[ISEA2015] Introduction: Thecla Schiphorst & Philippe Pasquier – Introduction to the ISEA2015 Proceedings

Introductory Statement

Computerization of society is ongoing, and digital media is the main medium of our time. We live in a world saturated with electronic devices, that we literally spend a third of our awaken life on.
Where does this leads us when it comes to culture, art, and their making?

– How does that influence the ways we make art?
– What is electronic art and how can it change the world?

Since its first edition in 1981, the International Symposium on Electronic Art has been focussing on the impact of technology on art making, and the impact of art on technology, technoscience and society at large.

ISEA2015 proceedings are no exception, and gather 184 contributions : 29 extended abstracts (2 pages) 79 short papers (4 pages) and 76 long ones (8 pages) grouped in 43 sessions. These sessions are the answers from the community to our call for papers under the overarching theme of disruption. We have sessions on global warming, geopolitics, on bio-art, generative systems and computer-brain interfaces. All these critical aspects of our societies are looked at through the lens of electronic art, and the ensuing debate will benefit from its disruptive potential.
Thecla Schiphorst & Philippe Pasquier are ISEA2015 Symposium Directors

  • Philippe Pasquier is Associate Professor and Graduate Program Chair at Simon Fraser University’s School of Interactive Arts and Technology. He is both a scientist specialized in artificial intelligence and a multi-disciplinary artist. His contributions range from theoretical research in artificial intelligence, multi-agent systems and machine learning to applied artistic research and practice in digital art, computer music, and generative art. Philippe is the Chair and investigator of the AAAI series of international workshop on Musical Metacreation (MUME), the MUME-WE concerts series and the International workshop on Movement and Computation (MOCO). He has coauthored over 100 peer-reviewed contributions.
  • Thecla Schiphorst is Associate Director and Associate Professor in the School of Interactive Arts and Technology at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. Her background in dance and computing form the basis for her research in embodied interaction, focusing on movement knowledge representation, tangible and wearable technologies, media and digital art, and the aesthetics of interaction. Schiphorst is the recipient of the 1998 PetroCanada Award in New Media, a biennial award presented to a Canadian Artist for their contribution to innovation in art & technology in Canada. Her media art installations have been exhibited internationally in Europe, Canada, the United States and Asia in many venues including Ars Electronica, the Dutch Electronic Art Festival (DEAF), Future Physical, Siggraph, the Wexner Centre for the Arts, the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris, and the London ICA.