It’s been five years since Sedition has opened its doors and time has flown! This November, join us in celebration of our 5th anniversary. We’ll be talking about the past, present and future of digital creativity as we reflect on our landmark achievements and innovations over the years at Sedition and in the wider art world and beyond.
In November 2011, we launched with a revolutionary mission to build a new platform for the collection and display of limited edition art for screens. Since then, the Sedition team have worked hard to develop a platform to deliver the best in screen-based art with new artists launching nearly every week, new products and features on our website and apps, and new ways of getting the works to you in museum gift shops, public art displays and exhibitions. All this would not be possible without our dedicated international community of collectors, which have grown with us over the years.
Here we look back on Sedition’s greatest achievements in the past 5 years with an interactive timeline. Events on the timeline are divided into two colours; events in black are connected to our app and product developments, and other advances we’ve made as a company, while events in pink connect to our artistic events and partnerships. We are delighted to have you join us on this journey of bringing art to screens.
Evolution of Sedition (black icons)
Since 2011, we have made it our mission to bring art to your screens by creating a seamless access to your Sedition artworks across all your devices, including smartphones, tablets and TVs. We’ve also worked hard to expand the marketplace for both artists and collectors by introducing the Sedition Trade and Open Platform, enabling collectors to resell their works once the edition has sold out, and to invite any artist to create their profile and market and sell their works on the platform, respectively. We’ve also developed areas for our museum and brand partners can also launch artworks and engage an audience on Sedition through curated collections. This timeline highlights some of the key product developments and innovations we’ve made in the past five years in the evolution of the platform.
Sedition Event & Partnerships (pink icons)
Sedition has worked with a wide range of partners and collaborators over the past five years to present work by some of the most exciting artists working today in pop-up exhibitions, large scale public displays, and art fairs internationally. We also engage in opportunities to discuss new models for the distribution and collection of art on numbers panel discussions and forums, which has kept us at the frontier of art and the digital. As an online platform, we embrace any opportunity to present our work in a real world setting. This timeline runs through some of key events and partnerships we’ve participated, collaborated and produced to share the work that we do to a global audience in the real world (IRL).
This timeline covers only some of the many technological updates and artistic projects we’ve carried out over the past half a decade. This month, join us on social media as we share and discover the digital creative innovations in art and technology from the past and future 5 years.
Nov 2011: Sedition Launch
Sedition launched with a bang as the first online platform for the distribution of limited edition art for screens. Works by world’s leading contemporary artists including Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Bill Viola, and Mat Collishaw are made for sale for the first time in digital format. With over 50,000 sign-ups from launch spearheaded the business to become a leader and pioneer in the digital distribution of art globally.
Sept 2012: Samsung Smart TV App Launched at WIRED 2012
In 2012, we launched our Samsung Smart TV app at the WIRED 2012 conference, allowing owners of Samsung Smart TVs to access their Sedition collections on a high-definition screen in the home. We shared our platform with leading digital innovators at the conference and exhibition as a new way to experience art on screens as your own personal gallery.
Dec 2012: Wired Pop-Up Digital Art Gallery
We held our first ever pop-up exhibition, which took place in December 2012 at the WIRED pop-up store on London’s Regent Street. Works by artists including Elmgreen and Dragset, Aaron Koblin, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Jenny Holzer and more, were displayed on Samsung Smart TVs for the show, alongside other creative tech start-ups.
Jan 2013: DLD Conference
Sedition presented a curated exhibition by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Johannes Fricke Waldthausen including artworks from Sedition at the DLD13 Conference in Munich. The annual conference features talks and presentations by business, creative and social leaders, and showcases innovations in digital media, science and culture.
Feb 2013: Tracey Emin Times Square New York
For the month of February, Sedition presented the largest display of Tracey Emin’s work in New York as part of Times Square Alliance’s Midnight Moment. From 11:57-12:00 midnight for every night over the month, Emin’s work from Sedition were displayed on the large screens. Emin was present for the special event to give everyone a Valentine’s day wish. We held an Instagram competition for winners to receive her entire digital collection of six neon works featuring her message of love.
June 2013: Open Platform Launch
In Summer 2013, we opened up the platform to allow any artists to submit and sell works on Sedition using the innovative tools we developed. The aim was to foster a community of digital artist to help to get their work out to a larger audience and to provide them a means to sell their work as limited editions. Sedition launches the Open Platform at EYEO Festival in Minneapolis, opening up the platform for the first time to submissions.
July 2013: New iOS App for iPhone and iPad
In Summer 2013 Sedition launched our new iOS app to allow collectors to enjoy their art on their iPhones and iPads. Features include a clean a simple interface for viewing you Sedition artworks, the ability to download artworks into the Vault to view them even while offline, and create playlists of your collection.
