Scholarship takes Mili Ghosh from virtual reality research to Linz, Austria
Mili Ghosh, a Master of Architectural Studies student, had no hesitation about attending the International Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria between August 18 - September 14 this year.
Speaking from the festival, Mili said they had read the brief and knew it was the space for them.
“But I couldn’t fathom that within one month I would be flying to Austria and staying there for a month to collaborate with other like-minded individuals through an institution that I had looked up to for several years,” Mili said.
Founded in 1979 in Linz, the Ars Electronica Festival is a global annual festival hosted around the world that investigates the intersection between art, technology, and society.
Mili was the New Zealand recipient of the Ars Electronica Festival University Scholarship and was selected from entrants in Aotearoa’s contribution to the global festival, Ars Electronica: Garden Aotearoa Exhibition. The contribution included a series of prototypical installations, performances, and talks across the country from artists, musicians, scientists, and researchers. Staff and students from Te Wāhanga Waihanga-Hoahoa—Wellington Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation hosted events in Wellington.
“The scholarship provided entry into the Festival University 2022, which is part of the wider Ars Electronica Festival. At the university festival, 200 students from over 40 countries develop planetary strategies for the change and transformation of our world as we know it.”
The students' practices range from science, IT, and robotics to media arts and interactive design. Mili’s successful application for the scholarship stemmed from their Master’s thesis under the supervision of Senior Lecturer Tane Moleta.
“Mili's successful application to Festival University in Austria is the first of its kind in Aotearoa, New Zealand. I'm very humbled to be able to establish further connections with Ars Electronica,” Tane said.
Mili described their scholarship application as “a portfolio that deconstructs hegemonic narratives within our western society, namely the pressures of existing external to only one identity bracket and how non-binary rationales can exist within digital code and virtual space.
“I employ virtual world-building, animation, 3D generation, game design, and narrative to explore autonomy in these digital spaces.”
Mili has further explored the concepts of their research while at the festival.
“The artistic and technological outputs of the festival spoke to my values and notions in my research. I have never been in an environment with researchers from such varied backgrounds is an exciting opportunity to advance my thinking.”
The benefits also extend to the Wellington Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation, Tane said.
“I look forward to seeing how this experience impacts Mili's research, and also, importantly, how these experiences advance the research agenda of the studio colleagues in the Digital Architecture Research Alliance (DARA),” Tane said.
Mili will return to New Zealand after the festival and plans to undertake freelance work in the film industry as an animator and perhaps embark on a PhD.
“I love the freelance aspect of my practice and am passionate about assisting, co-creating and collaborating with other artists in physical and virtual installations. Yet I have fallen in love with the world of research and experimentation. A PhD is most likely in the pipeline, although I’d like to gain some industry experience and evolve as a designer before I settle on a research topic,” Mili said.
You can watch Mili’s video work below, a music video created for Wellington-based musician Wiri Donna for her EP ‘Being Alone’: