• Towards new beginnings in 2019 

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    Posted: 19 December 2018


    Towards new beginnings in 2019


    The year 2018 marked our 10th anniversary which we celebrated with workshops, performances and events like the art of financial hacking, a book on how to reclaim the economy, the celebration of cabbage as a festive dinner, an artificial intelligent robotic prothesis dancing with a human being, a debate on how to love our Frankenstein monsters and much more..

    Proud and grateful we are too, as we’ve established our two-year funding on national, regional and city level. Thanks to Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie, Provincie Noord Brabant and Stichting Cultuur Eindhoven for their trust and support. Also, the Interreg RegionARTS program was granted, in which - together with a consortium of partners from all over Europe - we influence the regional policies about the integration of artists in ICT projects.

    The year to come kicks off with new themes, unfolding a human-centered approach in our hyperconnected society. A society in which we believe, artists and designers will be a driving force in addressing the pressing issues at stake. Baltan continues to establish new collaborations that re-invent creative strategies and unfettered ways of exploring new perspectives and alternative means of expression. Overall these topics emphasize the importance of increasing our understanding of what it means to be human.

    The themes derive from the concept of Homo Universalis (universal man), a person whose expertise spans 'a significant number of different subject areas, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems' and led to the notion that people should develop their capacities as fully as possible. The themes aim to remind us, that even though we live in advanced and prosperous times, we’ll continuously need to adjust and develop ourselves, re-assess our skills and re-imagine our beliefs and values: How to relate our everyday practical engagements with different ways of being?

    The Homo Sensorium is aware that the (sensory) reality manifests itself depending on its (technological) senses. Homo Sensorium explores the blurring borders between the synthetic and organic, the real and the virtual, the human and machine, sense and perception. By focusing on sensory perception, we get closer to the essence of what it means to be human. We’ll explore the future of our mediated body, a trend that causes a shift in human perception.

    The Homo Socialis is aware of the different social roles in life, linked to different norms, values and therefore the social expectations to meet. This persona explores the tension between the individual and the collective. As a social human being, the Homo Socialis is highly autonomous yet always in connections with others. Within this theme the paradox of individualism is explored and counterbalanced with our deepest human desire to be part of a larger whole, such as a community.

    The Homo Economicus is a concept in which man is first and foremost an economic being, that is, directed towards the satisfaction of his needs in an efficient, rational or logical manner. We will examine which systems maintain this deepheld belief and prevents real change. Within this persona, we look at alternative value systems of abundancy and scarcity, growth and shrinking. The Homo Economicus to be, explores new ideals in a world which has become foremost profit driven, if only it was to save the environment, prevent the exploitation of people or to fantasize about an opposite movement of growth.

    We are looking forward to meet, make, wonder, discuss, tinker, explore, dream, speculate and shape new ideas together with you in 2019!

    Festive greetings from the Baltan team.

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