V2_, Lab for the Unstable Media

Now in residency at V2_: Nabil Aniss , a Moroccan artist based in Brussels, is working with moving images. During the residency at V2_, his research focuses on the impacts of technology. Viewing technology as a political institution that affects and harms diasporic bodies, he incorporates North African ontologies, particularly the Gnawa Brotherhood in Morocco. This group is known for its rich traditions and offers a unique perspective on the concept of the virtual. Aniss is exploring the transition to a transindividual state in virtual reality and the suffering it entails, aiming to create moving images that reflect this transformation. More info on our website! https://lnkd.in/eHJaBSbb

V2_, Lab for the Unstable Media officially launched the publication Destructive Circuits. A book about the appropriation of everyday technologies in the construction of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), based on Dani Ploeger’s research at V2_Lab for the Unstable Media. Over the past four years, artist and V2_ Fellow Dani Ploeger has examined the design and construction of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) with reappropriated and hacked everyday digital technologies. The research combined archival investigation, critical inquiry and practice-based artistic exploration to gain new perspectives on the ways the development of these devices is intertwined with globalized techno-consumerism and media politics. The four year research is captured in this publication Destructive Circuits, A Machine Archaeology of Improvised Explosive Devices which includes essays, many photos, an interview with Dani Ploeger and work descriptions.

Both the Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie and the Gemeente Rotterdam have again expressed their confidence in V2_ and given a positive advice for our plans for 2025-2028. This means we are able to continue developing experiments at the intersection of art, technology and society, supporting makers and organizing exciting events. Intersectional Technology will be the overarching theme that connects our activities. The City of Rotterdam is positive about our plans, and, for example, the ways in which we seek connection in the city. A quote from their advice: "V2_ makes Rotterdam into a national and international breeding ground for experimental media and digital innovation." The committee of the Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie sees V2_ as a leading institute in national and international context, rates the artistic content of our proposal as good, and thinks the theme Intersectional Technology is interesting and relevant. It writes that V2_, like the other institutions that continue to be funded, manage to constantly innovate and thus maintain urgency. We cannot but be very pleased with those words and the continued confidence in our program. With the support from the Stimuleringsfonds and the city of Rotterdam we will make room for experimentation, formulate new ideas on technologies, give artists, designers and makers opportunities to develop new work, and we will be able to open our Groundfloor often for exhibitions, workshops, lectures, try-outs, discussions, and other events where publics and makers can meet. We're looking forward to it!

Last week, the Master students from the Lens-Based Media programme at the Master Education in Arts Piet Zwart Institute presented their graduation exhibition, 'Currently, Currently, Currently,' at V2_ and WORM Rotterdam. We congratulate all the students for their hard work and thank everyone who visited and supported the exhibition! Photo's of the opening event made by Sandra Zegarra Patow

Next Wednesday, June 26, we welcome you to join our conversation about XR during the XR matinee at LantarenVenster. Together with Realities In Transition, we’ve invited Natasha Greenhalgh, Christopher Salter, Mihael Giba and Alexandra GERARD as speakers. The rise of extended reality (XR) technologies, which combine virtual, augmented, and mixed reality, is changing how we experience digital content. XR's impact is clear in education, healthcare, industry, and culture, blending data with the physical environment. While XR offers opportunities for creatives and artists in content creation and storytelling, it also raises issues such as sustainability, ethics, data privacy, and unequal access to technology. More info at: https://lnkd.in/eB-p2W4A

We are thrilled to announce that Natalie Paneng was selected for the Studio Quantum residency at V2_! Natalie Paneng, a Johannesburg-based new media artist, uses installation and digital magic to create surreal narratives. With a BA Honours in Dramatic Arts and recent awards, including the Special Jury Prize for Creative Technology at the 2023 International Documentary Festival Amsterdam, she combines digital skills and theatre to explore alternative black womanhood. Natalie invites you into her dreams and digital mind through her art. We’re looking forward to this project and can’t wait to share more! This residency is a collaboration between Goethe-Institut e.V. Goethe Institut Indien and Studio Quantum. More info: https://lnkd.in/ewkCm2y9

This week, we have the students from Leiden University’s Media Technology MSc with us. They are busy setting up their exhibition 'LIVING,' where they communicate their own science-inspired statements as experiences. This year’s theme is "LIVING." Come by on Thursday from 17:00 for the opening, or visit during the weekend. The exhibition will be open on June 14, 15, and 16. More info: https://lnkd.in/gSxRRdX2