FLUX Presents: Digital Shift

FLUX Presents: Digital Shift
Navigating the Future of Media Arts

In our rapidly evolving digital landscape, the world of media arts is undergoing a transformative shift. The Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA), in partnership with Flux Media Gallery and the Media Arts Alliance of the Pacific (MAAP), took a collaborative step forward by hosting Digital Shift: Virtual National Media Arts Gathering. Spanning six weeks from September 17 to October 22, 2020, this innovative event explored the theme of “Shift,” inspiring positive disruptions towards greater inclusivity, equity, and diversity in the media arts community and beyond.

Empowering Positive Change

An inspiring series, Digital Shift was much more than an online gathering; it was a call to action to reshape the media arts sector through decolonized thinking and embracing digital means of creation, collaboration, and dissemination. The event responded to the urgency brought forth by the “Listen-Witness-Transmit” national conference held in June 2018 by the Independent Media Arts Alliance. This conference, coordinated by the National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition (NIMAC), emphasized Indigenous leadership, creation, and ways of working within the media arts sector, challenging participants to address colonial impacts and drive systemic change.

Exploring Vital Themes

Throughout the six-week journey, Digital Shift explored a diverse range of themes that resonate with the contemporary media landscape. Key focus areas included:

• Indigenous Digital Sovereignty: Recognizing and empowering Indigenous voices in the digital realm, ensuring cultural preservation, and fostering digital self-determination.
• Racial Justice and Inclusivity: Championing diversity and inclusivity, and working towards dismantling barriers that have historically marginalized artists and creators.
• Access, Accessibility, and the Digital Divide: Bridging the gap to provide equitable access to media arts tools and resources for all communities.
• Artists’ Digital Rights: Advocating for fair payment, intellectual property protection, and ethical treatment of artists in the digital age.
• Digital Ethics, AI, Algorithms, Privacy, and Surveillance: Navigating the ethical complexities that arise in the digital landscape, including the use of artificial intelligence, algorithms, and concerns surrounding privacy and surveillance.

Each weekly session featured a one-hour round-table conversation with industry experts, artists, and thought leaders who shared their insights and experiences on the featured theme. Following the discussion, participants joined virtual break-out groups to delve deeper into the topics and exchange ideas in collaborative working sessions.

Digital Shift was not only a platform for discussion but also a celebration of creativity. The event featured a rotating weekly program showcasing the works of artists from the Pacific Region (BC and the Yukon). Through film screenings, online art exhibitions, and virtual walks, attendees had the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the artistic expressions of diverse talents.

Digital Shift was a potent series, sparking meaningful conversations, encouraging collective action, and celebrating the transformative power of media arts. Through events like this, we can collectively steer the course towards a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive digital era here in BC and beyond.

Some pictures we captured during the series!