Seasons of Media Arts 2020
The text »Seasons of Media Arts« in front of a yellow ellipse and a grey rectangle.
from Fri, 11.09.2020 until 2021

Light installations, media projections on building facades and streets, artistic interventions, and experimental events will transform Karlsruhe during the »Seasons of Media Arts« into a stage for innovative, cooperative, and networked media art.

Since September 11, 2020, a variety of media-based artistic projects has been on show in the urban space of Karlsruhe. These projects, accompanied by special programs designed by various institutions and initiatives in Karlsruhe, invite the public to interact and explore our information- and media technology-based reality.  Here, »media« are understood literally as expressive tools that open up artistic access to current issues such as the climate crisis or democracy in the age of social media.

Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, not all of the planned artworks and events curated by ZKM | Karlsruhe and the Kulturamt Karlsruhe and supported by the municipal UNESCO project funding program for media arts could be exhibited during the run of »Seasons of Media Arts«. These include »ACCESS« by Marie Sester, »Saving Water« by PONG.Li Studios, »The Silent Chaos of Colors« by Eva Judkins and Holger Förterer, and »Our City« by Marco Zampella and Alexander Liebrich. The presentation of these works and events will be rescheduled for a later date.

More information on all the artworks of »Seasons of Media Arts«

Seasons of Media Arts as an essential event of the UNESCO City of Media Arts

In October 2019, Karlsruhe was the first and so far only city in Germany to be awarded with the title of »City of Media Arts« by the UNESCO and became member of the international UNESCO Creative Cities Network. As one of the »Cities of Media Arts«, Karlsruhe is now in close contact with other UNESCO media and creative cities worldwide. Being part of this network, Karlsruhe will render the universal artistic expression of media art visible in urban space and thus accessible to a broad public with this year's second »Seasons of Media Arts« festival.

A variety of media art from the center to the periphery

The art works shown at the »Seasons of Media Arts« include video, sound and light installations, a participatory video game, motion-based research, apps, and the incorporation of virtual reality in contemporary dance. The artworks are, in part, the projects selected by an expert jury in the newly instituted UNESCO-Project Funding Program for Media Art established by the City of Karlsruhe, and in part works by internationally renowned media artists selected by the ZKM.

The App UrbanExplorAR

Smartphone on, Browser open, seasons-of-media.art is typed – and suddenly you are surrounded by artworks that are close to your site, and by further information about them.

Map of the artworks

A map indicating the sites of the artworks of the art festival Seasons of Media Arts, which are distributed in the Karlsruhe city area.
Credits
Concept

Peter Weibel and Susanne Asche

Project team ZKM
Jessica Menger (Project coordination)
Jan Gerigk (Technical supervision)
Teresa Retzer (Assistance)
Hanna Jurisch (Assistance)
Silke Sutter (Assistance)

Project team Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Karlsruhe
Susanne Asche (Management)
Anastasia Ziegler
Mathias Reich
Ulrike Settelmeyer
Diana Yasmin Haddad

Jury of the project support program for media art of the UNESCO City of Media Arts Karlsruhe
Susanne Asche, Head of Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Karlsruhe (Chairwoman), Michael Bielicky, Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe (HfG), Anja Casser, Director Badischer Kunstverein Karlsruhe e. V., Christiane Riedel, Executive Director ZKM | Zentrum für Kunst und Medien Karlsruhe and Honorary Professor at Karlshochschule International University Karlsruhe, Martin Wacker, Managing Director, Karlsruhe Marketing and Event GmbH (KME)

Project partner

Organized by

Supported by

Participating Institutions

With the support of