Тhe 36th edition of Computer Space showcased once again the synthesis of science-technology-art. “Computer space” – one of the oldest and most popular events in South-Eastern Europe in the field of computer arts – over the years has been a huge palette of interesting projects and talented authors, marking the current state and trends in the field of digital arts. Computer space is a traditional field for the expression of young authors, students and pupils.

The International Computer Arts Forum has a competition and festival part https://computerspace.org/computer-space-festival-programme-36th-edition/. The awarding ceremony for the winners took place on October 26 at 1:00 p.m. in National Student House. Interesting projects in eight categories competed for the first places – creative ideas in the field of computer graphics, computer animation, electronic music, web design, interactive arts. First place winners in each category also received a special Computer Space 2024 statuette.

The festival part included exhibitions, workshops, seminars and project presentations. Traditionally, the authors presented some of the winning projects in the categories – computer animations and graphics, interactive installations, web projects and electronic music performance.

Highlights of the festival program:

Retro graphics editors, interfaces and computer monitors

For a long time, the first computers did not have screens. This is information that may surprise some people. The idea that computers must have some kind of display was not convincing enough for inventors, for whom a typewriter or some kind of printer was enough to fill the role of a peripheral device. The history of the development of computer screens is long and complex, but their impact on many aspects of art (and more) is undeniable.

The Retro Graphics Editors, Interfaces and Computer Screens exhibition showcases a range of vintage computers and their displays that represent some of the key moments in the history and development of computers and computer graphics, both from a global and regional perspective. It is impossible not to pay attention to Pravets 82, which, following the computer architecture of the Apple II, played an important role in the introduction of personal computers in Eastern Europe. Together with it goes IMKO 2, which can be called its earlier version. The exhibition also includes other models from the Pravets series, such as Pravets 8M and Pravets 16, which represent the efforts to create powerful yet affordable computers for educational and business purposes in the 1980s.

For its part, the Apple IIe was a cornerstone of the PC revolution in the West, alongside the colorful and innovative iMac G3 and its successor, the iMac G4, which introduced a bold new approach to PC design and usability in the late 1990s. and the beginning of the 2000s. Professional workstations such as Silicon Graphics Indy and Sun SPARC round out the lineup, introducing the high-frequency computing capability that has been critical to the development of fields such as computer graphics and animation, design, and scientific research.

Last but not least, the exhibition is also dedicated to the graphic editors of these computers. Some Bulgarian “retro” games will also be demonstrated.

The exhibition will be available for viewing on October 24-26, 2024, from 13:00 to 18:00 in the ground floor of the National Student House, 10 Narodno Sabranie Sq., Sofia.

On 26.10.2024, we invite all researchers and lovers of old technologies to the seminar “Retro graphical interfaces and graphic programs”, which will present in more detail the history of the exhibits and their graphic software and displays.

Some of the exhibits: Pravets 82, Pravets 8M, IMKO 2, Pravets 16, Pravets XT, Apple IIe, iMac G3, iMac G4, SGI Indu

Graphical refactors for these computers including Bulgarian editors, Bulgarian games, etc.

A Listening Society

Budhaditya Chattopadhyay
https://budhaditya.org/

In this talk, I investigate how the mindful, subjective, and the collaborative aspects of listening practices and methodologies as termed “hyper-listening” and “co-listening” respectively, help focus on the contemplation and capacity for reciprocity of the listener in regard to their situational contexts. Hyper-listening and co-listening operate as a set of individual and collective exercises and experiments in sonic medi(t)ation that intends to encourage listening to self and others without making immediate judgments, transcending ontological and epistemological constraints of sound as foregrounded in the (western) canonical fields of sound studies. Challenging the Western modernist idea of listening as immediate meaning-making to navigate the everyday by arriving at deductive conclusions, I discuss how hyper-listening and co-listening together underscore emancipatory acts of listening towards building an equal, reciprocal society.

Connected
Simeon Sokerov and Sofia Sokerova

“Connected” is a short animation created by the father and daughter team – Simeon and Sofia Sokerovi. The animation sends us to a dystopian world in which the main character is looking for her place.

After a brief presentation and screening, the creators of the animation will tell us more about the creation process, touching on different types of technologies – from classic to modern.

Еlectronics Workshop “Light, Sound and Code”

Workshop leaders: Rosen Vitanov and Vladimir Garistov

Electronics workshop “Light, Sound and Code” within the framework of the “Computer Art” festival and the ECoVEM project for students.

Retro graphical interfaces and graphic programs

With the development and improvement of computer screens and the computing power of computers, the phenomenon of computer graphics appeared, which, as soon as it was born, began to influence many spheres of art.

What are the roadside stones that mark the important moments in the history of the development of graphics programs, what are the main innovations that transform some entire industries – all these questions will be addressed in the seminar dedicated to graphic interfaces and graphics programs.

And others.

The international Forum for Computer Arts “Computer Space” is realized with the financial support of Sofia Municipality and is part of the Calendar of cultural events in Sofia. It is also organized with the assistance of the Ministry of Education and Science, National Student House, ADCOM, Bulgarian Design Group and others.

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Computer Space 2024 Contest Winners

These are the winners of all the categories in the competition part of Computer Space 2024- the jury selection, Organizing Committee selection as well as the winners of the public vote and the special awards.

You can see a list of all contest participants – here.

Computer Space 2024 Gallery

Computer Space 2024 Organizers

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