BIOMOD Workshop and Instalation, KIBLIX 2010

Workshopology, KIBLIX 2011


Lectures, KIBLIX 2011

Robots&Avatars Exhibition, KIBLIX 2012

Workshopology, Robots&Avatars, KIBLIX 2012

»KIBLIX – CELEBRATE TOMORROW! The history of KIBLIX Art Science Technology Festival«.
Dejan Pestonik

From the cabinet of curiosity to days of wonder, for the last 200 years, public appreciation of knowing and understanding art, technology and science has transformed from a closed circle to an open field. The experience of participating hands-on enhances the experience of sharing while doing – a priceless ideology stepping forward into practice.

Since 2002 Association for Culture and Education (ACE) KIBLA, Maribor, Slovenia is gradually transforming the international, technically oriented open code event platform KIBLIX into a domain of celebration of art & science & technology, into open happening oriented new concepts of education, presentation and exhibition.

It all began as a business "get-together" festival, addressing representatives from Mobile & Internet & IT industries, discussing new technologies, especially UMTS and the latest applications in this area, latest solutions of safe electronic business and safe use of Internet. The main stress was on promoting/using Open Source tools and applications and Operating systems Linux.

During past 12 years period KIBLIX went trough it's transformation phases from business event to cultural performance and  happening as a lab with the strong focus on education, hands-on creation, collaboration and sharing of knowledge. The educational program was always addressing, on one side, emerging artists to participate in professional / advanced workshops and exhibiting the outputs during the festival event, and on the other side reach outs to the public, especially youngsters and children with various mini-workshops on creative and playful technology&art workshops designed as edutainment modules addressed as workshopology spaces.  

WASTE – Technology Minus (2010), Share is in the air (2011), SOFT CONTROL - Art Science and Technological unconscious (2012) ROBOTS & AVATARS - our colleagues and playmates of the future (2012), When Worlds Collide (2013) are just few latest editions which represented wide open transdisciplinary concepts. As a tribute to Maribor European Capital of Culture 2012 we conceived an extended version of KIBLIX, which included two programme units with a rich accompanying program: the first called »Robots and Avatars« and second »Soft Control«. With those two concepts we addressed two different aspects: the impact of science and technology on the social life of the individual, and an in-depth research into the secrets of science, which holds the key to our future. Both came up with numerous solutions to bridge the powerlessness of the individual in contemporary society. During three months with three large scale exhibitions, international conference and symposium, more than 40 workshops, etc., and more than 100 collaborating artists and experts from all over the globe, it represented one of the key event of it's kind in the region.   

Followed by 2013 edition, associated with International »Festival of Computer Arts« (MFRU), entitled When Worlds Collide, coding and contemporary interdisciplinary forms of artistic conceptions were intertwined inside complex junctions of different worlds and approaches, in the tension between the natural and the bio-technological, the virtual and the hybrid, the fake and the genuine principle, which – in an abundance of dialogues, contradictions and junctions – became visible in the form of artistic installations, digital records of process works, performances, lectures, presentations, workshops and audio-visual events.

Featuring exhibitions, ambient installations, live performances and a workshops as well as discussions, round tables, fashion shows, parties and particularly, establishing cooperation and integration of new media and open code platforms, KIBLIX constantly seeks to lay the foundations for advanced cultural & social concepts. Abandoning the exhibition spaces in it's classical format KIBLIX offers active participation to individuals, transforming them from passive visitors into active participants. As such it is a unique show, offering to the public numerous new perspectives, which are important for the development of the individual and the society; asking questions, providing answers, provoking and motivating.
 
According to the statistics since 2005, Slovenia, considering the number of population two million, is on top of the European scale in the field of interdisciplinarity. There is a stand developing in the wider Slovenian space, mostly on behalf of university professors, researchers, students – i.e. the educational structures, scientists and and IT experts in connection to those artistic segments that are interested in the issues of understanding the present and development of the future. We hope, thanks to more than 400 artists and experts, institutions and companies from all over the world co-creating KIBLIX, that we contributed to this fact.   

