Ars Techne Lab

Dear friends,

We extend a warm invitation to join us for the finissage of the “Armenian Futurisms” poster exhibition tonight at 19:30 at .akumb (Zarobyan 12). This exhibition goes beyond conventional artistic expression; it is a profound exploration into the realms of imagination and community.

Emerging from a workshop immersed in Diasporan Armenian, African, and Indigenous futurisms—cultural movements envisioning emancipatory futures for historically oppressed and marginalized communities—this initiative brought together artists through an open call. Together, they embarked on a journey to conceptualize a livable future amid the complexities of political, social, and cultural landscapes. This workshop was not merely an artistic endeavor but a significant exercise in liberating the imagination from the constraints of the present, fostering a temporary yet impactful community bond.

The exhibited posters, each uniquely interpreted and styled, provide insights into the diverse thought processes of the artists. While diverging from conventional artistic norms, each artwork stands as a sincere representation of both individual and collective journeys. Together, these pieces contribute to a nuanced conversation about our shared future.

This exhibition celebrates the creative process, emphasizing the profound value in collectively contemplating a livable future—a pursuit as enlightening as it is challenging. We extend an open invitation to engage deeply with the arts and subsistence, nurturing a shared vision and a sense of community.

Participants

Astine Sargsyan
Carine Aroyan
Darya Chirkova
Lin Kira
Mariam Muradyan
Narek Buniatyan
Spartak Shahbazyan
Tigran Grigoryan
Varduhi Sultanyan

Our heartfelt gratitude goes to the SDC regional “Arts and Culture Project in the South Caucasus” and the Swiss Cooperation Office, Embassy of Switzerland in Armenia , for their invaluable support in bringing this visionary project to life.

🔬📚 Announcement Time! 🎨🌐

Hello, Ars Techne Lab community!

We are excited to share a new milestone in our journey. Currently, our dedicated team is diligently working on Ars Techne Lab's inaugural small-scale research-based exhibition project.

This initiative is a harmonious blend of critical design and speculative fabulation, with the purpose of enriching our understanding of the futures we want to inhabit. While we're eager to divulge all the details, for now, the specifics of the project remain under wraps.

As we progress, we'll be sharing more updates, so stay tuned.

Thank you for being a part of this journey and for your continuous support!

Introducing an esteemed board member, Professor Ryszard Kluszczynski, the Head of the Electronic Media Department at Lodz University, and a recognized authority in cultural and media studies. His scholarly contributions include influential works such as "Information Society. Cyberculture. Multimedia Arts" (2001), and "Film–Video –Multimedia: Art of the Moving Picture in the Era of Electronics" (1999).

Professor Kluszczynski dives into the depths of new media arts and cyberculture, experimental cinema and video art, and modern art theory with his research. He also explores the complex intersection of art, science, technology, and politics.

Currently, he is the Artistic Director of the prestigious Art and Science Meeting Program at the Center for Contemporary Art in Gdansk. Let's extend a warm welcome to Prof. Kluszczynski!

🔥We're excited to continue our "Meet the Board Members" series! 🎉Today, we're spotlighting the absolutely phenomenal Nicole Sabella! 🌟 Rooted in Vienna and the limitless digital universe, Nicole masterfully fuses art, cultural science, and art education in her breathtaking creations.🎨🔬🏫

✨She elegantly employs performative strategies deeply steeped in q***r feminist ideologies and cooperative methodologies. Nicole's work dives headfirst into the swirling vortex of sociopolitical connections that exist between body, language, voice, sound, and space. 🌀💖

🎭 These elements converge in a cosmic dance, forming ever-evolving constellations she lovingly terms “choreo:spheres”. Fuelled by rhythm 🥁, humor 😂, and the captivating beauty of the 'glitch' or failure, she sculpts phygital performative sound installations, showcasing technology as both ally and adversary. 🎧💻

🎓 Nicole's academic journey is as rich as a baroque painting, studying Art History, Czech studies, and Middle and Eastern European History at University of Regensburg (Germany) and Masaryk University Brno (Czech Republic). She received her Master's crown in Fine Arts from the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna (Austria) in 2016. 🏛️ From 2018 to 2020, she illuminated Art University Linz (Austria) as a University assistant and performance art lecturer. 💡🏫

