RHIZOME DIGEST: 10.13.06

discussion

Posted Oct. 12 2006 20:00

RHIZOME DIGEST: 10.13.06

RHIZOME DIGEST: October 13, 2006 Content: +opportunity+ 1. r.smith@preston.gov.uk: UK - North-West emerging digital artists - call for submissions 2. Hein Bekker: Call: ICEBOX 02 Audio/Visual Art Festival, February/March 2007 3. nisar keshvani: Leonardo Electronic Almanac - Open Call for Submissions 2007/8 4. misberg@eciad.ca: Assistant or Associate Professor Media Arts 5. Brian DeLevie: POSITION: Tenure Track â Digital Design +announcement+ 6. domenico quaranta: [BOOK + SHOW] GAMESCENES / GAMESCAPES 7. Cecilia: Salon or Seminar @ E:vent Gallery, London AND online 8. marcin ramocki: Paul Slocum and Cory Arcangel perform @ vertexlist +Commissioned by Rhizome.org+ 9. Thomas Beard: Interview by Eddo Stern, by Thomas Beard + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Rhizome is now offering Organizational Subscriptions, group memberships that can be purchased at the institutional level. These subscriptions allow participants at institutions to access Rhizome's services without having to purchase individual memberships. For a discounted rate, students or faculty at universities or visitors to art centers can have access to Rhizome?s archives of art and text as well as guides and educational tools to make navigation of this content easy. Rhizome is also offering subsidized Organizational Subscriptions to qualifying institutions in poor or excluded communities. Please visit <a rel="nofollow" href="http://rhizome.org/info/org.php">http://rhizome.org/info/org.php</a> for more information or contact Lauren Cornell at LaurenCornell@Rhizome.org + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 1. From: r.smith@preston.gov.uk <r.smith@preston.gov.uk> Date: Oct 10, 2006 Subject: UK - North-West emerging digital artists - call for submissions Digital Aesthetic 2 - exhibition opportunity to commission or realise new work for emerging digital artists in the North-West. Digital Aesthetic 2 is an international exhibition, conference and website taking place in March 2007 in Preston. As part of this event we would like to invite artists based in the North-West of England to submit proposals for new work to be shown at PAD Gallery. A total budget of £3000 is available to support the making of new work for PAD. We envisage showing work by up to three artists however a single more ambitious project would also be considered. Artists should submit the following: ? A written proposal for a new artwork with digital content (approx 250 words) ? A working budget ? A current CV ? Up to 10 good quality visuals (or other appropriate documentation) of recent work. ? Visuals and supporting documentation can only be returned if a Stamped Addressed Envelope is included Closing date: 31 October 2006. Successful artist(s) will be contacted early December. Proposals should be sent to: Digital Aesthetic 2 ? PAD Harris Museum & Art Gallery Market Square Preston PR1 2PP Digital Aesthetic 2 is a multi-venue exhibition, conference and website developed in between the Harris Museum and Art Gallery and the Electronic and Digital Art Unit at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). The exhibition opens on 16th March 2007 and venues include the Harris, UCLan, Preston Minster, PAD and public realm. Further information about PAD can be found at: www.padshopandgallery.com Further information about Digital Aesthetic 2 can be found at: www.harrismuseum.org.uk + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 2. From: Hein Bekker <hein@liquidfridge.co.za> Date: Oct 10, 2006 Subject: Call: ICEBOX 02 Audio/Visual Art Festival, February/March 2007 ICEBOX is a collaborative festival of contemporary creativity in audio/visual art. With the focus on the electronic, open and South African, the festival combines music, film, video and interactive media through a programme of screenings, multimedia performances, club nights, workshops and an online exhibition. Liquid Fridge, partnered by MTKidu and rustpunk, presents ICEBOX 02 in February/March 2007 in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, South Africa. The festival is calling for the participation of established and emerging South African and international artists and professionals working in a broad range of disciplines including electronic music, sound art, digital film, animation, photography, video art, graphic design, interactive and generative media, Net art, video game art and electronics. Web: www.liquidfridge.co.za/icebox Screenings ICEBOX is open for submissions of short-form narratives, documentaries, music videos, experimental motion graphics and recorded visual performances. Visit www.liquidfridge.co.za/?p=icebox_02_screen for further information and the entry form. Online Exhibition Interactive media, generative art, Net art and other forms using Director, Flash or Java software, as well as digital photography, illustration and graphic design work, may be entered for the online exhibition and a live presentation at ICEBOX. Visit www.liquidfridge.co.za/?p=icebox_02_web for further information and the entry form. Club Nights The ICEBOX sound system promises a selection of DJ'd and live retro-tech-future-funk rather difficult to define. Overlay a hearty serving of videoboxing and performing pixels, and you have an eclectic evening where the notions of "underground" and "overground" are irrelevant. We are looking for DJ sets, band and electroacoustic performances, VJ/video performances, and various styles in between. Visit www.liquidfridge.co.za/?p=icebox_02_events to learn more. Workshops To facilitate exchange between the traditional creative practices and electronic subcultures, ICEBOX invites presentations, performances, demonstrations, discussion panels and hands-on experiments in all disciplines. Visit www.liquidfridge.co.za/?p=icebox_02_events to learn more. – Liquid Fridge :o: Creative Swapmeet +27 (0)82 508 2922 | hein@liquidfridge.co.za | <a