Digital meets Culture

entries are open for ITSLIQUID International Art Exhibition 2019 in Venice

Call for artists: THE BODY LANGUAGE 2019

CALL FOR ARTISTS: THE BODY LANGUAGE

ITSLIQUID International Art Exhibition 2019

Venice, February 21 – March 22, 2019 at the art gallery THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space.

Deadline: January 31st, 2019

The exhibition will be presented during the period of Venice Carnival 2019 and we invite artists to be inspired by the magical power of Venetian costumes, exploring the connection between desires, needs, fears through rituals that brings human kind to change, to transform and to evolve their inner world. THE BODY LANGUAGE analyzes the hidden parts of our identities, through an immersive experience inside the fascinating universe of the complex labyrinths of our consciousness.

ITSLIQUID Group, in collaboration with VENICE EVENTS, is selecting all interesting photos, paintings, video art works, installations/sculptures and performance art works to include in the event.

To take part in the selection, send your works’ submissions with a CV/biography, some still images (for video-art), links of videos/films/performances and pictures of artworks by e-mail to lucacurci@lucacurci.com

Deadline for applications is January 31st, 2019 (11.59 PM of your local time)

More information: https://www.itsliquid.com/call-for-artists-the-body-language-itsliquid-international-art-exhibition-2019.html

publication of REACH, by Prof. Silvana Colella

«Not a mere tangential outbreak»: gender, feminism and cultural heritage

The journal CAPITALE CULTURALE Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage of the Department of Education, Cultural Heritage and Tourism of the University of Macerata, has published the article «Not a mere tangential outbreak»: gender, feminism and cultural heritage by Silvana Colella, Professor of English at the University of Macerata (Italy) and Senior Research Fellow at Coventry University.

Research for this article was carried out under the auspices of Reach project.

This essay focuses mainly on the ongoing academic debate about gender in heritage studies and offers an overview of the critical literature on gender and cultural Heritage focusing in particular on suggestions and recommendations about how to expand and further advance the gender agenda in the heritage field of research.

The article highlights the richness of a debate which, although it occupies a marginal position in the wider fields of heritage and museology, is in no way irrelevant to the challenges faced by heritage institutions.

The work is organized in 2 section:

the first, “Gender and Heritage”, discusses articlesfall into the category of “scholarship on the scholarship”, providing across-the-board assessments of a variety of contributions, and thus can be considered authoritative evaluations of current trends in research.
These articles evaluate the level of knowledge and development achieved in the heritage field, exposing shortcomings and impediments.
the second section, “Feminism and Museum” takes a closer look at the dialogue between feminist theories and museum studies. Feminist scholars and activists, starting from the the 1970s, denounced the patriarchal bias of art history, canonical literature and curatorial practices in museums; these feminist interventions have led the museum studies, since the ’80s, to a self-reflexive process of critical rethinking.

The final part offers a synthesis of gender-aware proposals and methodological models elaborated, and in some cases tested, in the literature under review.

Download the essay here.

Las Vegas, Nevada (US), 1 February - 31 March 2019

New Illuminated Portals in Las Vegas: Backlit Lenticulars by James Stanford

Contemporary artist James Stanford was exhibiting illuminated Las Vegas-inspired montages in a pop-up exhibition in the heart of the Las Vegas Arts District (Soho Lofts, 900 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89101, USA), from February 1 to March 31, 2019

‘Digital painter’ James Stanford is known for his complex photomontages of Las Vegas landmarks and neon signs. Combining traditional photography with innovative digital technology, he layers original photographs to reimagine them as rich digital mosaics. Inspired by the Bauhaus movement, Stanford’s abstract style features bold colours and mesmerising visual networks. Often printed as backlit lenticulars, his illuminated works move with the viewer’s gaze and take on a shimmering life of their own.

Stanford’s works reflect a strong connection to his native Las Vegas, featuring resonating symbols like the Old Tropicana hotel or iconic neon signage. His works often combine image and word in highly symmetrical and amplified patterns, wherein a single piece may contain 30 or more layers.

