NEOLUDICA. ART IS A GAME 2011 – 1966 Art and game: how many forms can you decline this connection? Duchamp used to say “Art is a Game and game is art”. Videogames entry into Muses’ dance has further enriched this connection: videogames are art, and have made a significant influence on other arts: from cinema to literature, from music to visual arts. They take place on crossroads between rather different productive and cultural forms, and it’s just the anomaly of this encounter which makes them so interesting. Neoludica is an event aimed to deeply explore these connections. Illuminations (theme of the 54th Interna-tional Art Exhibition - Venice Biennale) is also the title of Arthur Rimbaud’ work: visionary poet, synaesthesia genius, worlds’, languages’ and cultures’ explorer: Neoludica comes to life under his sign as well, in order to create new settings for sound and light and a new journey among languages.

Innovative exhibitionThe project by Musea, presented in collaboration with E-Ludo Lab in Venice, was one of the collateral events of the 54thInternational Art Exhibition - Venice Biennale 2011, directed by Bice Curiger, titled ILLUMInazioni-ILLUMInations.NEOLUDICA is a truly Italian exhibition because of the philosophy behind it: vision, openness, dialogue and ability to connect times and aesthetics. What constitutes this specifically Italian value is the understanding and explaining how the video game – and the art behind it – is not an island but rather a plu-rality. It is made of research structured on premises, history and actu-ality, leaving nothing to chance. Made of connecting different research areas – innovation-philosophy-science-aesthetics-creativity – in order to achieve a mature awareness of such a medium devoid of prejudices.This project carries a high added value: a group of curators, mingled with a group of artists, in order to assert innovation within the context of the Ven-ice Biennale – and furthermore around the world – investing their own resources, encouraged by the support of great institutions. For the first time video games, game art and arsgames find their place in an art exhibition of great international relevance.We want to change the past. And we are doing that before anyone else. With no fear of inevitable contradictions, imperfections, oxymora. The preamble we are tracing will influence the 21st century faster than Cinema did during the previous one; moreover it will insistently become part of our everyday life.Neoludica is ready to travel the world. ART COMES INTO PLAY.

Report Venice 2011 The collateral event was made of two pavilions: the first was set in Sala dei Laneri, Santa Croce, Venice; the second was hosted by Centro Culturale Can-diani in Mestre. Both pavilions took place from June 1st until November 27th.The exhibition can vary in size depending on available space, since most of the installations are technological; it can occupy 600 square meters as 2000 square meters. During the Venice Biennale, which for the 54th edition had over 400.000 visitors, Neoludica was visited by an average of 100 people per day, for a total of over 20.000 visitors including cultural events and initiatives within Neoludica, of different ages and nationalities. Excellent the relation-ships developed with the local universities, with cultural mediation conducted by graduate students in the exhibition and scientific partnerships with other Italian and foreign universities.

Web and press In addition to the blogs of Neoludica and Italians do it better!!, as well as sites of curators and artists involved, a solid network of media partnerships has al-lowed the event to be indexed by over 40 Google pages for the duration of the Biennale. Press releases for more than 300 articles between press and web. As media partner, XL published in June an extensive six pages service. An average of 4 million users was reached by the basic monthly communication.

Social media E-Ludo Lab and Musea have performed a year-long campaign on social me-dia, obtaining impressions on a catchment area highly interested and compe-tent on the crossroad between the world of video games and the arts.2 active accounts on Twitter, 5 on Facebook, coverage on LinkedIn with 6 ac-tive accounts and 2 groups, and furthermore Google +, Four Square, YouTube. An average of 120.000 clicks per week on social media, with trends of growth up to 25% and a wide diffusion from Europe to Japan, from China to America, with nearly 50% balanced audience of men and women.

Targetthe wide public of contemporary art and culture;the general public of players and fans of Game Culture;the creative sector in general and the range from 20 to 55 years;art collectors;retrogaming collectors;professionals in the world of art, design, architecture, publishing, creative profes-sions;students from high schools, academies and universities;professors and researchers from colleges and universities;public administrators who deal with cultural fields;the corporate world and companies interested in creative languages of nowadays.

