Introduction
The New Frontiers Biennial emerged in 2007 as an experimental showcase within the Sundance Film Festival, dedicated to exploring the convergence of film, art, technology, and innovative storytelling. What began as a modest program has evolved into a globally significant biennial exhibition that serves as a vital platform for artists pushing the boundaries of traditional media and narrative forms.
Unlike conventional art biennials that focus primarily on visual art, New Frontiers embraces an expansive, interdisciplinary approach, featuring immersive installations, virtual and augmented reality experiences, AI-powered narratives, experimental films, multi-platform storytelling, and interactive performances. This unique focus positions the biennial at the forefront of digital creativity and technological innovation in the arts.
New Frontiers has become an influential incubator for emerging formats and an important predictor of future trends in media arts. It stands at the intersection of the art world, film industry, tech sector, and academic research, creating a distinctive environment where experimentation, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and technological innovation converge.
Exhibition Framework
The New Frontiers Biennial operates as a thematic exploration of emerging technologies and their artistic applications, with each edition organized around a central conceptual framework that reflects current technological developments and their cultural implications. Recent themes have included "Bio-Digital Convergence," "Collective Intelligence," "Extended Reality," and "Post-Human Narratives."
The biennial's curatorial approach emphasizes the intersection of technological innovation and artistic expression, seeking out works that not only utilize cutting-edge tools but also critically engage with the societal impact of new technologies. This focus has positioned New Frontiers as both a showcase for technical achievements and a forum for exploring the ethical, philosophical, and social questions raised by emerging media.
A distinguishing feature of New Frontiers is its emphasis on works that create immersive, participatory experiences for audiences. Unlike traditional exhibitions where visitors observe from a distance, many installations invite direct engagement, blurring the line between creator and audience, and challenging conventional notions of authorship and spectatorship in the digital age.
History & Evolution
New Frontiers was established in 2007 as part of the Sundance Film Festival, during a period of rapid technological change in media production and distribution. The program was conceived as a response to the emergence of digital tools that were fundamentally altering the landscape of independent filmmaking and visual storytelling.
Over its history, New Frontiers has both reflected and influenced the evolution of digital media art, tracking the rise of interactive documentaries, virtual reality filmmaking, AI-generated narratives, and blockchain-based creative works. The biennial has maintained a dynamic relationship with technological development, often featuring early artistic applications of emerging technologies before their mainstream adoption.
New Frontiers launches as a program within the Sundance Film Festival, featuring a small selection of experimental media works
Expansion to include the New Frontiers Story Lab, supporting development of innovative narrative projects
Virtual reality emerges as a dominant medium, with New Frontiers showcasing pioneering VR storytelling
Opening of the year-round New Frontiers Lab in Park City, providing residency opportunities for artists
Response to global pandemic with first hybrid physical/virtual exhibition format
Debut of AI-collaborative artworks and first decentralized exhibition incorporating blockchain technology
New Frontiers celebrates its 10th biennial with expanded international program
Program Sections
The New Frontiers Biennial is organized into distinct but interconnected program sections, each focusing on different aspects of emerging media arts practice. These sections evolve with each edition to reflect current developments in technology and artistic approaches.
Immersive Gallery
Large-scale installations and room-sized immersive environments that transform physical spaces through projection mapping, responsive environments, and sensory experiences.
VR/AR Cinema
Virtual and augmented reality experiences ranging from narrative films to documentary projects and artistic experiments, exploring new forms of spatial storytelling.
Algorithmic Art
Works utilizing artificial intelligence, generative systems, and data visualization to create new forms of computational creativity and procedural narratives.
Participatory Platforms
Interactive works and social experiences that invite audience co-creation, from multiplayer environments to crowd-sourced narratives and collaborative performances.
Festival Highlights
Experience the innovative spirit of New Frontiers through this video showcase of recent exhibition highlights and artist interviews.
Notable Projects
Throughout its history, New Frontiers has showcased groundbreaking works that have defined new possibilities for digital art and storytelling. These projects exemplify the biennial's commitment to work that merges technological innovation with compelling narrative and artistic vision.
Asynchronous Dreams
A collaborative virtual reality environment where participants co-create a surreal landscape through their unconscious movements and biometric data.
Witness Algorithm
An AI-driven documentary that constructs personalized narratives from a vast archive of climate change footage based on each viewer's responses.
Symbiotic Circuits
A responsive environment where living microorganisms interact with digital systems to create evolving audiovisual patterns.
Collective Memory Palace
A globally distributed performance where participants across multiple locations collaborated to build a shared virtual architecture.
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Exhibition Gallery
Venue Locations
The New Frontiers Biennial is centered around several venues in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, with the New Frontiers Central serving as its main exhibition space during the Sundance Film Festival.