24th European Media Art Festival, 27 April – 1 May 2011
Exhibition 27 April – 29 May 2011

// Japanese Media Art Now!

Our deep sympathy is with Japan, the victims of the earthquakes and tsunami and the atomic threat posed by the damaged nuclear power station in Fukushima. The disastrous situation in the country has affected us badly. After all, the EMAF has been collaborating intensively with artists, universities and cultural institutions in Japan for many years, leading to the establishment of personal contacts and friendships.

To mark the 150th anniversary of German-Japanese friendship, we would like to take the opportunity to present the very diverse range of Japanese Media Art at this year’s EMAF.
We wish to use the festival as a platform to conduct even more intense intercultural dialogue, especially at this extremely difficult time for Japan, to familiarise the general public with the country’s cultural side.
After consultations with the artists and institutions in Japan, it was decided to screen the long-planned country special at this year’s EMAF.

Ryoichi Kurokawa, award-winner of the Prix Ars Electronica 2010, will give his performance “Rheo” at this year’s EMAF. The title refers to the Greek word for ‘flow’ or ‘flowing’, which is why the audio and video shots of real landscapes flow into a graphical analysis.
The EMAF will also present the performance “Braun Tube Jazz Band” by Ei Wada in which old TV sets – Braun tubes – are transformed into musical instruments.
“The Tenth Sentiment” is the title of the installation by the artist Ryoto Kuwakubo, who takes the audience with him on a train journey. A model railway, equipped with a light source, goes on its way, passing all kinds of objects, creating an impressive landscape of shadows in the room.
Norimichi Hirakawa’s “the irreversible” is a video project in which 1024 explosions are played in reverse, creating a game with the time line.
The film programmes will screen not only a variety of short films but also the feature films “Symbol” (director: Hitoshi Matsumoto) and “Branded to Kill” (director: Seijun Suzuki). In addition, the EMAF will present a selection of animation films from the Japan Media Arts Festival (JMAF) in Tokyo.
Lectures at the Congress by the curator Professor Machiko Kusahara from Tokyo and professor and author Yvonne Spielmann round off the country special Japanese Media Art Now.

In addition to the Japanese performances, TRANSIT – European Young Talents Forum will also show four works to be presented by students from Germany and Belgium: video projections, sound installations, dismantled TV sets and glass wind instruments are elements of these live performances.

Another highlight in this area is “Mortals Electric” in which Telcosystems, from the Netherlands, takes us with them on a journey to the frontiers of human perception, with the help of an enormous screen and a gigantic sound system.

All in all, with its workshops, lectures, exhibitions and, above all, its film programmes, this year’s EMAF promises to offer a varied selection of artistic works and projects in the genre of Experimental Media Art.
For more information about the festival or to download the complete programme, visit www.emaf.de.

The last day for online accreditations at www.emaf.de is 15 April 2011.

All the latest information can also be found at facebook, twitter, vimeo and flickr.

//European Media Art Festival

The EMAF in Osnabrück is one of the most important forums of international Media Art, and is an open laboratory for creative and artistic experiments that help shape media and the aesthetics of their content.
As a lively meeting place for artists, curators, lenders, gallery owners and a specialist audience, it has been instrumental in forming the themes and aesthetics of Media Art.

// CONCEPT AND FESTIVAL MANAGEMENT
Hermann Nöring, Alfred Rotert, Ralf Sausmikat.

// SPONSORS
nordmedia - Die Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen mbH
City of Osnabrück
German Federal Ministry of Education and Research
German Federal Foreign Office
Kulturstiftung des Bundes
Kulturstiftung der Länder
Foundation of Lower Saxony
Europa fördert Niedersachsen
European Regional Development Fund
EU/Culture Programme
150 Years of Friendship Germany - Japan
University of Osnabrück
Mondriaan Foundation
Canadian Embassy
Grenswerte, funded by Euregio
Cybob Communications

// MEDIA PARTNERS
arte
le monde diplomatique

// CULTURAL PARTNERS
NDR Kultur

// MORE INFORMATION
Kerstin Kollmeyer
Presse(at)emaf.de

European Media Art Festival
Lohstr. 45a
D-49074 Osnabrück
Tel. +49 (0)541/216 58
Fax +49 (0)541/ 28327