rel="nofollow" href="http://liquidfridge.co.za">http://liquidfridge.co.za</a> + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 3. From: nisar keshvani <nisar@keshvani.com> Date: Oct 7, 2006 Subject: Leonardo Electronic Almanac - Open Call for Submissions 2007/8 ** Sincere apologies for cross-posting ** Please feel free to spread the word widely: The Leonardo Electronic Almanac (ISSN No: 1071-4391) is inviting an open call for special issues / papers to be published in 2007/8. LEA is an international peer-reviewed e-journal published by MIT Press since 1993. The LEA Editorial Board seeks proposals for: * Special Issues: To guest edit a special issue/s around any established or emerging topic area. The special will give you an opportunity to work with LEA, its peer-review network and experts in the field to publish critical essays, artist statements, produce bibliographies and academic curriculum. * Theoretical Discussions: *Original* essays documenting research, critical commentary in areas of discussion such as nanotechnology, cyberart, cyberfeminism, hypertext, robotics, bio-art, artifical life, genetics. This list is by no means exhaustive, and proposals need not be limited to these areas. * Artists Statements / Gallery Commissions: International artists are encouraged to submit statements or proposals for *original* for exhibiting new media artwork. Curators are welcome to propose thematic exhibitions. LEA encourages international artists / academics / researchers / students / practitioners / theorists to submit their proposals for consideration. We particularly encourage authors outside North America and Europe to submit essays / artists statements. Proposals should include:- - a 150 - 300 word abstract / synopsis detailing subject matter - a brief bio (and prior works for reference). - names of collaborators (if suggesting a thematic issue / curated gallery) - any related URLs - contact details We also welcome all collaborative ideas, suggestions and proposals from individuals as well as organizations. In the subject heading of the email message, please use ?Name of Individual/Organisation/Project Title: LEA CFP ? Date Submitted?. Please cut and paste all text into body of email (without attachments). Detailed editorial guidelines at: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://leoalmanac.org/cfp/submit/">http://leoalmanac.org/cfp/submit/</a> Please send proposals or queries to: Nisar Keshvani Editor-in-Chief Leonardo Electronic Almanac <a rel="nofollow" href="http://leoalmanac.org/">http://leoalmanac.org/</a> info@leoalmanac.org by 1 December 2006. (Pls note - Response to proposals may take up to 4 - 8 weeks. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted). *********************************************************************** Useful URLs —————– LEA Current Issue: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://leoalmanac.org/">http://leoalmanac.org/</a> Gallery: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://leoalmanac.org/gallery/index.asp">http://leoalmanac.org/gallery/index.asp</a> Archives: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://leoalmanac.org/journal/index.asp">http://leoalmanac.org/journal/index.asp</a> Resources: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://leoalmanac.org/resources/index.asp">http://leoalmanac.org/resources/index.asp</a> Contributor Guide: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://leoalmanac.org/cfp/submit/index.asp">http://leoalmanac.org/cfp/submit/index.asp</a> About: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://leoalmanac.org/about/index.asp">http://leoalmanac.org/about/index.asp</a> What is LEA? ————- Established in 1993, Leonardo Electronic Almanac (ISSN No: 1071-4391) is the electronic arm of the pioneer art journal, Leonardo - Journal of Art, Science & Technology. Leonardo Electronic Almanac (LEA), jointly produced by Leonardo, the International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology (ISAST), and published by MIT Press, is an electronic journal dedicated to providing a forum for those who are interested in the realm where art, science and technology converge. For over a decade, LEA has thrived as an international peer reviewed electronic journal and web archive covering the interaction of the arts, sciences, and technology. On average 5 - 10% of manuscripts received are eventually published. LEA emphasizes rapid publication of recent work and critical discussion on topics of current excitement with a slant on shorter, less academic texts. Many contributors are younger scholars, artists, scientists, educators and developers of new technological resources in the media arts. Contents include profiles of media arts facilities and projects, insights of artists using new media and feature articles comprising theoretical and technical perspectives. Curated galleries of current new media artwork are also a regular feature, and occasionally, LEA publishes special issues on topics such as locative media, new media poetics, and wild nature and the digital life. *********************************************************************** + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Support Rhizome: buy a hosting plan from BroadSpire <a rel="nofollow" href="http://rhizome.org/hosting/">http://rhizome.org/hosting/</a> Reliable, robust hosting plans from $65 per year. Purchasing hosting from BroadSpire contributes directly to Rhizome's fiscal well-being, so think about about the new Bundle pack, or any other plan, today! About BroadSpire BroadSpire is a mid-size commercial web hosting provider. After conducting a thorough review of the web hosting industry, we selected BroadSpire as our partner because they offer the right combination of affordable plans (prices start at $14.95 per month), dependable customer support, and a full range of services. We have been working with BroadSpire since June 2002, and have been very impressed with the quality of their service. