CONFERENCE

CIAC Researcher, Pedro Alves da Veiga, presents the communication “Digital Art in the Age of Blackboxing and Blurring” at the 14th edition of the Conference “The Arts in Society” that take place this year in Lisbon from 19 to 21 June.

Abstract:

This article presents an artistic and technological proposal of creative exploitation of contemporary aestheticisation processes, thriving on the spectacularisation of the mundane. As individuals are expected to lead aestheticised lives, documenting and sharing them through black-boxed mechanisms, the enjoyment of social, cultural and entertainment experiences in the physical world has become increasingly dependent upon onlineness. Mobile communication devices act as black boxes, blurring the divide between virtual and material by means of augmentation. The mobile screen offers a cinematic, digitally augmented view of the world, where a wealth of digital media hovers silently, often anchored to physical locations. But this remarkable collection of digital graffiti can also be regarded as prima materia by artists and researchers, and become a critical playground, meaningfully contributing to the sharpening, focusing and de-blurring of contemporary society.

Pedro Alves da Veiga is a transdisciplinary artist and researcher. He holds a degree in Computer Science (Nova University of Lisbon), a post-graduation in Advanced Studies of Digital Media Art (Aberta University) and a PhD in Digital Media Art (Aberta University and University of Algarve). He is also an invited Professor at the Aberta University, in Lisbon, and at the Cascais School of Arts & Design, following a two decade business career in web-design and information systems, including the launch and sale of two IT companies and several multimedia and web-design awards. His Research Interests are generative art, art and society, sustainability, artivism, hactivism, digital art curating. He has been actively engaged in several research projects involving art, science and technology.