PARTICLE + WAVE

Emmedia’s media arts festival features workshops + screenings + installations + performances.

1 What’s in a name Media Arts is a broad term, which leads to Particle + Wave being an eclectic festival. “We just say it’s an artform that uses some form of digital output or digital technology,” says Emmedia programming director Vicki Chau, “so that can be anything from video work, to a web-based work, to something dealing with electronics or robotics, or audio, soundworks, installations.” 2 A Troika The works at the festival don’t follow a theme, says Chau, but instead are grouped by the form of presentation. The festival is split into a screening night Thursday, a group art exhibition which opens Friday, and a feature night featuring live performances Saturday.

3 Distorted Dreams The screening night, titled We Dream in Glitches, features works you wouldn’t see at a typical film festival, says Chau. “The type of work we’re looking for is something that is very experimental. It doesn’t always have to have a narrative.” That means there’s a place for decontextualized works by visual artist Taryn Ward, whose pieces are based on Paramount Picture’s 1960s painted-mountain title card ( Civilized Landscapes) and “every airborne golf ball at the 2015 Honda Classic Golf Open” ( Soar). 4 More Than Memes The group exhibition, titled The Channelers, is organized by Lauren Marsden and Marla Fedorova, who are co-editors of Decoy Magazine, which focuses on online art and also produces a digital art subscription called Bcc:. The exhibition is an offshoot of Bcc: and features artists from around the world working in online media like GIFs and YouTube videos. “We’re giving them a physical presence instead of an online presence in this gallery space (at Emmedia),” says Chau.

5 No Paywall The festival is mostly a free endeavour; the only ticketed event is the Feature Night at Festival Hall in Inglewood and tickets are only $15. “We try to make it as affordable a festival as possible,” says Chau.