Untitled Document

Introductionary Analysis
As part of the ongoing governmental ICT-masterplan and in combination with it we can make out several efforts from different parties (governmental, Softwarepark Thailand, private software companies, CMU, and others) to develop Chiang Mai into a “IT-Capital of the North”. It is a large-scale and longterm engagement, and we are just in the first phase of planning and implementing. This experimental phase allows the unique opportunity for the setup of an independent new media art organization – as a platform for a different nonetheless supportive approach: to bring together sciences, art and technology; to develop technological, analytical and artistic skills; to develop socio-cultural dialogue within society.

Switch Media Chiang Mai
switch media chiang mai, founded in October 2003, is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to create awareness for, to introduce, broaden and deepen new media art, its realization, theoretical understanding and socio-cultural relevance in Chiang Mai, Thailand and the overall (international) region.

switch media operates independently to be open not only to academic influences but also to initiatives from the private/commercial sector, independent artists and groups and other interested parties. switch media aims at becoming a focus of communication and collaborative activities.

switch media conceives new media art as a new form of artistic expression for individuals and groups. “new media” is conceived as being technical, mostly digital (video, audio, web-art, computer graphics, animation, asf). “art” is conceived as a means of expression from inside a society, a reflection deep rooted in its culture. Therefore switch media supports not only project-realizations but also a discourse about the socio-cultural role, impact & possibilities of new media art – be that media-historical, media-theoretical (from communications-theory to art-theory), sociological, asf.