Marco Mancuso
Marco Mancuso (PhD) is a critic, researcher, and curator working at the intersection of art, technology, and scientific research. He holds a degree in Chemistry from the University of Milan and a PhD in Digital Cultures from the IUAV University of Venice. He is a tenured professor at the Polytechnic Institute of the Arts in Bergamo, a visiting professor and coordinator of the Curating the Digital master’s program at the Node Center in Berlin, and a lecturer at Alma Mater University of Bologna and the Philosophy of Digital master's program at the University of Udine.
His research focuses on how the interdisciplinary dialogue between art, philosophy, and technoscience allows for an observation of the ongoing transformations in the relationship between humans, the body, sensory perception, and their environment. He explores the possible identity, ethical, and political implications of these changes in designing and conceptualizing new modes of interaction between the human and non-human within collective, natural, and artificial environments.
Founder and director from 2005 at Digicult (http://www.digicult.it/), Digimag Journal and Digicult Editions (https://issuu.com/digicultlibrary) publishing house his essays and interviews were published on the website and in magazines, books and catalogues. He has curated exhibitions and events at national and international levels, including the group exhibition Umwelt (Modena, 2024), the Digitalks series (2021), the seminar Art and Future (2020), the workshop series I Nuovi Corpi: Three Workshops on Art, AI, and Biotechnology (2020), the Fantomologia project (2019), solo exhibitions such as Fino alla Fine by Guido Segni (2019) and Click Clack: The Interactive and Kinetic Installations of Virgilio Villoresi (2018), the acousmatic concert by COH / Ivan Pavlov at San Fedele Auditorium (Milan, 2016), the Italian pavilion at the Streaming Egos exhibition for Goethe Institute (2015-2016), The Mediagate (Lodz, 2010) collective exhibition, Sincronie (Milan, 2008-2009) festival, Graffiti Research Lab / Laser Tag (Rome, 2008) public art performance, Screen Music (Florence, 2006-2007) and Mixed Media (Milan, 2006) festivals. He presented his productions and screenings (“+39: Call for Italy”, “Visual Music”, “Hidden Worlds”, “Hyper Reality”) at festivals like If Festival (Milan, 2017), Creative Tech Week (New York, 2016), Bozar (Brussels, 2014), Subtle Technologies (Toronto, 2011), Elektra (Montreal, 2010), Nemo (Paris, 2009), Sonic Acts (Amsterdam, 2009), Strp (Eindhoven, 2008), Cimatics (Brussels, 2008), Dissonanze (Rome, 2006).
He lectures and takes part in round tables and meetings about the relationship between art, design and technology and how contemporary art market is changing according to industry and digital platforms. Among others at Art-Er (Bologna, 2019), Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo di Vinci (Milan, 2019), Università Ca' Foscari (Venice, 2019), EIA - CSR Centro Sardegna Ricerche (Cagliari, 2019), Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera (Milan, 2019), Galleria Nazionale di Arte Contemporanea (Rome, 2019), La Triennale (Milan, 2019), CUBO Unipol (Bologna, 2019), Fondazione Fotografia (Modena, 2019), Digital Arts and Culture Biennial (Aix-en-Provence, 2018), Bologna Business School (Bologna, 2018), Università Alma Mater di Bologna (Bologna, 2018, 2019), Arte Fiera (Bologna, 2018), Spektrum (Berlin, 2017), Bologna Design Week (Bologna, 2017), Saperi Proibiti (Milan, 2017), AGI Verona (Siena, 2016), Effimera (Modena, 2016), Video Sound Art (Milan, 2016, 2017), Artlab (Milan, 2016), IUAV (Venice, 2014, 2018), Nona Conferenza Internazionale Arts in Society (Rome, 2014), Cyberfest (Berlin, 2013), 55ima Mostra Internazionale di Arte (Venice, 2013), Milano Design Week (Milan, 2013), Open World Forum (Paris, 2012), Isea (Istanbul, 2012), Subtle Technologies (Toronto, 2011), XVI Convegno Internazionale di Studi Cinematografici (Rome, 2010), Laptop’r’s (Madrid, 2010), Fabrica (Treviso, 2009), Città della Scienza (Naples, 2008), Market for Digital Arts/Elektra (Montreal 2008).