Sep 2013: The Sedition Trade Platform
Sedition launches the Sedition Trade platform which allows collectors to resell their artworks (once the edition has sold out) at any price with the potential to earn a profit off the sales of the work. Released in March 2013, Ryoji Ikeda’s digital edition A Single Number That Has 124,761,600 Digits became the first artwork on Sedition to sell out all available editions and was the first artwork to be made available on the Trade platform. The original sale price of the work was just £5 and was subsequently selling for £75 upwards on Trade.
Sep 2013: London EDITION Hotel
For Sedition’s first hotel partnership, we worked with Mat Collishaw to create a commissioned for the launch of the new London EDITION hotel in Fitzrovia. Collishaw created an impressive new video work, Prosopopoeia featuring a rotating diamond that reflects orchids blooming from within prisms. The work was projected and installed in the entrance of the hotel in the week prior to its opening. The work was given as a gift to members of EDITION Hotel and a curated collection of works were made available in each of the guestrooms.
Nov 2013: Contemporary Istanbul / Plug-in Media Art Fair
Sedition was invited to participate in Contemporary Istanbul’s Plug-in Media Art Fair. Sedition presented a collection of works at the fair including works by Jenny Holzer, Mustafa Hulusi, Mat Collishaw, Ryoichi Kurokawa, Ergin Çavuşoğlu, amongst others. Sedition’s director Rory Blain presented on a panel discussing The New Art Collector with Jack Pam, director of ikono.tv and Suzana Diamond from Artsy, moderated by Plug-in Media Art Fair’s director, Ceren Arkman.
Nov 2013: New Android App
To complement the iOS app, Sedition launches a new Android app with the same features offered in the iOS app to appease the Android users in and to make Sedition accessible on as many devices as possible.
Jan 2014: Unpainted Media Art Fair
Sedition was invited to showcase a selection of artworks at the Unpainted, Germany’s first fair dedicated to the sales and presentation of new media art. Sedition’s Director, Rory Blain, presented on a panel on the topic of OFFLINE/ONLINE with Philippe Riss (xpo gallery, Paris), artists Aram Bartholl and Kim Asendorf, and media art professor Klaus vom Bruch, moderated by Florian Mueck. Sedition shared the platform with other leaders in the field bring forward the idea of collecting and owning digital art.
Feb 2014: iOS and Android Update
In early 2014, we launched updates for the newly launched Android and iOS apps, with development to the Sedition Vault in particular. New features included the ability to browse artworks and artists, view information on the artworks and artists, and view your certificate of authenticity along with improvements to the Vault and download experience.
May 2014: LEAP Labs Partnership / Art Basel Hong Kong
Sedition partnered with LEAP, the bilingual art magazine of contemporary China, and iArt, the digital edition of The Art Newspaper China (both part of the Modern Media Group in China) to present a collection of works by five young Chinese artists working in moving image. Launched at Art Basel Hong Kong 2014, the Déjà Vu Collection was presented at the Modern Media booth at the fair with a launch event supported by K11 Art Foundation. Artists featured in the collection include Chen Zhou, Cheng Ran, Fang Lu, Guan Xiao, and Kwan Sheung Chi. Sedition launched the Chinese language version of the Sedition site and apps for the event.
May 2014: Universal Everything at The Hospital Club
Sedition collaborated with The Hospital Club, a private members club for creative industries professionals in Covent Garden in London to present a series of group and solo exhibitions in their gallery. The first exhibition was a solo show by Universal Everything. For the exhibition, a new series of works, Walking City Citizens which were a series of 50 unique iterations where there were only available of each. The exhibition featured 3D printed sculptures, drawings and interactive pieces alongside their works from Sedition. https://vimeo.com/98913294
Jun 2014: Own Art and The Space / Jeremy Deller Digital Edition
In celebration of Own Art’s tenth anniversary and the relaunch of The Space, Sedition collaborated to launch a new commissioned work, We Sit Starving Amongst Our Gold, by Turner Prize winning artist, Jeremy Deller. The work, based on a painting by Stuart Hughes were given away as free editions (100 editions of 100 images) to followers of The Space and Own Art.
Jun 2014: Sónar+D Marketlab, Barcelona
Sedition was invited to present a booth at the Sónar+D MarketLab at the Palau de Congressos in Barcelona. Works by pioneering practitioners working with art and technology were presented on screens with a new artwork Cloud Candy by Berlin-based studio Zeitguised was launched for the event.
Apr 2015: First Retail Display at Museum Kunstpalast Düsseldorf
As an online platform Sedition does not have a physical gallery or ‘store’ where customers can view works on screens. In an effort to bring artworks closer to people, we’ve partnered with museums to offer digital editions as gift cards in the museum’s gift shop. Our first retail display was installed in Museum Kunstpalast Düsseldorf for Wim Wender’s retrospective exhibition, in celebration of the artist’s 70th birthday. For the exhibition, two new digital editions, Drive-In At Night and In Eastern Germany, were launched and presented alongside fifteen artworks by Wim Wenders that were already on Sedition.
