Abandon Normal Devices

The theme of 2013’s AND is ‘making the impossible possible’, featuring artists whose practise organisers deem to do just that.

The works on show, which often fuse disciplines including film, art, science and technology, will cover topics such as modern defence tactics and the use of special effects.

While last year’s festival took place across the whole of the North West, coinciding with the Manchester leg of the Olympic torch relay, this year’s festival will take place in Liverpool, with the FACT gallery as its hub.

Another change for this year’s event is a new format – a week-long atelier programme of ‘training for artists by artists’ will precede a three-day festival of exhibitions, performances, debates and live events.

One of the highlights looks set to be the AND Fair on Saturday 5 October, which organisers say is based on the format of olden-day World Fairs. Projects on show will range from the large and fantastical, such as ‘flying machines’, to optical illusions and biological probes to the minutiae of computer algorithms.

Elsewhere, Mexican artists Los Ferronautas will be showing his SEFT-1 vehicle, created in collaboration with The Arts Catalyst.

The piece is a terrifying-looking road and rail research vehicle, which has thus far traversed the abandoned railways of Mexico and Ecuador.

Among the films on show will be From Yu To Me by Aleksandra Domanovic, which explores the history of the internet in former Yugoslavia, and Mark Boulos’ Echo immersive video installation, which will see ‘doppelgangers’ of visitors to the show transposed into a new urban setting, placed in steams of fast-moving traffic.

Abandon Normal Devices runs from 3 – 5 October at various Liverpool venues. For more information visit www.andfestival.org.uk