KIBLIX was always aimed and still is to be advanced structural platform in which artists who are hungry to know what researchers are doing and thinking, and researchers, eager to know of artistic experimentation come together to explore, discuss and share their ideas.

It will go on as a global happening where nationality, race, sexual orientation, age and political beliefs are of no significance. What matters is the awareness that joining forces and collaborating is a global model of the future and an undeniable asset to local co-existence. Co-dependence is much more pleasant once we realize that together we form a whole. 

Welcome to the KIBLIX show 2014!

Instalation, Vicky Isley and Paul Smith, Soft Control,
KIBLIX 2012

Instalation, Marina Abramovič, Soft Control, KIBLIX 2012

Performance,L P Demers, Soft Control, KIBLIX 2012

Instalation, Polna Tratnik,Soft Control, KIBLIX 2012

Workshopology, DNK, Soft Control, KIBLIX 2012

Inauguration exhibition, MRFU-KIBLIX 2013

Public Performances, MRFU-KIBLIX 2013

Workshopology, MRFU-KIBLIX 2013

MRFU-KIBLIX 2013

Photo credits: Boštjan Lah, Matej Kristovi?, Milivoj Kuhar, archives ACE KIBLA, all rights reserved

Dejan Pestotnik - is Multimedia producer, Vice president of Multimedia Center KIBLA (Maribor, Slovenia). As a manager he is working on EU projects (IST, FP6, FP7, EU Culture, EU Structural Founds,…). With his work, he is managing promotion of contemporary art production, focused on multimedia and intermedia art on international level (contemporary art exhibitions, presentations, strategic communications, fundraising, sponsorships) and connecting culture with business sector. He is author of Marketing, strategic communication and promotion document for Maribor candidacy for European Capital of Culture 2012 under KIBLA production. Maribor was selected for this title in a competition of four Slovenian cities. Also author of several articles about cultural management and new media art production in national and international media. more

MRFU-KIBLIX Festival 2013. (Photo: Bostjan Lah).

Kathy High, »The Blood Wars«, (Photos: Stella Veciana)

Karl Heinz Jeron, »Love of Things« (Photo: Stella Veciana)

Dan Norton and Stella Veciana, »Revaluing Memory installation«, (Photo: Bostjan Lah).

Nataša Berk, »neagushi«, (Photos: Stella Veciana)

Panel moderated by Tanja Grosman, MRFU-KIBLIX Festival 2013, (Photo: Stella Veciana)

»Reflections on MFRU-KIBLIX 2013 Cooperation«.
Tanja Grosman.

The task how to go beyond the complexity of questions raised at Kiblix 2012 in the year of the European Capital Of Culture Maribor 2012 was not easy. It was not just a question of money – namely the budget for 2013 was smaller than the year before  – but also regarding the wide spectrum of artists and lecturers from all over the world, that succeed in merging the ideas of art, science and technological unconscious.

»Technological unconscious encompasses mythological imagination, apocalyptic visions and utopian dreams are led through languages and ideas of our modern post-biological society that are capable of altering and reconfiguring  the boundaries of our reality and our very dreams« - this was the paradigm of Kiblix 2012 curated by artist, researcher and art theorist Dmitry Bulatov.

Kiblix 2012 program was sort of »once in a lifetime« prominent and rich. Aleksandra Kostič, head of MMC KIBLA (Multimedia Cultural Centre K(C)IBernetic Laboratory) and art director of »Kiblix 2012 – Soft Control: Art, Science, Technological Unconscious« had really tough task solving the Kiblix 2013 festival scale. How to go beyond? How to represent relevant up-to-date content raising awareness, informing, educating, developing non-formal conceptions as “Workshopology” - but in a strictly open coded way? The solution was to cooperate joining forces (and money) with the MRFU (engl.: International Festival of Computor Arts IFCA). While respecting the autonomy of each partner, it was followed the common goal to provide a high quality event.

Aleksandra Kostič is not only a very keen observer but she also understands and lives the paradigm of the future in the 21st century. As Nina Hagen said in the eighties »Future is now«. She invited the co-curators Maja Smrekar, Robertina Šebjanič, Ida Hiršenfelder and Saša Špacal to rethink the acupunctural points of our collective conscious.

