Janne Schimmel selected for Residency Videotage 2025

14 November 2024

Videotage is a media-arts institution in Hong Kong that focuses on researching and developing new work in the area of digital culture. The residency offers designers, makers and researchers the opportunity to work in Hong Kong on projects that explore the city’s social and urban dynamics, with a particular focus on the role of old and new media in this development. The working period lasts for three months and will take place in spring 2025.

general impression

The advisory committee, consisting of Belit sağ, Eileen Stornebrink, Philip Schütte and Isabel Driessen, particularly appreciated the proposals that clearly reflected on the context of Hong Kong and the potential for international exchange. The selected proposals demonstrated an innovative approach to the city and made use of the knowledge and resources available at Videotage.

selection

The committee found Janne Schimmel’s proposal particularly strong for its combination of artistic quality and relevance to the local context of Hong Kong, while also providing an innovative approach to the city’s technological dynamics. Schimmel’s proposal fits in well with Videotage’s focus on digital culture and the way in which media reflect social and urban change in Hong Kong.

Janne Schimmel - Exploring human-machine interaction in Hong Kong: Gaming culture and technology
Janne Schimmel’s project explores the unique interaction between humans and machines within Hong Kong’s gaming and gadget culture. With the focus on the influence of its proximity to Shenzhen, a global electronics hub, Schimmel will look at how technology affects not only the behaviour of early adopters, but also the way Hong Kong residents actively participate in shaping their technological environment. The project aims to understand the ways in which both modern and retro technologies, such as game consoles and arcade cabinets, are consumed and redefined by the city. Schimmel will further develop her research during the residency in collaboration with local communities and institutions, with the aim of exploring the dynamics between technology and Hong Kong’s urban culture.

assessment

The submitted proposals were assessed by the committee on the basis of three main criteria:
- The artistic quality of the work
- The quality of the development plan
- The motivation in relation to the aims of the residency

numbers

For this open call, there was a budget from the Fund of € 5,000 (for a two-month residency) or € 6,500 (for a three-month residency). Janne Schimmel will spend three months in Hong Kong and therefore receives a grant of € 6,500 intended for travel and accommodation, material and transport costs, and to support the working period at Videotage.