THE 9th ANNUAL CYBERFEST BRINGS PUBLIC ART TO BERLIN

A Production of: CYLAND Media Art Lab (St Petersburg, Russia) in cooperation with THE WYE (Berlin, Germany)

Curated by: Anna Frants

Artwork by: Alexandra Dementieva (RU), Elena Gubanova & Ivan Govorkov (RU), Anna Frants (RU), Marie von Heyl (DE), Gregor Kuschmirz (DE), Gaspar Battha (DE)

With landmark exhibitions drawing crowds of more than 10,000 to international art and technology exhibitions in St. Petersburg, Tokyo, Berlin, and New York City in previous years, the 9th annual CYBERFEST will pioneer a global public art program at three carefully curated venues in Berlin, London and New York.

For 3 weeks in Berlin, CYBERFEST ‘ s inaugural public art program will be presented free of charge at Kino Babylon, Urban Spree, and English Theatre Berlin | International Performing Arts Center offering the public engaging and ongoing access to the very best in New Media. Presenting three accomplished Russian artworks alongside three select Berlin artworks, the CYBERFEST public art program will explore the curatorial theme of “Patterns of the Mind” transnationally and across the very best of art and technology.

THE 9TH ANNUAL CYBERFEST THEME IS “PATTERNS OF THE MIND”

“PATTERNS OF THE MIND” explores the resurgence of the artist’s message across media and the complex new forms that have evolved to complicate the production and perception of art itself.

In 1964, Marshall McLuhan coined the iconic phrase “the medium is the message” to reference the symbiotic relationship that develops between the form an idea takes and the way in which that idea is developed and perceived.

Today, the rapid expansion of digital networks disrupts, dilutes, and confuses the once-concrete category of medium, leaving behind a slippery field in which message finds its own footing absent of any media-specific relationship.

THE VENUE PARTNERS:

KINO BABYLON: Berlin’s historic Kino Babylon was built in 1928 as part of a monumental building complex on Rosa-Luxembourg^ Platz opposite the Volksbuhne in the heart of Mitte. Since 2001, the Babylon has been used primarily as a cinema open to the general public for screenings and art events. Kino Babylon has also played host to the Berlin International Film Festival as well as a myriad of musical, literary and cultural events and performances.

URBAN SPREE: Urban Spree is a 1700 square meter artistic space on the banks of the Spree in Berlin’s Friedrichshain neighborhood dedicated to exhibiting and promoting the very best of urban culture. Home to an exhibition space, artist residencies, workshops, and concerts, Urban Spree is one of Berlin’s preeminent cultural venues.

ENGLISH THEATRE BERLIN | INTERNATIONAL PERFORMING ARTS CENTER: English Theatre Berlin | International Performing Arts Center is Berlin’s premier English language theatre and performance art institution. Featuring international productions and work from Berlin’s independent performing arts community as well as in-house initiatives, English Theatre Berlin | International Performing Arts Center works consciously to promote theatre and performance as living, discursive forms.

ABOUT:

CYBERFEST: Held annually since 2007, CYBERFEST is the first and biggest festival for technologically based art in Russia. Growing over years to become a massive international event, CYBERFEST 2012 rose to include over 80 artists held across St Petersburg’s top institutions: The State Hermitage Museum, Peter and Paul Fortress, KURYOKHIN MODERN ART CENTER, POLIGRAF Art Hall, Borey Gallery, and the Gallery of Experimental Sound. In 2013, Cyberfest set up a headquarters in Berlin and held their festival there – marking the first time this important event is held outside St Petersburg. This significant move was designed to strengthen the cultural exchange between Art and Technology creatives within Russia and their international counterparts.

CYLAND Media Lab: CYLAND is one of Russia ‘ s most active New Media art nonprofit organizations and has headquarters in St Petersburg, Berlin and NYC. CYLAND houses the largest archive of Eastern European video art online, organizes exhibits around the world and is the force behind CYBERFEST (Russia’s largest annual New Media art event.) CYBERFEST has been held across St Petersburg’s top art institutions: The State Hermitage Museum, Peter and Paul Fortress, KURYOKHIN MODERN ART CENTER, Borey Gallery, the Gallery of Experimental Sound and Creative Space Tkachi. CYLAND was cofounded by Marina Koldobskaya and Anna Frants.

THE WYE: THE WYE is an international art and technology hub spanning 2000 m2 of the historic Post building in the heart of Kreuzberg, Berlin. An incubator for local and international innovators, the space serves as a platform to elevate professionalism and exchange between the Art and Tech industries in Berlin. Opened in Fall of 2012, The WYE’s private studios, coworking and large event spaces have hosted cross disciplinary projects including Sound Development City, The Reader Awards, Seedcamp, Goethe Institute Mexico, Hardware Berlin, Kreuzberg Pavillon, Berlin Film Society, Berlin Fashion Week, Retune Festival and Service Design Berlin Conference among many others redefining the culture of innovation in Berlin.