Exhibition structureSections and works: the exhibition is made of 9 sections which can be included in a single exhibit environment and outlined by a descriptive and/or interactive path; otherwise sections can be divided into different rooms and spaces from a minimum amount of 95 works, to a total of 125 works (depending on space and artwork avail-ability, the amount of artworks by the publishers can be increased).Photography and video (Santoni-Parisi) and wide projection of 70 game artworks. Game art with a combination of artworks and playable consoles from the same games (Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, Activision, Blizzard, Disney, Warner); Italian Game Art artists (15 artists/works); photo portraits of artists’ hands and faces (Paolo Della Corte); portraits of video games creators (Samuel Arcangioli); Oddworld sec-tion (11 triptychs by Lorne Lanning and Sherry McKenna). Furthermore a sculpture enhanced by augmented reality (Mikayel Ohanjanyan); ludo-mutant images and software (Massimo Giuntoli); a section by Tale of Tales; walkable Remote Connec-tions carpet (Luca Traini); finally a Retrogaming exposition.Technology required: consoles and monitors/TV for video games. Other works re-quire 2 TVs with DVD player, projector connected to computer + 1 stereo amplifier, 9 computers with monitors over 21’’. The rest of the works are easily placeable as paintings and sculptures.Interactively usable space: if the host structure provides spaces suitable for inter-action, some works can be offered to the public as amplified. Specific rooms can be setup for individual artists for interactive multimedia conversion of remote con-nections. If the host structure provides traditional exhibition spaces, the public will interact with the works through devices connected to them (computer, mouse, key-board, tablets...)

ArtistsLorne Lanning e Sharry McKenna, Paolo Della Corte, Marianna Santoni, Mikayel Ohanjanyan, Samuele Arcangioli, Massimo Giuntoli, Gabriella Parisi, Jan Vormann, Alessandra Rigano e Federico Castronuovo ‘Serenata’, Auriea Harvey e Michael Samyn ‘Tale of Tales’; Matteo Bittanti + IOCOSE, Tonylight, Marco Cadioli, Mauro Ceolin, Damiano Colacito, Eva & Franco Mattes , Les Liens Invisibles, Molleindustria, Antonio Riello, Federico Solmi, Santa Ragione, Stefano Spera, Carlo Zanni , Miltos Manetas, Vjvisualoop; international concept artists, authors of the games displayed.

Side eventsComplementary activities can be organized under request, as held during the Venice Biennale: music, machinima, thematic conferences, art and photo work-shops, fashion shows, film screenings, meetings with artists and authors.

IntegrationEach country hosting the exhibition will have a dedicated section of game artists chosen together with a local curator. The exhibition will be hence enlarged and a monographic publication by Skira will be edited to be integrated with the volume Art and Videogames. Neoludica, in order to document Game Culture in the specific country and spread it. Costs of additional sections not included in the exhibition kit.

Game:ART:GalleryArt comes into play

E-Ludo Lab Associazione culturale e ricreativa

96100 Siracusa, Italia

Musea_TraRari TIPIEditoria Cultura Comunicazione

11100 Aosta, Italia

Venice Biennale at homeBy choosing to host Neoludica, Collateral Event of the 54th International Art Exhibition-La Biennale di Venezia, the host will be displaying Biennale’s Red Lion Seal. Practically, you will have the honor of hosting Venice Biennale to your home. The Biennale allows touring exhibitions to carry the Seal until May 2013, at the beginning of the next Biennale.

The book published by SkiraPublished in separate language editions: English and ItalianSize: cm. 16.5 x 21 Pages: 260 color pages Texts: about 100 typewritten sheets in total Illustrations: Approximately 200, color Binding: stitched paperback, printed cover with long fins 5-color matt and lamination Paper: fine matt of 150 grams Price: € 26.00 In collaboration with TraRariTIPIAutorsDebora Ferrari, Luca Traini, Elena Di Raddo, Ambra Bonaiuto, Alessandra Coppa, Salvatore Mica, Salvatore Fallica, Matteo Bittanti, Domenico Quaranta, Ruggero Eugeni, Mauro Nicolini, Andrea Ferrari, Eleonora Charans, Chiara Di Stefano, Cristina Casero, Federico Salerno, Andrea Tiberio TIBE, Kevin McManus, Massimo Giuntoli, Gabriella Parisi, Margherita Balzerani, Jaime D’Alessandro

Fixed costs to host the exhibitionCosts of the package for a minimum period of 3 weeks, up to maximum 5 weeks. Include: delivery of the works and material, detailed plan for the preparation of the installations, support for press and media campaign with the entire network of fans acquired, specialized contacts, academics, opinion leaders; provision of 100 copies of Skira volume (in the language chosen); provision of Neoludica logo and Venice Biennale Seal to be applied according to rules on the communication material. Curators advice and counseling during installation phases. Attendance of curators and artists at the opening -depending on availability. Immediate availability check and reservation. Link and connections to networks and touring exhibitions within other museums/institutions/structures.

Variable costs charged to the host structureTransport, advertising, supplies, insurances, possible customs clearance.

Our AppsAugmented reality to enhance your routes and paths; educational apps and serious games, cross-media plat-forms for publishing. Design and production costs not included in the exhibition kit.

Hosting Neoludica you enter Neoludica’s global networkMuseums linked to Neoludica Universities linked to Neoludica