🖼️Her latest masterpiece, the TENTECHULAR DIS:PLEASURES series, was spotlighted in solo exhibitions at Mz*Baltazar’s Lab, Vienna, and Periscope, Salzburg in 2021. 🌟 Her works have graced stages worldwide, from HART Hong Kong 🏯 to Battersea Arts Centre in London 🏙️, Prague Quadrennial 🌍, Impuls Tanz Festival in Vienna 💃, New Synagogue in Zilina, and even on the airwaves! 📻

🌐 Nicole’s art serves as a harmonious symphony of visual, performance, and sound art, intertwined with cultural science and art education. She champions co-creation, inviting others to join her in workshops and contribute to the final artistic vision. 👥 The TENTECHULAR DIS:PLEASURES series, closely connected to her alter ego SirenX, perfectly exemplifies this approach. 🎭

🌱Her mission is to nurture a deep, empathetic understanding among us and our shared environment, especially in the face of global crises related to social injustices, digitalization, and climate change. 🌍💔

📡Nicole’s work serves as a clarion call for "vibrational communication," heralding transformation through dialogue among humans and beyond, to all species. It's a unique, playful, poeto-political approach that envisions a world filled with greater understanding and compassion. 💖🌿🐾

🌐 Feel the vibrancy of Nicole's work at the following links:
https://choreospheres.jimdofree.com/
https://www.instagram.com/nicole__sabella/
https://vimeo.com/nicolesabella
https://soundcloud.com/nicole_sabella/tentechular-displeasures-1-soundcollage
https://femaleartistindexvienna.cargo.site/Nicole-Sabella-1

✨🌿 Diving into the wisdom of the remarkable feminist scholar Silvia Federici today. This quote truly captures the essence of our relationship with the commons. In a world driven by materialism, it serves as a profound reminder of our shared responsibility and connection. The commons, after all, isn't just about what we can see or touch. It's about the ties that bind us, the unity we share, and the empowerment we find within it. So, let's keep cherishing our collective treasures! 💚 🌍🌳

Մեր թիմը մշակել է հարցաշար` առավել լավ հասկանալու Ձեր կարիքներն ու ցանկություններն արվեստի, գիտության և տեխնոլոգիաների խաչմերուկում գործունեության շուրջ:
Այն Ձեզնից կպահանջի ընդամենը 2 րոպեի ներգրավում: Նախօրոք շնորհակալ ենք մեզ օգնելու և հարցաշարին պատասխանելու համար:

https://c5pvkcdhgy8.typeform.com/to/iviVt6jo

🌟 Board Member Spotlight! 🌟

Today, we shine the spotlight on an incredible woman, a force in the tech world, and a pillar of our organization – Naré Gasparyan!

Naré’s journey is nothing short of inspirational. As a seasoned Software Development Manager, her indelible mark can be found in pioneering products like Monitis and TeamViewer IoT. Her expertise in leading engineering teams and understanding diverse roles and processes has steered her teams towards achieving remarkable results.

Naré has been a beacon of innovation and collaboration in her decade-long career. Balancing dual roles as a lead architect and people manager, she has promoted synergy across departments, teams, and locations. Her successful implementation of modern technologies and processes, such as Scrum, Microservices, and CI/CD, is a testament to her relentless pursuit of efficiency and innovation.

As we celebrate Naré's contributions, we also look forward to the insights, wisdom, and leadership she will continue to bring to Ars Techne Lab. Her unique blend of technical knowledge and leadership abilities truly exemplifies the ethos of our organization.

Stay tuned for more about our board members in the coming weeks!