He produced more than 100 interviews for Digicult from 2005 to 2020 and writes critical texts for publications and catalogues (Direct Digital, Otolab, Alterazioni Video, Zimoun and Streaming Egos exhibitions, Fantomologia project among others); he also curated for MCD magazine the Issue 63 - “The Open Future” (2012) and the carde-blanche Issue 64 - “Art Industries” (2014). He is part of the publication "Cultural Blogging in Europe" by LabForCulture.org (2010) and he is partner of the program EMAP/EMARE, among the founders of the studies center SSH! - Sound Studies Hub at Iuav University in Venice and has published the books “Chimera. Il Corpo Espanso per una nuova ecosofia dell'arte” (2023) "Arte, Tecnologia e Scienza" (2018) e “Intervista con la New Media Art" (2020) per Mimesis.
Phone: 3408371816
Address: Via Solferino 39, Bologna
His research focuses on how the interdisciplinary dialogue between art, philosophy, and technoscience allows for an observation of the ongoing transformations in the relationship between humans, the body, sensory perception, and their environment. He explores the possible identity, ethical, and political implications of these changes in designing and conceptualizing new modes of interaction between the human and non-human within collective, natural, and artificial environments.
Founder and director from 2005 at Digicult (http://www.digicult.it/), Digimag Journal and Digicult Editions (https://issuu.com/digicultlibrary) publishing house his essays and interviews were published on the website and in magazines, books and catalogues. He has curated exhibitions and events at national and international levels, including the group exhibition Umwelt (Modena, 2024), the Digitalks series (2021), the seminar Art and Future (2020), the workshop series I Nuovi Corpi: Three Workshops on Art, AI, and Biotechnology (2020), the Fantomologia project (2019), solo exhibitions such as Fino alla Fine by Guido Segni (2019) and Click Clack: The Interactive and Kinetic Installations of Virgilio Villoresi (2018), the acousmatic concert by COH / Ivan Pavlov at San Fedele Auditorium (Milan, 2016), the Italian pavilion at the Streaming Egos exhibition for Goethe Institute (2015-2016), The Mediagate (Lodz, 2010) collective exhibition, Sincronie (Milan, 2008-2009) festival, Graffiti Research Lab / Laser Tag (Rome, 2008) public art performance, Screen Music (Florence, 2006-2007) and Mixed Media (Milan, 2006) festivals. He presented his productions and screenings (“+39: Call for Italy”, “Visual Music”, “Hidden Worlds”, “Hyper Reality”) at festivals like If Festival (Milan, 2017), Creative Tech Week (New York, 2016), Bozar (Brussels, 2014), Subtle Technologies (Toronto, 2011), Elektra (Montreal, 2010), Nemo (Paris, 2009), Sonic Acts (Amsterdam, 2009), Strp (Eindhoven, 2008), Cimatics (Brussels, 2008), Dissonanze (Rome, 2006).
He lectures and takes part in round tables and meetings about the relationship between art, design and technology and how contemporary art market is changing according to industry and digital platforms. Among others at Art-Er (Bologna, 2019), Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo di Vinci (Milan, 2019), Università Ca' Foscari (Venice, 2019), EIA - CSR Centro Sardegna Ricerche (Cagliari, 2019), Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera (Milan, 2019), Galleria Nazionale di Arte Contemporanea (Rome, 2019), La Triennale (Milan, 2019), CUBO Unipol (Bologna, 2019), Fondazione Fotografia (Modena, 2019), Digital Arts and Culture Biennial (Aix-en-Provence, 2018), Bologna Business School (Bologna, 2018), Università Alma Mater di Bologna (Bologna, 2018, 2019), Arte Fiera (Bologna, 2018), Spektrum (Berlin, 2017), Bologna Design Week (Bologna, 2017), Saperi Proibiti (Milan, 2017), AGI Verona (Siena, 2016), Effimera (Modena, 2016), Video Sound Art (Milan, 2016, 2017), Artlab (Milan, 2016), IUAV (Venice, 2014, 2018), Nona Conferenza Internazionale Arts in Society (Rome, 2014), Cyberfest (Berlin, 2013), 55ima Mostra Internazionale di Arte (Venice, 2013), Milano Design Week (Milan, 2013), Open World Forum (Paris, 2012), Isea (Istanbul, 2012), Subtle Technologies (Toronto, 2011), XVI Convegno Internazionale di Studi Cinematografici (Rome, 2010), Laptop’r’s (Madrid, 2010), Fabrica (Treviso, 2009), Città della Scienza (Naples, 2008), Market for Digital Arts/Elektra (Montreal 2008).