Stanford is concerned with transformative possibilities and artistic expressions of spirituality. For Stanford, his artistic process is akin to meditation. Drawing on the ancient traditions of Buddhism, he conceives of his montages as “modern mandalas” – maps towards inner zen. As such, Stanford can be said to explore physical environments, such as the enchanting Mojave Desert, in order to unlock psychological landscapes. By transforming reality into imagined realms, his works enact forms of interconnectedness.

Stanford’s exhibition is the second exhibition in a series of popups curated by Laura Henkel of ArtCulture PR at the Soho Lofts in Las Vegas. Stanford was rotating backlit lenticulars that were visible from the street at all hours of the day, but that were particularly impressive in the darker hours of the evening. Works included So Fabrish Old Tropicana (54×54 inches) and Recombo Old Tropicana (54×54 inches).

The exhibition follows on from the success of Stanford’s recent exhibitions, most notably his solo show in Las Vegas and his recent showing at the Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design Fair, the premier gallery art fair dedicated to three-dimensional art and design in Chicago, via Melissa Morgan Fine Art of Coachella Valley in Southern California.

About James Stanford

An international exhibiting artist, James Stanford studied painting at the University of Washington (MFA) and the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) (BFA) and also practices photography, digital illustration and drawing. Dedicated to creativity and the fine arts, he has taught at UNLV and UW, established the Smallworks Gallery/Lost Vegas, and curated exhibitions at various venues, including the Las Vegas Contemporary Arts Center. Stanford also served as the Arts Commission Chairman of the City of Las Vegas and later President of the Las Vegas Contemporary Arts Center. Stanford’s recent exhibition at Asia Art in London and the release of his book, Shimmering Zen, at The London Library, and in Las Vegas, have pushed him to create new and innovative art. Due to the success of Shimmering Zen, he has further broadened the scope Smallworks Press, a small publishing company specializing in books on arts and culture. He currently lives and works in Las Vegas.

Press: please contact Damson Communications: Anna Beketov on +44 (0) 207 812 0645 or anna.beketov @ damsonpr.com.

The Hague, 25th January 2019 h. 9 am

Getting started with JHOVE – digital preservation tool

This half-day workshop will provide participants with an understanding of what JHOVE program does, how to install and configure the software and how to interpret the results.

JHOVE is an open source file format identification, validation and characterisation tool for digital preservation, and part of the OPF reference toolset. It can be used by itself or as part of a digital preservation workflow. It is also embedded in several off-the-shelf digital preservation products.

Goals/learning objectives:

Gain an understanding of the levels of file format validation and why this is important in digital preservation.
Learn how to install and use JHOVE and how to interpret the results. Understand what its capabilities and limitations are.
Find out how to report bugs, request features and contribute to improving JHOVE, benefitting the whole community.

Registration and tickets: http://openpreservation.org/event/getting-started-with-jhove/

25th January 9-13
National Library of the Netherlands
Prins Willem-Alexanderhof 5
2595 The Hague, Netherlands

Early Bird Deadline is Monday 4th February

Edinburgh Short Film Festival 2019 Now Open For Entry!

Edinburgh Short Film Festival 2019 Now Open For Entry!
Featuring the best short films of 2019 at international film festivals, screening 8 nights of short film at cinemas across Edinburgh in 2019

And

Presenting awards and trophies for the best films selected by our jury for Best Film, & Best Animation & Best Scottish Short!

