MicroPOM Lahore 2023 - Politics of the Machines

Micro POM
Lahore 2023

Schedule

Poetics. Polemics.
Programmatics.

Mariam Dawood School of Visual Art and Design,
Beaconhouse National University (BNU)
Thursday, 12th October 2023

Master of Ceremony
Rohma Khan

Beaconhouse National University
Tarogil Campus
13 Km Off Thokar Niazbeg – Raiwind Road, Tarogil, Lahore – 53700, Pakistan

9:30 am – 10:00 am
Registrations

10.00 – 10.30
Opening Remarks
Dr. Moeed Yusuf
Vice Chancellor of BNU

Najam Ul Asser
Founder, Lahore Digital Art Festival

Gerald Dylan
EUNIC Pakistan representative

10:30 am – 11:00 am
Opening keynote address
Dr. Christa Sommerer
Dr. Laurent Mignonneau.

11:00 am – 11:15 am
Setting the stage for Digital Arts
Rashid Rana
Visual Artist, Dean SVAD

11:15 am – 12:00 pm
ALT+CTRL+DEL
Rebooting the digital arts conversation
Moderated by Durre Shehwar

Panellists:
Justine Emard
Agnes Michalczyk
Ahmed Raza Hashmi
Ayesha Mubarack Ali

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Lunch Break
by Kiran Farooq Khan & Eisha Liaqat

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Guided Experience of the Metaverse Bodies Exhibition
led by Aarish Sardar

Assistant Curator: Waleed Zafar

Participating Artists:
Stefano Fake, Abdul Rehman, Huma Gul, Muhammad Atique, Ridaa Ahsan Raja, Rinoshan Susiman, Aroosa Rana & Faziel Shah.

2:00 pm – 2:45 pm

Poetics*
Moderator: Sadaf Noori Malik
Observer: Stefano Fake

Panellists:
Anton Sahler, Umair Abbasi ,Justine Emard, Mehmil Ishtiaq, Risham Syed, Muneeb Qureshi, Faizan Ahmed Naveed & Dua Kundi.

Polemics**
Moderator: Laiba Aslam
Observer: Gillian Rhodes

Panellists:
Sidra Khwaja, Zainul abideen, Agnes Michalczyk, Abbas Murad, Zainab Barlas, & Zoona Kundi.

Programmatics***
Moderator: Sonia Kashmiri
Observer: Aarish Sardar

Panellists:
Faziel Shah, Laurent Mignonneau, Samra Noori, Ijaz Naeem Ahmed, Umair Javed, Osamah Atif, Seher Chohan, & Zulqarnain Ansari.

2:45 pm – 3:00 pm
Mapping the Digital Arts Industry in Pakistan Gillian Rhodes

3:00 pm – 3:45 pm
Where do we go from here?
Moderator: Quddus Mirza

Panellists:
Gillian Rhodes, Stefano Fake, Daud Randle, Aarish Sardar, & Rohma Khan.

3:45 pm – 3:55 pm
What is cooking in the local digital arts scene?
Ayesha Mubarack Ali

3:55 pm – 4:05 pm
The Looming Internet of (living) Thing
Dr. Faisal Khan

4:05 pm – 4:15 pm
Closing Note
Shoaib Iqbal & Sarah Rajper

Sub-themes

Poetics. Polemics.
Programmatics.

*Poetics

The Poetics sub-theme emphasises the artistic and expressive aspects of media art. It explores the aesthetic qualities, creative processes, and conceptual foundations of media artworks. Participants can delve into the use of different mediums, forms, and techniques to convey meaning and evoke emotional responses. Poetics encourages attendees to reflect on the role of aesthetics in media art and its relationship to society and culture.

**Polemics

This sub-theme focuses on critical debates and controversies within the field of media art and its related disciplines. It provides a platform for participants to engage in discussions and express their differing perspectives on various issues. Polemics encourages the exploration of conflicting viewpoints, challenging existing norms, and promoting intellectual discourse.

***Programmatics

This sub-theme focuses on the technical and programming aspects of media art creation. It involves discussions and presentations related to coding, algorithms, software development, and interactive technologies. Programmatic explores the intersection of art and technology, showcasing innovative approaches to media art production and encouraging interdisciplinary collaborations between artists, programmers, engineers, and other practitioners.

