The sky, the psychic wellspring of motion and change, the cosmic dome of fantasy and spectacle, in which depth and distance grip the imagination, transcending earthly horizons. The sky begins where the earth ends, where vision escapes gravity, where curiosity and awe link the everyday and the infinite. The entire history of the planet, and the life of every one of its denizens, has been lived in the presence of this celestial witness, mantling the infinite time of Being.
‘Nomad 2024: The Infinite Sky’ is an international forum organised and hosted by the University of Central Asia’s School of Arts and Sciences, at its Naryn Campus, Kyrgyzstan. The forum includes a film festival comprising international, regional and student categories; an international competition of digital & virtual experiments; and an academic symposium. Nomad 2024 is an invitation to creatives and scholars from Central Asia and beyond to engage with the changing and challenged understandings of the sky and its cosmic evolution during a five-day celebration of creativity and enquiry at the intersection of art, science, and culture, September 18-22, 2024.
In the age of climate change, artificial intelligence, enscreenment, and the commodification of nature, what does the sky mean for us now? What is the sound of the sky; what could qualify as its image? How can we ever translate its ubiquity and volume into a human-scaled narrative? Can the Pale Blue Dot gather and hold the sky in a fleeting consciousness of the universe? The universe thinks through the mind, mind rises to the height of the sky, yet we are bodies clinging onto a floating rock. Neither science nor art alone can traverse the distance between an equation and the experience of the sky. Can we ever grasp its mystery? Join ‘Nomad 2024: The Infinite Sky’ to gaze at the sky, think unforeseen thoughts, and share the unfinished stories that roll above our heads like never resting clouds.
Organised by the Communications and Media Department, University of Central Asia, the Film Festival “Nomad 2024: The Infinite Sky” provides a platform for emerging filmmakers hailing from Central Asia and beyond to present their cinematographic visions and artistry. The Film Festival places emphasis on provincial imagery and narratives as well as urban life, contributing to the development of the film industry in Central Asia and Kyrgyzstan in particular.
Read More
At a time of unprecedented social, environmental, and economic challenges, including catastrophic climate change, and the Faustian compact we seem to be making with AI, the symposium, held as part of Nomad 2024: The Infinite Sky Festival offers a space to reflect on the character, value, and relevance of aesthetics in the contemporary world.
Read More
