The myth of the mechanical apple (12+)

On November 9 at 19:00 in the Small Hall of the Russian State Library for Youth (Bolshaya Cherkizovskaya St., 4, building 1) the opening of the exhibition “The Myth of the Mechanical Apple” will take place, dedicated to the new reality - the one where high technology rules, and a person has to rethink his place in the world.

The objects of exhibition will be: painting, photography, sculpture, installations, video, VR.

Smartphones, laptops, self-driving cars are just a small part of what is now available to humans. Today, artificial intelligence controls our homes, communications, choices and even our mood. As we browse social media, algorithms capture our interests to personalize content as much as possible. And it is no longer the user who reads the news feed, but the system that reads the user and his desires.

With new power comes great responsibility and many philosophical and social questions. Where is the place of man in the digital world? What can progress threaten us with? The Myth of the Mechanical Apple invites everyone to find their own answers.

As part of the opening of the exhibition, on November 9 at 19:20 in the Small Hall of the RGBM there will be a display of collections of graduates from the department of “The Art of Costume and Fashion,” one of the oldest institutes of the Russian State University named after A. N. Kosygin, a leading university in the fashion and light industry. In their graduation collections, designers reflected the emotional experiences of man in the rapid era of high technology.

The project was implemented in collaboration with the Russian State University of Art and Industry named after. S. G. Stroganova, department of “Environmental Design”, direction “Multimedia”, project curator Assoc. Kuznetsova Ekaterina.

Curators: Daniil Levites, Svyatoslav Oleinik.

Artists: Alexander Bedin, Yulia Borinskikh, Marusya Izdebska, Anna Kondratyeva, Ilya Minin, Yulia Nemova, Marusya Nesterova, Svyatoslav Oleynik, Kolya Sadovnik, Daria Silantyeva, Ekaterina Yushko, presyncoope.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM WITHIN THE EXHIBITION

Lecture “A Brief History of Russian Video Art in Names and Events”

November 23 at 19:00

Online

The purpose of the lecture is to give students a clear idea of the development of video art as an independent medium, as well as to talk about the most important authors, works and art historical methodology for presenting the material.

Lecturer: Anna Sapozhnikova is a theorist and practitioner of contemporary art, the main topic of academic research is “young Russian artists and their current artistic practices.”

Lecture and master class “Immersive technologies in art”

November 27 at 19:00

Small Hall of the RGBM

In the format of a lecture and a master class, we will get acquainted with the principles of interaction between humans and technology through multimedia. In particular, one of the forms of communication in the media environment is Augmented Reality (AR) technology, with the help of which digital content is transferred to the physical world in real time.

At the master class, participants will be able to create their own prototype using augmented reality technology. For better immersion in the topic, it is recommended to come with your own laptops.

Lecturers:

Ekaterina Kuznetsova – associate professor of the Russian State University of Chemical Arts and Sciences named after. S. G. Stroganova, practicing industrial and multimedia designer, participant in international and Russian conferences and master classes, member of the International Association “Union of Designers”, member of the Creative Union of Artists of Russia.

Anastasia Shepetina is a teacher at the Russian State University of Arts and Sciences named after. S. G. Stroganova, practicing multimedia designer, participant in international and Russian conferences and master classes, member of the Creative Union of Artists of Russia.

Audiovisual performance “Isn’t there a place in heaven?”

November 23 at 19:00

Small Hall of the RGBM

Artist and musician Marusya Nesterova will present musical improvisation based on the texts of Russian mortal lullabies, classical lo-fi electronics and the noise of analog synthesizers, accompanied by video art by Aram Karsi.

Mortal lullabies are an ambiguously interpreted phenomenon of Russian folklore. Ethnographers define this phenomenon both as an invitation to death and as a way to outwit it. Digital reality, artifacts of modern times, artificial intelligence - the fear of death associated with these phenomena is an emotional state that arises in people when they realize their finitude and vulnerability in the face of the endless possibilities of the digital world. “Isn’t there a place in heaven?” is a kind of practice of accepting fear, and at the same time a ritual of protection.

Participants of the audiovisual performance: Marusya Nesterova – artist, musician; Aram Karsi is an experimental film director and interdisciplinary artist.