Artescienza 2019: Interactive Music and Digital Art Festival in Rome

The Artescienza festival, titled 'Interattivo-Adattivo', took place in Rome in 2019, exploring the intersection of art, science, and digital technology through interactive music and installations. Organized by the CRM (Centro Ricerche Musicali), founded by Laura Bianchini and Michelangelo Lupone, the festival featured works that allowed public manipulation of sound. Two installations created by Bianchini, Lupone, and sculptor Licia Galizia used white glass-plastic bands that visitors could handle to produce and memorize different sounds, which composers later used to generate new sonic flows. The festival drew on historical precedents like John Cage's participatory piece where the audience played instruments. Young artists such as Viviana Palladino, Alessandra Cannavacciuolo (music and image), and Balandino Di Donato with 'Inner' (detecting heart rhythms within an abstract structure by Victoria Curtin Rivera) also presented interactive works. The installation 'Etereo-Schermi Musicali' consisted of sound-transmitting screens used by Italian and international artists and dance groups. A video art retrospective traced the medium's evolution from pioneer Peter Weibel in Fluxus-influenced Vienna to Peter Campus, Bill Viola, Klaus vom Bruch, Dorcas Müller, and Johan Grimonprez. Events and concerts were held at Macro Asilo, Goethe Institut, Accademia di Spagna, and Teatro Vascello. The festival's activities extended beyond Rome to other parts of Italy and abroad.