Panel Statement

Keywords: Latin American Forum, Latin America, Variantología Latina, Cybernetics, Media Art, Media Art History.

The Latin American Forum was a platform for transdisciplinary and transcultural presentations, lectures, and exhibitions. The forum was operational for four years in the framework ISEA, International Symposium on Electronic Art: ISEA2010 in Germany, ISEA2011 in Turkey, ISEA2012 in the USA and ISEA2013 in Australia. Since the conception of the Latin American Forum, one of the goals was to prepare for hosting an ISEA colloquium in Latin America. Thanks to the efforts of a group led by Universidad de Caldas finally ISEA is hosted for the first time in Latin America, this year in Manizales, Colombia.
The Latin American Forum was a series of venues that intended to articulate a diversity of proposals ranging from topics such as digital culture, technological art, critical production and historical analysis. The forum also addressed the science and technology studies (STS) field, questioning geographical, cultural and critical perspectives. Latin American Forum participants came from: Argentina, Australia, Australian Aboriginal Communities, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Mexico, Navajo Nation, Peru, Uruguay, USA, and Venezuela.
This paper is divided in four sections; the first one is a historical recount of the different Latin American Forums. The second one is a reflection about the importance of the local references in the field of arts and technology. The third one presents a theoretical framework that is a response to Media Archaeology and the last one focuses on the concept of fragment in order to describe and understand Latin American reality.

• Andrés Burbano Valdes, Andes University, Colombia. “Burbano, originally from Colombia, explores the interactions of science, art and technology in various capacities: as a researcher, as an individual artist and in collaborations with other artists and designers. Burbano’s work ranges from documentary video (in both science and art), sound and telecommunication art to the exploration of algorithmic cinematic narratives. The broad spectrum of his work illustrates the importance indeed, the prevalence- of interdisciplinary collaborative work in the field of digital art.” Andres Burbano is doctor in Media Arts and Technology form the University of California Santa Barbara, USA. Burbano is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Design at Universidad de los Andes and is Academic Chair of ISEA2017 and Gallery Chair of Siggraph 2018.
• Juan José Díaz Infante (Mexico City, 1961) is a transdisciplinary artist, photographer and poet. He is the director of the Ulises I project, the first Mexican satellite designed for artistic purposes and created by Citizens.The relevance of Ulysses I has positioned Diaz Infante as a member of the Cultural Committee of the International Astronautical Federation: ITACCUS. The satellite project has been presented in international forums including The Arts Catalyst in London and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, among others. Diaz Infante is the current director of the International Festival Play! and was curator in Chief of Transitio_mx03 (2009). He was also the Chair of the Latin American Forum II at the International Symposium on Electronic Art. His personal work includes experimental poetry, photography, video, installation, multimedia, music, netart and electronic art, he has exhibited in Mexico and abroad. In the month of October 2013 he was honored with the recognition “Mentes Quo + Discovery” in the category “Vanguardia”.
• Esteban García Bravo explores computational arts as a researcher, a practitioner and as an educator. He earned his MFA from Purdue University (USA) in 2008, and a Ph.D. in Technology, also from Purdue, in 2013. His research on computer art history and digital media art practices has been featured in the annual meetings of international organizations such as SIGGRAPH, ISEA and Media Art Histories-MAH. His artwork has been displayed internationally in media art festivals, gallery exhibits, museums and artist-in-residence programs. Esteban is an Assistant Professor in the department of Computer Graphics Technology at Purdue University, where he teaches digital imaging, visualization and computational aesthetics. snebtor.org
• Felipe César Londoño is Rector of Universidad de Caldas, Colombia, (ucaldas.edu.co), and Titular Professor and researcher in art, science, design and new media. He is director of International Image Festival, an event held since 1997, in Manizales, Colombia, integrating art, science and technology. Felipe was co-founder of the Department of Visual Design, director of Master and PhD in Design & Creation, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, director of the research group DICOVI – Design and visual cognition in virtual environments and curator of the Monographic Show of Media Art. He has done the following research: Serious game on citizen participation, Interaction, public space and new technologies, design and development of multimedia educational materials in higher education, Digital Design, Interfaces of Virtual Communities, Patterns of Color in Caldas, The World of Visual Design, and Visual Expression in Cities Bahareque, among others. He has published several books, including: “Landscapes and new territories. Mapping and interactions in visual and virtual environments”, his doctoral thesis: “Interfaces of Virtual Communities”, the research: “Patterns of Color”, “DIGITAL DESIGN. Methodology for creating interactive projects”, among others.

Full text (PDF) p.  620-629