{"id":19538,"date":"2017-07-24T19:23:12","date_gmt":"2017-07-24T19:23:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artzealous.com\/?p=19538"},"modified":"2017-07-24T19:33:17","modified_gmt":"2017-07-24T19:33:17","slug":"art-tech-marry-at-panorama-festival-in-nyc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/art-tech-marry-at-panorama-festival-in-nyc\/","title":{"rendered":"Art & Tech Marry at Panorama Festival in NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the second year in a row, AEG Live\u2019s Goldenvoice<\/a> (the team behind Coachella) will present Panorama Festival<\/a> in New York City July 28th<\/sup>-30th<\/sup>, 2017.\u00a0 The festival is the place to be this summer; with performances by Frank Ocean, Tame Impala, & Alt-J, it\u2019s an interactive music experience that combines technology, artistry and design, with installations created exclusively by New York-based artists.<\/p>\n

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Mural by @cashone, @br163artwork, @armordtribe91, Photo: @juliusjulynyc<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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For those of you who went last year, the interactive art installation element is back. \u00a0For the newbies, it\u2019s called The LAB<\/a>, designed and curated by META.is, placing experiential digital art at the heart of the festival with seven interactive installations and a massive 360\u00ba virtual reality theater. The LAB serves as a playground for music, art, and technology that ultimately demonstrates META\u2019s specialty which is the \u201cArt of Being There.\u201d \u00a0META experiences are crafted to combine strategy and artistry with immersive and interactive technologies to create unforgettable moments and The LAB will do just that for year two.<\/p>\n

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Photo courtesy \/\/ Panorama 2016 <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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It all started when AEG put out a request to a handful of creative production companies asking to pitch a \u201cFuture Lab\u201d with the goal of bringing the creative technology community together within a music festival setting. \u00a0META put together a pitch that featured three main elements: a fa\u00e7ade, a dome to create a sense of mystery, and an exhibition with seven different interactive installations. The concept\u2019s nucleus was to create a META-narrative that produced moment after moment of self-discovery\u2014to ultimately to bring spectators to that \u201cspecial place in consciousness.\u201d Getting to that \u201ca-ha moment\u201d where people get in the zone is what drives META, and ultimately that spirit coupled with execution won them the job for the second year in a row.<\/p>\n

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Photo courtesy \/\/ @panoramanyc Panorama 2016 <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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In terms of participating artists, the festival puppeteers sent a detailed ask to 36 NYC-based studios and received over 70 pioneering artistic concepts. META winnowed the list down to about 20 and then brought it down to the finalists with the good folks at AEG.\u00a0 Finalists were able to hone in on their crafts, budgets, and concept to make the final grade. The winning installations are all designed to be interactive for no less than eight people at the same time, really driving home the communal human connection side of the experience.\u00a0 Some installations will require literal human energy just to power them, and some will feature futuristic artistic themes that explore light, reflection, emotion, and inter-connection.<\/p>\n

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Photo courtesy \/\/ @panoramanyc Panorama 2016 <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Art Zealous spoke with Justin Bolognino who is one of the curators of the experience over at META.\u00a0 He believes there is an emergent class of creativity, of \u201cArt Stars,” quickly rising in the artistic technology community.\u00a0 At META, they call this incredible talent \u201cExperience Directors,\u201d those who combine design, story, technology, and artistry over time\u2014whose work culminates in experiencing the \u201cArt of Being There.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The idea of The LAB at Panorama is to celebrate these creative geniuses with the same respect as the musicians and bands. First and foremost, it\u2019s a celebration of a new and exciting form of artist.<\/p>\n

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Photo courtesy \/\/ @panoramanyc Panorama 2016 <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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In the art world, we are experiencing technology redefining art in innovative and new ways, so the idea of baking tech into the core DNA of the festival itself is innovative on many levels. When asked how placing interactive digital art at the heart of the festival scene enhances the music festival experience, Bolognino reflects on a Frank Lloyd Wright quote, \u201cArchitecture is frozen music.\u201d In his opinion, The LAB could be viewed as tangible music as it manifests visually and interactively at Panorama.<\/p>\n

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It seems quite difficult to combine technology, artistry, and design in order to curate an avant-garde exhibition like this one. Bolognino thinks many curators get too caught up in the theme or the meaning of the art, especially in the creative technology space, and often times the work falls flat. \u00a0His tip for success: lead with emotion and wow with the tech, not vice versa.<\/p>\n

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Photo courtesy \/\/ @panoramanyc; Panorama 2016<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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In addition to the incredible LAB experience, for the second year in a row American Express is set to deliver the ultimate music, fan and Card Member experience at the festival, featuring\u00a0a two-story tent space for all attendees and Card Members\u00a0to enjoy. \u00a0We definitely don’t want to miss out on any of the following AmEx activities.<\/p>\n