Timo Wright’s Ex Nihilo (2017) will be installed at IDFA DocLab. IDFA DocLab is a festival program for new media within the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, held from November 16–27. The mission of IDFA DocLab is to showcase interactive documentaries and other new digital artforms that succesfully push the boundaries of documentary storytelling in the age of the interface. Projects are curated and presented online, as well as during live cinema events, exhibitions, workshops and industry panels.
Wright: Ex Nihilo (2017)
Timo Wright’s installation zooms in on three companies that are attempting to push the boundaries of human life. The title Ex Nihilo refers to the creation myth: God creating the heavens and earth from nothing. The American company Oregon Cryonics is attempting to conquer death by freezing the brains of the deceased in the expectation that one day it will be possible to bring them back to life. Svalbard Global Seed Vault on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen stores plant seeds at a constant temperature of -18ºC so that, in the event of an apocalyptic disaster, we will still be able to grow crops. At the Korean Advanced Institute, they are developing HUBO, a highly advanced human robot. Starting with stunning icy images of Spitsbergen and supported by an atmospheric soundscape, this installation tells a serene, stylized story on three separate screens. This subtle, sensory experience stimulates us to reflect on the philosophical and ethical dimensions of playing God.
Wright: Ex Nihilo (2017)
Timo Wright is a photographer and media artist based in Helsinki, Finland. Wright has graduated with MA degree from the Aalto University School of Art and Design in Helsinki in 2012. He has participated in domestic and international exhibitions since the early 2000s including Gallery Forum Box in Helsinki (2014), Helsinki Art Museum’s Kluuvi Gallery (2013), Photographic Gallery Hippolyte (2008) as well as festivals such as Japan Media Arts Festival in Tokyo and Stuttgarter Filmwinter in Germany (2014).
IDFA DocLab, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, 16.–27.11.2017
More information: IDFA DocLab