MINISTERIO DE CULTURA, CENTRO CERVANTES - MADRID

08-11 MAY 2007

The First International Art Tech Media Conference has been set up in order to reflect upon and analyse questions currently being raised about art and new technological media within an international context. In a globalised world, dominated by communication technologies, with countless questions concerning a future that affects our everyday life, it is essential to make this analysis and to consider, from different perspectives, how our polyhedral, altered reality is being effected by the widespread use of new technology as a support for new ideas and possibilities that are almost infinite. We need to investigate how this occurs in different societies and cultures and to propose models that may go beyond what has been known until now.

The Conference will focus on three clearly complementary regions: national, international (European, Asian) and Ibero-American. The conference is open to the general public, especially those connected to the visual arts and in particular those working in digital art.

The Congress will be held at three venues:

1. Ministerio de Cultura: debates and lectures related to Spanish and international issues.

2. Instituto Cervantes: lectures and roundtables on the relationship between Spain and Ibero-America.

3. Casa América: Lectures on the Ibero-American sphere and projection of video art.

Main Objectives of the Congress

1. Art, as an expression that is common to all human societies, overrides frontiers. As such, regardless of the logical importance given to the different art sectors within Spain , the international and Ibero-American context will be given priority.

2. To reflect, analyse and debate by sectors the current situation in art and new media to gain a better understanding of its different realities and necessities.

3. To present proposals that will energise and improve the relationship between the different sectors in order to stimulate and promote Spanish digital art both nationally and internationally.

4. To favour the presentation of proposals related to the opportunity and need to create an " Institute of Digital Arts ", how it may be organised, its functions, objectives and its relationship with other Institutes and international institutions.

5. To optimise the creation of more Centres of Production and Research in collaboration with institutions and the private sector for the development of an innovative industrial and economic infrastructure.

6. The presentation of the book Art Tech Media 06, of selected lectures and communiqués as well as a survey made among various sectors related to digital art.

7. The conclusions and proposals of the Conference will be presented to the Ministry of Culture and other national and international institutions.

Congress Structure: Round tables, lectures and communiqués

1. Round tables - The conference will be structured into roundtables by sector in which different issues will be analysed, alternative proposals to current models presented, and a study made of international experiences, and the most effective way to establish a collaborative, operative and stable Interface Platform whose objective in part will be the optimisation of resources with shared products, research and exchange of information.

The roundtables will be formed by 5/6 people with a moderator whose main functions will be to lead debate and present conclusions. Duration of the roundtable: 50 minutes.

Round table themes:

- Art, Science, Technology and Industry

- Museums, Art Centres, Medialabs: centres for production and exhibition

- University : research and teaching plans.

- New market for Art: galleries, fairs, biennials.

- Digital art and Patronage

- Cultural politics

- Copyright, reproduction and exhibition

- Media in the digital era

- Curation, exhibition and collectors

- Institute of the Digital Arts

- Ibero-American and Spanish cooperation

- International cooperation with Spain