International Festival
of Computer Arts

Year 1995. Why MFRU, why in this form and why in Maribor?

30×
MFRU

Three decades of worrying about technologies

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Year 1995. Why MFRU, why in this form and why in Maribor?

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Year 1995. Why MFRU, why in this form and why in Maribor?

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All domains require their own momentum, a focal point for connections and inspiration for future pursuits, especially since some aspects have already been thoroughly explored. Particularly at that time, it was challenging for individuals to independently develop digital projects from start to finish – we needed support and empowerment.

Video art and some of the newer art forms were already being explored at MFRU's home institution, the Mladinski Kulturni Center in Maribor, even before the festival itself. However, considering that there were already examples of festivals in the region focusing on electronic blends in music, visual arts, and video, such as Ars Electronica, it seemed natural for us to contemplate creating similar conditions for showcasing cutting-edge art, namely digital art, even though the term had not yet gained full recognition at that time. In the West, it was referred to as cybernetic culture, and in literature, it was known as cyberpunk. The emergence of HTML code as the first machine code in 1988 marked the inception of the internet era. During the early stages of computing, movements strongly intertwined with society began to emerge, fostering societal change, expansion, and ultimately globalization through communication. The notion that technology could serve as a unifying force was captivating. Artists, whether residing in Tokyo, New York, or Maribor, could now collaborate seamlessly, with the physical location becoming less significant compared to the overall connectivity of an international network. However, it took considerable time for these concepts to gain widespread acceptance and usage.

I'll delve into the local environment during that specific period: Slovenia, especially due to its earlier engagement in Yugoslav technology, found itself in a fascinating context. Yugoslavia heavily supported computer centers, and the first one in Slovenia was established in Maribor! These initiatives fostered a technological atmosphere, but more importantly, some of Slovenia's significant theorists, including Janez Strehovec and Marina Gržinić, whose background primarily lay in video art, were actively researching the subject. Together, we organized a series of lectures on topics such as virtual reality and its societal implications, the significance of telepresence, kineticity, and how to translate computer space into physical space – a concept akin to what 3D printers are accomplishing today. Some fundamental concepts were beginning to emerge, which are now considered self-evident. Marina (Gržinić) was particularly intrigued by the social implications of technology. She saw computing as a field that offered equal job opportunities regardless of gender. On the other hand, my main interest lay in the intersection of computing and art. Aleksandra Kostič, who was a young curator at the Maribor Art Gallery at the time, embraced the idea and joined us in envisioning the creation of a festival.

The festival format has its own narrative. In the 1960s, Mojmir Sepe once remarked that the scene required festivals to flourish. He was referring to the music scene, but I believe this holds true for all domains – every field needs its own momentum, a central nexus for connections and reference points for future pursuits, especially considering that some have already been explored. Particularly during that era, individuals found it challenging to independently develop digital projects – collaboration was essential. The inaugural festival targeted local artists in Slovenia who incorporated computers into their artistic endeavors. We defined the criteria broadly – it sufficed for the computer to be involved in at least one aspect of the creative process and its physical manifestation. While the computer's presence was the most important to us, it wasn't necessary for it to generate all the content, not yet.

It was sufficient for the computer to serve as a tool, at least in some aspect of the creative process and physical setup. While its presence was crucial, it didn't necessarily have to generate all the content. Not at that point, not yet.

In Slovenia, there was an abundance of interest from artists in the festival, especially as we started to intertwine the local scene with the international one. Under the leadership of Srečo Dragan, the Academy of Fine Arts and the Faculty of Computer Science were actively involved in the organization. Students from both started to develop the objects, the facilities together, and this became a regular part of the programme. This way, the new generations of artists grew up, now recognised on a global scale. The characteristic of our space was very much a DIY approach, vastly different from the process of many international artists collaborating with research centers, the entertainment industry or software development. Here, artists worked on their own, and the aforementioned Yugoslavian centers were not accessible enough for them. Artists tried to make up for the lack with modest equipment, but still conceived a project that was so innovative, so interesting – and executed it. It gave them visibility, they were invited to present internationally – which in turn helped to increase local interest, making the festival relatively sustainable and enabling it to now to reach its 30-year milestone.

Let's keep in mind that the festival has evolved within a completely alternative, marginalized environment, outside established institutions, with minimal local financial support and certainly not the robust industry backing enjoyed by festivals like Ars Electronica. MFRU, along with several other intermedia festivals such as Pixxelpoint and Kiblix, collectively prove the vibrancy of the scene through the generations. We're now discussing the fourth generation, which was still in its infancy when MFRU began. This is compelling evidence of the festival's true sustainability.

Year 1995. Why MFRU, why in this form and why in Maribor?

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