Beyond the Screens: City Digital Skin Art Festival (CDSA) 2024
The 3^rd CDSA International Media Art Creative Competition and Festival, October 2024

In October, the artistic duo Mark Chavez and Ina Conradi were invited as guest artists at the City Digital Skin Art (CDSA) 2024 festival exhibition. They contributed to Asia’s evolving large-scale LED public art landscape. This international event, dedicated to digital culture and media arts, transformed urban spaces into digital canvases. Initiated by the School of Sculpture and Public Art at the Chinese Academy of Art, Hangzhou, the festival was realized in collaboration with Public Art Lab Berlin and the Connecting Cities Network in Europe, and with Media Art Nexus and Nanyang Technological University in Southeast Asia. The event took place across 11 urban screens. It spanned 9 cities and 5 countries.

The exhibitions and screenings, which began in Milan, Paris, and Singapore, were followed by additional screenings in Hangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, and other cities. Academic Sharing Sessions took place at the Shanghai Theatre Academy’s Changlin Campus, Chinese Academy of Art (CAA) in Hangzhou, and at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing. Sessions were arranged at several other prominent venues.

Echoes premier at the Hangzhou Federation of Trade Unions City Center West Lake Screen, the largest high-definition outdoor screen in Asia with a canopy size of 170 m x 18 m (3060 m²). Daily foot traffic reaches 1 million visitors, climbing to 1.5 million during holidays, making it an unparalleled platform to showcase brand information, awareness and reputation

The work, Echoes, Whispers, and Memories, is a series of site-specific animations displayed on monumental LED screens in Singapore, Hangzhou, and Beijing. These animations invite viewers to engage with narratives that reinterpret entropy as both a decolonial concept and a natural process. By challenging traditional Western-centric portrayals of entropy as chaotic or destructive, it is as a generative force—one that celebrates fluidity, adaptability, and resilience
This approach reframes entropy as a source of renewal, echoing ancient wisdom and non-linear temporalities. The artworks inspire reflection on the flux and transformation inherent in all systems, encouraging a shift in perspective. Through visually striking imagery, they highlight entropy as an inclusive and transformative element within visual culture.Echoes, Whispers, and Memories also explores entropy as a metaphor for the intricate layers of cultural, social, and environmental interactions that shape urban spaces. By magnifying these dynamics, Chavez and Conradi create moments of contemplation within the rhythm of everyday life. Their work broadens the artistic conversation by bringing a decolonial perspective to digital public art, celebrating growth through transformation and highlighting the interconnectedness across diverse cultural landscapes.

In Singapore, two pieces from the series Echoes were featured. One piece was on the Media Art Nexus LED screen at Nanyang Technological University. It is a 15-meter-long screen embedded in the campus hub. Approximately 5,000 students pass by daily. This platform was a regular site for their experimental animations. It served as an ideal canvas to invite young minds into conversations on entropy. They also discussed interconnectedness. The screening marked the Singapore launch of CDSA 2024

Image: Premier of Echoes on Media Art Nexus, Nanyang Technological University, LED 15m x 2m, Singapore, 18th of October 2024.
Photo by Quek Jia Liang

The second piece, Memories, was exhibited at Ten Square, Landmark of Good. Displayed on a massive 21m x 14.4m LED screen, the artwork was prominently on a unique car vending machine structure. This work introduced art to a broader urban audience. It seamlessly integrated large-scale visuals into Singapore’s bustling cityscape.

Premier of Echoes on Ten Square Landmark of Good, Singapore, LED 21m x 14.4m , 18 October 2024 , Photo by Quek Jia Liang .

Whispers premiered at the Veil in Beijing’s Wukesong Commercial Complex, a significant screen representing the city’s commitment to immersive, accessible media art.

Whispers premier at the The City Leaves Sky, in Beijing’s Wukaitong Stadium, Beijing, LED 787 square meters, 27 October 2024

The Digital City Skin Art (CDSA) Festival was initiated by the School of Sculpture and Public Art of the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou and is being realized in Europe in cooperation with the Connecting Cities Network Berlin. The curatorial program has been developed by Prof. Yuelai Ruan, School of Sculpture and Public Art of the China Academy of Art, Susa Pop, Artistic Director of Public Art Lab Berlin and the Connecting Cities Network, lecturer at the Bauhaus University Weimar, Department of Media Architecture and Assoc Prof. Ina Conradi-Chavez, School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University Singapore.