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 4. From: misberg@eciad.ca <misberg@eciad.ca> Date: Oct 13, 2006 Subject: Assistant or Associate Professor Media Arts Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design, a leading institution dedicated to research and the education of artists, designers, and media practitioners, invites applications for a full-time tenure track position at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor in Media Arts commencing August 2007 to teach computer graphics and animation in the context of filmmaking and digital media with expertise in the areas of 3-D animation, visual effects, interactivity and programming. (Competition F006 -2006) ECI has a culturally diverse student body of approximately 1400 students from across Canada and the world and offers undergraduate and graduate programs leading to Bachelor degrees in Fine Arts, Media Arts and Design, and a Masters of Applied Arts. Preference will be given to candidates with a broad range of experience in digital media arts, including interactive, motion, and time based technologies as well as an understanding of interdisciplinary practices. The successful candidate may teach students at all levels, from Foundation to Graduate Studies, and will be expected to make a major contribution in developing curriculum in an institution that is committed to the interrelation of theory and practice. Faculty members are expected to contribute in shaping the future of the Institute through participation in planning, administration and committees and in being actively engaged in the ECI community. Candidates should have a Masters degree in a related area, and a minimum of two years relevant post-secondary teaching experience. Letters of application should address the candidate?s expertise in the area of professional practice as it relates to the position, including a philosophy or approach to teaching within culturally diverse communities (maximum 500 words), and a statement that demonstrates the applicant?s organizational and leadership skills (maximum 500 words). This statement may reflect the candidate?s experience in any sector and need not be necessarily restricted to visual arts, design or media arts or to teaching. The applicant should include a current curriculum vitae and supporting material, including samples of a variety of recent work preferably on DVD or CDROM (limit total viewing time to 20 min. maximum). Submissions should include the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of three persons who can be contacted for a reference. Please provide a check list of submitted material. Please send applications, quoting Competition no. F006-2006 by November 24, 2006, to: Human Resources Department Emily Carr Institute 1399 Johnston St Vancouver BC V6H 3R9 Phone (604) 844-3824 Fax (604) 844-3885 Email hr@eciad.ca + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 5. From: Brian DeLevie <brian@delevie.net> Date: Oct 12, 2006 Subject: POSITION: Tenure Track â Digital Design POSITION: Tenure Track ? Digital Design Description: The Visual Arts Department, in the College of Arts and Media at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center (UCDHSC), seeks a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor of Electronic Design with expertise in digital media, design fundamentals and a wide range of Digital Media software applications, Applicants must posses interest and knowledge of design theory, history and criticism, and demonstrate a record of creative activity in Art/Design. As one of three institutions within the University of Colorado system, UCDHSC is an urban campus located in the heart of the city's commercial, cultural and recreational districts. The institution educates approximately 27,000 students with more than 100 degree and certificate programs at the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels, and has proudly positioned itself to be one of the top urban research universities in the country with more than $300 million a year in research grants and contracts. The College of Arts & Media (CAM), located on the UCDHSC Downtown Denver campus, offers B.F.A./B.A. degrees in Studio Arts, Art History, Theatre, Film & Television, and a B.S. degree in Music. Students majoring in Fine Arts select programs in art history, drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, multimedia and 3-D animation. These emphasis areas provide students with a comprehensive knowledge of, and direct experience with the various media?as well as an understanding of art theory, knowledge of the methods and materials of art making, and a critical analysis of the art object in historical perspectives. Fine Arts students have access to the Photography lab (with black & white, color, non-silver and digital capabilities), Sculpture lab (with metal casting and fabrication and woodworking facilities), and Drawing & Painting studios. Digital facilities include non-linear editing suites, and an audio production/post-production classroom, in addition to studio/office spaces for the Visual Arts faculty. QUALIFICATIONS: Required 1. MFA (degree completed) 2. Expertise in Digital Media 3. Expertise in Design Fundamentals 4. Demonstrated record of creative activity in Art/Design 5. Demonstrated interest in, and knowledge of, design theory, history and criticism 6. Expertise in a wide range of digital media software applications. 7. Ability to teach and work with a diverse student body Preferred 1. 2-3 years teaching experience beyond graduate school. 2. 2-3 years professional experience in the field of Design. 