VIENNA.- The Civa media art festival explores the intersection of contemporary technologies, realities, and experiences in digital, physical, and hybrid spaces. The 2024 edition will investigate the intricate processes involved in the creation of intelligence and the flow and dissemination of knowledge. Civa will host discussions, film screenings, and live performances at the Belvedere 21 from October 1st through the 5th, 2024. A central element will be the exhibition coded manoeuvres_sticky webs, on view from October 1, 2024 to February 2, 2025.

Upon close examination, it becomes evident that the concept of intelligence as a quantifiable indicator of knowledge, ability, and understanding is inextricably entangled with structural violence. This prompts questions about the recognition, centralization, and instrumentalization of certain forms of knowledge and the delegitimization and marginalization of others. Understanding intelligence not as a purely human trait or technology but as something that also extends to knowing entities and organisms allows for the exploration of a realm in which power constructions and technologies can be decoded and disrupted. How can organisms breach militarized spheres and thereby glitch violent technologies? What survival strategies, tactics, and codes are needed to effectively resist the imposition of binary coding and appropriation? What kinds of symbiotic relationships can we envision and program?

The artistic positions chosen by Civa break down juxtapositions between digital and physical space, embodied knowledge and reason, online and offline, and challenge the hierarchical structure of forms of existence. These works raise questions about collective approaches to knowledge and organisms and their applicability to the discourse on (artificial) intelligence, giving rise to sensuous choreographies, unexpected patterns of movement, and new symbiotic arrangements in hybrid space.

Participating artists (exhibition):

• Filipa César & Louis Henderson
• CROSSLUCID
• Evan Ifekoya
• Martina Menegon
• Philipp Muerling
• Brooklyn J. Pakathi
• Dagmar Schürrer
• Ziyang Wu & Mark H. Ramos

Discursive Program

Civa’s discursive program runs throughout the festival week. Key players will facilitate discussions and reflections on the festival’s “coded manoeuvres” theme. Discussions, dialogues, and workshops will engage participants in an in-depth exploration of intelligence as a quantifiable indicator of knowledge, ability, and understanding. The discursive program is presented by the Vienna Business Agency.

Exhibition Tours

Wednesday through Saturday at noon and 3 pm; Thursday also at 7 pm
Mediation activities for the coded manoeuvres_sticky webs exhibition are centered around Civa Ambassador Groups: individuals from various professional backgrounds who act as ambassadors and guide visitors through the exhibition based on their personal perspectives. First come, first served.

Film Screenings

From Wednesday to Saturday, in addition to discussions and lectures, there will be film screenings accompanied by dialogues and live performances.

Live Performances

Every evening after the discussion and film program, Civa will host DJ sets and live audiovisual performances in the Blickle Kino at the Belvedere 21.