Picking up the thread from last year’s conference, The End(s) of Electronic Literature, we chose the theme “New Horizons,”—that is, looking past current practices and ahead to future ones, with emphases on literary games, preservation, and new digital technologies.
The festival involves 27 works in the Exhibit, 15 Readings & Performances, four works in the Screenings, and five Sound Installations — for a total of 49 works. Caitlin Fisher, ELO 2016 Artistic Director, and her team of curators — Brenda Grell (Exhibit), Jim Andrews (Readings & Performances, Jim & Justine Bizzocchi (Screenings) and John Barber (Sound Installations and radioELO) have selected some excellent works involving mobile apps, AR/VR, robotics, video, net art, sound art, and other forms that reflect our theme.
The Artistic Director of the Festival is international artist, and Canada Research Chair at York University, Caitlin Fisher, whose research investigates the future of narrative through explorations of interactive storytelling and interactive cinema in Augmented Reality environments. She is co-founder of the University of York’s Future Cinema Lab. Working Fisher, are four curators:
- Exhibit: Brenda Grell
- Readings & Performances: Jim Andrews
- Screenings: Jim Bizzocchi, Curator; Justine Bizzocchi, Producer
- Sound Installations, John Barber
All events take place at the University of Victoria. The Exhibit is located in the Atrium of the MacLaurin Building; Readings & Performances, at Felicita’s; Screenings, at Cinecenta; and radioELO will provide live broadcast during the conference and festival from a station located in the MacLaurin Atrium.