CYFEST-15 International Media Art Festival

Institute for Contemporary Art, Yerevan, Armenia
Curator: Cyland MediaArt Lab
Artists: Mascha Danzis, Marc Lee, Pim Zwier
02.09.2023 - 20.09.2023
https://www.cyfest.art/15-ica


Yerevan Unfiltered, Cyfest-15, Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA Yerevan) - ժամանակակից արվեստի ինստիտուտը

Yerevan Unfiltered, Cyfest-15, Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA Yerevan)


Yerevan Unfiltered, Cyfest-15, Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA Yerevan) - ժամանակակից արվեստի ինստիտուտը

ICA, Yerevan

CYFEST International Media Festival take place in Yerevan from 2nd to 18th of September 2023. Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA Yerevan) along with HayArt Cultural Center and Yerevan Botanical garden hosted some of the exciting events of the festival program.
CYFEST-15 in Yerevan is dedicated to (anti)fragility of human and non-human body, biological, social and cyberspaces, stories and scenarios of the future as well as confrontations and relationships with the world in a state of transition. The festival's participants will count over 60 authors from 15 countries: Armenia, Belgium, Great Britain, Hungary, Spain, Italy, Columbia, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, U.S.A., Finland, France, Switzerland, and Japan. Among them are the artist, one of two authors showcased in the first national pavilion of Armenia at Venice Biennale in 1995 Samvel Baghdasaryan (1956-2017); An early champion of electronic techniques, the acclaimed multidisciplinary artist who redefines the boundaries between the arts and sciences Fabrizio Plessi; artist, stage designer and participant of the 53rd Venice Biennale Irina Korina; Hungarian experimental duo that works with hyperphysical interfaces, programmable materials, and augmented textiles EJTECH; Finnish multimedia artist and researcher of visuality Tuula Närhinen; Swiss artist that creates network-oriented interactive projects Marc Lee; artist, photographer and author of the project Last Whispers that was co-presented by UNESCO and The Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger Lena Herzog and many others.

»Yerevan Unfiltered – TikTok and the Emerging Face of Culture« is exhibited @ CYFEST-15 International Media Art Festival, Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA Yerevan), Armenia, 02.09.2023 - 20.09.2023

»Yerevan Unfiltered – TikTok and the Emerging Face of Culture« is a net-based multiscreen installation showcasing the influence of digital accessibility and questioning its impact on public consciousness, visual aesthetics, and identity structures. For CYFEST-15, exhibited at the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA Yerevan), we researched content of local TikTokers and formulated questions which appear in large letters in front of the TikTok videos like:
🤔 Why does not everybody have the same rights?
🤔 Can we feel empathy when we see vulnerable posts on social media?
🤔 Can messages of kindness lead to social upliftment?
🤔 Are imitation and aspiration the same for the next gen?
🤔 Are alternative careers the future in Yerevan?
🤔 Will everyone look the same in the future?
🤔 Are all subcultures now global?

Thank you very much for your great support:
🙏 Vika Ilyushkina and Cyland MediaArt Lab @cyland.lab (curator)
🙏 Nelly Vardanyan @nell_vardany1n (content research)
🙏 Александр Бочков, Ekaterina Drakunova, Elizaveta Goleva (organization and setup)


Exhibited Artwork


Unfiltered – TikTok and the Emerging Face of Culture

Net-Based Multi Screen Installation

With unprecedented and ever increasing access to mobile phones and the internet, digital hierarchies are being broken. Platforms like TikTok are the new town hall, with ‘influence’ no longer restricted to the urban elite. What have been the missing voices within mainstream narratives? Can their messages truly help shape an inclusive, socially conscious future? What impact does positive content more …