_10.4.20

JOAQUINA SALGADO AND VIRTUAL LOVE IN TIMES OF CORONAVIRUS

_{Foto: Cecilia Salas}

The world collapses and opens up new horizons. Today is the same as yesterday and tomorrow lost its r and the o and the w among many other things. In this universal epidemic, we invited Joaquina Salgado to speak with Galaxia 2000. Hopefully, her words will help us explore love in these times of distant reality.

Joaquina works with new media and specializes in developing immersive 3D experiences. In 2018 she obtained her degree in Multimedia Arts from the Universidad Nacional de La Plata in Buenos Aires. Her recent projects include Amplify’s visual design for their 2019 presentation at Mutek Montreal and Mutek Argentina.

What else represents you that is not reflected in this bio?

I really enjoy searching for and listening to electronic music, from ambient to techno. I have many DJ and producer friends and lately, I’ve been very involved in that world. It is a language that helps me ask questions and makes me feel good. I also spend time playing indie video games and practicing yoga almost daily :) It is important to be connected with the body because I spend a lot of time on the computer and it is easy to lose track of my physical condition.

How did virtual reality come into your life? Are you in touch with VR communities from other countries?

My thesis work during college motivated me towards this world. ¨Lawentuchefe” was inspired by the experiences of indigenous women in the Patagonian region of Argentina and their connection with nature. The link between this universe and virtual reality appears in the possibility to access a reality that is regularly invisible.

I am in touch with artists who work similarly in other countries, Giselle Angeles, and Analucia Roeder are examples of this. We find common ground between our works, and we always keep an active communication, which is very nourishing.

How does your creative process work and how do you put it into practice in these days of COVID-19 and social isolation?

I had to postpone several live performances due to the pandemic. Right now I am looking for new platforms and ways to expand. A few days ago I published my work "Fluido.obj" in Mobile format so that people can access it through their cell phone.

What is Amplify D.A.I.?

Amplify D.A.I. is a network of women artists and digital art curators in Argentina, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela and Great Britain. Its first edition was at Mutek Montreal, and then in different international Mutek editions. Last year, in addition to traveling and meeting artists that I admire, I had the opportunity to make an image for the program.

Do you work solo or with a team?

It depends on the project. Most of my collaborations are with sound artists, who are responsible for giving life to the spaces that I produce. Ramiro Plano was in charge of Fluido.obj’s melody, the project that I presented at Mutek and Mirage Festival. I am currently working with QOA, who is also part of the Amplify program. This is a photo of us. We were setting up a Live A / V for the NanoMutek festival that was postponed because of the pandemic.

Economic and material resources can be an obstacle when creating, especially in the world of art and tech. What has your experience been like?

New media artists in Argentina have to think about and generate content in a creative way with limited resources. This generates a network, a collaborative community, where our minds are constantly thinking about communication strategies. I think that at some point these challenges put extra value on the works that we make.

Can you recommend any free VR and VJ tools for people of all economies to utilize?

Unreal Engine and Unity are the free real-time game engine platforms. These are the most common software to develop virtual reality projects. In my case, I use the Unreal Engine because you can achieve more complex visual results. On the other hand, Unity is somewhat more versatile and it’s the favorite among programmers.

How does your personal work coexist with your commercial works?

I have a hard time doing work that does not require me to get emotionally involved. So I try to find commercial projects where I have some freedom to create content that I like. Lately, I've been working on electronic music projects where I am able to express myself and produce with my own style.

Books, records, movies that have influenced your artistic style?

Videogames: FRACT OSC, No man’s Sky. Sound artist: Four tet, Ramzi, Yaeji, Ouri.

︎ MY LOVE TO DISTORTION BY SHIS UNUSUAL

JOAQUINA SALGADO AND VIRTUAL LOVE IN TIMES OF CORONAVIRUS