TURIN.- OGR Torino presents Electric Dreams. Art & Technology Before the Internet, an exhibition organised in collaboration with Tate Modern and curated by Val Ravaglia and Samuele Piazza, bringing to Turin a new version of the group show first presented in London.

Electric Dreams brings together a network of artists inspired by scientific ideas and new technologies, unfolding a series of subtly interlinked stories dedicated to the early pioneers of electronic art – from the 1950s to the eve of the widespread adoption of the Internet in the early 1990s. Working on an international scale, these artists engage with cutting-edge media and hybrid methodologies to expand their creative horizons collectively. Many of them view technology as a shared resource to be directed towards social purposes.

Some of the artists featured in the exhibition use electronic media to shape light and sound, while others introduce mathematical principles and algorithms as fully-fledged creative partners. Emerging fields, such as cybernetics, encourage reflection on the relationship between artwork and audience, which can be seen as a communication system where viewers become active participants. The application of new technologies and scientific principles to art makes it possible to interact with it in entirely new ways.

Innovations in telecommunications enable artists to collaborate across national borders, forming networks and communities. Computers shrink from bulky room sized machines to discreet desktop boxes, transforming the way artists work. For some, engaging with technology becomes a way to reclaim it from the military and corporate domains that have driven its development. Many women artists experiment in high tech research laboratories or with consumer electronics, often sharing access to costly equipment among themselves and with their communities.

Electric Dreams follows a largely chronological path, divided into four main sections that explore shared interests and points of convergence among the artists. It reveals a wide spectrum of ideas and technologies – from paintings inspired by mathematics and the science of perception to early experiments with virtual reality. As technology continues to shape the world in ways we cannot yet imagine, ELECTRIC DREAMS tells the story of how artists of the past found ways to weave together scientific thought and human creativity.