Art, Technology & Digital Culture: What Do You Want To Do With It?
What Do You Want To Do With It? was a major and promiscuous festival of extraordinary music, design, exhibitions, talks and film, all fuelled by the digital revolution. Presented at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), the festival brought together leading artists, designers, musicians, filmmakers and researchers to explore how emerging digital technologies were transforming artistic practice, cultural production and the possibilities of creative expression.
The programme also included key contributions from John Maeda and researchers in residence from MIT’s Aesthetics and Computation Group, exploring the relationship between programming, visual form and artistic experimentation, as well as artist residencies. Additional commissions associated with the British Interactive Media Association involved Intro, AMX Networks and DNA. Talks featured filmmaker Mike Figgis, Phil Harrison of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Tim Parsey of Motorola. Workshops in web design and sound mixing encouraged practical engagement, while the music programme included 4hero, Attica Blues, Hexstatic and Kid606, alongside Analogue vs Digital, examining emerging electronic music practices. Jaron Lanier also contributed to the wider programme.
The festival continued the ICA’s long standing engagement with art and technology, particularly the legacy of Cybernetic Serendipity: The Computer and the Arts, the influential 1968 exhibition curated by Jasia Reichardt. More than three decades later, What Do You Want to Do With It? revisited these ideas in the context of personal computing, network culture, interactive media and digital entertainment. Both initiatives brought together artistic and technological disciplines, emphasising experimentation, collaboration and the creative relationship between humans and machines. The 2001 festival thus extended an important historical dialogue while anticipating developments in interactive art, digital installations and participatory media.
John Maeda — Pioneering digital artist, designer and educator whose work explores the intersection of computation, creativity and visual expression.
Mike Figgis — British filmmaker and composer known for his experimental approach to digital cinema, narrative and moving-image technologies.
John Akomfrah — British artist and filmmaker whose work explores memory, identity, history and cultural experience through experimental film and moving-image installations.
Michael Atavar — Artist and creative practitioner exploring interactivity, digital environments and the relationship between technology and human experience.
DIGIT — Innovative digital design studio known for experimental interactive experiences, including Typographic Tree and the Feed project.
Ben Fry — Artist, designer and software developer whose work investigates data visualisation, computational design and the creative possibilities of programming.
Justin Manor — Digital artist and creative technologist working across interactive media, computational design and experimental digital environments.
Nik Pashenkov — Digital artist and designer exploring generative systems, computational aesthetics and interactive visual experiences.
Tom White — Artist and computational designer whose work investigates artificial intelligence, generative imagery and the relationship between algorithms and visual culture.
Year: 2001
Event:
Venue: ICA, The Mall, London,
Organiser: New Media Dept, Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London
Festival Realised by: Andrew Chetty and Keith Whittle
Project Type: Digital media festival / Exhibition / Public programme
Featured Artists: John Maeda, Mike Figgis, John Akomfrah, Michael Atavar, DIGIT, Ben Fry, Justin Manor, Nik Pashenkov, Tom White
Programme Highlights: Digital art, interactive installations, experimental film, live performances, talks and workshops
Medium: Digital media, generative art, interactive design, moving image, sound and networked technologies
Sponsors: Motorola, Sony PlayStation
Media Partner: The Fish Can Sing
Cultural Consultant: Ekow Eshun
Country: United Kingdom