Antennae: Journal of Nature partners with Interactive Futures 2011: Animal Influence

The international journal Antennae: Journal of Nature in the Visual Arts, edited by Giovanni Aloi, has devoted two issues to Interactive Futures 2011: Animal Influence. Guest Curator, Carol Gigliotti partnered with Antennae to produce two issues, Animal Influence I and II, reflecting on and documenting this seminal project.

IF’11: Animal Influence was organized by: Carol Gigliotti, Guest Curator; Julie Andreyev Artistic Director; and Maria Lantin, Executive Director. IF’11 took place in November 2011 at Emily Carr University of Arts and Design. The conference gathered nationally and internationally recognized artists as well as scholars whose work is influenced and informed by animals, their cognitive abilities, creativity and consciousness. As the introduction of the program stated: “Our particular interest is in how investigations in animal-human relations are affecting the ways in which new media artists are considering broader understandings of other species and creating varying methodologies for experimental art and new media appropriate for these unique circumstances”.

The two issues of Antennae gather the majority of papers delivered at the conference and a selection of artworks which were exhibited at the concomitant art exhibition. Together, they are structured in such way to resemble the tri-parted structure of the original conference in which papers were themed: Agency, Perception, and Consciousness/Compassion. In between the scholarly papers there are Artist’s Pages ­– a section highlighting each individual artist represented by one or more works (along with an artist’s statement).

The Antennae issues highlight the great breath and wealth of perspectives, approaches and subjects that emerged during IF’11. It is the first time an issue of Antennae is entirely dedicated to a conference.