China – A new international prize to fuse* art studio
The CITIC Press Lightening Selection is an international open call organized by CITIC Press Multimedia Lab (Beijing) and MANA Global New Media Art Platform (Shanghai).
It is dedicated to the discovery and support of outstanding audiovisual artists and, besides showcasing amazing new media-based artwork to the public, it includes different categories and awards for light-based creations.
The 2020 edition received more than 700 applications from 39 countries, and in December the jury composed of international academic researchers, artists, and curators conferred the Outdoor Works of Light Individual Award to the installation AMYGDALA by digital art studio fuse*.
For the moment, the awards ceremony has been postponed, but the new prize is added to the many international recognition and awards received by the studio and production company based in Campogalliano, Modena, for its striking works in which art and science interweave.
AMYGDALA listens to shared thoughts through digital social channels and networks, interprets states of mind, and translates the data gathered into an audiovisual installation capable of representing the collective emotional state of the net and its changes on the basis of events taking place around the world.
The aim is to make visible the flow of data and information that are constantly being created by users, and that may be heard and interpreted by anyone, in the attempt to stimulate a reflection on the opportunities and dangers of the digital revolution that we are currently going through.
Over the last few months, fuse* has developed a prototype to make the installation’s heart accessible through a web page (Amygdala Web v0.1).
One of the reasons that led to create this adaptation was the desire to develop a sense of interconnection and overcome the limitations imposed during the periods of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic that have marked the historical phase we are going through.
From April 5 to 30, AMYGDALA will be presented also at the prestigious Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta as part of the "Georgia Tech Arts Series".
