KIKK IN TOWN, an art trail on a city scale
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Namur is morphing into an open-air museum. From October 24th to the 27th, roam the city in search of digital art installations.
The KIKK Festival is returning to Namur for the thirteenth edition. For four days, it will invite the participants to rediscover the Wallonia capital in a setting which is unique in Belgium and international in scope. The event, open to all, offers an art trail which extends across the whole of the city, an exhibition space, technological innovations, talks, workshops for adults, soirees and workshops designed for a young audience.
Part of the KIKK Festival, KIKK IN TOWN is a digital art trail which winds its way through various iconic sites of Namur, some of which are generally closed to the general public. The trail has been devised around two major themes which question our relationship with the digital realm, as well as the impact, the opportunities and the limits of AI. Through 60 works, the young and the old alike will be able to learn and interact in a creative and ludic atmosphere in which art and the digital world encounter each other.
TRUE/FALSE
This year, the theme of the KIKK Festival is TRUE/FALSE. A nod to the syntax of code, explains Marie du Chastel, the co-director of the KIKK association, and the curator of the KIKK festival. ‘When you code, the language indicates things to us as “1 = true” or “0 = false”. It’s the language of programming which is related to the binary code of the digital, the 1 and the 0.’
The theme explores the idea of what is true or false and how to distinguish the real from the fake in the ultra-technological era of artificial intelligence. This first section is consequently centred on generative AI. It questions its impact on the creative professions and its capacity to replicate our world, to respond to our requests by means of algorithms.
A second part of the theme focuses on the reality we construct through social media in regard to our personal image. ‘The TRUE/FALSE theme looks into this attention economy and the society of self-marketing we are living in,’ points out Marie du Chastel, ‘an image which is not always entirely representative of who we are in reality.’
Finally, the last section reaches out to our senses by means of illusions and works which play with our perception. These three themes are tackled through 30 works to be discovered within KIKK IN TOWN.
Questioning your relationship with the real and your perception of the world
The work Transformirror, created by Kyle McDonald and Daito Manabe, is certainly one not to be missed along the art trail. To be viewed at the Institut Saint-Louis, this project is a preliminary study into image to image conversion in real time by artificial intelligence, by means of a camera installed in the exhibition room. The images are accompanied by a soundtrack which has also been created in real time by AI. This artificial intelligence makes use of the movements of the visitors to generate content, without having received any prior guidance for interpreting the images. The work as a whole is presented as a kind of hallucination, with occasionally absurd and eclectic scenes, uncontrollable and uncontrolled. ‘It is a fascinating project because it is at the cutting-edge of technology in terms of artificial intelligence,’ explains Marie du Chastel. ‘A year ago, the technology was only advanced enough to generate video on the basis of an analysis of shapes and movements in real time.’
A little further on along the trail, at the Maison du Conte, can be found the work by Ief Spincemaille. Since the beginning of his career the Belgian artist has been creating objects which play with our perception of the world by means of optical illusions. His creations take the form of headsets or glasses which, when worn, influence the perception of the world in front of the wearer. Thus, Reverse Blinking reverses the process of the eyes blinking, creating an experience during which the user can only see when the flaps of the headset open, the time it takes to blink an eye.
Another headset, Looking Through Fire, is fitted with two lighters placed in front of the eyes, allowing the world to be seen through two flames, whilst Visual Feedback uses mirrors to reverse the view from the right eye and the left eye. Kiss Me is a mask containing a mirror to be placed in front of the face. The person wearing it is then asked to kiss someone, but when they do so it is their own reflection they see themselves kissing.
At the Cavema–Grand Manège, the SUB installation, created by the artist Kurt Hentschläger, immerses the visitors in a total blackout. This complete darkness is broken at intervals and for a few seconds by animated bursts of light. When the darkness falls once again, the retina retains the residual ghostly images, which slowly fade until the next moment of light. Before entering, any telephones and light-emitting devices must be handed over to the personnel, to avoid any light pollution within the installation.
Depending on the position of each person in space, the visual and sound impressions vary. Some therefore see images in colour, where others perceive white and black. After a moment, the images are overlaid on each other, giving some the impression that they are hallucinating, and each person has a unique experience. In SUB, the notion of space and the perception of time are modified, for a completely immersive experience.
The KIKK Festival, who is it for?
The KIKK is intended for everyone, no matter what age they are. Digital enthusiasts, families, the curious who wish to discover works from across the whole world. ‘The KIKK Festival explores the connections between art, science, technology and society,’ Marie du Chastel tells us. ‘In it you will discover what the artists create when they appropriate different tools, to show the creativity which can emerge from that. What interests us, is seeing how the artists transcribe the innovations across their art.’
Along the same lines, the programme has been thought through with a family and eclectic audience in mind. ‘The aim of the KIKK Festival is to demystify the black box effect of technologies by showing works which are interactive, fun, accessible and understandable by a young audience,’ Marie du Chastel assures us. ‘I have therefore selected works which can be understood by very young children. Starting from the age of 6, they will be able to understand them pretty easily. If they are younger, they will all the same get something out of them, without having to necessarily understand the meaning.’ During a circuit across the city, the visitors will have the opportunity to discover colossal installations, experiences in virtual reality, immersive displays, captivating videos and works as contemplative as they are critical. A ludic and stimulating event adapted to everyone, to be enjoyed on one’s own or with others from October 24 to 27.
It’s a way of visiting the city in a new way.
The KIKK Festival is also presented as an opportunity to discover the city of Namur in a new way because – as we told you earlier – the KIKK IN TOWN art trail will be installed in spaces generally inaccessible to the general public. ‘This year, for example, the former Harscamp hospice, a magnificent building in which there will be a work which gives tangible form to electromagnetic waves by a cloud of smoke,’ notes Marie du Chastel. ‘It is a location which is currently empty and closed to the public and which we are taking over this year. It’s a way of visiting the city in a new way.’
The Harscamp hospice is just one example amongst so many others. The trail of exhibitions will also take in public buildings and even a school, which can thereby also be discovered at the same time as the artworks.
Practical info
When? October 24th-27th, from 10.00 until 18.00.
What? 60 works to be discovered. A trail adapted to children.
How much? 5 € per person and free for the under-16s. Buy your tickets here.
Where? Various iconic locations of Namur.
How to get there? Partnership with the SNCB for train tickets at reduced prices.
The icing on the cake:
A free-of-charge Nocturne will be held on Friday, October 25 up until 22.00, with the opening of 4 flagship sites which can be visited at no cost, as well as a visual and musical aperitif at the Place d’Armes.
Get all the info you need at www.kikk.be/expo.
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