This year, we’re also excited to be programming films and film partnerships with our 2019 partners:

The Adriatic Film Festival
Fastnet Film Festival
Firenze FilmCorti (Florence)
Puppet Animation Scotland
DC Independent Film Festival (Washington)

https://www.edinburghshortfilmfestival.com/call-for-entries-2019/

research field: Enrichment of 3D volumetric objects with Metadata and Semantics in Cultural Heritage

Position open for a researcher at Cyprus University of Technology

Applications are invited from candidates who possess the necessary qualifications in order to fill one (1) full time Marie S. Curie Early Stage Researcher (ESR) Fellow Position in the newly established UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage / Digital Heritage Research Lab of the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT – https://www.digitalheritagelab.eu/) in the research field of Enrichment of 3D volumetric objects with Metadata and Semantics in Cultural Heritage: The selected Marie S. Curie ESR will work for thirty six (36) months within the H2020 Initial Training Network CHANGE Marie S. Curie ITN Project (http://change-itn.eu/), an EU-funded programme bringing together eight (8) leading European Institutions as full beneficiaries and ten (10) other as partners in a transnational network, aiming at implementing a multidisciplinary and intersectorial research and training programme between academic, research and the industrial partners.

Description:

Cultural Heritage (CH) is an integral element of Europe, vital for the creation of a common European identity and one of the greatest assets for steering Europe’s social, economic development and job creation. However, the current research training activities in CH are fragmented and mostly designed as single-discipline, failing to cover the whole lifecycle of Digital Cultural Heritage (DCH) research, which is by nature a multi-disciplinary and intersectorial agenda. The CHANGE project will train a new generation of early stage researchers towards a common goal, namely the assessment of changes in tangible cultural heritage objects and their monitoring in the atmosphere and/or during their conservation treatment, using multimodal imaging techniques to complement more traditional analytical techniques. Their research will consist in optimising capture of data and their analysis, visualisation and management, to ensure a better documentation and long-term preservation of our common European cultural heritage. This work will be carried out within an interdisciplinary environment involving five (5) CH and four (4) ICT beneficiary institutions as well as nine (9) CH, ICT and industrial partners from eight (8) EU countries.

More information and how to apply: PDF, 247 Kb

the festival of lights curated by ADAF is on display until 7th January.

Luminous interactive installations at Stavros Niarchos Park in Athens

Athens Digital Arts Festival (ADAF), undertook the art direction and curated the luminous interactive installations at Stavros Niarchos Park of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, in Athens.

The Stavros Niarchos Park is full of light and sounds, through a series of interactive installations forming a magical winter wonderland.

Explore the Stavros Niarchos Park, walk past or through the installations, discover the light frames, upload your selfies and immerse yourselves in a unique holiday festival of lights, curated by Athens Digital Arts Festival (ADAF).

Moreover, especially for the SNF RUN 2019 FIRST RUN 4k race organized by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Athens Digital Arts Festival (ADAF) has created a unique interactive and participatory installation. Finish Line Digital Canvas will display runners as they cross the finish line in real time, forming a mosaic of human bodies. As participants run to the future, ADAF will bring them even closer by enhancing their experience by imprinting them on a digital canvas that will unite individual efforts into a collective body.

An exclusive grant by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Free Entrance. The installations will be on display until January 7, 2019.

London (UK), 5-6 September 2019

Intelligent Systems Conference (IntelliSys) 2019 – call for papers

Intelligent Systems Conference (IntelliSys) 2019
5-6 September 2019 – London, United Kingdom

We’d like to invite you to submit your papers/posters/demo proposals for the Intelligent Systems Conference (IntelliSys) 2019 to be held from 5-6 September 2019 in London, UK.

IntelliSys 2019 will focus in areas of intelligent systems and artificial intelligence and how it applies to the real world. IntelliSys provides a leading international forum that brings together researchers and practitioners from diverse fields with the purpose of exploring the fundamental roles, interactions as well as practical impacts of Artificial Intelligence. It is part of the conference series started in 2013.

The conference programme will include paper presentations, poster sessions and project demonstrations, along with prominent keynote speakers and industrial workshops. All submitted papers will be reviewed by experts in the field based on the criteria of originality, significance, quality and clarity.

