosme (France)
A screening room curated by the National Film Board of Canada (Canada)  

Presenters include:

Kohei Ogawa, assistant professor, Intelligent Robotics Laboratory and Telenoid R1, robot (Japan)
Robin Fox, artist (Australia)
Mike Stubbs, director and CEO of FACT (UK)
Michael Naimark, artist (USA)
Chris Salter, director of Hexagram-Concordia (Canada)
Marie-Claude Poulin, co-artistic director, kondition pluriel (Canada)
Raymond Boisjoly, artist (Canada)
Cindy Poremba, professor of game design, Sheridan College (Canada)
Diana Sherlock, independent curator, writer, and faculty, ACAD (Canada)

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $157 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country.

Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien. L’an dernier, le Conseil  a investi 157 millions de dollars pour mettre de l’art dans la vie des Canadiennes et des Canadiens de tout le pays.

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