FASTlab Performance Experiment Newcastle

Post-Anthropocenic Ecology

Newcastle is a city at the crossroads of ecology and technology, where an industrial infrastructure gives way to a vibrant culture of artistic experimentation. In the FASTlab Performance Experiment, an interdisciplinary community of artists join forces to explore the nexus of virtual art, experimental sound and artist-made technology. In this hybrid spirit, we weave together bespoke handmade electronica, experimental software, and emergent audio-visual phenomena, in performances that generate a virtual space that is profoundly in resonance with the Post-Anthropocenic materiality of Newcastle. Following on from Australian-Italian thinker Rosi Braidotti, Post-Anthroposcenic thinking proposes that in order to live sustainably on Planet Earth, we must balance human well-being with care for the environment, and of course respect Indigenous thinking and models of ecological care. The FASTlab Performance Experiment generates a series of performances connected to and inspired by the Biomes Newcastle Garden (facilitated by Kristefan Minski). As a speculative investigation into human creativity at the axis of virtual art and experimental media, this network of performance rooms is a participatory meeting place for perspectives that sow the seeds of a paradigm shift. We point toward the overarching theme of ‘Novocastrian 2050’ and ask: What next after the Anthroposcene? What will a future ecology in Newcastle look and feel like? We imagine a new hybrid of actual and virtual. This room is supported by FASTlab ( Future, Arts, Science, Technology Lab) at the University of Newcastle School of Creative Industries.

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