The 10th International Conference on the Histories of Media Art, Science and Technology
13 16 September 2023 Venice, Italy
Joseph Hovadik , Myrto Aristidou, and Kleanthis Neokleous
Abstract
The contemporary emergencies that are faced globally and are interweaved between environmental, societal and economic urgencies and tensions, have been in the foreground of European Union’s developing strategies and actions for a while now. Amongst the various policies, the EU has invested in novel approaches of investigating such contemporary issues through an interdisciplinary lens. The S+T+ARTs Initiative is one of these initiatives, through which the European Commission focuses on ”projects and people that have the potential to make meaningful contributions to this effort (...) and driven by the conviction that science and technology combined with an artistic viewpoint also open valuable perspectives for research and business, through a holistic and human-centered approach”. Within these premises, the S+T+ARTS initiative partnered with CYENS as the Regional S+T+ARTS Centre (RSC) for Cyprus, announcing a series of open calls for art residencies with the theme of ”Repairing the Present”. The goal was to critically examine the impact of the tourism industry from a scientific, technological, and artistic perspective, while imagining sustainable tourism practices.
Responding to this call, the author submitted a proposal to the CYENS’ RSC’s focused call titled ”SustainingScapes” and address issues related to sustainability tensions that affect Cyprus. A small Mediterranean island, known for its natural beauty and millennial cultures, Cyprus has become a popular destination for tourists from all over the world. In recent years, tourism in Cyprus has become a crucial part of the local economy. However this rapid growth has led to numerous negative environmental impacts.
The author’s proposal titled ”Cyprus Vital Signs,” which emerged as the winning submission, sought to produce a comprehensive body of work raising awareness on the impact of human activities on the island of Cyprus, investigating the socio-environmental repercussions of tourism by inspecting, describing, transforming and narrating data generated by tourist activities. As the residency progressed, what began as a techno-scientific investigation evolved into a broader examination of the evolution of tourism in conjunction with modernity, the systemic nature of the ecological crises, a reassessment of values, an examination of the purpose of travel, and a reconsideration of relationships with nature.
The final work that was exhibited at the MEET center in Milan and the WIP22 show in Nicosia, is composed of video animations conveying the histories and the reality of the socio-environmental crisis. Unfolding as a polyptych voyage towards an enchanted reality, the work is based on digital and physical datasets which are analyzed, presented, and interpreted through a somewhat kaleidoscopic gaze. Scavenged by autonomous algorithms, hyperlocal and general datasets left behind by tourists are read as socio-environmental indicators and compiled into a daily report, while an open-source and continuously updated website makes available all the resources that continuously informed the project. The work culminates with a synergistic hi-tech/low-tech printmaking process, shifting the gaze from the deluging instrumentalization and the mega-views of our world towards the landing on an enchanted earth, the restoring of distance between objects, and the awakening to a new future-preserving cosmologies.
Keywords: art digital media tourism ecology environment crisis axiology values enchantment decolonization