THE INTER-SOCIETY FOR THE ELECTRONIC ARTS THE ISEA NEWSLETTER NUMBER 11, NOVEMBER 1992 __________________________________________________________________________ Editors: Wim van der Plas, Dirk Boon (Holland). Correspondents: Yoshiyuki Abe (Japan), Roger Malina (US), Ivan Pope (UK),Leslie Bishko (US),Rejane Spitz (Brazil). ISEA, POB 60103, 9703 BC Groningen, The Netherlands. Tel 31-50-425254, Fax 31-75-701906, Email ISEA@RUG.NL or A430WYNA@DIAMOND.SARA.NL ------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS --------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL EXHIBITION Yoshiyuki Abe NIGHTMARE AT THE HELMSLEY PALACE Kaylen Whitmore SIGGRAPH93 ART SHOW Wim van der Plas MONTAGE'93 THE COMPUTER IS NOT SORRY Reed Altemus SURVEY Wim van der Plas DAY WITHOUT ART Susan Kirchman HYPERTEXT, HYPERMEDIA Judy Malloy CALENDAR ---------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL BOARD In the October issue of the ISEA Newsletter, we introduced our readers to the proposed Board of the Inter-Society. Resumes of the board members were included. However, one of the American-based board members, Simon Penny, was not able to provide us with a resume in time. He was traveling. After he came back, he sent us this resume "off the top of his head": Simon Penny RESUME: born 1955, educated South Australian School of Art and Sydney College of the Arts. PS1 international studio 1983-4, New York (1 year). Since fall 1991, starting a new program Electronic Intermedia, at the University of Florida. Curator and Chair, Machine Culture, the Siggraph 1993 Artshow. Attended FISEA, spoke at SISEA and TISEA. Just completed lecture tour of Scandinavia. I build interactive electro-mechanical and electronic media installations. I write and speak on cultural and theoret- ical issues in new media. Editing an anthology Critical Issues in Electronic Media. (looking for a publisher: any ideas?)." Nobody has objected to any of the proposed ISEA Board members. This means that the new Board is effective as of now. The first full board meeting is taking place during the Third International Symposium on Electronic Art, November 9-13, 1992, in Sydney, Australia. The ISEA Board consists of: Theo Hesper (Holland, residing in Indonesia) Martha Hesper-de Haas (Holland) Simon Penny (Australia, residing in USA) Wim van der Plas (Holland) Roman Verostko (USA) NEWSLETTER As the readers of the hard copy of this Newsletter will undoubtedly notice, the lay-out and design have improved considerably. We thank our member Rene Pare of Grafico de Poost (Uden, Holland), very much for this professional job. After Groningen artist Geert-Jan Talens designed the ISEA logo and the lettering of the name of this Newsletter, graphic designer Rene Pare will from now on help us with the design and lay-out of all our publications. WHO NEEDS EMAIL One of the most fundamental goals of ISEA is the realization of a fast communications network, available to both artists and scientists. Of course, the appropriate medium is electronic mail (Email). So far, Email is mainly available to the scientific community. Very few artists, at least in Europe, have access to Email. ISEA is applying for a grant from the Dutch government to get Email facilities for those members of the electronic art community that wish to participate. It is estimated that participation will cost approximately Hfl.250,- per year. The members need a personal computer (any kind) and a modem. Without committing yourself, you are asked to inform us whether you are interested in this possibility. Once you are connected to Email, you will find out this world already is a global village. You will save more telephone and fax costs, than the investment in Email costs you. Both Dutch members and members from other countries are asked to react. Just send us a note. ISEA PANEL AT MONTAGE 93 An ISEA proposal has been accepted for a panel on the future of computer graphics during Montage 93 (see this newsletter for more info on Montage 93). The panel consists of Yoshiyuki Abe (Japan), dr. Herbert Franke (Germany), dr. Michael Girard (USA) and drs. Wim van der Plas (Holland). Montage 93 will cover all costs. A quote from the Montage 93 press release: "The Future of Computer Graphics will address aesthetic, social, and cultural issues of computer-generated imagery, a major vehicle of communication in the 21st century. Panelists from Europe, Japan, and the United States will examine the current and future collaboration between artists and scientists, as well as the expressive and commercial uses of still, moving, and interac- tive computer imagery". Last Minute News THE FIFTH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ELECTRONIC ART During the Third International Symposium on Electronic Art in Sydney, Australia, the ISEA Board has choosen the location of the Fifth Inter- national Symposium on Electronic Art in 1994. The candidates were The State Musical Academy of Sofia, Bulgary and the Helsinki University of Industrial Arts, Finland. The location will be Helsinki, Finland. The Board hopes Sofia will be able to organize another version of the ISEA symposium in the near future. The Board wishes to congratulate Helsinki with ISEA 94. TISEA IN SYDNEY MAJOR SUCCESS Sydney, November 11 Approximately 400 people from all over the world turned up in Sydney, Australia, for the Third International Symposium on Electronic Arts, from November 9-13. The program consists of a three day symposium, two days of workshops, exhibitions at 5 different galleries and two museums, performances and other events. Some of the best venues of Sydney are used for TISEA, like the world famous Sydney Opera House, the Art Gallery of New South Wales (a major museum of modern art) and the Museum of Contemporary Art. On Friday November 13th, during the closing session, ISEA will present the plans for the future symposia.The next ISEA Newsletter will contain an extended report of TISEA. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2nd INTERNATIONAL INFOGRAPHIC ART GATHERING Yoshiyuki Abe "Computers have opened up a new universe of artistic possibilities, pushing back the boundries traditional artistic technics placed on the artist's imagination. Exhibition of 2D and 3D artistic pictures, still and animated, of 80 artists from all over the world." November 12 - December 7, 1992 Open: 09.45 - 17.00 hours except Tuesday Palais de Tokyo, 13, Avenue du President Wilson, Paris 16eme, France ----------------------------------------------------------------- NIGHTMARE AT THE HELMSLEY PALACE Kaylen Whitmore December 8th, 1992 - January 31, 1993 The Minneapolis Institute of Arts Minneapolis, USA Multi-Media installation by Judith Yourman. Yourman explores the relationships between static and moving images and between traditional media and modern, computer-based technologies. In this installation she combines documentary footage on Super 8 film with video, sound, computer and film animation. 'Nightmare' examines the American Fascination with celebrity and scandal and the role of media in transforming news into entertainment. It is inspired by the trial of Leona Helmsley. Helmsley figures as an icon of power and success/excess in a series of paintings executed by Yourman when her interest in Leona Helmsley began in the mid-1980s, a few years before the self-styled hotel queen's fall from grace. Yourman watched the downward slide of celibrity from the slick pages of ads for luxury accommodations to the grainy pages of tabloids. In February, 1993, the installation will be on exhibit at the Halsey Gallery, Charleston, South Carolina, USA More info: Kaylen Whitmore The Minneapolis Institute of Arts 2400 Third Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55404, USA Tel 1-612-8703072 Fax 1-612-8703004 ----------------------------------------------------------------- SIGGRAPH 93 ART SHOW: MACHINE CULTURE, THE VIRTUAL FRONTIER Wim van der Plas August 1-6, 1993 Anaheim, California, USA This new exhibition opens at Siggraph 93 and will present artworks which explore contemporary cultural issues. Machine Culture will feature only interactive and virtual media pieces. It is intended that following the Siggraph conference, all or part of the show will be exhibited in three art museums in the United States. How to submit: -Fill in the Siggraph permission to use form and a Machine Culture entry form (see address below) -Send (preferably) VHS-NTSC video tape. Maximum 10 minutes. First part should, as nearly as possible, demonstrate the experience of the user within the work. The second part of the tape should demonstrate the physical lay-out, space, and hardware requirements. A voice-over should supply a conceptual overview of the work and its goals. -Include a discussion of the conceptual and esthetic aspects of the work and a floorplan which includes hardware specifics. -Include a resume of relevant artistic and technical achievements. Simon Penny, the chairperson of Machine Culture, adds this for the ISEA Newsletter: "I'm very interested in inventive or idiosyncratic interactive interfaces and systems. I am not a tech-chauvinist, low tech or high tech are OK. I'm pursuing the idea that installation and performance art of the last 30 years has much to offer the designers of interactive systems. I'm interested in people who are trying to make art in the interactive realm. Any proposals for works, or essays for the catalog are welcome. Electronically assisted installations are welcome. Email me at Machine Culture.siggraph93@siggraph.org. If you don't have a copy of the Siggraph93 Call for participation, give your fax# and we'll fax you a Machine Culture application form". Info and Application Forms: Simon Penny, SIGGRAPH 93 Machine Culture Chair University of Florida Electronic Intermedia Program, Dept. of Art FAC 302 Gainesville, FL 32611 USA Tel 1-904-3759025 Fax 1-904-3928453 Email MC.S93@SIGGRAPH.ORG ---------------------------------------------------------------- MONTAGE 93 International Festival of the Image July 11 - August 7, 1993 Rochester, N.Y., USA Goal: To celebrate the fusion of arts and technology in contemporary image making and to explore the future of visual communications. Anticipated attendance: 500.000 (over 4 week period) Budget: Approximately US$ 2.000.000 Montage 93 International Call for Work PERSPECTIVES, PROXIMITIES, PERCEPTIONS: Expressions in 3-Dimensional Graphic and Electronic Media (exhibition) Media include traditional and alternative stereoscopic photography, laser and computer holography, barrier-strip auto-stereograms, computer generated 3-D realities, 3-D animation, virtual reality systems, lenticular screen images, electrostatic copier applications, 3-D film and video, projected multi-image presentations, retinal-rivalry