He produced more than 100 interviews for Digicult from 2005 to 2020 and writes critical texts for publications and catalogues (Direct Digital, Otolab, Alterazioni Video, Zimoun and Streaming Egos exhibitions, Fantomologia project among others); he also curated for MCD magazine the Issue 63 - “The Open Future” (2012) and the carde-blanche Issue 64 - “Art Industries” (2014). He is part of the publication "Cultural Blogging in Europe" by LabForCulture.org (2010) and he is partner of the program EMAP/EMARE, among the founders of the studies center SSH! - Sound Studies Hub at Iuav University in Venice and has published the books “Chimera. Il Corpo Espanso per una nuova ecosofia dell'arte” (2023) "Arte, Tecnologia e Scienza" (2018) e “Intervista con la New Media Art" (2020) per Mimesis.
Phone: 3408371816
Address: Via Solferino 39, Bologna
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Books by Marco Mancuso
Con testi critici e interviste di: Sabina Barcucci, Tatiana Bazzichelli, Silvia Bertolotti, Elena Biserna, Pia Bolognesi, Loretta Borrelli, Simone Broglia, Roberta Busechian, Serena Cangiano, Ana Carvalho, Bianca Cavuti, Alessio Chierico, Lucrezia Cippitelli, Giuseppe Cordaro, Claudia D’Alonzo, Federica Fontana, Tiziana Gemin, Mathias Jansson, Maresa Lippolis, Filippo Lorenzin, Marco Mancuso, Mario Margani, Donata Marletta, Matteo Milani, Maddalena Mometti, Annamaria Monteverdi, Claudio Musso, Bertram Niessen, Pasquale Napolitano, Robin Peckham, Monica Ponzini, Domenico Quaranta, Martina Raponi, Zoe Romano, Silvia Scaravaggi, Daniela Silvestrin, Giulia Simi, Valentina Tanni.
Marco Mancuso, Intervista con la New Media Art. L'osservatorio digicult tra arte, design e cultura digitale, Milano 2020. Paperback, color, 486 pages, ISBN 978-8857569444
Il libro è anche disponibile qui: t.ly/F2nH
“Il termine New Media Art fa riferimento a un ambito artistico ampio e stratificato, strutturalmente contaminato con i più diversi settori della ricerca tecnologica e scientifica. Le pratiche artistiche che lo caratterizzano non si rivolgono unicamente al contesto dell’arte contemporanea, ma anzi lo ibridizzano attraverso la sperimentazione in ambiti disciplinari non necessariamente attigui, creando nuovi territori in cui fare ricerca. La difficoltà principale quando si parla di New Media Art, pertanto, è riuscire a mettere a fuoco e comprendere questo tipo di complessità per tradurla in un lavoro coerente di narrazione, esposizione e divulgazione.”
“Il libro che avete in mano suggerisce una più profonda consapevolezza per la cultura digitale, per completare il suo processo di maturazione. Non secondo il classico approccio degli ultimi dieci anni, tipico di quelle “classi creative” che riqualificano a spazi culturali strutture industriali abbandonate. Quando Marco Mancuso parla di “art industries” e di “nuovo paradigma di produzione” si sposta ben oltre. Grazie all’esperienza accumulata in oltre dieci anni di direzione dell’osservatorio Digicult, egli descrive qualcosa che è un passo avanti, un’azione che va ben oltre l’esistenza contemporanea.” -
dalla postfazione di Bruce Sterling
Marco Mancuso, Arte, Tecnologia e Scienza. Le Art Industries e i nuovi paradigmi di produzione nella New Media Art contemporanea, Mimesis, Milano 2018. Paperback, color, 292 pages, ISBN 978-8857553139
Il libro è anche disponibile qui: t.ly/F2nH
Contributing Authors: Andy Campbell, Paolo Cirio, Daniele Giampà, Reham Hosny, Annette Hunnekens, Alessandra Ioalè, Vanessa Santos, Dominika Sobolewska.
Marco Mancuso (edited by), Places and Spaces: Digimag Journal 78, Digicult Editions, Milan 2018. Paperback, color, 92 pages, ISBN 978-1291382037
This book is also internationally available on: t.ly/f7bD
Contributing Authors: Alice Smits, Andreco, Anna Gorchakovskaya, Chiara Scarpitti, Ioana Mischie, John Patrick Ayson, Leonardo Caffo, Semiconductor, Vanina Saracino, Viola Arduini.
Marco Mancuso (edited by), Places and Spaces: Digimag Journal 77, Digicult Editions, Milan 2018. Paperback, color, 107 pages, ISBN 979-8841233251
This book is also internationally available on: t.ly/nBug
Contributing authors: Samaa Ahmed, Nicola Bozzi, Claire Burke, Marco Cadioli, Alessio Chierico, Salvatore Iaconesi, Patty Jansen, Linda Kronman, Miriam La Rosa, Patrick Lichty, Randall Packer, Oriana Persico, Jeroen Van Loon, Andreas Zingerle.
