The 17th L.E.V. Festival, one of Spain’s premier digital technology and art events, took place from Sept. 21 to 24 at the Matadero Arts and Cultural District in Madrid. In collaboration with the Cultural Division of the Taiwan Representative Office in Spain, the festival featured the Taiwanese new media art team NAXS Corp. showcasing their immersive interactive video installation titled “ID0” at Madrid Artes Digitales (MAD). Additionally, XTRUX presented a Live Audio-Visual performance, guiding the audience on a virtual journey created by artists, offering a unique experience of Taiwanese new media art.
NAXS Corp., founded by artists Kuo Chi-yi (郭知藝) and Feng Han-yu (馮涵宇) in 2010, specializes in experimental applications of installation, sound, light, web interfaces, and virtual reality, exploring contemporary forms of presentation. Their exhibited work, “ID0,” is a real-time interactive video installation involving multiple participants. It features three segments of science fiction narrative and audio-visual journeys, combining immersive visuals and laser lighting within the space. Audiences on-site or online can join the conversation, engage with the narrative, and generate multiple virtual selves, all while entering the virtual journey crafted by the artists.
XTRUX, established in October 2020, is composed of young creators who are passionate about new media art, including Su Po-jui (蘇柏瑞), Li Jyun-jyue (李畯玨), Chiu Chen-en (邱晨恩), and Huang Yung-jen (黃詠仁). Their creations primarily focus on the themes of “virtual worlds, digital identity, and folk beliefs,” attempting to reshape the relationships between these three elements within the forms of virtual and immersive media.
Augusta Chang (張祐瑄), the head of the Cultural Division of the Taiwan Representative Office in Spain, noted the flourishing global development of new media art and the establishment of research and exhibition institutions and festivals related to new media art worldwide. These developments provide opportunities for young Taiwanese artists to engage in international dialogues. The two groups of artists showcased at this event represent the young generation of Taiwanese new media art creators, and their participation in this renowned Spanish new media art festival is expected to enhance Taiwan’s international visibility in the intersection of technology and art.
The L.E.V. Festival, co-founded by curators Nacho de la Vega and Cristina de Silva, is one of Spain’s preeminent digital technology and art events. Known for its flexible use of multimedia, the festival has also developed its own festival app and enjoys substantial support in Europe, with an annual attendance of thousands of visitors.