“It is not down on any map; true places never are.”
-Herman Melville, Moby Dick
BLACK BOX 2.0 is officially under construction. Drawing on the success of BLACK BOX 1.0 and the demonstrated need for tech-based arts programming in the Pacific Northwest, it's prime time to realize an expanded version in 2015.
BLACK BOX is the first international festival in Seattle to showcase experimental film, video and new media art. It provides a global perspective on how contemporary artists use technology to push creative boundaries and expand the language of cinema. A program of significant scope, BLACK BOX transmits energetic ideas across industries - from film and music to design and technology.
The festival includes renowned artists who are collected by major museums but have not yet been exhibited in this region. It is also an essential platform for emerging talent at the forefront of the avant-garde. BLACK BOX is curated thematically and encompasses theatrical screenings, gallery installations, public programs and events in diverse locations throughout the community. An online channel premieres and distributes exclusive content to audiences in Seattle and beyond.
For the second edition, I am pleased to announce a collaboration with Anne Couillaud (Independent Curator).
We are actively building cultural, corporate and community partnerships. To learn more, please contact: info@aktionsart.org
Guido van der Werve video installation on the High Line, New York.
About Black Box
Today, the cinema is everywhere. It exists between the black box of the movie theater, the white cube of the gallery and the grey domain of the Internet. It is a psychological and technological interface that increasingly blurs the distance between reality and fiction in a world shaped by Hollywood, social media, video games and surveillance.
The term "black box" has many meanings, referencing descriptions of movie theaters as well as a scientific theory articulated by Sir Isaac Newton.
The inaugural BLACK BOX festival took place from May 15 - June 8, 2014, in partnership with the Henry Art Gallery, Northwest Film Forum, Seattle Art Museum and Seattle International Film Festival.