IMMERSIO 2024 Kicks Off with a Bold New Media Art Festival Format

IMMERSIO 2024 officially kicks off today, marking a new chapter in the new media art scene with artists and collectives from Southeast Asia and various states of Malaysia. Taking place at the creative community mall GMBB from November 22 to December 22, 2024, this edition of IMMERSIO breaks away from previous formats by offering an immersive three-part experience, highlighting the intricate cultural tapestry that uniquely defines this dynamic region.

Led by new media art collective Filamen, the IMMERSIO 2024 delves into the central theme of “Maya”, derived from the Sanskrit word for “illusion” and “magic”, which also translates beautifully to “virtual” in Malay. Drawing from the region’s rich tapestry of history, myths, cultural diversity and environment, the festival creates a vibrant space where technology and imagination converge, inviting audiences to reconnect with the stories that shape our identities and envision a new future that honours our shared heritage.

IMMERSIO 2024 showcases over 50 digital artworks and media art installations from 32 artists and collectives across Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The new media art festival introduces a dynamic triple-header experience, featuring the Maya Exhibition, Malaysia and Southeast Asia Collectives and iNYALA.

The Maya Exhibition, curated by Koh Kai Ting, explores the concept of “Maya”, inviting audiences to examine the invisible interactions between technology and tradition. Structured around four thematic frameworks - Chronopolitics, Quest, Diaspora, and Symbiosis - each offers a lens to reimagine our social and cultural structures in Southeast Asia. Among the featured artists and collectives for IMMERSIO 2024: Maya Exhibition are Arrvin Raj (Malaysia), Aw Boon Xin and Koh Kai Ting (Malaysia), Cahaya Create (Malaysia), Jay Young (Malaysia), Tan Kian Ming (Malaysia), Kicau Bilau (Malaysia), Raito Low (Malaysia), Silas Oo Wei Sheng (Malaysia), Shafiq Amirul (Malaysia), Suzy Sulaiman and Rufiyan Ramli (Malaysia), Tan Yun Yi (Malaysia), Tan Zi Hao (Malaysia), Zafree Azhar (Malaysia), Kinnara: Desi La (Japan), Pauline Despi (Philippines), Dara(h) Collective (Singapore, Indonesia), Fong Wei Han (Singapore), Siew Guang Hong (Singapore), Kenenza Michiko (Indonesia) and Pavee (Thailand).

Meanwhile, the Malaysia and Southeast Asia Collectives presents curated spaces for individual collectives, each from a different country and state of Malaysia. These spaces reflect the vibrant artistic diversity across the region, with each collective bringing forward a unique interpretation of “Maya”, showcasing how cultural futurism’s narratives are reimagined through the lens of technology. The featured collectives including Kapallorek (Perak, Malaysia), Mud Layar (Selangor,

Malaysia), Tumbuktikus (Kelantan, Malaysia), Zontiga (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Command.io (Malaysia, Singapore), GengRambutan (Indonesia), Makmur Djaja (Indonesia), 084Visual (Vietnam), LIVEHUMANSUBJECT (Singapore) and SG Creative Technologist (Singapore).

INYALA, a dedicated section focusing on student works from The One Academy, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), will showcase the fresh perspectives of the next generation of artists, offering a platform for innovative ideas and experimentation. This space further underscores Filamen’s commitment to nurturing and celebrating the innovative voices of new media art talent.

Abdul Shakir, the Co-organiser of IMMERSIO and Co-founder of Filamen, speaks about the new media festival’s evolution, “IMMERSIO has always been about pushing boundaries and being the space where ideas, creativity and collaboration flourish. This year, we have expanded our vision by bringing together not only artists and creative technologists from Southeast Asia, but also from different states in Malaysia. It’s all about bringing the community forward, allowing them to break free from limitations for the future of new media storytelling.”

"Community is one of our core values. There will be no art if there are no people. IMMERSIO's focus on engaging the new media community to grow their platform into a space that can enable, empower, and evolve artists from all over SEA is something we relate to. We try to do #MoreTogether at GMBB as much as we can, and projects like IMMERSIO that can help local creative arts #makeMore are efforts we want to be a part of," GMBB General Manager, Lim Ying Hui shares passionately.

DETAILS OF IMMERSIO 2024
DATE 22 November – 22 December 2024
Closed on Mondays
TIME:  11:00AM – 8:00PM
VENUE: GMBB, Level 5
Location: No.2, Jalan Robertson, Bukit Bintang, 50150 Kuala Lumpur

ADMISSION FEE
RM20 (normal price)
RM5 for children under 12, senior citizen and PWD community
Buy tickets here: https://www.cloudjoi.com/shows/2604-immersio- 2024?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZih4riNjk1fz088GDFWSqygtw6kZ
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Co-organised by Filamen and Pixelworld, The IMMERSIO 2024 is supported by GMBB, CloudJoi, Jiak Kopi, EPSON Malaysia and RUBIX Communications. This edition of IMMERSIO is part of KreatifKL by Think City with cross-collaborated event partners including AR FEST KL, iNYALA, Klang River Festival and Kuala Lumpur Art Book Fair.

IMMERSIO is a new media art festival and intellectual property led by Filamen. For the latest updates about IMMERSIO 2024, follow us @wearefilamen on Facebook and Instagram.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Digital Art Gallery
In conjunction with IMMERSIO 2024, two additional digital art exhibitions, Seed of Change and Root of Progress (in celebration of YayasanTM 30th Anniversary) will be held at Digital Art Gallery, Muzium Telekom, as well as Aethera, a solo new media art exhibition by Vasflow, will take place at the Media Art Gallery on Level 3 of GMBB. Audiences who purchase tickets to IMMERSIO 2024 will enjoy complimentary access to both exhibitions.