Noorderlicht 2021 | Thomas Kuijpers: 'Volumes'

THE MAKEABLE MIND
Curator: Paulien Dresscher | Junior curator: George Knegtel
Departing from photography, the 28th edition focuses on the entire spectrum of the image, both analogue and digital: from traditional photography to digital and interactive images, internet glitches, machine learning, virtual reality, street guerrilla actions, performances, sound installations and deep fakes.

From the open call, but also by invitation, festival curator Paulien Dresscher – in collaboration with junior curator George Knegtel and Noorderlicht curator Wim Melis – came to a selection of some seventy participating artists from the Netherlands and abroad, who will be presented at no fewer than 15 locations in Groningen and Friesland.

Paulien Dresscher: “There are more flavours than fake or not fake, with a wealth of images and stories hidden between them. Sometimes dystopian, sometimes utopian or simply fantastic. But nevertheless, exciting and fascinating. With algorithms as our personal advisors, we all think we recognise objective reality within our own bubble, but if there is one thing we can know about that truth, it is that it is not singular.”

The festival’s pièce de resistance is the multimedia installation ‘LAWKI-NOW, Life As We Know It’. Commissioned by Noorderlicht and in cooperation with MU Hybrid Art Space, the work was developed by ARK especially for the Der Aa-Kerk choir. ‘LAWKI-NOW’ is an immersive cinematic experience that combines machine learning with human craftsmanship and visitor interaction. The result is a gigantic audiovisual instrument that confronts the audience with the reality of our lives.

YOUNG CURATORS – SPLINTERED THOUGHTS AND FRAGILE PLOTS
Curators: Tiiu Meiner and Rawad Baaklini
Young Curators is the talent programme of the Noorderlicht International Photo Festival. This third edition is programmed by the Estonian curator and writer Tiiu Meiner and the Lebanese curator and designer Rawad Baaklini. Together they have developed a multidisciplinary exhibition in the Noorderlicht Studio around the theme of the festival. In ‘Splintered Thoughts and Fragile Plots’, with interactive installations, videos and performances, they reveal how easy it is to manipulate things we believe in, and how we decide to go along with a story.

Open Student Call & Noorderlicht BLOOM
As an uncurated event, the first Open Student Call in 2020 was a huge success. Applications for the 2021 edition also continued to pour in: 145 submissions from 41 countries. The exhibition will take place around the former Suikerfabriek. We are also continuing the Noorderlicht YOUNG pilot, which will be called Noorderlicht BLOOM from 2021 on. A group of young people engaged in lens-based art builds – completely autonomously – an exhibition or installation, which is presented during the festival at a location of their choice. This year’s curator is Alex Murphy.

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Locations Groningen Noorderlicht Studio, The Achurch, Pictura, NP3 | RE:Search:Gallery, Forum Groningen, Old Camera cinema, Kunstpunt Groningen, NP3 | eMMa, Tschumi Pavilion and Artphy Westerwolde | Locations Friesland Afslag BLV, Museum Heerenveen, Museumkerk van Wierum, Theaterkerk Nes, Gemaal De Heining and Gemaal Ropta | Location The Hague Sound and Vision The Hague