In this conversation, Gretchen Andrew and Penny Slinger shared how their practice crosses in and out of the digital as a mean to subvert material and cultural expectations.
=> More info: agoradigital.art

What did we learn?
1. How those two women artists use subversion in their art practice.
2. How beneficial a relationship between mentor and mentee is for both artists.
3. How political activism is manifested in the artists’ works.
4. How we relate to nature and what we could do differently.
5. How to approach, with a critical eye, the art world, the tech industry and activism.
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Information about the music:
Intro by Samm Anga: theme for Agora Digital Art - thank you.
At the end, Intermittence by Matt Gibb aka Kinbote and Samm Anga
This is an example of some of the music Samm was involved in curating and collaborating in Aberdeen with fellow creative Matt Gibb, which explores connecting past and present by combining a sample of acapella singing from Music from the Mountain Provinces in the Philippines with an ethereal ambience over an infectious modern beat.

20.06.24 Talk1: Digital Art as a Form of Subversion - Gretchen Andrew and Penny Slinger

In this conversation, the PLOT Gallery and Rebecca Van Beeck talked about spatialisation and immersive architecture.
We learned a lot about their project and performance.

What did we learn?
1. How architectural design brings people together in an on/offline material relationship.
2. How to integrate the domestic interior with playfulness into the serious architecture domain.
3. How to question: “What is the Internet? What is an online community?”
4. How a simple participatory project supported the communities and kept people connected “intimately” during the lockdown.
5. What is the role of a costume? How does it represent and conceal a character above the artist’s own identity?
6. How can you immerse the viewer into a digital performance?
7. What might be the influence of the art market on Rebecca Van Beeck's practice?

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About the Music

The music piece created by Samm Anga especially for this event is named Kéré. This musical segment of the Agora Talk deals with art and architecture.

The title of the piece comes from Francis Kéré, a Berlin-based architect from the African village of Gando, in Burkina Faso. His work explores ‘radically simple’ concepts that intersect community and architecture.

Paying homage to Kéré’s influence, the piece intertwines simple musical ideas into tightly woven syncopated patterns that dance around each other, constructed from the ground up.

The percussive Afro-beat inspired melodies also explore patterns that are evocative of and prevalent in much of African dance music. If you would like view this video again, visit Samm Anga’s website.

20.07.08 Talk2:  Immersive Atmospheres: A digital approach to spatial practice

Through Dr Helen Benigson latest PhD research, we learned more about how maternality is performed online, offline and in Lockdown but mostly interrupted through our devices and the Internet. Also, Helen Benigson and Paola Lucente unveiled (M)otherhood in the Digital Age. They discussed the impact of the Internet and COVID-19 on parents and carers.

What did we learn?
1. The truth about motherhood is not transmitted and voiced.
2. The Procreate Project will have a physical “Mother House” in Lewisham, London.
3. The most common feeling, among women artists who become mothers, is the loss of identity.
4. The constant interruption of the addictive Internet during this privileged time of being a mother.
5. The lockdown emphasised the role of being “fully” a parent. By introducing “work” at home via the e-meetings, maybe some parents will not be afraid anymore to say that they have children.
6. We spoke a bit about the difference in gender between man-woman and non-binary parenthood. Today, there are men who have babies. So, who is defining the word “Motherhood”?

20.07.22 Talk 3: (M)otherhood Online, Offline and in Lockdow with Helen Benigson and Paola Lucente 1

thank you Samm Anga for creating wonderful and bubbly theme for Agora Digital Art.
More info about the artist:https://www.samm-anga.co.uk/

Agora Digital Art - Theme INTRO by Samm Anga

Agora Digital Art is a Social Enterprise that deepens the understanding of New Media via a virtual  Art Forum to DISCOVER. DEBATE. CONNECT.

Agora Digital Art Talks