Digital Revolution press release - Barbican

It is the focus of a series of events presented by the Barbican throughout the spring and
summer of 2014 that focuses on artists using digital media. Projects include a new Curve
commission by United Visual Artists, theatre projects Kiss & Cry by Charleroi Danses and Zero
Point by Darren Johnston; Tim & Barry present Just Jam; the Barbican Weekender explores
art and technology and the tenth Wikimania conference is presented in association with the
Centre.
The seven exhibition spaces within the Curve gallery opens by juxtaposing 100 creative
software projects from the 1970s to the present day, shown on their original hardware
platforms. Showcasing work across art, design, music and film the interactive Digital
Archaeology section creates an overview of key creative moments during this period of rapid
change. Pieces range from the classic videogame Pong, the first website by Tim Berners-Lee,
vintage music hardware such as the Linn LM-1 drum machine (used in the production of The
Human League’s Don’t You Want Me) as well as early digital graphics experiments by John
Whitney. It moves into The Games We Play, which focuses on the ways in which we are able
to engage and interact with digital projects, featuring works by artists Cuppetelli and
Mendoza, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Daniel Rozin as well as playable videogames by
Harmonix Music Systems (Rock Band and Dance Central).
We Create explores projects that allow people to become the creators. A highlight of this
section is Chris Milk and Aaron Koblin’s crowd-sourced tribute website, the Johnny Cash
Project, which allows people to contribute a frame to an online filmic tribute to Cash. It also
explores; DIY culture through projects developed using the programmable Raspberry Pi,
Arduino and MaKey MaKey platforms; and online video communities such as Minecraft
(Mojang) and the Kickstarter project Broken Age (Double Fine) where fans are being involved
directly in the game development process.
Creative Spaces examines how digital technology is allowing rapid creative change in film,
contrasting blockbuster Hollywood visual effects with the work of a new generation of
independent film-makers. It explores the innovative visual effects created by Oscar-winning
VFX Supervisor Paul Franklin and his team at Double Negative for Christopher Nolan’s
groundbreaking science fiction film Inception. London’s Double Negative is one of the
world’s leading VFX houses with recent and current projects including Man of Steel, Dark
Knight Rises, Rush, Thor 2, Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Godzilla and Christopher Nolan’s
forthcoming film Interstellar. It also features Oscar-winning visual effects studio Framestore,
with a particular focus on their innovative digital effects and the work of Tim Webber.
Framestore’s recent and upcoming film work includes Gravity, 47 Ronin, The Secret Life of
Walter Mitty and Inside Llewyn Davis. In addition it features the work of young digital filmmakers
such as Kibwe Tavares (Factory Fifteen), who has used his experience as an
architecture graduate to make the innovative short films Robots of Brixton and Jonah. This
section also explores interactive film by artists such as Field's Energy Flow.
Sound and Vision looks at how musicians have experimented with digital technology. Pieces
include a new commission by global music artist and entrepreneur will.i.am which explores
the interface between analogue and digital music in a live gallery experience. will.i.am is wellknown
as a technology advocate and enthusiast. He served as Guest Editor of Wired
Magazine earlier this year, is a founding investor in Beats Electronics, and launched his i.am+
mobile phone accessory company in 2012. Through his i.am.angel foundation, will.i.am
encourages young people to study and engage with STEAM (science, technology,
engineering, arts and mathematics). He also supports The Prince’s Trust by funding
programmes designed to help young people build computer skills. The section also features
Arcade Fire's interactive video Wilderness Downtown; Amon Tobin's Isam stage set which
comes alive with digital projection; and a series of app-based projects in which artists have
worked to visualise music, including the app REWORK_ (Philip Glass Remixed) by Scott Snibbe
Studio.
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