ISEA 2011 Istanbul International Symposium on Electronic Art: Conference report

Founded in the Netherlands in 1990, ISEA International (formerly Inter-Society for the Electronic Arts) is an international non-profit organisation fostering interdisciplinary academic discourse and exchange among culturally diverse organisations and individuals working with art, science and technology. The ISEA 2011 was held this year September 14- 21 at the Sanbanci Centre Towers in Levant, which is the financial and business district of the city. As the conference is now in its seventeenth year, the International Symposium on Electronic Art brought together over one hundred international artists from all over the world. With more than four hundred and fifty paper sessions, seventy panels, sixty workshops, as well as networking events, keynotes, exhibitions, performances, screenings and special events, the two-week conference certainly held something for everyone. Works of art and panel discussions covered from the gamut of algorithm art to robotics, from musical plants to art with bacteria. This year’s conference aimed to explore the stories and achievements of the electronic arts by showcasing the endeavours of these artists and by catalysing local and international people, resources and interests.