DesignCollector Network presents an innovative exhibition exploring the intersections digital and physical forms (“phygital”) in art as part of the annual event Digital Decade 5, featuring emerging artists working in the field of digital art. This year’s theme of “Cyberia” encourages artists to reflect on the concept of the newborn digital-native that is changing our common value systems.

The Digital Decade collaboration and exhibition now in its fourth year, has run successfully each year since 2013. Curated by Arseny Vesnin, the first round of Digital Decade consists of online Open Calls where selected artists are featured in the exhibition in London.

For 2017, the 5th Edition of “Digital Decade”, DCN teamed up with the leading creative platforms Ello Network and Curioos to bring 35 digital artists together engaged in creating print artworks to take a part in a London exhibition. One third of these artists made a cut from a huge shortlist selected by the prominent Jury during “Ello x Digital Decade” Open Call. Another addition to upcoming event is a new challenge made together with Sedition Art Platform that will feature the work of selected video artists. Also a dozen of interactive and phygital artists joined the exhibition in London to create an immersive atmosphere.

The concept of Cyberia is “the Unknown Territories Shaped by the Digital Ethnos”. This, “Ethnos” refers to the generation of digital people that are changing our world, and continuing to influence our culture. As our world becomes increasingly digital, it ultimately transforms to become a ‘Cyberia’.

Over 300 artists submitted their artworks to the Open Call made by Ello and Designcollector networks during the 1st month of the summer. 20 Jury Members selected 60 Artworks for the Shortlist. We promised to post them all Online, see them below:

"I believe we will probably be more and more focused on ourselves, living in our own bubble, thanks to the tremendously growing presence of the Internet and social medias"

@aeforia | Purchase Artwork

"The work was created with technological advancements-especially that of prosthetics/artificial replacements in mind, as it is already possible for body parts to be recreated via 3D printing."

@aqua_crown | Purchase Artwork

"THE DIGITAL SIN - /ðiː//ˈdɪdʒɪtəl//saɪn/ 

My work represents the metaphor of the original sin... ...but inserted into our temporal context... the apple in the centre like new "digital sin"... We have made a lot of progress in the technology field, but these did not serve to create a world of peace and prosperity… We use technology to create wars and situations of social discomfort… Not for the wellbeing of the planet and living beings… We now do not deserve to live in the paradise of the future… I hope that in the next 20 years we will be good at using our capabilities for a better place to live..."

@cy_tone | Purchase Artwork

"Surveillance, Subversion, Manipulation. What is real? The viewer inserts their story over the image"

@dainahodgson | Purchase Artwork

"A collage piece created by photographing oil spills on a macro level and merging them together to create a scene. The image shows the continuous generation of new ideas / forms and technologies which eventually become a distant emergence. New ideas and worlds are continuously emerging and shifting from abstract ideas. 
I'm interested in the idea that we are seduced by oil on many levels in todays society, represented by its beautiful but dark colour pallet"

@davyevans | Purchase Artwork

"Space and Inter-dimensional travel inspired my work, the thoughts and imagination of the energy we create and the possible beings we'll meet in the near future."

@elenakulikovastudio | Purchase Artwork

"My work Emphasized on the depression and loneliness that technology/social media has brought."

@_wavelenght| Purchase Artwork

"Pray to Digital Egregore baptised by a data stream."

@filianstudio | Purchase Artwork

"The nostalgia for the living things, the nostalgia of letting tradition go to welcome our more distorted ways to live."

"It's to show how nature and the digitals tools will unite and improve us into this new decade. The digital will embrace nature and provide us a better health. But first we need to understand ourselves in a collective way."

@marcellisboa258 | Purchase Artwork

Together with Curioos platform earlier this year we pre-selected 25+ Artists to work on the "Cyberia" topic for London's exhibition

@antonitudisco | Purchase Artwork

"I was inspired by Artificial Intelligence, Cyborgs & Enhanced Humans. The concept was to portray the future digital relationship with humans and how we connect to our digital self."

@oneteneleven | Purchase Artwork

@archannair | Purchase Artwork

"The idea being my work is that the next generations problems are going to be vastly greater than they are now. Very soon the impact of the human existence will be irreversible."

@benpauldesign| Purchase Artwork

"Singularity's core idea was sparked re-visiting science fiction movies and novels from the 70's and 80's. Mankind has an ever present obsession with dystopian digital wastelands consuming our future, seeming to fear living in a world of unfamiliar technological advancements. Yet here we are in 2017 working towards controlled AI, immersive digital experiences, and furthering the hive mindset our handheld screens have created. Singularity instead abstractly focuses upon the positive and awe-inspiring moments that come with technological progression – dreaming of a future where one can be inspired, immersed and retain their individuality."

