The Media Innovation Circle#11 took place on May 6 with a talk by Matteo Bittanti, IULM University, Italy,  followed by a participated discussion on the topic “Machinima. How a vernacular practice became a new artistic avant garde”, moderated by Pedro Cardoso (DigiMedia/UA).

The video is already available on DigiMedia YouTube channel. Watch HERE. We invite you to subscribe the channel.

Matteo Bittanti is an Associate Professor in Media Studies at IULM University in Milan, Italy, where he teaches at undergraduate and graduate level. He lives in Milan and San Francisco. More information is available here.

Abstract

In this talk, Matteo Bittanti discusses the origins and the evolution of machinima, a genre of video art that deliberately appropriates and repurposes video game content, providing an overview of an ever expanding practice. Bittanti argues that although machinima emerged both in vernacular and avantgarde contexts, it the the latter that has evolved in remarkable ways, while the former has largely plateaued. The talk will touch upon several examples of artists engaged with contemporary machinima and chart the possible future of the medium.