PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JENNIFER AND KEVIN MCCOY: STARDUST

MARCH 4-APRIL 4,2003

The School of Art and Design is delighted to present the first West
Coast Installation of a work by New York-based artists Jennifer and
Kevin McCoy. Premiering at the Natalie and James Thompson Gallery on
Tuesday evening March 4, this exhibition will continue on display
through April 4. In conjunction with the opening of Stardust, Jennifer
and Kevin McCoy will introduce and discuss their work March 4th at 5-6
p.m. in the Art Building Auditorium room 133 followed by the exhibition
opening and reception. This exhibition is being sponsored, in part,
through the CADRE Laboratory for New Media at SJSU. Contact: Joel
Slayton-Director. joel@well.com.


The McCoys' work sits at the intersection of our fascination with
popular culture, rumor-mongering, and pseudo-science. For "Stardust",
the McCoys turn their attention to Las Vegas to create sculptural works
that perform minute analyses of their fascination with glamour and
celebrity. The work in this show asks viewers to objectively consider
this glittering world as an information source capable of teaching us
unpleasant lessons about attraction to the spotlight.

The exhibition will include work from The Band Rider Series, which
consists of sculptural displays of the products that musicians
contractually require to be present in their dressing rooms after a
performance. The display of the items, which alludes to classical art
historical still life, collapses the distance between the artists and
the public by reducing the artists down to commonly available consumer
items, yet the distance that separates us from their celebrity still
remain as the items are sealed within a clear glass box. The items in
the display are perishable and eventually spoil and fade away,
mirroring the musicians' own life cycle in the world of popular culture.

The McCoys' projects include installations, performances, and net art
that investigate ideas of genre, interactivity, and automation. Their
pieces have been exhibited internationally, and commissioned projects
include net art projects for the Walker Art Center, the Whitney Museum,
and the Alternative Museum. This exhibition is being sponsored, in
part, through the CADRE Laboratory for New Media at SJSU.