curatorial team

NEWS: MMF MMXXII DISPATCH #5

Hello everyone,

My name is Matteo Bittanti and I am the artistic director of the Milan Machinima Festival, which showcases game-based video art at the end of the end of history. 

On behalf of the entire curatorial staff, I am happy to reveal additional details about the fifth edition, which takes place between March 21st and 27th 2022.

The Milan Machinima Festival - a non-profit project that was born at IULM University in Milan - is made possible by the contribution of several people. In this dispatch, I’d like to share some details about our curatorial staff. Specifically, I would like to introduce three key curators: Gemma Fantacci, Luca Miranda, and Riccardo Retez.

Gemma Fantacci is a Doctoral candidate in Visual and Media Studies at IULM University. Her research focuses on the relationship between counter-gaming practices and the avant-garde. She holds an MA in Arts, Markets and Cultural Heritage from IULM, and an MA in Game Design from the same institution. She is interested in machinima, in-game photography and the visual arts. Gemma is the Communication Manager of the Milan Machinima Festival and co-curator of VRAL. 

Among her most recent publications is VRAL SEASON ONE published by Concrete Press, which she co-edited with Matteo Bittanti. Introduced in April 2020 amidst a global pandemic, VRAL is a uniquely curated game video experience, offering screenings of machinima created by artists and filmmakers whose work lies at the intersection of video art, cinema, animation, and gaming. The book collects all Season One’s interviews (i.e., exhibitions 01 to 21), including extra content previously released online. The second volume in the series will be released in the upcoming months 

Luca Miranda is an artist and independent researcher. His scholarly practice focuses on the relationship between reality and simulation. He is especially interested in the notion of the avatar as an aesthetic entity. Luca is interested in the logic of game mechanics and notions such as immersion, identification, and interpassivity. He received a Master of Arts in TV, Cinema and New Media at IULM University, Milan, and previously a B.A. in Media and Art from the University of Bologna. In 2018, he co-founded Eremo, an artistic collective based in Milan operating at the intersection of video game, sound art, performance and contemporary art. His most recent publication is titled GIOCARE A CAMMINARE (Walking as a game) which focuses on the walking simulator, a video game genre that has emerged in the last decade in the context of the so-called indie scene. The book examines the origins, development, and influence of this genre sui generis within the field of digital gaming. Additionally, the author compares the aesthetics, mechanics, and ways of playing the walking simulator with several works and artistic practice, suggesting that the two have much in common.

Born and raised in Florence, Riccardo Retez received a Master's Degree in Television, Cinema and New Media from the IULM University in Milan in 2019 and a Degree in Graphic Design and Multimedia from the Free Academy of Fine Arts in Florence in 2017. Passionate about cinema, video games and visual culture, Riccardo has produced several short films and video clips. He is the author of MACHINIMA VERNACOLARE (Vernacular Machinima), the first academic study of the Rockstar Editor, a popular video editing software embedded in Grand Theft Auto V (2013). The author describes the dynamics of production, consumption and distribution of machinima within the fandom community, which now represent an increasingly complex media ecosystem. 

This year, Gemma, Luca and Riccardo are each curating a special program that will be exclusively screened on March 26 at the MIC, the Museum of Interactive Cinema in Milan. Tickets are still available on EventBrite although seats are limited.  

For more information about the Milan Machinima Festival please visit the official website.

Stay tuned for more and thank you for your attention.


NEWS: THREE CURATORS SHARE THEIR VIEWS ON THE MMF MMXXI

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Gemma Fantacci, Luca Miranda, and Riccardo Retez — part of the Festival’s curatorial team — discuss the key themes and trends of the MMXXI edition and the rationale behind their programming. (Interview in Italian without subtitles)

IN ITALIAN

Gemma Fantacci is the curator of HACKTHECUBE, an exhibition platform that uses both the format and the problem-solving nature of the Rubik’s Cube. She received an M.A. in Arts, Markets and Cultural Heritage from IULM University and later enrolled in the Master of Arts in Game Design, combining her interest for art with new media, especially video games, machinima, and in-game photography. She is a regular contributor to ATP DIARY, an online magazine focusing on contemporary art. She is also the Communication Manager of the MILAN MACHINIMA FESTIVAL and co-curator of VRAL, an online platform exclusively dedicated to avantgarde machinima. A Ph.D candidate in Visual and Media Studies at IULM University, Gemma Fantacci lives and works in Milan.

Luca Miranda’s practice focuses on the relationship between reality and simulation. He is especially interested in the notion of the avatar as an aesthetic entity and its representational features. In his work, Miranda critically scrutinizes game mechanics and notions such as immersion, identification, and interpassivity. His work deals with the image of the avatar in contemporary culture. Miranda received a Master of Arts in TV, Cinema and New Media at IULM University, Milan, and previously a B.A. in Media and Art from the University of Bologna.

Riccardo Retez is a Doctorate candidate in the Visual and Media Studies program at IULM University, Milan, Italy. He is also a digital content creator specializing in contemporary visual culture including cultural studies and game studies. He is the author of Machinima Vernacolare (Concrete Press, 2020), the first academic study of the Rockstar Editor, a video editing software embedded in Grand Theft Auto V. He is currently studying live streaming culture.

Gemma Fantacci, Luca Miranda e Riccardo Retez — parte integrante del team curatorial del Festival — discutono i temi e i trend dell’edizione MMXXI e condividono alcuni criteri di selezione (intervista in italiano).

Gemma Fantacci è la curatrice di HACKTHECUBE, piattaforma espositiva che adotta la struttura e la logica del rompicapo del cubo di Rubik. Dopo aver conseguito una Laurea Magistrale in Arti, Patrimoni e Mercati presso l’Università IULM, nel 2018 ha ricevuto un Master of Arts in Game nel medesimo ateneo, coniugando l’interesse per l’arte con quello per i nuovi media, e in particolare per video games, machinima e game photography. Collabora regolarmente con ATP DIARY, magazine online di arte contemporanea, è la Communication Manager del Machinima Film Festival e co-curatore del progetto VRAL. Dottoranda nel Programma di Visual e Media Studies dell’Università IULM di Milano, Gemma vive e lavora a Milano.

Luca Miranda studia la relazione tra realtà e simulazione, l’avatar come entità estetica e le correlate dimensioni testuali e visive. Centrale, nella sua pratica artistica, è l’analisi delle meccaniche videoludiche, insieme alla riflessione critica sui concetti di immersione, identificazione ed interpassività. Investiga la figura dell’avatar nella cultura contemporanea. Ha conseguito una Laurea Magistrale in Televisione, Cinema e New Media presso l’Università IULM di Milano e una Laurea Triennale al D.A.M.S. dell’Università di Bologna.

Riccardo Retez è un dottorando in Visual e Media Studies presso l’Università IULM di Milano. Creatore di contenuti digitali che investigano la cultura visiva contemporanea, Retez si interessa di cultural studies e di game studies. È l’autore di Machinima vernacolare (Concrete Press, 2020), il primo studio accademico del Rockstar Editor, un software di montaggio presente in Grand Theft Auto V. Studia le culture del live streaming online.