"Visualizing new media art in Central Eastern Europe" paper presentation during ISEA2011, 14 September, Istanbul

Visualizing new media art in Central Eastern Europe (paper presentation) during panel titled New Media Art Education in Central and Eastern Europe in the Last Two Decades: experiments and transition.
The panel will discuss how the changes in Eastern and Central Europe have influenced the art educational system there during the last twenty years, with particular reference to education in the new media field. The reason for choosing such a seemingly broad timescale is to include the 'finalisation' of the political and economical integration of some post-Soviet countries (like Estonia) into the European Union whilst contrasting this with examples like Belarus, which have become (or remained) more autocratic and closed. One particular point of interest is the change in the understanding and interpretation of 'new media art' during the last two decades, partly due to the different technologies and specialities that this field of practice encompasses.

- Twenty years of change: in the political system, art paradigms, technologies and ways of thinking.
- Travel and transition: exported artists and imported ideas
- The transition from artefact-based artistic practice to process-based and non-material art
- The similarities and differences between 'West' and 'East' mentalities
- Initiatives, centres, departments and institutions of new media and education
- Resources, funding, financial practices, governmental support, business schemes for producing and exhibiting new media
- Changes in the art education system: from traditional and manual fine arts practices to mediated and technological education
- Different networks focused on the organisation, theory, and practice of technological art

Visualizing new media art in Central Eastern Europe abstract:
Numerous amounts of facts connected with New Media Art in the territory of Central Eastern Europe go unused because of the inability to see relationships between different kinds of information. To face this issue CEEMAC2000+: Central East European Media Art Chart (2000-now) has been developed. This paper focuses on understanding stereotypical terms as: Central Eastern Europe and New Media Art in the context of its history (Soviet times) and current situation (network society, data visualization) which are the basis of CEEMAC2000+ project.

Dates: Wednesday, 14 September, 2011 - 09:00 - 10:30
Chair Person: Raivo Kelomees
Presenters: Chris Hales, Agnieszka Pokrywka, Ala Pigalskaya, Piibe Piirma