The 22nd edition of this annual festival is titled ‘DATA RUSH’. The same-named main exhibition shows new and existing work of almost fifty internationally renowned photographers and multimedia artists, about the digital world in which we are immersed. Privacy, freedom and control are key concepts.
‘PULSE’ is the second largest international group exhibition. Sixteen classic projects - poetical responses from the photographers to the world around them - will be presented directly opposite the modern work featured in the main exhibition.
Curator Wim Melis: “This year we opted for a topical and at the same time complex and challenging theme. The data traffic, and with it the entire virtual society, is invisible to the naked eye. How do you photograph something that is barely photographable? The work shown during DATA RUSH reveals surprising points of view on this theme. This year, for the first time, we are showing 3D installations and there is plenty of multimedia work to see.”
A number of sideline exhibitions can be visited in and around the former Sugar Factory, including Fearless Genius by Doug Menuez about the early years of Silicon Valley, the cradle of the Internet. In addition, symposia, lectures and film presentations will be organised. Details will be announced shortly.
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About 'DATA RUSH'
We live immersed in data and are no longer able to do without the Internet. What does that do with our freedoms and lack of freedoms? DATA RUSH shows the influence of data on our everyday life and examines the tension between freedom and control in a virtual world. A world of sterile data centres and fibre optic cables deep underground. From governments, hackers, and multinationals who have access to everything we share via the Internet, whether appropriate or inappropriate.
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Photo: Mintio, T.H.O.H.Y. (The Hall of Hyperdelic Youths), 2010