Marco Mancuso (edited by), Places and Spaces: Digimag Journal 75, Digicult Editions, Milan 2017. Paperback, color, 117 pages, ISBN 979-8841369844
This book is also internationally available on: t.ly/4LHg
Contributing Authors: Alessandro Barchiesi, Martin Conrads, Laura Plana Gracia, Miriam La Rosa, Nina Leo, Donata Marletta, Janet Marles, Melinda Sipos (Annet Dekker, Gisela Domschke, Angela Plohman, Clare Reddington, Victoria Tillotson, Annette Wolfsberger), Selena Savicic, Judson Wright
Marco Mancuso (edited by), Places and Spaces: Digimag Journal 73, Digicult Editions, Milan 2012. Paperback, color, 107 pages, ISBN 979-8841826101
This book is also internationally available on: t.ly/Zfmz
Catalogues & Carte Blanche by Marco Mancuso
CUBO and Unipol spaces (the Art Space, the auditorium, the multimedia library) were thus transformed by the "PHANTOMOLOGY" project into a constantly changing narrative paradigm. They became a delocalized place where the public is asked to reflect on the power of technological changes and on the impact they have from the artistic as well as from the social, cultural and political points of view, thus investigating both the expressive power of nature and its intrinsic capacity of modelling and of aesthetic and formal composition.
Curators: Marco Mancuso, Daniela Tozzi, Ilaria Bignotti
Artists invited: Stanza, Evelina Domnitch & Dmitri Gelfand, Ugo La Pietra
Director, set designer, artisan and illusionist, over the past years, Virgilio Villoresi (Fiesole, 1979) has gained recognition in the field of animation and its application in such areas as art, advertisement and music video clips. His distinctive style, which is cultured, elegant and rich with visual phantasmagorias, is part of a particular line of historical and artistic development and research within the field of experimental cinema: Harry Smith’s processes of alchemical synthesis; Jonas Mekas’s structural
ontology; Jack Smith’s art of recycling (reuse); Kenneth Anger’s magical rituals.
Attraverso oggetti industriali di uso comune e costruzioni minimaliste, Zimoun esplora il ritmo meccanico, la tensione tra i modelli ordinati del Modernismo e la forza caotica della vita. Nel suo lavoro si riuniscono le competenze dell'ingegnere, dell'architetto, dell'artigiano, del ricercatore, dell'arrangiatore e del direttore d'orchestra.
L’esposizione è stata accompagnata dal catalogo "ZIMOUN - 605 prepared dc-motors, cardboard boxes", libro-oggetto sonoro a cura di Filippo Aldovini, autore dei testi insieme al critico e curatore Marco Mancuso, direttore di Digicult. La pubblicazione, in edizioni numerate, è stata disegnata e impaginata da Luca Lattuga con fotografie di Paolo Terzi, ed è prodotta dalla Galleria civica di Modena con al contributo di Scatolificio Cartotecnica Modenese. Il cofanetto riprende nelle fattezze e nei materiali le scelte estetiche dell’artista. Il libro/oggetto è stampato su carta pregiata e confezionato con cucitura filo refe a vista lungo il dorso. Due quadranti in cartone microtriplo avana applicati in I e IV di copertina conferiscono un sapore materico e artigianale al lavoro.
Edizione limitata di 400 copie numerate manualmente.
The European project Streaming Egos brought together media experts, artists, critics and curators who tackled the theme of digital identity by exploring its risks, limits and advantages when facing the blurred borders in-between virtual and real life. Conceived by the Goethe-Institut in the six participating countries, coordinated by the Goethe-Institut of Paris, curated by the Slow Media Institut and in cooperation with the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf, the project explored the ways digital identities come into being, change and develop under the influence of social media, within the framework of the socio-political status quo of each country. The project resulted in the production of digital materials, artworks and writings that converged into different forms and events: a digital platform for participants to contribute to transnational debate by publicly sharing their critical thoughts and reflections, the exhibition Ego Update. The Future of the Digital Identity run on the 16th and 17th January 2016 in conjunction with the Identity Convention, two days of meetings and debates during which relevant common topics have been identified which have been deepened by contributions to the publication
Country curators: Bram Crevits (Belgium), Sabria David (Germany), Marie Lechner (France), Marco Mancuso & Filippo Lorenzin (Italy), Sandra Vieira Jürgens (Portugal), Mateo Feijóo (Spain).
