Notoriously anonymous music and video art collective The Residents are staging a high-profile internet contest that will award winners a starring role in an exhibition at New York's Museum of Modern Art. Between now and September 15th, anyone can download the audio file from the first episode of The Residents' River of Crime series--a 'crimecast' project inspired by 1940s radio mysteries--and submit a video with their soundtrack. The artists and MOMA's pioneering video curator, Barbara London, will jury a shortlist of favorites to be posted on the internet site, YouTube, and ultimately screened at the museum as part of the group's retrospective of over thirty years' work. The Residents' website explains that their goal is to explore 'the rise in popularity of instant-video-creation due to the proliferation of inexpensive video cameras, as well as both still cameras and phones that shoot video..' Speaking of popularity, the 'success' of videos on YouTube will play a role in the final judging, once more bringing the notion of 'contagious media' into the art world. - Regan McGill
