Beyond the Hybrid. Narratives, New Media Experiments and Speculations Touching Art and Science

Volume No: 20 / 5
Editors: Lily Díaz-Kommonen, Juhani Tenhunen, Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits
2024

Acoustic Space, Volume 20 / Renewable Futures, Issue 5

Beyond The Hybrid book addresses hybridity’s implications in modern contexts, from AI and digital interfaces to bio-artistic expressions. The hybrid’s role in political and social realms is also examined, exploring how hybrid media systems blend traditional and new media to reshape power dynamics and cultural narratives. The volume advocates for the hybrid as a conduit for novel epistemologies, blending diverse traditions and fostering innovative cultural expressions. It emphasizes the necessity of critical thinking and creative practices in addressing global challenges, proposing hybrid methodologies as pathways to new solutions.

This volume, featuring contributions from participants of the Hybrid Labs Symposium held at Aalto University in 2018 as part of the traveling Renewable Futures conference series, offers a comprehensive exploration of hybridity in transdisciplinary creative research practices. The articles challenge the perceived lack of historical self-awareness in new media, highlighting its transformative impact on contemporary culture and human experience.

The book consists of four sections. The first three—”Theorising the Hybrid,” “Dimensions of Hybridity,” and “Hybrid Media: Imagination and Practices”—include articles by participants of the Hybrid Labs Symposium (2018), who challenge the perceived lack of historical self-awareness in new media, emphasizing its transformative impact on contemporary culture and human experience. The fourth section, “Deep Hybrid – Latest Developments”, reviews recent follow-up events and research projects, including a visual section that highlights the RIXC Art Science Festival exhibitions: “Splintered Realities” (2022), “Crypto, Art and Climate” (2023), and “Symbiotic Sense(s)” (2024).

Contributors to this volume include Kristin Bergaust, Samir Bhowmik, Maija Demitere, Lily Díaz-Kommonen, Saara Hacklin, Nigel Helyer, Volker Helzle, Laura Hopes, AnneMarie Maes, Polyxeni Mantzou, Kenichi Masaki, Maria Nikoli, Tina Ohnmacht, Jussi Parikka, Ellen Pearlman, Laura Plana Gracia, Inge Römgens, Akira Sano, Hisanobu Satoh, Irina Shapiro, Miranda Smitheram, Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits, Ulla Taipale, Juhani Tenhunen, Jonas Trottnow, Judith Van Der Elst, Yumi Watanabe, Lauren Wooley, and Tomoyasu Yoshitomi.

Publishers: RIXC Center for New Media Culture (Riga, Latvia) with Aalto University (Espoo, Finland).

Printed copy price – 20 EUR. Order printed copy directly from RIXC Publisher via e-mail (+ 6.50 EUR postal expenses): rixc@rixc.org
Onsite at the RIXC Gallery (Lencu iela 2) – 25% off

Open Access PDF here