@blakekathryn | Purchase Artwork

"The nostalgia for the living things, the nostalgia of letting tradition go to welcome our more distorted ways to live."

@alterlier | Purchase Artwork

"In decreasing time frames, we have moved from the “industrial age” to the “information age” and now to the “digital age”. Eventually we will reach a point that could be described as the “post digital age”. Building further into the sky, and colonising oceans, are believed to be the biggest future trends, as space and resources become scarce. Post digital environment will build cities in cities, multi-storey where the border can be both the sky and the depths of the ocean, because the structure is going in two directions."

@cityabyss | Purchase Artwork

"My first idea was actually a futuristic sculpture of an older person with a VR goggle. I think it has a big future and what we have today is only the beginning. I did another version in the end."

@mrtaylordani | Purchase Artwork

@daria.popovskaia | Purchase Artwork

"My work explores the perception of emotions in The Digital Age - can You really express Your unique emotional state by choosing from a predefined list of icons (emoji), did You notice when feelings became more of a choice, a voluntary decision rather than a state of your so called "heart and soul..."

@desislava_desseva | Purchase Artwork

"My idea is to represent the evolution of humanity since the appearance of technology."

@dorianlegret | Purchase Artwork

@whitecalx | Purchase Artwork

@nomorerender | Purchase Artwork

@kotayamaji | Purchase Artwork

"I've always been intrigued by artificial intelligence and my visual idea behind 'how things are going to look'. Especially people, as this is mostly the main subject in my work. We see how faces changed up until now, what will people look like in 10 years? We're so into perfection, minimalism, details and identity and we will strive to reach these certain goals. Most of us are fascinated by future and many of us try to fight against it, because time travels faster than we can follow. In my opinion, we need to accept what happens and go with it, for the sake of our children and the training of our brains. We are in it eventually, so why not embrace it. Along all the negativity we must see the positive effects of artificial intelligence, in art especially. "

@louise_mertens | Purchase Artwork

@matthewcustar | Purchase Artwork

@sbkwsk | Purchase Artwork

"Depicted is an overman in ecstatic state. Science possibilities are limited, and we need a new imaginative and sensual language for a complete realness comprehension."

@oksanazmorovych | Purchase Artwork

@rikoostenbroek | Purchase Artwork

@szoraidez | Purchase Artwork

"I am crazy about gadgets and robots, which I integrate with my interest in botanics and bio punk. In my works I combine these obsessions."

@wonderkatzi | Purchase Artwork

"I am crazy about gadgets and robots, which I integrate with my interest in botanics and bio punk. In my works I combine these obsessions."

@grif | Purchase Artwork

@thisset | Purchase Artwork

The exhibition took place over three days in August, at Ugly Duck on Tanner st in London. For this new creative season Ugly Duck has chosen the theme Real/Virtual and “Digital Decade 5: Cyberia” was happy to won their venue grant earlier this year. Exhibition invited over 400 visitors and artists into a visual dialogue on geopolitical, environmental, social and even interstellar changes taking place in our world with digital art and technology. Event will feature VR, Print, Phygital and Interactive installations as well as Creative Talks from industry leaders.

For Digital Decade curator, Arseny Vesnin, it was a new experience to bring interactive and VR artists all together in one place keeping the idea of "Phygital" event alive through the whole weekend. This part of exhibition won't ever happen without the support and self-motivation from exhibiting artists themselves and event producer's team

Photography below mainly shot by Antony Kitson

It was a personal call for curator to bring the work of prominent contemporary artists and leader of Electroboutique The last place this work has been displayed was at Whitechapel's "Electronic Superhighway" before our exhibition

For French artist and graduate of Swiss ECAL exhibition was not a new thing but a perfect experimental platform to deliver personal project "Qualify Yourself" based on exploration of human breathe and sound. The installation was a real point of interest during the Digital Decade 5.

Mélanie is also a fresh graduate from Swiss ECAL and was responsible for the Digital Decade 5 Interactive Heart or really immersive VR Installation imitating an interaction with a beautiful but dying garden. All inside your head.

Event Support by Virtually Mine LTD

"Death is Only the Beginning" was the VR installation brought by Jose (together with Bec Abdy) as a part of his ongoing project "Virtual Awakening". Jose also did a talk about the Near-Death Experience and various techniques of VR Therapy

Event Support by Virtually Mine LTD

Main Sponsor and Partner

Arseny Vesnin, curator and organiser