Strange New Species
Within the digital milieu – where networked, datafied, and algorithmically driven interactions unfold between people, technical systems, and the environment – new kinds of artificial and hybrid entities emerge that elude straightforward classification. Among these strange new species are so-called "mushroom" websites that proliferate in the Bulgarian webspace to spread disinformation and propaganda during political campaigns, only to disappear or become inactive once a campaign has run its course. Another odd being is "One Person," a 13-meter public statue in Sofia which broadcasts dynamic visual content through a computer algorithm combining video surveillance, dataveillance, and AI-generated text, forming a collective body in the process of constant self-actualization. In this Loops session, Veneta Androva and Venelin Shurelov will elaborate on the nature of these more-than-human actors and, in doing so, provide insight into their artistic practices and methodologies.
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Venelin Shurelov is a visual artist, scenographer, and researcher working at the intersection of art, technology, and critical media practice. His work explores the hybridization of human and machine, automated systems, and the performative nature of contemporary technologies. He is the founder of ‘AUTOMATIC Gallery’, a 24/7 digital art space in Sofia, and the co-founder of ‘DA Fest’, as well as the MA Program in Digital Arts in Sofia. Shurelov’s projects have been presented internationally in exhibitions, festivals, and academic contexts, focusing on questions of perception, control, and technological fiction. He teaches and lectures on digital art, performance, and media theory.
https://www.subhumantheatre.com/
Veneta Androva is a visual artist living and working between Berlin and Sofia. Her practice focuses on CGI-based moving image and installation developed through research-driven artistic approaches. Working across single-channel works, multi-channel video, and spatial formats, she examines how contemporary realities are shaped by technological infrastructures, mediated information, and structures of power. Across her projects, Androva develops hybrid narratives in which documentary material and fiction intersect. Her films are internationally recognized with honors including the German Short Film Award (2020), Prix Ars Electronica (2021), and 25FPS International Experimental Film and Video Festival, as well as presentations in institutional contexts across Europe and beyond.
Strange New Species
Within the digital milieu – where networked, datafied, and algorithmically driven interactions unfold between people, technical systems, and the environment – new kinds of artificial and hybrid entities emerge that elude straightforward classification. Among these strange new species are so-called "mushroom" websites that proliferate in the Bulgarian webspace to spread disinformation and propaganda during political campaigns, only to disappear or become inactive once a campaign has run its course. Another odd being is "One Person," a 13-meter public statue in Sofia which broadcasts dynamic visual content through a computer algorithm combining video surveillance, dataveillance, and AI-generated text, forming a collective body in the process of constant self-actualization. In this Loops session, Veneta Androva and Venelin Shurelov will elaborate on the nature of these more-than-human actors and, in doing so, provide insight into their artistic practices and methodologies.
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Venelin Shurelov is a visual artist, scenographer, and researcher working at the intersection of art, technology, and critical media practice. His work explores the hybridization of human and machine, automated systems, and the performative nature of contemporary technologies. He is the founder of ‘AUTOMATIC Gallery’, a 24/7 digital art space in Sofia, and the co-founder of ‘DA Fest’, as well as the MA Program in Digital Arts in Sofia. Shurelov’s projects have been presented internationally in exhibitions, festivals, and academic contexts, focusing on questions of perception, control, and technological fiction. He teaches and lectures on digital art, performance, and media theory.
https://www.subhumantheatre.com/
Veneta Androva is a visual artist living and working between Berlin and Sofia. Her practice focuses on CGI-based moving image and installation developed through research-driven artistic approaches. Working across single-channel works, multi-channel video, and spatial formats, she examines how contemporary realities are shaped by technological infrastructures, mediated information, and structures of power. Across her projects, Androva develops hybrid narratives in which documentary material and fiction intersect. Her films are internationally recognized with honors including the German Short Film Award (2020), Prix Ars Electronica (2021), and 25FPS International Experimental Film and Video Festival, as well as presentations in institutional contexts across Europe and beyond.