…a curatorial + educational+ public+ urban media art platform…

The Media Art Nexus (MAN) at the Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU) is an urban media platform for curating and promoting media art content by emerging and established local and international artists. Conceived in 2016, it was formally launched in 2018 as part of the NTU Museum’s public art initiative titled “Campus Art Trail”.

MAN is part of an educational effort to develop awareness for urban media art, strengthen the convergence of public art and communities in Singapore, and exchange created content with international public art institutions and research institutes.

Integrated with the School of Art, Design and Media (ADM) curricula, it has become a pedagogical tool used within and beyond the classroom and a learning ‘playground’ for experimentation and prototyping where students can be creative and design content for media architectures in Singapore and overseas.

International Collaborations between NTU ADM and international institutions  

Besides local works, MAN also provided opportunities over the years for collaborations between ADM NTU with participating international academic institutions, media laboratories, and cultural enterprises such as Ars Electronica Centre and Festival Linz, UCLA Art|Sci Lab, the Urban Screens Production Australia, the Public Art Lab Berlin, the Urban Media Academy and Connecting Cities, the Play and Civic Media Institute at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine (MEVIS), the University of Applied Arts Vienna, Science Visualization Lab Die Angewandte, Expanded Perception & Interaction Center (EPIC) at the University New South Wales Art & Design (UNSW). 

During the last five years, MAN at NTU and different art schools and urban displays across geographical locations and the potential of a jointly accredited course between these institutions. Such as the international ELMAN Project (2018-2019/20) with the Art & Design Department at the University of Applied Sciences Europe, Campus Hamburg, and famous Elbphilharmonic Concert Hall Hamburg, WAVES: Crosscurrents of Art, Technology & Environment, 2018-2020 Collaboration with the School of Engineering and Digital Arts, University of Kent, and Fantaisie Chromatique, 2020 collaboration with the animation students at the Ceruleum Ecole D’Arts Visuels Lausanne, and music students from the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional Musique Danse Théâtre at Reims, France.

Recently, MAN has been selected to be featured in the publication “Towards Media Architecture. Educating the next generation of urban interaction designers around the world”, which includes profiles of 15 programmes, 3 students and 3 professionals internationally in the field of media architecture and urban interaction design. It is a first attempt to map this emerging field and inspire a discussion on how these new types of designers can be trained. The publication aims to instigate the debate about the implications of our increasingly hybrid cities and explore how to embed this in education. This publication is an initiative of the Media Architecture Biennial Academy in collaboration with the Urban Interaction Design Learning Community at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Included programs are to mention just a few Master Media Architecture Program at Bauhaus-Universitat Weimar, Master of Interaction Design & Electronic Arts at the University of Sydney, Urban Interfaces Research Group Utrecht University, MSc/MRes Architectural Computation at University College London, Masters of Science in Urban Informatics at Northeastern University.
The 360 view of Media Art Nexus features works from international artists that took part in the On |Off 100101010, An International Symposium and Exhibition Colliding and Surrendering: chaos and freedom where art and technologies meet. It has been completed with support from NTU Museum. Virtual Reality exhibition on Media Art Nexus NTU Singapore

The artists and curators behind the Media Art Nexus

“Through the use of contemporary multi-media technologies, we have created a platform that allows us to explore new terrains to enhance digital interactive media and fine art expressions.“
Mark Chavez

This public art installation is conceived in collaboration with NTU Museum director Teh Eng Eng Faith, Ina Conradi (A/P ADM NTU Singapore) and new media artist Mark Chavez (UCLA Art|Sci, Los Angeles).

Artistic duo Ina Conradi (US, SG) and Mark Cavez (US, SG), based in Singapore and Los Angeles, have collaborated on numerous art and new media projects for the last 20 years. They both hold a Master’s of Fine Art from UCLA. For their works, Ina and Mark are awarded the Hollywood Advanced Imaging Society’s 2018 Lumiere Award for their experimental animation and the 2017 Lumiere Award Europe Chapter. The artist duo premiered their art- sci inspired immersive installation Quantum Logos (vision serpent) for the 40th Anniversary of Ars Electronica Festival at the Deep Space 8k, one of the oldest and most renowned media art events worldwide. Done in collaboration with science producers from Germany and Austria, the work was featured on the Austrian Academy of Sciences website Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information and the CERN Social Media Network OriginPhysics. The film has received a VFX award from the 2020 Raw Science Film Festival Los Angeles. Their project connecting digital medicine, arts and STEAM, and Germany-based Fraunhofer MEVIS: Institute for Digital Medicine received the 2019 Raw Science Film Festival Award. They have exhibited and presented at the Beyond Festival ZKM, Germany (2013-till present) Ars Electronica (2010 till present) Media Architecture Biennial Beijing 2018, Art|Sci Gallery UCLA 2018, 2017 Singapore Inside Out Tokyo, Web 3D Art Gallery Brisbane, PISAF Korea and Visualisation Matters 2017 among many others.