Round I Projects
PROJECT
Generative Border Notations: A social justice campaign using electronic art to address the digital divide
PROJECT FOCUS AREA:
Social justice and community engagement
ZIP CODE(S):
CONTRIBUTOR(S):
Juan Manuel Escalante
Generative Border Notations: A social justice campaign using electronic art to address the digital divide aims to promote access and critical use of technology in disadvantaged communities and raise awareness of the digital divide through the lens of artistic exploration in the lowest quartile California Healthy Places Index communities in San Ysidro. The campaign will use electronic and digital arts throughout the four workshops to convey contemporary testimonies and experiences of social justice, creative life, immigration, and social justice in the borderlands. Secondarily, the campaign aims to create spaces to share introductory programming topics for the arts with young and emerging creative individuals and provide space and mentorship. Escalante will document and publish the work generated during the campaign in print and digital publications to reach a wider audience.
LEARN ABOUT THE ARTIST + CULTURAL PRACTITIONERS
Juan Manuel Escalante
Juan Manuel Escalante is a designer and an artist working with computer code, modular synthesizers, and analog drawings. His work has been shown internationally and featured in major festivals and exhibitions, including Ars Electronica, Athens Digital Arts, OFFF, Mutek, Currents New Media, Binario, and Ceremonia, amongst others. He was a member of the National System of Art Creators (National Endowment for the Arts, MX) and received the Corwin Award (1st prize) for Electronic-Acoustic Composition in 2016. He has taught creative programming at the University of California Santa Barbara and various higher education institutions in Mexico, including the graduate program in Architecture (UNAM), where he founded and directed its Media Lab for eight years. He holds a Ph.D. in Media Arts & Technology (UCSB) and is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Visual Arts at California State University, Fullerton.