20:00 / Observing Machines — Machines Observing Pascal Glissmann Pascal Glissmann is a designer, media artist, and educator based in New York. His research-driven practice explores the increasingly osmotic membrane between the natural and the artificial. His research project “electronic-life-forms” (electronic-life-forms.com) — in collaboration with Martina Hoefflin — inhabits the intersection of art, science, and technology to explore the fascination for artificial life and its principles through site-specific installations. The swarms of sculptural subjects that populate public spaces are not based on high-tech data-driven computational systems. Instead, they combine basic electronic concepts with methods of handcraft to seamlessly merge with natural habitats. Observers decide at what point the artificial starts and if that distinction is needed at all. This interest in the role of the observer and how disciplinary practices of “seeing” shape what we know today inspired Glissmann to co-found the Observational Practices Lab (observationalpractices.org) at Parsons School of Design, New York, in 2016 with his colleague Selena Kimball. In this context, he is currently investigating methodologies of 17th/18th century naturalists and contemporary machine learning models (speculativemineralogy.org). Glissmann received a Bachelor of Communication Design from the University of Applied Sciences Duesseldorf and an MFA from the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. He has exhibited his work in group shows at various international venues including Ars Electronica, Miró Foundation Mallorca, Kiasma Helsinki, Palazzo delle Arti Napoli, and the New Media Art Festival Japan. He is currently Assistant Professor at Parsons School of Design New York, School of Art, Media, and Technology. In his presentation Pascal Glissmann will talk about Artificial Life, Electronic Handcraft, Observational Practices, Transdisciplinary Collaboration, Anthropogenic Substances, Machine Learning

21:00 / Deep Listening Michael Reiley McDermott Michael Reiley McDermott is a composer, musician, coder and sound designer. He has created works for video, dance, stage, installation, smartphones, multi-speaker arrays, wind sculptures, wishing wells and sleeping/dreaming. His practice explores the relationship between present moment awareness, deep time and humanity's personal connection through listening. His work integrates a daily practice of meditation, Deep Listening and textured sound worlds through a process he calls “sonic photography”. This process involves site-specific recordings of physical spaces re-imagined using photographic development and collage techniques. His aim is to reframe the everyday world as both a grand statement that stretches out in both directions of time and as an ephemeral instant of precious connection. Michael will be presenting some of his work and talking about the nested rings of meditative states in the swirling expanding sphere of listening consciousness. Also some iPad apps he uses to make music.

22:00 / ARTBOTS Patchlab Digital Art Festival Patchlab Digital Art Festival is an annual event for art based on the latest technologies and new media. We are interested in the creative potential in machines, algorithms, programming and databases. We show works by recognized artists, but also by those from beyond the mainstream. We explore key phenomena in contemporary culture and art, including VR, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, hacking and digital identities. Patchlab is exhibitions, performances and audiovisual concerts, films, workshops with artists and technology specialists, meetings and discussions. The festival has been held in Krakow since 2012. Patchlab is organised by the Photon Foundation. It is part of the AVnode international platform of artists and events, presenting contemporary audiovisual art. It is supported by the Creative Europe European Union program. In an online live presentation Patchlab will be represented by production coordinator Karolina Paluch.