3. Expertise in web based/Interactive software application POSITION: 5 courses A/Y Load, Fall 2007 start date COMPENSATION: Salary commensurate with skills and experience The University of Colorado offers a full benefits package. Information on University benefits programs, including eligibility, is located at www.cusys.edu/pbs <<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cusys.edu/pbs">http://www.cusys.edu/pbs</a>> . APPLICATION MATERIALS: 1. Letter of application 2. Complete and Current curriculum vita 3. Statement of teaching philosophy that also addresses working with a diverse student body 4. Statement of creative work and personal design philosophy 5. Three letters of reference (including phone numbers and email addresses) 6. Electronic Portfolio of Design work, including web site addresses if applicable (DVD, interactive CD or web site. PDF?s will not be accepted) 7. Twenty examples of student work in electronic format, if applicable. 8. Sample syllabi if applicable. 9. SASE (for return of materials) SEND APPLICATION MATERIALS TO: University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center Visual Arts Department Attn: Joann Brennan, Electronic Design Search Committee Campus Box 177 P.O. Box 173364 Denver, Colorado 80217-3364. Deadline for receipt of application is Monday, January 8th, 2007. The interview process will include a pre-scheduled interview at the College Arts Association Conference in New York at the New York Hilton, February 14th-18th. On-campus interviews, for finalists selected from CAA interviews will be scheduled in early March. For more information on the College of Arts & Media, or the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center in the downtown Denver campus, visit our websites at www.cudenver.edu, www.uchsc.edu, or www.cudenver.edu/cam. The University of Colorado is committed to diversity and equality in education and employment. The University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center requires background investigations for employment. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 6. From: domenico quaranta <qrndnc@yahoo.it> Date: Oct 7, 2006 Subject: [BOOK + SHOW] GAMESCENES / GAMESCAPES GAMESCENES / GAMESCAPES October 7, 2006 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE GAMESCENES: THE BOOK M. Bittanti, D. Quaranta (editors), GameScenes. Art in the Age of Videogames, Milan, Johan & Levi 2006. Hardcover, 454 pages, 25 x 25 cm, 200+ hi-res illustrations, available from October 2006. GameScenes. Art in the Age of Videogames is the first volume entirely dedicated to Game Art. Edited by Matteo Bittanti and Domenico Quaranta, GameScenes provides a detailed overview of the emerging field of Game Art, examining the complex interaction and intersection of art and videogames. Video and computer game technologies have opened up new possibilities for artistic creation, distribution, and appreciation. In addition to projects that might conventionally be described as Internet Art, Digital Art or New Media Art, there is now a wide spectrum of work by practitioners that crosses the boundaries between various disciplines and practices. The common denominator is that all these practitioners use digital games as their tools or source of inspiration to make art. They are called Game Artists. GameScenes explores the rapidly expanding world of Game Art in the works of over 30 international artists. Included are several milestones in this field, as well as some lesser known works. In addition to the editors' critical texts, the book contains contributions from a variety of international scholars that illustrate, explain, and contextualize the various artifacts. ARTISTS: AES+F, Cory Arcangel, Aram Bartholl, Dave Beck, Tobias Bernstrup, Nick Bertke, John Paul Bichard, Marco Cadioli, Mauro Ceolin, Brody Condon, Joseph DeLappe, Delire (Julian Oliver), Todd Deutsch, Micah Ganske, Beate Geissler ? Oliver Sann, Brent Gustafson, Jon Haddock, Margarete Jahrmann ? Max Moswitzer, JODI, Joan Leandre, Miltos Manetas, Alison Mealey, Mark McCarthy, Shusha Niederberger, Nullpointer (Tom Betts), Nullsleep (Jeremiah Johnson), Totto Renna, RSG (feat. Alexander Galloway), Anne-Marie Schleiner, Eddo Stern, Palle Torsson, UBERMORGEN.COM. AUTHORS: Matteo Bittanti, Rebecca Cannon, Pierluigi Casolari, Maia Engeli, Henry Lowood, Sally O'Reilly, Domenico Quaranta, Philippa Stalker, Valentina Tanni. Text in English and Italian. The Publisher Johan & Levi (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.johanandlevi.com/">http://www.johanandlevi.com/</a>) publishes books in the fields of science, arts, humanities, and culture. Its rapidly expanding catalog includes monographs on key contemporary artists. The Editors Matteo Bittanti's research focuses on the cultural, social, and theoretical aspects of emerging technologies, with an emphasis on the interrelations of popular culture, visual culture, and the arts. He lives in San Francisco. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mattscape.com/">http://www.mattscape.com/</a> Domenico Quaranta is an art critic, teacher and academic researcher. His primary interests is the intersection of art and digital technologies. His contributions on art and culture have appeared in several publications. He lives in Brescia, Italy. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.domenicoquaranta.net/">http://www.domenicoquaranta.net/</a> Downloadable texts: Matteo Bittanti: Game Art (Intro): www.gamescenes.org/images/GameArt_eng.pdf Domenico Quaranta: Game Aesthetics (Outro): www.gamescenes.org/images/Game_aesthetics_eng.pdf Valentina Tanni: Geissler ? Sann: Shooter: www.gamescenes.org/images/Tanni_shooter_eng.pdf More informations: Gamescenes.org: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.gamescenes.org/">http://www.gamescenes.org/</a> Videoludica.game culture: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.videoludica.com/news.php?category=9">http://www.videoludica.com/news.php?category=9</a> GAMESCAPES: THE SHOW GameScapes. Videogame Landscapes and Cities in the Works of Five International Artists curated by Rosanna Pavoni Monza Civic Gallery Monza, via Camperio 1 October 13 ? 29, 2006. Free Entrance >From Tuesday to Sunday, 10.00 ? 13.00 and 15.00 ? 