Faceless
From january 26 till april 23 the exhibition Faceless is on show. This exhibition investigates the trend to hide or manipulate the face. This trend originates in the beginning of this era in the arts, fashion and media. From Avantgarde masks to artworks that force a dialogue about face recognition software, surveilling cameras and drones. An exhibition about seduction, privacy and surveillance. With more dan 100 artworks, workshops about anonymity as a form of resistance, talks and more.
On February 22, February 26 and March 22 Mediamatic organizes an evening to be seen and at the same time not be seen . During the opening of the exhibition Faceless anonymity was encouraged: you could only get in with your most beautiful mask. Dance hall punk pioneer F€RAL i$ KINK¥ performed with extraordinary masks. Dennis Vanderbroeck disappeared in his inflatable backpack and you could order a drink in the Poesie Bar.
Participants of the workshop cryptography by Stefan Heckenberger. This was one of the five workshops given during the Stalkfest and was part of the Faceless exhibition.
Myco Design Lab
In 2012 Mediamatic started het Paddestoelen Paradijs and we explore the world of mushrooms, fungi, bacteria ever since. Through an open call we invited artists and designers to participate in the Myco Design Lab, a project developed in collaboration with professor Han Wösten of the laboratory at the University of Utrecht and Officina Corpuscoli. On april 9 the Myco design Lab is opened with an extensive workshop, in which open call participants are given their first instructions to work with mycelium. The workshop takes place in the Mediamatic cleanroom with the team of Marizio Montalti from the University of Utrecht.
Biotalk
The Biotalk is a monthly talk with the leading figures in the field of Bio Art, Science and Design. What are the possibilities of using the human body as a everyday material? To what extent can we enhance our organs? And how will we react on these changes? On april 9 the first Biotalk discusses a bulletproof skin and growing mycelium lamps.
Lightness
We run out of everything, we are in a crisis, we are aging. During times in which everyone worries about the heaviness of life, lightness offers a way out. Lightness is not needing anything, seeing beauty in scarcity: it's happiness. Eleven weeks of Lightness from April 28 till July 13 with 11 exhibitions, 6 dance performances, workshops, parties and excursions.
As part of Lightness Nienke Sybrandy blows soap bubbles every day. The soap bubble lab focuses on a different soap bubble each day. Create your own soap bubbles. Big, small, coloured. And blow them through the Mediamatic factory. The whole week.
In the fourth week of Lightness we didn't eat for a week. One of the participants was Asia Komarova. The Starvation experiment was organised by Arne Hendriks. People starve themselves for different reasons: political activism, religion, weight loss, eating disorders, research or just curiosity. During this week Arne Hendriks invites you to fast with him, whatever your reasons may be.
The Junior Company is a collective of young dance talents of the Dutch National Ballet. During 'Dance Laboratory ' 4 different choreographers are invited to create a unique piece a day, inspired by the theme of Lightness. During the day the open rehearsals give an insight in the creative process of choreographers. In the evening you see their creations coming to live in the final performance.
From July 8 till July 13 Pret Park is on show. Pret Park investigates the possibilities en impossibilities of the artistic spectacle. Pret Park focuses directly on the cultural sector in which entertainment and sensationalism are becoming more and more mandatory. The program consists of workshops, presentations, performances, a screening and a public debate. Artists are invited to create attractions instead of installations, in which the spectator is not only a passive spectator but becomes part of the spectacle itself.
Pretpark exhibition space - Image of the pretpark exhibition
For week 10 of Lightness, Cyntia Hathaway from the Australian Pip & Pop shows her magical work with sugar. The lightness of Candylab investigates the blissfull effects of sugar through a live production of a sugary landscape, built by Pip & Pop.
Candy Lab - Sugar finissage - Disassembling I -
Drone Camping
In the second week of Lightness Rob Sweere presents a couple of projects, in which you can float on water, on air and even on sound waves. From july 9 till August 31 you can experience his work again at Drone Camping , this time in combination with Sarah van Sonsbeeck's Anti Drone Tent and Jimmy Cauty's wonderful mega installation Aftermath. We fly in the almost windless exhibitions space. An example is Silent City, made out of big bouncy inflatables. The smaller sculptures of the project Instamatic invite to be grabbed and taken pictures with. The gigantic Drone 2.0 lets you float on sound waves. Drones and their pilots - Drone Pilots and their devices flying around at Drone Camping
The Aftermath Dislocation Principle
Enter the bizarre, twisted world of musician, record producer, artist and cultural provocateur, Jimmy Cauty. The Aftermath Dislocation Principle is a vast 1:87 scale model landscape, which is desolated, deserted, destroyed, burnt and devoid of life apart from 5000 or so model police that attend this apocalyptic aftermath. With this dark, humoristic and at the same time unnerving dystopian world, Cauty expresses his fascination with subversion, consumerism and entertainment.
Bio-me
From September 18 till September 20 Bio-me takes place: 3 days of stories, masterclasses, tastings and presentations about everything that is designed using living organisms. For example, how you can cultivate the Oyster Mushroom at home.
During Fermentology! Eat At Your Own Risk on september 20 you can not only taste, but also learn, experience and see a lot. Magic Mushrooms substrates are being cultivated, Chef Thor prepares a fermentology lunch, learn to make traditional sauerkraut and sourdough bread, and listen to presentations by different participants and brewers.
Sauerkraut for Fermentology! Eat at your own risk - 1st edition of Fermentology! market
Is it possible to 3D print living organisms? Together with researcher Eric Klarenbeek we investigate the possibilities to print living materials, organic substrates and mycelium.
Is het mogelijk om met levende organismen 3D te printen? Samen met ontwerper Eric Klarenbeek onderzoeken we de mogelijkheden voor het printen met levende materialen, organische substraten en mycelium. You can also follow a Build your own 3D printer workshop.
Eric Klarenbeek with growing mushrooms! -
Kunstformen Der Natur
Since the first publication of Kunstformen Der Natur, in the beginning of the 20 century, the beautiful illustrations by Ernst Haeckel are an continuous inspiration for designers, artists, architects, illustrators and biologists. Why are these illustrations so special? Why are they up to the present day relevant and influential in the arts and sciences?
Viewing Kunstformen Der Natur - Enlarged prints of lithographs by Ernst Haeckel.
The exhibition with immense illustrations by Ernst Haeckel, aquarells by H.P.Berlage, Radiolaria lightning by Bernotat&Co, and lightobjects by Rudy Guedj, Martin Huger, Olya Troitskaya and Sophie Rogg show a rich organic world, filled with absurd and fascinating organisms.
During the last day of the exhibition Constance Sommerey and Koen Beumer discuss Haeckel, evolution and human-animal hybrids in Kunstformen Finissage. After the discussions it was time to literally take down the exhibition. Together with visitors we took the posters of the wall and brought them over to our homes.
We silkscreened three designs by Haeckel on t-shirts, still on sale.
Kunstformen Der Natur t-shirts - 2014 The Mediamatic Team dressed in Kunstformen Der Natur
