21^st MFRU MFRU–KIBLIX 2015: Lift me up!

07.–09. October 2015, Maribor, Slovenia

The joint platform MFRU-KIBLIX embodies the inspiring energy of the 21st century with Lift ME up!, a slogan emphasizing the exemplary interconnection of art, science, and technology within a contemporary intermedia landscape. Building on the success of previous editions, the festival merges the legacy of MFRU and KIBLIX in Maribor, continuously evolving as a space for innovation and creative exploration. Reflecting the spirit of light and luminance, it artistically envisions a departure from the gloom of modernity—towards brightness, fresh perspectives, and artistic elevation. Exclusively up. Lift me up and elevate yourself!

Once again, the international festival platform introduces the events in KIBLA PORTAL in Maribor, an old textile factory hall covering 2000 m², combining the festival’s units in one location. Thus, artists, cultural workers, explorers, scientists, educators, and visitors hungry for knowledge on scientific-technological-artistic theoretical and practical work can come together.

The festival’s platform unites people willing to share and experience creative forms of artistic experimentation and interpretation. It includes interaction with various target audiences and appeals to the active cooperation of everyone—particularly young and creative individuals, students, and experts. By intertwining culture and science, participants constructively exchange critical reflections, activism, and experimentation with scientific methods, research work, and knowledge.

“Each installation, therefore, is an essentially interactive work of art that provides us with visual and/or sonic experiences; a transformation of reality. The everyday routine, with all its banalities, values, pleasure, and leisure, is growing into a unique virtual ‘ecosystem.’ The festival concept MFRU-KIBLIX wants to thematize the relations between society, system, and technology: if this world brings suffering as well, this is only because it is free in its essence—the liberation really means responsibility, while ‘individual freedom’ is just a cover for the social system, which enslaves the individual using the mantra of freedom. And suffering is an inevitable consequence of the free play of parts of the same system: consider the sciences, for example, that forcefully advocate the idea of improving human genetic traits by promoting ‘excellency,’ only to be able to suppress this excellency to the level of bestial madness—the individual is only as free as much as he believes he is allowed to be.

Thematizing social developments with technological surpluses, and reminding of the indecency of contemporary modernity, which has deliberately disposed of the compass of humanism, is the mission of the MFRU-KIBLIX festival platform. It is a consideration on the invasion of technological surrogates for what was once exclusively human activity; a satire on the drab and stultifying routines faced by the contemporary ‘working’ class, caught in the sphere of democratic work; the illusion of free choice, and the need for physical activity without pragmatic or production-related reasons. The artistic installations thus (among other) include the progress of natural electronic synthesizers, offering a reconsideration of the theory of lithosphere traveled by sound waves. Even more. They join man and technology: if the fantasy Terminator is a symbol of the mellow yet twisted cyborgization of mankind, the real-like Asimo is but a mere humanoid. A surrogate. Once the artist leaves, the robot is still there. Or perhaps they interpret animal anatomies, concepts of mutation and evolution, into a contemporary crossbred image of the human and the animalistic. Remember The Fly?” – Nina Jeza, curator

The presentation of contemporary visual art, artists, and authors through transdisciplinary connections leads to further sophistication of knowledge and the acquisition of additional skills in the professional realm. This process integrates practical knowledge with scientific and technological research, ultimately contributing to the quality and depth of creative works.

Participants:

Martina Mežak, Marie Polakova + Jonathan Cremieux, Tatjana Tanja Vujinović Kušej, Hrvoje Hiršl, Zoran Srdić Janežič + Jana Putrle Srdić, Abaz Dizaderević, Dino Karailo, Borut Savski, Jure Fingušt, Matjaž Požlep, Andrej Koruza, Qejmi Hadrović, Robertina Šebjanič + Monika Pocrnjić, Saša Spačal + Ida Hiršenfelder, Tomaž Furlan, Luciana Haill, Jens Vetter, Deborah Hustić, AR LIBRIS (Jože Slaček, Jan Sterniša, Matej Jarc, Hana Repše, Miha Sagain, RenePuhlar, Marko Ornik, Nataša Berk, Igor Unuk, Kristjan Robič, Toni Soprano, Ana Pečar, Denis Škofič, David Bedrač, Jan Šmarčan, Petra Kolmančič, Tomislav Vrečar, Dejan Koban, Lučka Zorko, Lucija Mlinarič, Anja Golob, Veronika Dintinjana, Maja Malus Azhdari, Nino Flisar, Monika Pocrnjić, Gregor Rojko), Aleš Hieng Zergon, IZLAND + jesusonecstasy, Emiljo AC, Aisen Caro Chacin + Robertina Šebjanič, Kasia Justka, Louise Harris, LadyBird, DJ Nati Katchi, Jens Vetter + Karol Kagan, Octex - Jernej Marušič, Wo0 + Incredible Bob, Podjetje ArtRebel, Maja Murnik, Martin Kusch, Tomaž Gruškovnik, Janez Strehovec, Študentje Interface culture (mentorica: Michaella Ortner; Jure Fingušt, Jens Vetter), Študentje Strojne fakultete, oddelek za tekstilstvo, Univerza v Mariboru (mentorica: Sonja Šterman), Študentje Visoke šole za umetnost, Nova Gorica (mentorica: Rene Rusjan), Vojko Pogačar, Matjaž Lenhart, Milan Rotovnik, Suzana Uran, Natalija Premužič, Monika Pocrnjić, Aleš Stojak + Arne Korsika + Tadej Tofant, Gregor Krušič + Sandra Janžekovič, Jure Pikl, Blaž Vrečko + KID Alphawawe

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Selectors	Nina Jeza, Aleksandra Kostič, Marko Ornik, Jože Slaček
Curators	Aleksandra Kostič, Nina Jeza

Production

ACE KIBLA
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Support

Creative Europe

Partners

Zveza prijateljev mladine
Ministrstvo za kulturo Črne Gore
Ars Electronica
Art rebel 9
X-OP
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