A one-day symposium exploring our understanding, fears and hopes for digital interaction in participatory arts.

WHERE THE POWER LIES will provide the opportunity to experience a variety of interactive artwork. Discuss our fears and hopes whilst furthering our understanding of digital interaction and participation. The day will centre around three themes;

Digital Interfaces and the process of engagement
A practical demonstration and exploration of interactive art at LEVEL – its process. purpose, qualities and limitations.

Participation and Power
Who has the real power in the artistic content? Who really controls and therefore owns the output? Can participants really author new work or does it always remain that of the programmer/artist?

The Human and the Machine
Digital culture, the individual and our society, including the politics of our digital culture and the notional relationship between machine code and chemical coding.

Featuring interactive work by Lumen Prize shortlisted artist Will Hurt, Polish artist Gregorz Rogala, together with an interactive performance of BREATHE (a live manipulated sound work created at LEVEL) and the chance to experience Moment (brain controlled movie). Facilitated sessions by Andrew Williams (LEVEL), John Whall (Quad) and Dr Steve Benford and Richard Ramchurn (Nottingham University).

Where the Power Lies is part of the Digital Participation Expedition with EMPAF, looking into the meaning and use of ‘digital participation’. Through a series of gatherings, EMPAF partner organisations, will be exploring examples of ‘good practice’, training, the work of inspirational digital artists, taking part in participatory digital sessions and starting wider and deeper debates about the role of new media in society in general and how this impacts positively or otherwise on our community and participatory work.

Events are designed to inspire conversation and debate through practical participatory activities. This will include workshop demonstrations by digitally focused organisations and facilitators, group discussions on the role of digital in participatory practice and an event discussion with leading professionals and organisations on what we mean when we say “digital participation”.

You can follow all the developments of the project via the hashtag#DigitalpARTicipationis

In collaboration with
EAST MIDLANDS PARTICIPATORY ARTS FORUM (EMPAF)
EMPAF is an open forum of leading cultural organisations across the East Midlands. Its aim is to explore the role of and development of participatory arts on a local, regional and national agenda.

Hosted by LEVEL
LEVEL is a contemporary arts space providing opportunities for people to discover, experience and be inspired by cutting edge art, ideas and culture in rural Derbyshire.

LEVEL creates new work and deliberately challenges conventional artistic practice, thinking and process. It is rapidly developing a national reputation for producing and promoting art that is different, powerful and relevant to many sectors of our society – art that is not afraid to be different.