Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/649887
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 MARCH 2016 31 This Week Well, like any other art form I would say it depends on its implementation. Does any art form really have a benefit over any other? Personally, I've al- ways tried to respect the form I'm using so with regards to generative and digital art, the worst we can do is using it to emulate other forms, instead of using it's strengths and weak- nesses to our advantage. The most exciting thing for digital art is that it is accessible and can be interactive, today most people have a smart de- vice, and that is a very power- ful tool. It's up to the artists to challenge the users with what they can do with that tool. Mal- ta is quite open to technology so I do hope that Digital Art and Generative Art do thrive here. How does this project fit in- to the overall programme of Shadeena, and do you hope to expand your exploration of Generative Art beyond Un/ Seen Evergreen? Shadeena is always on the look out for the next fun challenge to undertake and we look forward for the continued development of the company not only as a film company, but as an enter- tainment company. The Un/Seen Evergreen is our first attempt in the develop- ment of interactive digital ex- periences using Generative Art and Augmented Reality and we have other digital projects in the pipeline that build on this and capitalise on the knowledge that we gain with every new challenge. Un/Seen Evergreen is sup- ported by the Malta Arts Fund. Download the app on the Google Play store: http://tinyurl.com/ zbbfc64. Windows and iOS ver- sions of the app are forthcoming The interdisciplinary experience The School of Performing Arts at the University of Malta will be organising two parallel events this week – one of them being a conference on 21st Century Performance and Research, with an interdisciplinary performance – 'White' – taking place in parallel at the Old University Building, Valletta. TEODOR RELJIC spoke to the School's Director of Research, Stefan Aquilina – who convenes the conference – and the directors of 'White', Mario Frendo and Lucía Piquero about what this meld of the academic and creative means for the contemporary theatrical scene in Malta How was the multi-disciplinary perfor- mance that you will have a hand in organ- ising first thought up? What are some of the relevant elements of this performance, and how do you hope the multidisciplinary ele- ment will be emphasised throughout? Since its conception the School of Per- forming Arts at the University of Malta has been organising a collective performance where students from the three departments of dance, music, and theatre collaborate to devise a work and present it to an audience. Apart from giving more space to practical performance work to our students, the aim is to underline one of the School's main ob- jectives, namely that of promoting interdis- ciplinarity as a matter of practice. Interdis- ciplinarity in performance has been on the agenda of relevant performing arts ensembles around the globe. Of course, we want our students to keep abreast of contemporary practices and to experience, through practice, the challenges and benefits of creating works in collabora- tion with artists from different media. The interdisciplinary aspect is what foregrounds the performance 'White' that will be present- ed this year. Would you say there has been some genu- ine progress in Malta when it comes to in- terdisciplinary collaboration, both from an academic/research perspective as well as performative practise? If so, how is this manifesting itself? On the local scene there is definitely more awareness of the aesthetic benefits when a performance involves practitioners from dif- ferent media. Although there are still those who adopt what are considered as traditional approaches to their work, more local perfor- mance practitioners are experimenting with interdisciplinarity. It is becoming more and more common, in theatre for instance, to have choreographers and sound designers work together directly on productions. Likewise, dance performers are making use of the role of dramaturgs for their crea- tions. From an academic perspective, this is definitely the case at the University of Malta, where interdisciplinarity is at the core of the School's research agenda. With regard to the performance, do you think it will mainly appeal to those inter- ested in the academic side of theatre, or do you hope to reach a more general audience? Definitely a general audience. Even though a research framework underpins the perfor- mance 'White', the aim from the outset was to create a work that appeals to a general audience, including those who are not in- terested in academic research. This is done by giving attention to the piece's aesthetics and poetry which, we are confident, will ap- peal to a broad audience. There is constant overlapping of dance, theatre, and musical aspects. Spectators who are usually attracted to any one of these separately will surely find 'White' an entertaining show. Given that the topic of 21st century per- formance will be the subject of the confer- ence, what would you say are some of the most urgent issues here? What can Malta in particular contribute to this debate? The theme of the conference has drawn substantial attention to the School of Per- forming Arts as an international research hub – it will feature presenters from the US, Canada, France, England, Germany, Poland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Iran, Australia, and, of course, Malta. It is also intended to create awareness of Malta's potential as a base for knowledge creation and sharing. The role of digital technologies in performance is un- doubtedly an area which the conference will discuss, through panel presentations and Prof Sarah Whatley's (University of Coven- try) keynote speech on Thursday (10 March). The digital dimension is, however, only one aspect of a much broader twenty-first-centu- ry tapestry. Two other keynote speakers will touch other issues; Prof Christopher Balme (University of Munich) will open the confer- ence on Wednesday (9 March) and speak about 'theatre in crisis' as a productive way to think about the future of publicly fund- ed theatre in Europe, while Prof. Jonathan Stock (University College Cork) will speak on Friday (11 March) about the performative outcomes of globalization vis-à-vis national identities. Other panel presentations provide interdis- ciplinary links with subject areas like Philoso- phy, Language, History, Archiving, Cognitive Sciences, Pedagogy, and Politics. This event will certainly create interest, debate, and pos- sibly indicate new avenues of research. The conference and performance will take place over 9, 10 and 11 March at the Old University Building, Valletta. For more in- formation log on to: https://www.um.edu.mt/ events/21century2016 Stefan Aquilina We want our students to keep abreast of contemporary practices and to experience the challenges of collaborating in various media Un/Seen Evergreen reveals a tree structure in St George's Square through a smartphone app