19.00. Opening: Thursday October 12 from 6:30 PM email: salecomunali@comune.monza.mi.it The release of GameScenes coincides with the launch of GameScapes. Videogame Landscapes and Cities in the Works of Five International Artists, a group show featuring works by some of the most celebrated artists working with digital games: Cory Arcangel, Mauro Ceolin, Jon Haddock, Eddo Stern, and Carlo Zanni. Monza, September 16, 2006 ? The Civic Gallery in Monza is pleased to present GameScapes. Videogame Landscapes and Cities in the Works of Five International Artists. Curated by Rosanna Pavoni with the collaboration of Matteo Bittanti and Domenico Quaranta, GameScapes investigates the notion of digital games, spaces, and urban environments in in our hyper-mediated age. Comprised of paintings, installations, and projections, the exhibition space will be transformed into a real-life gamespace. Included in the exhibition are a video installation by Cory Arcangel, Super Mario Movie (2004), a series of paintings by Mauro Ceolin from the SolidLandscapes (2004-2006) series, Carlo Zanni?s interactive installation Average Shoeveler (2004), Eddo Stern?s recent urban machinima Landlord Vigilante (2006) and the entire series of Jon Haddock?s seminal Screenshots (1999). Most of these artworks have never been presented in Italy before. Johan & Levi is publishing the GameScapes catalog which features new commentary texts by Rosanna Pavoni, Matteo Bittanti, and Domenico Quaranta. More information: Gamescenes.org: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.gamescenes.org/">http://www.gamescenes.org/</a> Videoludica.game culture: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.videoludica.com/news.php?category=9">http://www.videoludica.com/news.php?category=9</a> Downloadable texts: Press Release (italian only) - <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.clarart.com/mostre/civica/game.doc">http://www.clarart.com/mostre/civica/game.doc</a> Introduction by Rosanna Pavoni - <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.domenicoquaranta.net/GameScapes/Pavoni_eng.pdf">http://www.domenicoquaranta.net/GameScapes/Pavoni_eng.pdf</a> City of Bits by Domenico Quaranta (catalogue text) - <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.domenicoquaranta.net/GameScapes/Quaranta_cityofbits_eng.pdf">http://www.domenicoquaranta.net/GameScapes/Quaranta_cityofbits_eng.pdf</a> Art Gamers by Domenico Quaranta (panel) - <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.domenicoquaranta.net/GameScapes/Quaranta_ArtGamers_eng.pdf">http://www.domenicoquaranta.net/GameScapes/Quaranta_ArtGamers_eng.pdf</a> Videogames as a mean of transport by Matteo Bittanti (catalogue text) - <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.domenicoquaranta.net/GameScapes/Bittanti_eng.pdf">http://www.domenicoquaranta.net/GameScapes/Bittanti_eng.pdf</a> Press Office Clarart Claudia Ratti - tel 039 2721502 claudiaratti@clarart.com - press@clarart.com <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.clarart.com/gamescapes.htm">http://www.clarart.com/gamescapes.htm</a> + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 7. From: Cecilia <ceciliawee@hotmail.com> Date: Oct 9, 2006 Subject: Salon or Seminar @ E:vent Gallery, London AND online The next installment of the Salon or Seminar series of cultural debates will discuss media art. www.ceciliawee.com/salonorseminar/ The debate is a pre-event to the group exhibition GROUNDED, curated by artist and games theorist Axel Stockburger. www.eventnetwork.org.uk/programme/exhibitions/258 The debate will focus on the following questions: - Does media art change the understanding of the term art itself? - How is the relationship between the 'creative industries' and art reconfigured by media and digital art? - How does the location of new media and digital art affect contemporary aesthetics? - Is the term ?media art? still relevant in 2006? /////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Online Debate @ E:vent Network, from Monday 17th October 2006: We would like to invite online participation in this Salon or Seminar discussion. Please join guests Marc Garrett, Beryl Graham, Sarah Cooke in an online discussion. Contributions will be read out during the live/radio debate, taking place on the 24th of October at E:vent Gallery. www.eventnetwork.org.uk/online/forums/262 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Live Debate @ E:vent Gallery, 96 Teesdale Street, London E2 6PU (5 mins walk from Bethnal Green tube) Tuesday 24th October 2006: Drinks from 6pm, debate 7-8pm www.eventnetwork.org.uk/programme/forums/269 Panel: JJ Charlesworth (art critic/writer), Axel Stockburger (artist and games theorist), Sue Thomas (author of Hello World: Travels in Virtuality) Marina Vishmidt (writer, installation artist) Chaired and organised by Cecilia Wee (Rational Rec, Resonance FM) Admission is free but all attending must reserve a space by emailing newartonmondays@yahoo.co.uk by Monday 23rd October 2006 with ?Salon or Seminar? as the subject header. This debate will be recorded for broadcast on Resonance FM, London?s art radio station, on Thursday 9th November 2006, 19:00-20:00 (GMT) and is part of the Salon or Seminar series of themed cultural debates going to different art venues in London throughout 2006 and 2007. www.ceciliawee.com/salonorseminar /////////////////////////////////////////////////////// + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Rhizome.org 2005-2006 Net Art Commissions The Rhizome Commissioning Program makes financial support available to artists for the creation of innovative new media art work via panel-awarded commissions. For the 2005-2006 Rhizome Commissions, eleven artists/groups were selected to create original works of net art. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://rhizome.org/commissions/">http://rhizome.org/commissions/</a> The Rhizome Commissions Program is made possible by support from the Jerome Foundation in celebration of the Jerome Hill Centennial, the Greenwall Foundation, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional support has been provided by members of the Rhizome community. