About IF'11: Animal Influence

Interactive Futures (IF) is a forum for showing current tendencies in new media art as well as a conference for exploring ideas and research related to technology and art. IF supports a conference, keynote addresses, presentations, exhibitions, and performances.

Interactive Futures (IF) 2011, November 17-19, presents the theme “Animal Influence” by spotlighting the work of media artists whose work has been influenced by the growing wealth of knowledge on animal behavior, cognition, creativity and consciousness emerging from such fields as ecology, cognitive ethology, psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, philosophy, zoology, and others. These research areas have focused on new understandings of animal life and are helping to shift assumed conventions concerning animal cognition, consciousness, and agency. While the change in human attitudes towards animals has been documented in news media as well as in more academic venues, the idea that animals might possess emotional, moral, cognitive lives is an idea that has been, in the past, either dismissed or associated with metaphorical or symbolic approaches.

Our particular interest is in how investigations in animal-human relations are affecting the ways in which new media artists are considering broader understandings of other species and creating varying methodologies for experimental art and new media appropriate for these unique circumstances.

IF’11: Animal Influence offers a workshop, exhibitions, performances, screenings and international promotional activity and an international publication with the journal Antennae: Journal of Nature in Visual Culture for audiences including policy-makers, business leaders, community leaders, educators, and members of the media, as well as academics and artists in various fields and interested members of the public.

schedule

THURSDAY, NOV 17
Location: Mocap Studio, Intersections Digital Studio, Emily Carr University
5 pm Meet and Greet, Snacks

Location: Gallery, Emily Carr University
6 pm Exhibition Opening

Location: Gallery Gachet
8 pm Exhibition Opening

FRIDAY, NOV 18
Location: Mocap studio, Intersections Digital Studio, Emily Carr University
8.30 am Coffee and Welcome by Maria Lantin, Julie Andreyev and Carol Gigliotti

Agency
(all times include presentation and discussion)
9-10 am Keynote 1 – Marc Bekoff
10-10.30 am Ecoarttech
10.30-11 am Joanne Bristol
11-11.30 am Julie Andreyev
11.30-12 am Audience discussion
Lunch
1.15-1.45 pm Kelty Miyoshi McKinnon
1.45-2.15 pm Beth Carruthers
2.15-2.45 pm Sam Easterson
2.45-3.15 pm Audience discussion
Break
3:30-4:00 Gay Bradshaw
4:00-4:30 Giovanni Aloi
4:30-5:00 Iain Gardner
5:00-5:30 Marc Bekoff leads wrap-up discussion.
Dinner
7:30-9:00 Screenings

SATURDAY, NOV 19
Location: Mocap studio, Intersections Digital Studio, Emily Carr University
8:30-9:00 Coffee and announcements

Perception
(all times include presentation and discussion)
9-10 am Keynote 2 – Lisa Jevbratt
10-10.30 am Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir & Mark Wilson
10.30-11 am RoseMarie McGoldrick
11-11.30 am Merritt Johnson
11.30-12 am Audience Discussion
Lunch
1.15-1.45 pm Rikke Hansen
1.45-2.15 pm Chris Jones
2.15-2.45 pm Leesa Fawcett
2.45–3.15 pm Audience Discussion
Break

Consciousness/Compassion
3.30-4 pm Rajdeep Gill
4-4.30 pm Jodey Castriacno
4.30-5 pm Carol Gigliotti
5-5.30 pm Lisa Jevbratt leads the day’s wrap discussion
Dinner
7.30-9 pm Performances