Like MUTEK a few months before it, The Gray Area Festival pushed the boundaries of visual art & music through technology. It felt progressive in style and message.
The most memorable panel was ZERO1’s, which brought together a handful of the top projects – and their creators – from its international artist incubator. Particularly memorable was Rashana Bajracharya with an immersive experience to help women explore their bodies and get a better understanding of common health issues like yeast infections. Rashana comes from Nepal, where the lack of education around women’s health is even (much) more problematic than in The States. It’s compelling to see how art can help break through the stigmas behind women (and men)’s health.
I have yet to find her work with ZERO1 online, but here is something she made with the WCA out of Hong Kong. It’s just as inspiring as her talk at Gray Area.
inferno
Inferno was an exhibit I wanted to participate in but filled up too quickly, understandably. Admittedly, I thought that the lights coming from the exoskeletons were fire, but I quickly realized I was wrong. Still, I wanted to be a part of this immersive art, which was a clever way to reinterpret a dystopian future of machines taking over. Over literal movements in this case.
What a surreal way to feel that. Although I’m sure it was annoying after a few minutes, especially with the audio accompaniment, which was on point with the vibe.