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 8. From: marcin ramocki <mramocki@earthlink.net> Date: Oct 10, 2006 Subject: Paul Slocum and Cory Arcangel perform @ vertexlist DIY Computing VertexList and Rhizome co-present a solo exhibition by Dallas-based artist Paul Slocum who turns outdated technologies, from Ataris to dot matrix printers, into expressive and technically innovative art works. Throughout all his work, variously video, sculpture, installation and sound, the artist fuses nostalgia with a critical take on the rapid obsolescence of technologies. The opening reception will take place on Saturday, October 14th 2006, 7pm - 10pm. The exhibition will be on display from Saturday October 14th to November 26th, 2006 A live performance by Cory Arcangel will take place at the opening reception, Saturday October 14th at 9pm Paul Slocum's page: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://qotile.net/catalog.html">http://qotile.net/catalog.html</a> Cory Arcangel's Page: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.beigerecords.com/cory/">http://www.beigerecords.com/cory/</a> DIY Computing includes five works new and recent works. In the looping, 60 second video Time Lapse Homepage, Slocum visualizes a website?s transformation through screenshots and sound clips that shows the aesthetic evolution of his personal homepage since it was first launched in 1997. Deep House for Band &Choir (2006) is an installation that involves more than 1970 sheets of music and a loop of the music playing. He composed the piece for the instrumentation of a high school band and choir using software for house music. On DC Power Supply (2005), Slocum recreates Jr. High School book cover doodles into a power supply circuit and LEDs. In the installation Century Caller (2005), Slocum plays with memory, time, and obsolescence through telephone calls automated to play a set of melodies made with samples of my his voice. In Last Chair (2006), Slocum performs as a violin player at an Elton John concert waiting to join in at the end of the chorus – or rather as what he beli! eve this person might be like. In this piece, and throughout his work, Slocum exacts a slight modification of a pop cultural artifact through a gesture that is both personal and also broadly resonant. ABOUT RHIZOME: Rhizome is a leading online platform for the global new media art community. Our programs support the presentation, creation and preservation of contemporary art that uses new technologies in significant ways. Rhizome is an affiliate of the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.rhizome.org">http://www.rhizome.org</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.rhizome.org/events/tenyear">http://www.rhizome.org/events/tenyear</a> ABOUT VERTEXLIST: vertexList is an artist-run space in Williamsburg Brooklyn, founded in 2003 with a mission of supporting emerging media artists. vertexList seeks artwork conceptually involved in exposing the codes of post-capitalist culture, both via new and traditional media. vertexlist is named after the property of a vector image which holds all numerical information about the image. VertexList gallery hours are Friday, Saturday, Sunday 2pm - 6 pm, or by appointment. We are located between Graham and Manhattan Avenues on Bayard St. For more info please visit our website www.vertexlist.net or call 646 258 3792. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 9. From: Thomas Beard <thomas@thomasbeard.info> Date: Oct 13, 2006 Subject: Interview by Eddo Stern, by Thomas Beard +Commissioned by Rhizome.org+ Interview by Eddo Stern, by Thomas Beard Last month at Cinematexas, Eddo Stern unveiled Darkgame (prototype), a videogame installation in which two participants, playing against each other maneuver avatars around a two-dimensional plane, their movements projected against the gallery wall. What's unusual about this scenario is that the experience for both parties involves elements of sensory deprivation. One person is completely "blind," unable to view the main interface and responding only to nonvisual cues: the vibrations of a headset Stern designed to correspond with the location of the opposing player, and related audio signals. And while the other character is able to see the action play out in real time, the field of play becomes obscured when he or she is hit and small patches of gray begin to expand. Sure to open up new avenues for gaming, it's an education of the senses and a truly heady mod. Well known for his work on such projects as Tekken Torture Tournament, where gamers endured electric shocks relative to the injuries of their onscreen fighters, and Waco Resurrection, in which players assume the role of David Koresh as government authorities advance on the Branch Davidian compound, Stern's art challenges and expands not only our relationships with videogames, but also the social and political histories from which they spring. In this interview, Thomas Beard speaks with Stern about his latest work, as well as MIDIs, memes, and the act of straddling the worlds of art, industry, and internet culture. Thomas Beard: Let's begin with Darkgame. How did the piece evolve and when did you become interested in this idea of sensory deprivation in gaming? Eddo Stern: Well, it's an old idea that I've been sitting on for a few years now. Before Waco I wanted to make a game where you can't see but it got sidelined. Eventually it evolved into this new gaming concept that I'm trying to work with, a kind of empirical role-play. In researching my article "A Touch of Medieval," I was getting to this place where role play breaks down: the idea of the "real"-non-roleplaying player, the real character action, how dexterous their fingers are, or how social they are or how aggressive, the idea of real physical and mental abilities versus the idea of role playing, how those aspects of the person eventually come through into a game and