Who are we really online?
Who do I want to be on the net?
In January 2016, the Goethe-Institut in south-west Europe (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain) launched Streaming Egos – Digital Identities: a project about the ancient, and yet urgent, issue of identity reframed into contemporary digital culture. Now, the outcome of the artistic research is available online.
Produced and distributed by Digicult – Digital Art, Design and Culture, the Streaming Egos – Digital Identities publication collects the complete documentation of works, researches, and events connected to the project. It is available as an online preview on ISSUU, in Print on Demand on Peecho, and for download in PDF and ePub formats.
The European project Streaming Egos brought together media experts, artists, critics and curators who tackled the theme of digital identity by exploring its risks, limits and advantages when facing the blurred borders in-between virtual and real life. Conceived by the Goethe-Institut in the six participating countries, coordinated by the Goethe-Institut of Paris, curated by the Slow Media Institut and in cooperation with the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf, the project explored the ways digital identities come into being, change and develop under the influence of social media, within the framework of the socio-political status quo of each country.
The project resulted in the production of digital materials, artworks and writings that converged into different forms and events: a digital platform for participants to contribute to transnational debate by publicly sharing their critical thoughts and reflections, the exhibition Ego Update. The Future of the Digital Identity run on the 16th and 17th January 2016 in conjunction with the Identity Convention, two days of meetings and debates during which relevant common topics have been identified which have been deepened by contributions to the pub.
About the publication
Streaming Egos – Digital Identities documents the works and researches produced during the European project, and provides the reader with critical insights, addressing the issue of identity in contemporary transnational and digital culture.
In the publication you can find a whole section collecting the materials of each country project, and another one gathering critical essays by a heterogeneous group of contributors, including critics, journalists, writers, curators and media experts. In addition, the publication hosts statements by thinkers who give their own perspective on the topic, as food for thought with respect to the issue of identities in the age of netculture.
A project by: Goethe-Institut in cooperation with Slow Media Institut, NRW-Forum Düsseldorf
Head Curator: Sabria David (Slow Media Institut)
Edited by Sabria David and Ulla Wester
Produced and distributed by: Marco Mancuso, Loretta Borrelli and Roberta Colavecchio for Digicult – Digital Art, Design and Culture
National Curators: Bram Crevits (Ghent University College, Belgium) – Marie Lechner (Preservation & Art – Media Archaelogy Lab, France) – Sabria David (Slow Media Institut, Germany), Marco Mancuso, Filippo Lorenzin (Digicult, Italy) – Sandra Vieira Jürgens (Wrong Wrong and RAUM: online artist residencies, Portugal), Mateo Feijóo (University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain)
Participants: Belgium: Marthe Van Dessel (bolwerK), Lucille Calmel, Marijke De Roover, Wim Lambrecht – France: RYBN, Nicolas Maigret, Gwenola Wagon, Jeff Guess – Germany: Dirk von Gehlen, Enno Park, Martina Pickhardt – Italy: IOCOSE, Salvatore Iaconesi / Oriana Persico (AOS), Alterazioni Video, Silvio Lorusso – Portugal: André Alves, Claudia Fischer, Paulo Mendes, Pedro Portugal – Spain: Monoperro, Sonia Gómez, Carlos Rod, Dr. Kurogo, Vic Snake, Plastique Fantastique
About Goethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institute. It promotes knowledge of the German language and fosters international cultural cooperation. Through cultural and educational programmes, it encourages intercultural dialogue and enables cultural involvement. For over 60 years, it has been acting as a cultural platform, meeting point and learning centre in more than 90 countries worldwide.
About Slow Media Institut
The Slow Media Institut is an interdisciplinary research and consulting centre, researching and consulting on digital change and its impact on society, working environment and the world of media. The Slow Media approach relates to a phase of transition and fundamental change in societies that are linked to technological progress. Based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods and recently backed by the representative Slow Types Study, the Slow Media Institut focuses on concepts and models to constructively deal with disruptive changes and offers new perspectives for a resilient digital society.