Micro POM
Lahore 2023

Overview

Rashid Rana
Advisor
Dean Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts
dean.svad@bnu.edu.pk

Aarish Sardar
Curator (Metaverse Bodies | Exhibition)
Associate Professor, HoD Visual Communication Design, MDSVAD
aarish.sardar@bnu.edu.pk

Rohma Khan
Co-Curator (MikroPOM | Conference)
Associate Professor, Programme Head, Interdisciplinary Expanded Design & Art, MDSVAD
rohma@bnu.edu.pk

Laiba Aslam
Assistant Curator (MikroPOM | Conference)
Visiting Faculty, MA in Art and Design Studies, MDSVAD
laiba.aslam@bnu.edu.pk

Waleed Zafar
Assistant Curator (Metaverse Bodies | Exhibition)
Senior Lecturer, Department of Visual Arts – MDSVAD
waleed.zafar@bnu.edu.pk

Mavra Ahmad
Marketing and PR
Manager Communication and Outreach, MDSVAD
mavra.ahmad@bnu.edu.pk

Metaverse Bodies Exhibition
& MikroPOM Conference Facilitation Team

Abbas Murad
Foundation Year Faculty, MDSVAD
abbas.murad@bnu.edu.pk

Hamza Ilyas
Coordinator Admin and Finance, MDSVAD
admincd.svad@bnu.edu.pk

Samina K Ansari
Student at Department of Visual Arts, MDSVAD
saminakansari@gmail.com

Tanveer Ali
Faculty at the Department of Textile, Fashion and Accessory Design, MDSVAD
tanveerali8433@gmail.com

Usman Sualat
AV Lab Supervisor
avadvisor.svad@bnu.edu.pk

Kiran Khan
Associate Professor, HoD, Textile, Fashion & Accessories, MDSVAD
kiranfkhan@bnu.edu.pk

Eisha Liaqat
Lecturer, Textile, Fashion & Accessories, MDSVAD
eisha.liaqat@bnu.edu.pk

MikroPom Lahore centers its attention towards the multifaceted aspects of technology in the city. The convergence of poetics, polemics, and programmatics plays a vital role in the politics of the machine, fundamentally shaping the trajectory of technology within Lahore’s dynamic landscape. Poetics imbues technology with aesthetics and creativity, polemics drives debates influencing its societal reception, and programmatics govern its functionality. This intricate interplay significantly influences the development, deployment, regulation, and perception of technology within society, contributing to a profound impact on our swiftly evolving technological landscape.

Poetics, as an integral element of this convergence, bestows upon technology an essence of aesthetics and creativity. It infuses the digital realm with the depth of artistic expression, interlacing the cultural essence of Lahore with digital elements that bring to life ancient narratives and traditions. In parallel, polemics step into the spotlight, fuelling debates that influence the societal reception of technology. These impassioned discussions challenge existing norms, provoke intellectual discourse, and shape the cultural discourse in this vibrant city. At the core of this intricate interplay is programmatics, the governing principle that ensures the functionality of technology. Programmatics navigates the terrain where art and technology converge, showcasing innovative approaches to media art production. The amalgamation of these three sub-themes encourages interdisciplinary collaborations fostering a symbiotic relationship that defines the evolving landscape of Lahore’s digital arts.

The conference marks the launch of the Four Days Festival; this exciting collaboration between the Lahore Digital Arts Festival, Politics of Machine, and the Mariam Dawood School of Art and Design at BNU brings together a diverse and interdisciplinary array of practitioners and academics from Pakistan’s digital art scene, supplemented by valuable contributions from some international digital art practitioners and academics. The conference schedule for this event promises an enriching and diverse array of activities & panel talks. It commences with a captivating opening keynote address delivered by Christa Sommerer and Laurent Mignonneau, the pioneers of immersive art, setting the stage for digital arts by Rashid Rana, the trailblazer in introducing the digital art in the Pakistani art landscape. Our esteemed panellists will actively engage in discussions during the “ALT+CTRL+DEL” sessions, where they will challenge established norms, engage in dialogue, and offer fresh perspectives to reboot the digital arts conversation.

Aarish Sardar, curator of the exhibition Metaverse Bodies held at Beaconhouse National University as a part of Four Days Festival by Lahore Digital Art Festival, will guide attendees on an insightful journey to explore the exhibition, curated as a part of Four Days Festival. The sub-themes of poetics, polemics and programmatic will be explored by practitioners and academics in moderated hackathons sessions. Gillian Rhodes will present a comprehensive overview on Mapping the digital Art Industry in Pakistan. The conference reaches its culmination with a closing panel discussion including Morten Søndergaard, Stefano Fake, Daud Randle, Aarish Sardar, Rohma Khan, and Gillian Rhodes, moderated by Quddus Mirza, providing a reflective space to explore the conference’s themes and chart future directions for digital arts touching upon the sub- themes. Finally, our esteemed Keynotes will engage in a forward-looking discussion on the future of digital arts by Ayesha Mubarack Ali, and Transdisciplinarity within the Digital Realm by Dr. Faisal Khan. The conference will conclude with expressions of gratitude, acknowledging the invaluable contributions of all participants by Najam Ul Assar, the Director of Lahore Digital Arts Festival.

Within the diverse digital arts scene in Lahore, these questions give rise to discussions about the politics of technology urging us to uncover the intricate web of creativity, innovation, and critical discourse in Lahore’s digital arts landscape, contributing to the global dialogue on the intersection of art, technology, and culture.