what it would be like to build games around these aspects. Where it happened for me was in Everquest?because I have a really bad sense of direction?and in the early days of that game they made it hard for you to get around. There were no maps, so basically your memory and your sense of direction were all you had. Eventually they developed the Ranger class, and they had this ability called tracking. As a Ranger you would have an extra interface, like a radar you could use to navigate, and for me this was the decisive reason to "roll" that character class, a class that artificially compensated for a physical/mental weakness that I had. I was kind of like a bionic character; suddenly you're experiencing the opposite of what happens in real life?being the guy with the super sense of direction who people ask for directions Two other big inspirations for Darkgame are certain Paul Bowles short stories?one is called "The Tender Prey," which has to do with torture and exoticism?and JG Ballard's "Manhole 69," which is about a sleep deprivation experiment. TB: Do you see this particular project moving in new directions? ES: I'm interested in making it a game that blind people and seeing people, for instance, could play together, a game where the abilities of the blind person would become a benefit in the game, a boon to them, kind of what I was talking about before, the relationships of different types of talents that people have and different types of disabilities that the computer processes into different character types. The game is going to evolve into a 3D game using Torque, which is the same engine we used in Waco, and I'm also going to play around with having the players fluctuate between deprivation and full sensory overload, bombarded by too much information. So for example having them process mental puzzles or challenges or quizzes while performing with hand-eye coordination. That's a part of the game that I'm pretty excited about. You know Open Mind? It's a research project started at MIT, creating a database of common sense knowledge for an artificial intelligence by feeding it true/false statements, and last I checked they were up to three quarters of a million. Curiously, while I was researching this in the beginning of this year I found another project online called Mindpixel which is basically the same exact project except it's a corporate venture, not attached to a research institute. Something about this idea really hooked into me, and at the time I was using the data from the projects to make up elements of the overstimulation aspect of the game. So while you're playing, for instance, you come up to these big robots or creatures and they start bombarding the players with questions verifying truths from the database. As you're playing the game you need to respond yes-true, false-true and the questions move from being very scientific truths to historical truths to religious truths to truths where you really kind of stop in your tracks. It also becomes kind of a language poem, this constant staccato of questions, anywhere from: "The universe is expanding. True or false?" to "White is a color. True or false?" So there's this idea of certain sensory deprivation where you will lose your vision as part of the gameplay and you'll lose your hearing and you'll gain this haptic feedback, which is the part that I demoed so far, but you'll also be dealing with this poetic-cerebral layer. Seems very simple at first but before you know it it's a really high computational order, your brain shuts down. I'm interested in stressing the brain, in this case logically, but also on a moral ethical belief level as well with more arbitrary questions about truth and what we know to be true. TB: Along the lines of sensory deprivation and stress, considering past work like Tekken Torture Tournament and Cockfight Arena, you have a longstanding interest in transforming the experience of gameplay into a decidedly physical one. What do you find significant about those more corporeal aspects of your work? ES: I think one of the quests for game designers is to enhance the gaming experience beyond these familiar experiences, categories. The idea of action is one that they've always done, the pleasure of action, that's sort of the main genre really. But game designers have gradually expanded the play arena to humor, games that make you laugh, to competition, to social games like The Sims, to nurturing games where you're building things. But for example horror poses a problem where cinematic devices used in horror movies simply don't work in games. I always find that horror games are really not that scary. The idea of genre that's inherited from film in the game design thinking process presents a lot of challenges, like drama or true suspense and horror. And I wanted to see if there's a way to design games that move into psychological realms of horror and suspense, beyond the boundaries of irony and cinematic clichés. For me one place to reclaim a wider range of experience was to incorporate the body. In a way the body allows for an undeniability of certain emotions, fear is one that I've worked with, as well as surprise, anxiety and embarrassment. Tekken was trying to create an experience that can be quite scary for some people and that really heightens the gameplay. The idea of anxiety and stress in the face of physical harm, and the process of overcoming that, allowed a much more compelling experience for a lot of players. Cockfight was a more casual piece, there's a social element there of course, the physicality of the game allowed for players to really perform beyond the confines of something predefined and preprogrammed. TB: I was also hoping we could talk about music. In a video like Vietnam Romance, for instance, there seems quite a bit invested in the pop mythologies of the songs you make use of and the powerful sway that the nostalgia they evoke holds over us. What kind of role do you see these soundtracks playing in