Welcome to 2022. We have left the desert of the real and are spiraling down the deep mycelium realms of the digital rainforests. The pandemic has pushed us deeper into virtual worlds; code is all around us and is seeping more and more into the fabric of our lives. New coded structures of being are created daily. The ability to relay information in immense quantities at ridiculous speeds operate as massive bridges. This immense collection of zeros and ones requires a new set of tools: machine learning, deep learning, neural networks and evolutionary algorithms — artificial intelligence or, as we choose to call it, “BINA”. 

What is intelligence? What are its boundaries and why is it artificial? After all, like Ouroboros, the snake that eats its tail, “artificial” intelligence exists in a reciprocal, dialectical relationship with its human creators. In this year’s ZER0|1NE, under the headline “BINA”, we will take a closer look at the development of human intelligence alongside that of the organisms around us and through this lens observe the developing computerized one. We seek to examine this complex relationship, and not necessarily from the anthropocentric paradigm of thought, and offer new observations and interpretations, drawing inspiration from ancient wisdoms and traditions alongside evolving contemporary concepts.

This year’s edition, “BINA”, will be hybrid, creating content for both the virtual and physical realms.

ZER0|1NE is a Digital Arts Festival that straddles the intersection between art, technology, myths and magic. We strive to develop a language that makes it possible to imagine and establish the foundations of the emerging digital world. We employ artistic expression to examine both ancient knowledge systems and evolving ones and devise alternative propositions to infuse myths and concepts to reformulate our current digital poetics. To this end, we put the spotlight on digital creativity, and examine the history of the future through the tools of art, experience and research.

The Festival was founded in 2019 as a collaboration between the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem and the artistic directors Danielle Zini and Yair Moss. The festival featured A/V performances, media installations, lectures, conferences, workshops, and more with a variety of local and international artists.