Nurturing Curiosity, Inspiring Innovation, and Addressing the Ethical Implications of Technology in the Creative Realm. Sonar+D’s Platform for Present and Future Intersections
Sònar+D, a platform for present and future intersections
Sonar+D, an interdisciplinary event held annually in Barcelona, has become a meeting ground for creative minds, technological innovators, and ethically conscious individuals seeking to explore the fascinating realms of technology, art, and society. As a platform that emphasizes cutting-edge technology development, Sonar+D provides a unique space for examining the ethical implications of these advancements and fostering profound and valuable collaborations across the disciplines.
Etymology of Sonar+D
The word sònar refers to a technology that uses sound waves to navigate or detect objects underwater. By incorporating it into its name, Sònar+D captures the idea of exploration, discovery, and use of sound and technology.
Therefore, as a breathing and attentive organism, this section of the festival is intended to receive impulses from the external environment and return them to the public in a propositional form.
Sonar+D: Technology and development
Sonar+D serves as a catalyst for developing emerging technologies, acting as a hub for showcasing groundbreaking projects, prototypes, and concepts. The conference delves into various domains, including virtual reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, interactive installations, and more. With its emphasis on technological progress, Sonar+D fosters an environment that encourages professional and non-professional attendees to push the boundaries of what is possible, inspiring further innovation and creativity.
Ethical concerns: Navigating the complexities at Sonar+D
Amidst the celebration of technological advancements, Sonar+D acknowledges the relevance of addressing ethical concerns. The conference recognizes that as technology progresses, so do the potential risks and challenges it poses to society. By initiating conversations and facilitating debates, Sonar+D encourages critical examination of the ethical implications associated with emerging technologies.
«We try to understand what technology means for society, what it means for us as a culture, and how artists and creatives can embrace these technologies. At the same time, we foster critical inquiries about these technologies. To conclude, I would say we try to always bring a critical voice that also brings attention to the potential dangers of the technologies we are using», says the curator of Sònar+D, Antònia Folguera.
Discussions at Sonar+D cover a broad spectrum of ethical concerns, such as automation’s impact on employment and the ethics of AI applications. In fact, the conference seeks to raise awareness and promote responsible development by engaging experts, artists, and technologists. Through interdisciplinary dialogue, Sonar+D helps shape a collective understanding of the potential consequences and provides a platform for proposing solutions and frameworks to address these concerns.
By activating these dialogues, Sonar+D also plays a crucial role in guiding technology development and ethical deployment, ensuring that society can harness the benefits while mitigating potential risks.
Curiosity as a Driving Force: Sonar+D
Sonar+D thrives on curiosity, recognizing its pivotal role in exploring and understanding technology’s impact on society. Therefore, the conference cultivates an environment where attendees can nurture their inquisitiveness, encouraging them to question, learn, and grow.
By showcasing cutting-edge installations, immersive experiences, and interactive projects, Sonar+D captivates attendees’ curiosity, inspiring them to delve deeper into the possibilities of technology. This curiosity-driven mindset facilitates collaboration across disciplines, enabling participants to challenge existing norms and embark on new creative journeys.
«Sònar+D is about how to connect different worlds together. Even if they seem like different worlds such as technology and art, we can observe how they have always been related. Furthermore, I think that one is responsible for the development of the other in many cases. We try to tap into people’s curiosity, the audience’s curiosity, but also the participant’s curiosity. It doesn’t matter what field you come from, if you are naturally curious, you might be curious about the others, what the others do», tells Antònia Folguera.
The interplay between technology, ethics, and curiosity lies at the heart of Sonar+D, where individuals from diverse backgrounds converge to shape a future that embraces both progress and responsibility.
Sònar+D: inspiring the next futurity
Through the embodiment of a spirit of curiosity and exploration, Sònar+D invites participants to venture into uncharted territories. Moreover, it encourages attendees to question existing norms, challenge conventional wisdom, and embark on creative journeys that transcend boundaries. Indeed, the event fosters an environment that nurtures curiosity, inspiring attendees to delve deeper into the possibilities offered by technology and its intersection with various artistic disciplines.
The curatorial process at Sonar+D
The pace of shaping the overarching theme and finding the individual practitioners to be involved is dictated by the organic nature of the events. Through careful and uninterrupted active listening between one edition and the next, the curatorial team works according to the principle of selecting the urgent and relevant.
«Personally, it is an intuitive process. I observe, I see what artists and creatives are doing and what’s going on. It’s about listening, listening to people, listening to the people that have relevant things to say. And from here it grows like everything, organically, I would say. We look for people that have something to say that are points of reference in their field or that perhaps they are not still that well known, but they have a discourse that’s interesting and that might be interesting for the audience. And then, we listen, we observe and we present. And also we hope that people make their own conclusions», explains the curator of Sònar+D.
Talents from the next edition: AfroRack
Among the list of uncountable talents who will participate in the next edition of sonar+d, we mention Brian Bamanya, also known as AfroRack.
His pseudonym comes from the instrument he invented, relying on tutorials and circuit diagrams found on the Internet, a modular synthesizer system designed to explore and celebrate African and Afro-diasporic musical traditions.
Eurorack is a Eurocentric standardized system for creating and connecting modular synthesizer modules in a modular format. It has gained significant popularity among musicians, sound designers, and electronic music enthusiasts across the European and American continent.
«By formulating this new standard, the Afrorack, Brian Bamanya short circuited Eurocentrism from the perspective of music and technology, building his own vision of modular sense», concludes Antònia Folguera.
Talents from the next edition: Forensic Architecture
Forensic Architecture, the renowned interdisciplinary research agency, will be a prominent feature at Sonar+D.
Founded in 2010 by Eyal Weizman, Forensic Architecture harnesses the power of technology to uncover truths and enable a better understanding of complex events. By utilizing advanced digital tools and techniques, they push the boundaries of architectural and spatial analysis, enabling a deeper understanding of human rights abuses and acts of violence. Technologies such as 3D modeling, satellite imagery, geospatial mapping, and digital reconstruction allow them to reconstruct crime scenes, examine architectural structures, and analyze the impact of events on the built environment.
Through thought-provoking talks and interactive exhibits, the audience will delve into their investigative processes, showcasing how architecture can serve as a tool for truth-seeking and advocacy. With a focus on the ethical implications of technology and the intersection of art and human rights, Forensic Architecture’s participation at Sonar+D will provoke critical reflection and shed light on the powerful role of spatial analysis in understanding and exposing complex social and political issues.
Sònar+D
Sonar+D was founded in 2013 as an expansion of the renowned Sonar festival. It was established as a platform to explore the intersection of art, technology, and creativity. At Sónar+D 2023 the audience can see, hear, touch and discuss how AI is being used for musical and audiovisual production, whilst also addressing the possible ethical, industrial and social consequences of its use.