May 2015: FIELD: Violescense at The Hospital Club
For Sedition fourth exhibition at The Hospital Club, we presented a solo exhibition by digital art studio FIELD. The Violescence exhibition premiered the studio’s project, Quasar, a series of physical-digital artworks which comprised three wearable Virtual Reality sculptures designed around three personalities of aggression, inquisitiveness and sensitivity. The exhibition also featured a display of the Forays series, as well as photographic prints and installations by the artists.
Oct 2015: Yorkshire Sculpture Park / Bill Viola
Sedition installed a retail display in the gift shop of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield. Works by Bill Viola and Bob & Roberta Smith alongside other editions were presented in the shop. Bill Viola presented a major retrospective exhibition the park’s Underground Gallery and Chapel. Bob & Roberta Smith also presented a solo show Art For All, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the YSP’s National Arts Education Archive.
Jan 2016: Sedition Art Stream
We started the year with the launch of Art Stream, a new subscription service giving access to a curated stream of twelve artworks that are updated weekly. Each week a new artwork is added, and the oldest one is removed. The service provides a way for collectors to discover new works and will have the opportunity to purchase the artworks at a discount when it drops off the stream. Subscription for Art Stream is just $10 per month with a three month free trial and 50% off the first year.
Jan 2016: iOS App Major Update
Also in January 2016, we launched a brand new iOS App, which was entirely revamped from the first version of the app to a new design and functionalities. New features included the Wish List feature which allows collectors favourite artworks that can be purchased later on our website, and a flashy introductory tour and the ability to browse both Open Platform and Curated artworks and artists.
May 2016: Montreal Digital Art Biennial / IMDA
Sedition launched new work by Matthew Biederman and Pierce Warnecke at ELEKTRA festival and the 3rd International Biennial of Digital Art (BIAN). The Perspections collection was launched following a talk by Sedition’s Head of Programmes and Operations, Ashley Wong at the International Marketplace for Digital Art (IMDA). Works by Pascal Haudressy, Zimoun and Matthew Biederman exhibited at BIAN, while NONOTAK and Matthew Biederman & Pierce Warnecke showed work during MUTEK festival which ran concurrently.
Jun 2016: Royal Academy London Retail Display
In Summer 2016, Sedition installed a display of works by Royal Academicians for sale as gift cards at the Royal Academy of Art shop in London for their 248th annual Summer Exhibition. The exhibition featured a large scale installation work by Yinka Shonibare displayed on the facade of the RA. Shonibare was among Royal Academicians whose work was introduced to the Royal Academy Shop as gift cards, alongside Tracey Emin, Jenny Holzer, Ron Arad, Michael Craig-Martin, Bob and Roberta Smith, amongst others. The works are currently on display at the RA Shop along with the Sedition Frame.
Sep 2016: FutureFest Art Prize 2016
Throughout 2016, Sedition collaborated with Nesta to present the first FutureFest Art Prize. FutureFest is Nesta’s weekend festival of radical talks and art installations that took place at London’s Tobacco Docks. In May 2016 we announced an open call for artist to submit works under the four themes of FutureFest: Love, Work, Play and Thrive. Our panel of judges shortlisted twelve artworks (three for each theme) to be showcased at FutureFest. Following a live audience vote, one winner for each theme was selected and announced at the festival. The works of the winning artists were launched and promoted on Sedition and we given a £500 cash prize from Nesta.
Oct 2016: Sedition Frame
Sedition increasingly brings the digital into the physical. The Sedition Frame is a beautifully-crafted object for displaying your Sedition collection on the most popular tablet devices including iPad 2, iPad Air 1 and 2, 9.7-inch iPad Pro and the Samsung Galaxy Tab. The Sedition Frame is an elegant display for showcasing your art collection in the home or office. Made of solid oak the Sedition Frame can be displayed free-standing or wall-mounted in portrait or landscape orientation. The frame allows collectors to display their Sedition collection using our apps for iOS or Android to create playlists from the Vault or stream works using Art Stream.
Nov 2016: New Sedition App for Apple TV
Sedition has just launched our newest app for Apple TV, which is compatible with any high-definition TV with HDMI. Collectors can easily access their Sedition works for display on their screens with the click of the button. Key features include access to subscribe and view Art Stream, the ability to browse and purchase artworks and artists and access to the Vault to add and remove artworks from the playlist, view the certificate of authenticity and play your collection. The app accompanies the Sedition apps for iOS, Android and Samsung Smart TV in our mission to make Sedition work seamlessly across all your digital devices.
Dec 2016: First US Retail Display at The Broad in LA
In December, Sedition will head to Los Angeles for the launch of our first US museum partnership and retail display at The Broad. Sedition will offer a selection of artworks available as gift cards from The Shop at The Broad. The Sedition Art Frame will also be available for purchase. A launch event will take place on December 7th from 6:30pm at The Broad to announce the partnership.
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