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College of Arts and College of Computing and Informatics’ Global Convergence School Students: Exhibition Invitation at the Renowned ‘ARS Electronica Festival’

From September 4 to 8, six works created by students from our university were officially invited and exhibited at the world’s largest media art festival, the ‘ARS Electronica Festival 2024,’ held in Linz, Austria.

The College of Arts (Dean Jeong Ji-sook) and the Global Convergence School from the College of Computing and Informatics (Dean Lee Eun-seok) participated in the festival as an official ‘Partner University’ in the Festival Campus section.

The participating teams showcased innovative works aligned with this year’s festival theme, “Hope: Who Will Turn the Tide,” using AI, VR, projection mapping, and other cutting-edge technologies.

This year’s festival featured participation from 1,260 artists, scientists, developers, and entrepreneurs from 67 countries, attracting a total of 112,000 visitors. Sungkyunkwan University sent a delegation of 20 students and five faculty members from the School of Convergence’s Culture and Technology Convergence Major (led by Professor Lee Chang-jun, Kim Soo-wan, Seol Sang-hoon, and Kang Hye-won) and the Department of Film Studies (Professor Byeon Hyuk). The delegation engaged in extensive exchanges with local institutions and related universities.

With support from the College of Arts’ SKKU Convergence Institute for Culture, Arts, and Media (SCI-CAM) mentoring program and the Global Capstone Link project, three artworks were exhibited: SOARA, a virtual human character delivering messages of comfort; Formless, expressing the Buddhist concept of “self-enlightenment” through AI and projection technology; and 70mK (70 million Koreans), a VR project mapping the collective consciousness of Korea through 1,608 interviews. The Global Convergence School presented three additional pieces: What We Love, which uses AI to warn about the sustainability of humanity; Miracle on the Han River: suicide or sustain, a VR work highlighting the socio-cultural impacts of Korea’s rapid economic growth; and Bloomerry, emphasizing the importance of social connection through audience-object interaction.

During the event, the College of Arts and Global Convergence School signed an MOU with the University of Arts Linz, which organizes the Festival Campus section. Through this MOU, Sungkyunkwan University’s College of Arts and Global Convergence School will continuously participate as partner universities in the ARS Electronica Festival. Additionally, the institutions plan to expand student exchange programs, share curricula, and collaborate on various joint teaching, research, and creative projects, including co-teaching.

Dean Jeong Ji-sook of the College of Arts stated, “Participation in the ARS Electronica Festival and the signing of the MOU mark a significant milestone in raising our university’s international standing and providing students with invaluable experience on a global stage.” Kim Jang-hyun, Dean of the Global Convergence School, added, “We will continue fostering global talent through ongoing international collaboration and innovative educational programs.”