Backward Compatibility
Partner Programme
13 — 21 Sept 2025
Digital, Art / Collectibles
13 Sept11:00—18:00
14 Sept11:00—18:00
15 Sept11:00—18:00
16 Sept11:00—18:00
17 Sept11:00—18:00
18 Sept11:00—18:00
19 Sept11:00—18:00
20 Sept11:00—18:00
21 Sept11:00—18:00
In Person
Free, no ticket required
The term Backward Compatibility originates in software, describing an upgraded system’s ability to support earlier versions. Reimagined here as a curatorial strategy, it frames artistic practice as a process of evolution that preserves traces of the past while opening toward new possibilities.
The exhibition unfolds across three chapters, each co-curated with a leading institution and exploring a distinct dimension of compatibility—generational, technological, or linguistic: • Inner Ripple (Echoes of Material and Time) — Liu Gang • Plural Futures | A Map of Asynchronous Tomorrows (Dislocated Arrival of the Future) — MANA New Media Art Platform • A Decade in Practice | Goldsmiths Design Alumni (2013–2023) (The Blurred Boundaries of Language) — Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Backward Compatibility does not seek to retrace the past or prescribe a fixed future. Instead, it emphasizes continuity and coexistence—embracing open, plural, and non-linear connections across generations, media, and material systems. Festival Organiser: London Design Festival Exhibition Organiser: Synonym Lab Programme Director: Yunxia Jiang Curator: Weiwei Zhang Executive Curator: Ke Bao Visual Design: Teodora Dimitrova Operation Manager: Jingyan Zhu (Ariel ), Chuhan Xiao Equipment Partner: Kitto Support from: MANA (Global New Media Art Company) and staff from the Design Department at Goldsmiths, University of London
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