Cybersonica 07 Launches At Tate Britain - FRIDAY April 6, 2007

Cybersonica, London's largest annual multimedia festival and international gathering for electronic music, sound, art and technology enthusiasts, celebrates the opening season of its sixth year by hosting a launch party for up to 5,000 guests at Tate Britain, for its monthly Late at Tate evening.

Cybersonica 07 is also bringing its talented collection of artists to exhibit at Kinetica Museum for six-weeks, and will go on tour, visiting Cambridge and Bradford.

(Visit Cybersonica online at: www.cybersonica.org)

Emphasis for the festival this year will be on live performance and exhibition for large audiences, presenting work that is playful, energetic and appealing for both entertainment value and interactivity. Staged in beautiful artistic spaces, firstly at Tate Britain and later at Kinetica Museum, the festival will invite audiences to explore exceptional architectural environments, while enjoying a mix of classic and modern artworks.

“This year we are aiming to showcase artists who seem to have developed a special relationship with technology that enables them to rise above the techno-fetishism of many of their contemporaries, and produce work that has depth, meaning, humour and emotion,” said Lewis Sykes, Cybersonica Festival Director. “Audiences will discover technology based art – with soul.”

Cybersonica 07 highlights include:

· Cybersonica 07 Late at Tate Britain – on 6th April, 6 - 10 pm, the festival kicks-off with a launch party in conjunction with the ‘Late at the Tate Britain’ programme – a monthly event that attracts up to 5,000 people.

· SoundWaves - Cybersonica 07, Kinetica Museum and Soundtoys.net Sonic Art Exhibition will be on view at Kinetica Museum for a six-week showcase of sonic art from 17th May in the heart of trendy Spitalfields, expected to attract more than 12,000 visitors, and including guest lectures and panel discussions.

· Cybersonica 07 Samplers – a touring, live audiovisual showcase and exhibition of selected works at the Enter_Unknown Territories Festival, Cambridge on 25th-29th April and also visiting b.TWEEN 07 – the Interactive Media Forum at the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, Bradford – 13-15th June.

The festival’s ambitious programme mix includes progressive electronic music, innovative audiovisualisation, screenings of music shorts and interactive sonic art. Drawing from Cybersonica’s roster of artists, partners, collaborators and support of the Arts Council England, four new art works will be commissioned and popular favourites from past festival’s will be on view.

Working in association with Martyn Ware (Heaven 17, The Human League) and Vince Clarke’s (Erasure, Depeche Mode, Yazoo) The Illustrious Company, Encompass festival, Kinetica Museum, Future Shorts, body>data>space and others, the festival programme will include screenings of short films, music promos and DJ & VJ sets delivered to audience’s ears through The Illustrious Company’s immersive 3D sound system, plus a selection of playful sonic interactive installations.

“Cybersonica 07 promises to draw the largest attendance to date for our festival and to give the artists involved the opportunity to introduce their work to new audiences,” said Sykes. “With a combination of the ‘best of’ Cybersonica past and a collection of newly commissioned works, no one will be disappointed.”

Cybersonica 07 will likely introduce up to 20,000 attendants to the festival, the largest exposure yet, and bring its entertaining and inspiring mix of artist participants’ exhibition experience at new venues across London, and in Cambridge and Bradford.

The festival expects to continue delivering its growing fan base its original and valued approach to music, sound, art and technology this year, keeping with its core spirit of supporting experimental artists. As commentary for the Cybersonica 06 sonic art exhibition on Digital Planet, BBC World Service enthusiastically put it “This is what people should be doing with technology!”

Official Website: http://www.cybersonica.org