Important Dates:
Paper Submission Due: 15 January 2019
Acceptance Notification : 01 February 2019
Author Registration : 15 February 2019
Camera Ready Submission : 01 March 2019
Conference Dates : 5-6 September 2019

Complete details are available on the conference website : http://saiconference.com/IntelliSys

IntelliSys 2019 proceedings will be published in the Springer series “Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing” and submitted for indexing to ISI Proceedings, EI-Compendex, DBLP, SCOPUS, Google Scholar and Springerlink. The publications within “Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing” are primarily proceedings of important conferences, symposia and congresses. They cover significant recent developments in the field, both of a foundational and applicable character.

developing a framework of visual recognition for algorithm training

A concept workshop for 50s in Europe Kaleidoscope

all photos courtesy Fred Truyen.

One of the technological aspects in the 50s in Europe Kaleidoscope project relates to implement a specific visual matching search tool for photography of the Fifties, that will support user engagement with Europeana content and also provision and matching of personal content.

This means to train an algorithm to browse huge amounts of visual resources and recognise certain, specific, aspects or – in other words – specific concepts relating to the visual imagery and historical context of the Fifties.

Initial thoughts on the main concepts of a ethical, societal, historical, philosophical and psychological nature to inspire discussion drove to the following “meta-themes”:

optimism vs. anxiety
innovation vs. tradition
east vs. west
freedom vs. restriction
liberalism vs. oppression
wealth vs. crisis
growth vs. competition

While the partners are already discussing under the guidance of Coventry University and KU Leuven / Photoconsortium for distilling key concepts applicable to the Fifties, a dedicated workshop was organized in Brussels on 10-11 December for partners to meet and refine the discussion, in sight of finalizing the list of concepts the algorithms will be trained with. The workshop was organized by partners imec and KIK-IRPA and welcomed content providers, photography professionals and amateurs, and photography expert from the project partners and from the Photoconsortium network.

the yearly event International Platform on Integrating Arab e-Infrastructure in a Global Environment was happily concluded

e-AGE18, Amman, Jordan, 2-3 December 2018

Amman – Under the patronage of HE the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research, and chaired by H E Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, the “8th International Platform on Integrating Arab e-Infrastructures in a Global Environment” and the “10th Annual Conference of the Arab Organization for Quality Assurance in Education” concluded their activities on 3 December 2018. Academics, scientists, experts, and representatives of institutions and research and education networks in Europe, America, Africa and Asia.

Video links for the sessions and presentations HERE

PHOTO GALLERY at Dropbox HERE

The meeting was attended by HE Mr. Sami Al-Salaita, Secretary General of the Ministry of Education, HE Dr. Sabri Saidam, Minister of Education and Higher Education in Palestine, HE Dr. Duaa Khalifa, Director of the Department of Education and Scientific Research, League of Arab States, HE Mr. Andrea M. Fontana, the EU Ambassador to Jordan, and Dr. Abdel Rahim Al-Hunaiti, Assistant Secretary General of the Association of Arab Universities

HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman of the Arab States Research and Education Networks and the Arab Organization for Quality Assurance in Education, acknowledged the role of the European Union in co-funding high speed networks in the context of EUMEDCONNECT and AFRICACONNECT projects. These networks have contributed to supporting research and education in the Arab region through interlinkage to the European GEANT research and education network.

A cooperation agreement was signed with the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education for cooperation to launch education for innovation in schools. Other cooperation agreements were also signed with the research and education networks in Morocco and Tunisia to establish high speed links for research and education and linking to ASREN POP in London.

A number of case studies have been presented on the status of national and regional research and education networks and their importance in supporting research communities. The development of a comprehensive Arab regional e-infrastructures is needed to advance research and provide access to computational resources and repositories.

Research and networking priorities have been identified, including the development of services, coordination with regional e-infrastructures, and enhanced research and education cooperation in various areas among Arab countries and regional communities in Europe, the United States, Canada, Latin America, Africa.

Website: http://asrenorg.net/