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 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, transforms urban spaces into digital canvases. The festival was organized by the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou. It collaborated with institutions such as Public Art Lab Berlin, Bauhaus University Weimar, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Politecnico di Milano, MEET Digital Culture Center, and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. 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, and other cities. Academic Sharing Sessions took place at the Shanghai Theatre Academy’s Changlin Campus. They were also held at China Academy of Art (CAA) in Hangzhou. These sessions were also conducted at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing. Sessions were arranged at several other prominent venues.

First impression of many video documentations from the event, courtesy of CDSA

Their work, Waves of Time: Echoes, Whispers, and Memories—site-specific animations on monumental LED screens in Singapore, Hangzhou, and Beijing—invited viewers. They encouraged engagement with narratives. These narratives reframed entropy as both a decolonial concept and a natural process. This approach inspired reflection on the flux and transformation inherent in all systems.

The motivation behind this work lies in re-evaluating entropy. It goes beyond conventional Western-centric frameworks. These frameworks often portray it as chaotic or destructive. Instead, these animations depict entropy as a generative force, challenging rigid hierarchies and celebrating fluidity, adaptability, and resilience. The aim is to create a shift in perspective. It involves reimagining entropy as a source of renewal. This renewal echoes ancient wisdom found in non-linear temporalities. Through this lens, the artworks invite viewers to engage with entropy as an inclusive, transformative element within visual culture.

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.

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 Chavez and Conradi’s art to a broader urban audience. It seamlessly integrated large-scale visuals into Singapore’s bustling cityscape.

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

“Echoes” is an experimental animation. It magnifies the concept of entropy on a grand scale. It was projected onto the Federation of Trade Unions’ CC West Lake Canopy in Hangzhou. This screen is monumental, measuring 170 x 19 meters. It is located at the bustling intersection of Yan’an Road and Hubin Pedestrian Street in the Shangcheng District. It serves as an unparalleled venue engaging millions of passersby and acts as a canvas for the work. “Echoes” invites viewers to reflect on entropy. It uses entropy as a metaphor for the intricate layers of cultural, social, and environmental interactions. These interactions shape urban spaces. In China, from 21-29 November. Through these animated artworks, Chavez and Conradi create moments of contemplation within the rhythm of everyday life. They encouraged viewers to watch the cycles of order and chaos in both natural and urban environments. By bringing this decolonial perspective into digital public art, they broaden the artistic conversation. They reclaim entropy as a concept that celebrates growth through transformation. Entropy also highlights interconnectedness across diverse cultural landscapes.

Echoes playing at the Hangzhou’s Federation of Trade Unions CC West Lake Canopy , 22 October 2024, photo by CDSA and Conradi

Academic Sharing Sessions: Shanghai, Hangzhou, CCA, and CAFA Beijing
Chavez and Conradi engaged with officials, organizers, and educational institutions. They, along with CDSA organizers, curators, and the jury, shared their concepts with students and academic communities.

Welcome and discussion session at the At Hangzhou’s Federation of Trade Unions CC West Lake Canopy, 22 October 2024
Participants Yelai Ruan, Deputy Head of the Public Space Art Department, China Academy of Art Hangzhou, Curator Susa Pop director Public Art Lab Berlin, Ina Conradi, A/P ADM NTU, Mark Chavez, Artist, Founder Giant Monster, cofounder Media Art Nexus Nanyang Technological University, Takeshi Yamada from TeamLab Japan, Gary Hong, Founder Ten Square Singapore
Photos by CDSA

Shanghai Theatre Academy, Changlin Campus, Shanghai, China, 21 October

A CDSA 2024 Inaugural Curatorial Session at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, Changlin Campus, Shanghai, China on 21 October, Photos by CDSA

“Art and Interface Era” at the China Academy of Art at the School of Sculpture and Public Art, Xiangshan Campus in Hangzhou.

The Public Art Lectures and 2024 The 3rd International Media Art Creative Competition Academic Sharing Session at the “Art and Interface Era“ at the China Academy of Art at the School of Sculpture and Public Art, Xiangshan Campus in Hangzhou. Guest Speakers: Curator Susa Pop director Public Art Lab Berlin, Ina Conradi, A/P ADM NTU, Mark Chavez, Artist, Founder Giant Monster, cofounder Media Art Nexus Nanyang Technological University, Dominique Moulon Curator and CDSA Jury Paris, Takeshi Yamada from TeamLab Japan, Verena Kraemer, Prof Professor of Motion Design and Graphic Visualization, Ansbach University of Applied Sciences, Gary Hong, Founder Ten Square Singapore Moderated by Yelai Ruan, Deputy Head of the Public Space Art Department, China Academy of Art Hangzhou. Photos By CDSA

This presentation explores a decolonial approach to entropy through animation, inspired by indigenous knowledge systems that emphasize change, interconnectedness, and the cyclical processes of creation and decay.

Expert Group Visit and Exchange, Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) 28 October

CDSA International Media Arts Creative Competition Expert Visit and Exchange, School of Urban Design, Group Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). 28 October 2024. Visit to the Fundamental Modeling Department, Hosts: Professor Ma Juncheng, Dean of the School of Urban Design, Central Academy of Fine Arts; Professor Lu Zhengyuan, Deputy Director of the Foundation Department, School of Fine Arts, Central Academy of Fine Arts; Lecturer Lu Yingying, Tutor at the Public Art and Experience Design Studio, School of Urban Design, Central Academy of Fine Arts; Artist Representatives: Zhang Moyi, Co-founder of Ten Times Ten Digital Art (Translator); Wang Chenhao, Art Director of Baiyun Canggu Digital Art; Song Ruoxin, Design Director of Baiyun Canggu Digital Art. Welcome speech by Professor Lu Zhengyuan, Lu Yingying Tour of the 90th Anniversary Sculpture Exhibition, guided by Professor Lu Zhengyuan. Potos By CDSA

During a community panel at the opening ceremony of the First Hanshan International Digital Art Forum and the third CDSA Festival in Hangzhou Zhejiang, on 23 October, the discussion centered on the intersection of media art and decolonial theory, exploring how these concepts can foster a more inclusive understanding of visual culture in public spaces. For more please visit: https://m.alltuu.com/album/1611474604/?menu=live

The panel at the First Hanshan International Digital Art Forum and the third CDSA Festival in Hangzhou, Zhejiang ( Image Source: https://m.alltuu.com/album/1611474604/?menu=live)

Additionally, Chavez , Conradi presented two pieces from Whispers 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, 27 October 2021
Beijing Wubei’s underground commercial City Leaves Sky, located next to the Wukaitong Stadium in Beijing, the structure is a leaf, the first tail is sharp, the middle ellia, the total area of 787square meters.

The Digital City Skin Art (CDSA) Festival is initiated by the School of Sculpture and Public Art of the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou – and is 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.