your pieces, both individually and as a whole? I use sound in two ways primarily, often simultaneously. I use music ironically and sometimes very unironically, employing their emotional force. Sheik Attack is a piece where the music is central to creating a rift between the more neutral, more mechanized visual footage that you see for most of the video, so most of the footage that's very lo-res is accompanied by very rich, baroque music that has a historical and political significance. At that time it was the most powerful tool I found I could use to metaphorically recreate this relationship between the emotional weight of utopian Zionism and growing up under its powerful ideology, and the reality of manifested Zionism which is much more rough and harsh and harder to come to terms with. The richness and warmth of the music and the cold tinniness of the visuals mirror this relationship and constantly temper each other. Then in Vietnam Romance it's quite a different relationship because I used MIDI tracks. When you have a very emotional song and then strip out all the lyrics, all the human voice, but leave the melody, your preserve the emotional gush but also introduce a feeling of alienation. Somehow I feel this is the emotion of Nostalgia. Regarding the use of MIDIs, I once saw Alexei Shulgin use them in his show and that really inspired me, his use of a hollowed out emotion, a hollowed out Russian nostalgia for America. And in the new piece I'm kind of going in a different place with the music. I was at the MacDowell Colony earlier this year and I heard a great musician who was there at the time, Elizabeth Brown. She played a beautiful piece that was Theremin and flute, pure sci-fi emotion, but not in the way that cheesy Theremin music can be. I was overcome by it, and in Darkgame, I am going for a science fictiony, yet politically referenced world. This whole recent history of post 9-11 events feels like science fiction to me. There was something about the way 9/11 happened that was so over the top, so fantastical, as I am sure many people feel, and images from Iraq and Afghanistan are still resonating on that layer, like a giant statue of Sadam being felled is so linked for me to JG Ballard's story "The Drowned Giant." TB: Exactly, as though the past five years has just been one long alternate history story. ES: Or the high-tech marine with the laser counter and F16s flying over him riding on a horse in Afghanistan. That was just crazy. The whole conflation is the visual inspiration for me towards the feel of the world that I want to recreate in Darkgame. Elizabeth Brown's music for me is that, a strange connection of science fiction and history?the sort of reality we're experiencing now. TB: From film festivals to commercial galleries to conferences and seminars of various stripes, you've exhibited in a number of very different forums. Have you been struck by any interesting differences or similarities in how your work has been received or experienced from venue to venue? ES: Yeah, it's interesting. The art world I think is somewhat aware of gaming art but is really fighting to process it on its own terms?of genre or its historical lineage as fitting it into a movement?and I think pop art is where it ultimately will fall. On the same hand, that fascination with pop exists in a parallel non art-world world, internet meme culture, which to me is really interesting. Recycling icons and mutating them through flash animations and Photoshop and what they now call mashups?All your base are belong to us, Punch a Spice Girl?is totally alive and well on the internet as digital folk art. Tekken was targeted in some ways for that audience, so once we did it we put up a little QuickTime movie and it had gotten picked up by Memepool and Metafilter and Fark and other Slashdot-like sites. It's funny that something like Tekken can work on both worlds at the same time, net meme culture and within a history of body art and performance as well. Showing Waco at E3 was exciting, having the industry take a look. I think with games there's potentially a more complex relationship than we're used to with, say, products that you buy as gadgets versus fine art objects. The idea of a game busting into a gamer community, a game that's very different from what they're used to but that still adheres to some rules and standards of game design and gameplay technology, that's where I am most happy to be now. I can see game projects like Tekken and Waco and hopefully the new game project feeding back into a much larger awareness of what can be done both with gaming and art. + + + Thomas Beard is a writer and curator of film and electronic art. From 2005-2006 he was Program Director of Ocularis, a non-profit media arts organization based in Brooklyn. Prior to that he served as a programmer at Cinematexas, and has organized screenings and exhibitions at such venues as Aurora Picture Show, Chicago Filmmakers, MassArt Film Society, Pacific Film Archive, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Rhizome.org is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization and an affiliate of the New Museum of Contemporary Art. Rhizome Digest is supported by grants from The Charles Engelhard Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Rhizome Digest is filtered by Marisa Olson (marisa@rhizome.org). ISSN: 1525-9110. Volume 11, number 39. Article submissions to list@rhizome.org are encouraged. Submissions should relate to the theme of new media art and be less than 1500 words. For information on advertising in Rhizome Digest, please contact info@rhizome.org. To unsubscribe from this list, visit <a rel="nofollow" href="http://rhizome.org/subscribe">http://rhizome.org/subscribe</a>. Subscribers to Rhizome Digest are subject to the terms set out in the Member Agreement available online at <a rel="nofollow" href="http://rhizome.org/info/29.php">http://rhizome.org/info/29.php</a>. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +