FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 12, 2003
Turbulence Artists' Studio: Nicolas Clauss
http://turbulence.org/studios/clauss

Serge Diaghilev's radical idea of ballet was that it should be an
integrated spectacle in which music, choreography and design were all of
equal importance: in 1917, Satie, Massine and Picasso collaborated in
"Parade." In the mid-20th century, John Cage and Merce Cunningham
collaborated with both Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg to create
numerous interdisciplinary events, many of which included audience
participation. In the early 21st century, Nicolas Clauss, Jean-Jacques
Birge, and Didier Silhol continue the experiment in "somnambules"
(http://somnambules.net).

While not all of Clauss' works are interdisciplinary he is a prolific,
multifaceted artist whose diverse interests range from intimate
portraits to social and political commentary. His works conjure terms
like "painterly," "gestural," and "mark-making," words that are likely
to be unfamiliar to many net.artists. Clauss has successfully
transitioned from the two-dimensional world of painting to the temporal
world of the Web. His success is both due, in large part, to his equal
passion for image, sound and motion, and his desire to bring his
audience into the mix. Clauss works tirelessly to reach into the hearts
of his "users," speaking to our humanity with wit, beauty, and love.

BIOGRAPHY

Nicolas Clauss is a self-taught artist who began painting in 1989. He
has a master's degree in experimental and social psychology (1993) and a
bachelor's degree in arts and picture technologies (ATI, 2000). Clauss
has exhibited his paintings in solo shows (Galerie Arnoux in Paris,
Centre Culturel Francais in Seoul and Seoul International Art Fair in
Korea, Crawford Gallery, Beatty Gallery and Sidney Art Theater in
Australia for instance), and collectively. In 2000, he began working on
the computer.

Clauss co-founded the web site "lecielestbleu" and went on to create his
own space, flyingpuppet.com, in 2001. There he has conceived and
realized over 50 on-line interactive pieces, often collaborating with
musicians (Jean-Jacques Birge mostly, but also Francois Baxas, Denis
Colin, Patricia Dallio, Pascale Labbe, Thomas Le Saulnier, Jean
Morieres, Herve Zenouda, Didier Petit).

Passionately fond of contemporary dance, he was nominated at the Mobius
2001 for the "Danse !" project (DadaMedia) and he created "Soaring
Steps" for BBC-On-line, and "DeepSea" and "Temptation" for Diesel
clothes. During an artist residency at the ECM des Mureaux, following
statements of immigrants, he realized the online project "Five
elsewhere"; and, more recently, "J'ai10ans" (I am 10) with the ECM of
les Ulis about multicultural issues with kids between 8 to 12. Clauss
has worked on several projects with children and teenagers, as well as
pedagogical interventions around his work and conferences-performances
(Centre Pompidou, Numer, Cite du Livre, ECM, Le Cube…). In 2003 he
returned to dance with the online choreographic project somnambules
(somnambules.net) with Jean-Jacques Birge and Didier Silhol. Recently he
and Birge performed live in concert.

Clauss received the Centre Pompidou Flash Festival 2002 Special Award
(Show: Interactive Dance), the SCAM Award of the Best Internet Site
2001-2002 for LeCielEstBleu, a Net-Art Award at La Villette Numerique
2002, and the Special Jury Prize at the Seoul Film and Net Festival 2003
(SENEF) for "somnambules."

For more information about Turbulence Artists' Studios, please visit
http://turbulence.org/studios