Artists included in the Italian Pavillon: IOCOSE, Silvio Lorusso, Alterazioni Video, Salvatore Iaconesi e Oriana Persico (AOS - Art is Open Source). Other authors included: Arianna Mainardi, IOCOSE.
In a time of economical crisis and cuts to art and culture, it’s increasing, ideed, the number of international examples, cultural subjects, creative professionals (artists, designers, hackers, makers, musicians, filmmakers, graphic designers ...) and industries – ICT, science research, manufacturing processes, robotcs, biotechnologies, artificial intelligence and more - involved in the standardization of sustainable research and development models in order to activate processes of Open Research that are functional to the creation of a "cultural object".
This publication wants to map the most valuable case studies of Creative Industries and Open Innovation strategies in the world, looking at the those hidden forms of collaborations between artists, designer, scientists, geeks and industries which could represent the future and survival of the contemporary media art scene.
Invited Authors: Claudia D'Alonzo, Marc Garrett, Caroline Heron, Nikolaus Hafermaas
This monographic issue explores this panorama according to six curators specialized in five different fields. Firstly, Bertram Niessen investigates the social ambiguity of digital creativity, the chances given by bottom-up co-production and the challenges offered by web-based practices of creative sharing. Secondly, Claudia D’Alonzo and Marco Mancuso focus on the changes taking place in relation to creation practice, dissemination and fruition of audio-visual artistic contents. Thirdly, Elena Biserna provides an overview on musical artistic practices and, at the same time, showing its significance in the sphere of cultural and everyday practices. As fourth, Sabina Barcucci investigates reasons, state of the art and developments of the relationships among design, education and complexity, looking at the new cognitive forms as the output of such phenomenon. Finally, Alessandro Delfanti examines the problem of the transformation of science expert epistemology, focusing on the political, artistic and cultural dimensions of
biohacking and DIYbio.
Invited curator: Marco Mancuso. Authors involved: Bertram Niessen, Claudia D'Alonzo, Sabina Barcucci, Alessandro Delfanti. Invitied guests: Lev Manovich, Michel Bauwens, Steve Kurtz (CAE), Kenneth Goldsmith
Globalne Ocieplenie / The Mediagate exhibition at GALERIA NT / Imaginarium in Łódź, Poland from 16/04 to 16/05/2010, was curated by Marco Mancuso and Claudia D'Alonzo. It aimed at reflecting, through the new media artworks by international artists, our constant battle between questioning and faith towards the media, without suggesting solutions, but triggering questions and doubts about our role as users.
Artists Invited: Milycon / En (Put down the gun), Dorota Walentynowicz (Plato Machine I), Sašo Sedlaček (Infocalypse Now!), Jan Van Neuenen (Video Retrospective), Les Liens Invisibles (Subvertr), Marc Lee (Oamos), Yorit Kluitman (You-Tube!), Vit Klusak a Filip Remunda (Czech Dream)
Texts in Catalogue: Michal Brzezinski, Agnieszka Kulazińska , Krzysztof Siatka, Krzysztof Siatka and from Digicult Network: Lucrezia Cipptelli, Claudia D'Alonzo, Marco Mancuso & Valentina Tanni
Direct digital has been a new media art exhibion which will took place from 30th May 2009 to 28th June 2009 in Modena and Carpi (Italy), in the Ex Ospedale Sant’Agostino and in Palazzo Pio, under the conception and artistic direction of Gilberto Caleffi. Direct Digital proposed a thick calendar of five sections, Exhibition, Live Media, Workshop, Cinema, Contest in order to show a detailed perspective of the most recent developments of art and creativity linked to the use of digital technologies. Artists included: Nam June Paik, Bill Viola, Andy Warhol, Douglas Gordon, Philippe Parreno, Sam Taylor-Wood, Tony Oursler, Chris Levine, Julian Opie, Gina Czarnecki, Heinrich Gresbeck, Golan Levin, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Takahiro Matsuo, Jin-Yo Mok, Kenichi Okada, Agostino Di Scipio, Mimmo Rotella.
Catalogue (texts and interviews) written and edited by Marco Mancuso and Claudia D'Alonzo.
La mostra presso la Traffic Gallery si è proposta di documentare e reinterpretare uno dei più iconici lavori live di otolab, “op7”, nato da una commissione di Marco Mancuso nell’ambito della curatela del festival Mixed Media 2006, allo scopo di invitare il collettivo milanese a dialogare in modalità site-specific con l’opera “I sette palazzi celesti” dell’artista belga Anselm Kiefer. Performance audiovisiva, è presentata quindi in mostra attraverso un’installazione video dell’opera, un trittico e sette stampe fotografiche tratte da stills del materiale video originale.