🌌💡🔬Diving into the profound interconnectedness of our world today with a powerful quote from visionary thinker Donna Haraway. As we continue to shape technology, we must remember that it simultaneously shapes us. Our choices matter - in what we create, how we interact, and which connections we cultivate. Here's to conscious creation and a deeply interconnected future. 🚀🌐💻

🌱 "GROW" by Daan Roosegaarde: This interactive light installation uses open-source microcontrollers to address the importance of sustainable agriculture. The artwork consists of a large-scale interactive landscape that responds to human touch. As participants walk through the installation, their footsteps trigger bioluminescent LED lights, representing the symbiotic relationship between humans and plants and highlighting the need for sustainable farming practices. GROW is inspired by scientific light recipes which improve plants’ growth and resilience, helping reduce the use of pesticides by 50%. 🌿

GROW highlights the importance of innovation in the agriculture system: How can cutting-edge light design help plants grow more sustainably? 🌍 How can we make the farmer the hero? 🌾

GROW's impact has been recognized by numerous prestigious awards, including the Global Future Design Awards 2021, Fast Company's Innovation by Design Award, People's Lovie Winner, World Design Awards 2021, MANA Global New Media Art, ADC Annual Awards, [d]arc Lighting Award London, Novum Design Award, and MUSE Design Award. Its accolades further highlight its innovative approach to addressing important environmental and agricultural issues.

Image courtesy of Studio Roosegaarde

🎉 We are thrilled to introduce one of our esteemed Board Members - Majken Overgaard! 🎉

Majken is an accomplished professional in the spheres of digital art curation and technological art innovation. She's a trailblazer, exemplifying her passion for the intersection of technology and contemporary art in her work with Korridor, an avant-garde collective devoted to exploring the expansive potential of online digital art. 🎨💻

To Majken, AI, blockchains, web3, NFTs, and immersive technologies like AR and VR are more than mere tech tools; they are transformative forces reshaping our societal understanding of culture and art. Her curatorial approach is grounded firmly in feminist and democratic principles, with her work extensively promoting diversity within the art community. 🌐🔗

Apart from her groundbreaking role in the art world, Majken believes strongly in sharing knowledge. A former director of Catch - Center for Art, Technology, and Design in Denmark, she currently enriches minds as an external lecturer at the IT University of Copenhagen. Her unique approach to blending science fiction with contemporary art inspires students to unlock their creative thinking and to imagine and craft an inclusive, sustainable future. 🏫👩‍🎓

Join us in welcoming Majken Overgaard to our board, and stay tuned to learn more about the positive impact she will bring to our community! 🙌💫

MetaFarm, located in the Central West of NSW, Australia, is a case study farm that showcases the transformative power of regenerative agriculture. It draws inspiration from various methodologies, such as Permaculture, Natural Sequence Farming, Biodynamics, and Organicsand aims to restore degraded land into a thriving and profitable farm. Education and knowledge sharing are also emphasized, with plans for the construction of educational facilities to promote regenerative agriculture practices. The farm's innovative funding approach involves minting MetaTrees as NFTs on the blockchain, allowing individuals to contribute funds and actively participate in land restoration efforts.
The MetaTrees team, led by Teale Simmons and 'Regen Ray' Milidoni, is dedicated to driving the regenerative agriculture movement. Their expertise and passion align with Ars Techne Lab's commitment to subsistent farming practices. We recognize the value of MetaFarm's case study, educational initiatives, and funding approach, and seek collaboration to further develop subsistent technologies and practices in agriculture.
https://metatreesnft.com

Presenting Harutyun Alpetyan, a pioneering figure in waste management and co-founder of the Contemporary Choreography Lab (CoCoLab). Currently serving as a program manager, lecturer, and waste governance authority at the American University of Armenia's Acopian Center for the Environment, Harutyun's mission is to usher in a sustainable, circular economy.

Harutyun operates as a key expert and chief researcher in numerous waste-related projects under the AUA Acopian Center. His work is expansive, covering diverse areas such as landfill mapping, waste management strategies, policy formulation, and planning for sustainable landfill operations. His research also delves into the analysis of waste quantity and composition.

Beyond his extensive research, Harutyun plays a significant role as a policy liaison, facilitating cross-sector collaboration and advocating for impactful policy changes. He is also a dedicated educator, channeling his passion for environmental awareness into teaching various environmental courses at the American University of Armenia.

Join us in welcoming Harutyun to the Ars Techne Lab board - a tireless advocate for sustainable change, an accomplished expert in his field, and a driving force in environmental education.