IMMERSIO 2024 is a new media art festival, uniting artists and collectives from all over Malaysia and across Southeast Asia. It is led by Filamen, which has been running IMMERSIO since 2017.
IMMERSIO 2024 delves into the central theme of Maya, derived from the Sanskrit word for “illusion” and “magic”, which also translates beautifully to “virtual” in Malay. As Abdul Shakir, co-organiser of IMMERSIO and co-founder of Filamen, puts it, “Something that’s there, but not there”.
Drawing from the region’s rich tapestry of history, myths, cultural diversity and environment, the festival creates a vibrant space where technology and imagination converge, inviting audiences to reconnect with the stories that shape our identities and envision a new future that honours our shared heritage.
IMMERSIO 2024 is divided in to four main categories – Chronopolitics, Quest, Diaspora and Symbiosis, each offering a lens through which we may imagine our social and cultural structures in South East Asia. It is an experimental ground space for emerging artists along with established artists who’d like to try new things, and even students.
Interactive pieces at IMMERSIO
There are over 50+ artworks at IMMERSIO, from 32 artists and collectives across Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. IMMERSIO derives from ‘immersive IO (input, output)’. As such there are multiple interactive exhibits on display here. I don’t know about everyone else, but interactive art pieces are so much more fun to look at. I also find these pieces to be great introduction to art for older kids as art can sometimes be difficult to explain or understand. Sure, they might not get the wider meaning of the pieces (which is so subjective) but kids can still get the idea of IO.
It was interesting to note that artists in other states of Malaysia, aren’t all that different from artists in Kuala Lumpur (aka the big city). A common misconception would be that the artists in big cities are more ‘advanced’ than those who are not. In reality, all the artists, no matter where they come from, are all just as engaging and are just as in to the use of technology for art.
In fact, one of my favourite exhibit was by Tumbuk Tikus, a collective hailing from Kelantan. True to its namesake, the collective put forward live mice, watching mini TVs showing Mickey Mouse cartoons, watching a larger projection of Mickey Mouse on the wall. “We are all rats” is emblazoned on one wall. Are we? Food for thought there.
It was a wonderful re-introduction to the arts scene for me, having been away for over two years. I don’t understand all art but I can say that it is definitely up to par with the art shows that I’ve been to in Seoul whilst living there.
Co-organised by Filamen and Pixelworld, The IMMERSIO 2024 is supported by GMBB, CloudJoi, Jiak Kopi, EPSON Malaysia and RUBIX Communications. This edition of IMMERSIO is part of KreatifKL by Think City with cross-collaborated event partners including AR FEST KL, iNYALA, Klang River Festival and Kuala Lumpur Art Book Fair.
IMMERSIO 2024 runs from 22 November – 22 December 2024 at Level 5 of GMBB. It’s open from 11am to 8pm (closed on Mondays).
Admission fee is RM20 whilst it is RM5 for under 12s, senior citizens and PWD community. You can buy the tickets here.
We were invited by Filamen. As always, our opinions are honest and our own.