Their collective reasoning raised questions as how to transcend the nature-culture dualism with the aim to widen the view that deconstructs some of the norms related to the participatory understanding of various life forms. They placed issues evoking a reflection on the interdisciplinary possibilities for the (co)existence of bios and techne, for the perception of nature as an interdisciplinary field of biological, cultural and social phenomena.

They wished to have incorporated works like Ken Feingold's »Hell« or Sputniko!'s »Nanohana Heels - Healing Fukishima« that could probably reveal more questions and answers in its contexts whether they would be part of biophobic paradigm »un_Natural«.

Aleksandra Kostič wrote in her festival preview that with the IFCA (International Festival of Computor Arts) - KIBLIX 2013 edition, entitled When Worlds Collide, »coding and contemporary interdisciplinary forms of artistic conceptions are intertwined inside complex junctions of different worlds and approaches, in the tension between the natural and the bio-technological, the virtual and the hybrid, the fake and the genuine principle, which – in an abundance of dialogs, contradictions and junctions – becomes visible in the form of artistic installations, digital records of process works, performances, lectures, presentations, workshops and audio-visual events«.

One example for this artistic praxises is prominent artist Kathy High. She participated with »The Blood Wars« installationthat explores biological reactions in the form of a real tournament between different individuals’ white blood cells. Festivals usually make those rare opportunities to get acquainted with some peculiarities that artists might share during non-formal conversation. So some of us were privileged to learn that sometimes, but very rarely, two types of blood don't fight - they apparently fall in love. So Kathy High said – and yes, the scientists in the laboratory were surprised, too.

Some works came out of apparently nothing. That kind of pleasant surprise was the installation of Karl Heinz Jeron »Love of Things« made of objects found in the proximity of the gallery. It was an interesting coincidence that only a partition wall separated it from the installation »Revaluing memory« that incorporated objects that had been brought by participants of the eponymous workshop led by Stella Veciana and Dan Norton. It took place before the official opening of the festival. During the one-day event, artists and scientist gathered to share their knowledge and develop their skills and resources to collaborate with each other and create a joint sustainable art network.

Artist Nataša Berk was one of the workshop participants but also festival performer. She stated that workshop inspired her include in her performance »neagushi« with the following quite provocative grafitti »I went to art school and all I got was that facqueen attitude.

The high point of the festival was a fruitful mixture of art works, workshops, lectures, performances and concerts. Their juxtaposition created a feeling for the spirit regarding how to deal with the world we live in: by widening introspection and overview, by including interaction with various target audiences and by encouraging an active collaboration of everyone, from alumni, students to professionals with long-year experience. The challenging task was successfully put into scene through a constructive exchange between culture and science. The presentation intertwined the cultural models of critical thinking, activism and experimentation with scientific methods, research and knowledge.

More creative exchanges took place, as between Oscar Martin and Cedrik Fermont who were resident artists in Kibla for one month. Different in their approach to life, but both sharing a mutual lust for art experimentation, shared a living space during the residency. They managed to find their way of symbiosis and were at the end of the month quite inseparable as if following the slogan »When the Worlds Collide« that Aleksandra Kostič described at the end of her festival's clairvoyant introduction Mundus Vade Intro: »This creative, multi-layered form of collaborations within the festival as such, has been named in the words of Dragan Klajič as ‘the art of partnership’«.

The experience of being an active part of the coordination of the festival was a real privilege for me. While organizing the workshops and moderating the »Workshopology« panel discussions I met people and ideas that still broaden my horizons, beliefs, senses and understanding of the 21st century world(s).

Tanja Grosman - studied Fine Arts Education at the Faculty of Education of the University of Maribor (2010) and Textile and Fashion Design at the Textile Faculty of the University of Ljubljana (1985).
She worked as a theatre costume and set designer (1985-2001), teacher at primary and secondary schools (2002-2012), workshop coordinator at MMC KIBLA Maribor at Soft Control Kiblix 2012 and 2013 and curated the EU-PA conference
»How to Transform Degraded Urban Space« (May 2013).