Arts, Sciences, Technology, and Lifepatch
Experience their Practices at the NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC]

The Japan Foundation Asia Center organizes a wide range of progr a.m.s focused on contemporary art trends related to media art, technology, and information spaces. As part of this, it has partnered with leading media art institution NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC] to present 'Media Conscious' in Asia, an exhibition exploring the role and uses of media and technology in contemporary art in Japan and other Asian nations.

In order to showcase the varied activities of artists and engineers around the world influenced by the spread of the Do-It-Yourself and biopunk movements, online platforms, and open-source hardware, this exhibition focuses on the representative works of Lifepatch, a collective formed in 2012 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Comprised of scientists, progr a.m.mers, designers, artists, and curators, Lifepatch harnesses digital technology to create art projects that raise questions about society and work to cultivate a new generation of talent. It has attracted considerable international attention, winning an honorary mention at Prix Ars Electronica 2014 in the Digital Communities category. The exhibition is divided into two periods across almost six months, featuring exhibits, workshops, and talks that comprehensively present the collective's activities.

The exhibition title is derived from two Indonesian words, rumah and hal a.m.an, meaning home and yard/garden, though they also imply, respectively, not simply a physical structure for residence but a place where the activities of individuals can appear, and a space where the private and the public can be connected or separated. In Indonesia, many artist collectives use private homes as the bases for their public activities. As such, rumah and hal a.m.an can be additionally interpreted as platforms for cultural and creative ideas and practice. Considering also Lifepatch's ethos of Do-It-With-Others (DIWO) that is rooted in the community culture of Indonesia, as well as the diverse ways to communicate available in the information society, rumah and hal a.m.an can evolve further to take on multi-layered functions.

The exhibition takes on the form of the rumah and hal a.m.an, hosting exhibits, workshops, and talks to present the wide-ranging activities of Lifepatch. Serving as another rumah hub for the collective, and as a hal a.m.an linking their work with the outside world, the exhibition space organically changes to match their activities and develops into an installation in its own right from which Lifepatch's ideas and methodologies emerge.

Artist

Lifepatch - citizen initiative in art, science and technology

Lifepatch is a cross-disciplinary community formed in 2012. Based in Indonesia and launched by citizens involved in the arts, science, and technology, Lifepatch brings together practitioners to ex a.m.ine, explore, and develop socially engaged projects related to technology, natural resources, and human resources in the local area. The collective also creates installations for art festivals, including the Jakarta Biennale and Biennale Jogja. Lifepatch believes that citizens' initiatives should allow diversity in practice and encourage the creativity of members through collaborative activities. As such, the collective operates with a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) and Do-It-With-Others (DIWO) ethos in its practice in order to stimulate new systems and styles of living and working that develop out of the creative process of individuals and communities, and the interaction between individuals in community projects.
Lifepatch's members aspire to fulfill their mission of bettering the develo p.m.ent of human resources and local natural resources, building bridges between domestic and international collaboration, and providing open access to research sources and project results. For this reason, Lifepatch's activities were initially implemented online.
Lifepatch is also conscious of the importance of space as a hub to work, conduct activities, and interact cooperatively with individuals and communities. Such a place becomes a space for mutual learning, discussion, and meeting, and also serves as a physical home for the collective. From this base, Lifepatch organizes workshops experimenting with fermentation technology, progr a.m.ming, and hardware hacking. In addition to running its own studio, the collective works with the Hackteria network, such as hosting HackteriaLab 2014, a multidisciplinary, open-source meeting in Yogyakarta focused on BioArt, ecology, and technology.   http://lifepatch.org/

About the Exhibition

Exhibition Title	Lifepatch  Rumah and Hal a.m.an (Home and Yard) 'Media Conscious' in Asia
Exhibition Period	November 1, 2016–March 12, 2017 First Period: "Rumah: collective practice in using private space" Date: November 1–December 28, 2016 Lifepatch members: Timbil Budiarto, Wisnu Wawies, Agung Geger Second Period: "Hal a.m.an: collective activities and strategies" Date: January 5–March 12, 2017 Lifepatch members: Andreas Siagian, Adhari Donora, Dholy Husada
Hours	11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Closed	Mondays (If Monday is a holiday, then Tuesday), The year-end and New Year Holidays (December 29 to January 4), Maintenance day (February 12),
Venue	NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC] (Tokyo) Tokyo Opera City Tower 4F, 3-20-2 Nishishinjyuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-1404 Japan　≫Access
Admission	Free
Organized by	The Japan Foundation Asia Center　 NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC]

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