imaging systems, and any other experimental stereoscopic media. The exhibition will travel internationally for two years after Montage 93. To submit: -Complete application form (see address below) -Enclose 3 mm slides, VHS-NTSC video tape, or CD-ROM examples of up to three works. Do not send actual work yet. -Enclose resume(s) or short carreer summary(ies) -Outline equipment needs (transport, power supplies, lighting, square footage, ventilation, wall space, projection equipment, video terminals, etc) -Submissions should be sent to arrive by January 15, 1993 Info and application forms: Perspectives, c/o Lance Speer 60 Shepard Street Rochester, NY 14620, USA Tel: 1-716-4429843 Montage 93 International Call for Work INTERNATIONAL STUDENT MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL Pre-K through Graduate Student -Time-based media, including video, film, computer imagery, and animation -Umatic, VHS, S-VHS, Beta, 8mm, Hi-8, all NTSC -Work must be completed after January 1990 -Maximum length 30 minutes To submit: -Complete entry and release form (see address below) -Enclose brief artist's statement -Tapes must be received by February 1, 1993 Info and entry forms: Montage 93: ISMAF 31 Prince Street Rochester, NY 14607-1499, USA Tel: 1-716-4428897 Fax: 1-716-4421499 ---------------------------------------------------------------- THE COMPUTER IS NOT SORRY Reed Altemus A group show of computer installation art Januari 1993 at the Space, opening Saturday 9, 1993 A show of installation art utilizing digital technology will be presented in Januari at the Space. As computers move from tool to medium, a group of artists today are exploring the computer as artistic object, attempting to define its place in our culture. This is not an exhibit of art made on the computer, but an exhibit exploring the computer as a component of artistic expression. Increasingly these days people communicate digitally and as computers become smaller and more integrated into other equipment this dependency will increase. The computer has entered the fabric of our lives as completely as have the television or the light bulb. "The Computer Is Not Sorry" will present the work of artists who are investigating the computer, in the context of larger installations, music and hypertext, as it infuses our lives. They are trying to understand it as object within the context of selfexpression. These installations cross and combine media and break down the structure which cause us to see the computer as an isolated monolithic device. One feature that has been designed into computers is interactivity. From simulated warfare to "user friendly" interfaces they have an ability to mimic a human response. Interactivity is a lie. The computer is not really sorry when it apologizes, but this mimicry of manners fulfills a need in us to complete a cycle of communication. This interactive side of machines in its sheeps clothing, will be explored by many of the artists in the show. Like the grand masters dwarf in the chess playing machine of old, the computers's place in these artworks may be hidden or obscured. Our interactivity with these works will be through structures other than our daily ATM genuflection. Boston is the place where the future is beta tested. The artists will be Massachusetts residents or having strong Boston ties. Boston residents include Jennifer Hall of DoWhile Studios, Tim Anderson from M.I.T.. The show will include examples of recent hypertext literature by Judy Malloy and others, published by Eastgate Systems, Inc of Water- town. Other artists with Boston ties include Chris Burnett and Greg Garvey. In conjuction with the exhibition we are planning a series of jazz performances by Neil Leonard (Massachusetts College of Art) which play with and combine the interactivity of the computer and performer. The show will be documented in a number of ways. A catalog will be produced with essays by Simon Penny (professor at University of Florida Gainsville and curator of theee 1993 SIGGRAPH art show) and Chris Burnett (professor at the Kansas City Art Institute). A video catalog of the show is in production and a hypertext catalog is being planned. The Space is one of Boston's principal alternative art centers. A non- profit gallery. It provides a forum for innovative projects in the visual and performing arts. The Space has a tradition, in its eight years, of presenting new voices from diverse backgrounds. We show visual, instal- lation and performance art as well as presenting poetry and video. Brian Wallace is the art exhibit organizer and historical collections manager at the Computer Museum. This summer he co-chaired a SIGGRAPH panel on the future of art and the museum, entitled Walls Without Museum. George Fifield is video curator of the space. For the past three seasons he has organized the Video at the Space exhibition series. He is currently curating the new experimental film and video collection for Videosmith. For more information contact: the Space 107 South Street Boston, MA 02111, USA Tel. (1) 617.451.0602 Fax: (1) 617.451.0621 Email: gwf@world.std.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- SURVEY Wim van der Plas During the ISEA-panel on the Future of Computer Graphics at Montage 93 (see this Newsletter), I like to go into the relationship between artists/designers on the one hand and scientists/technologists on the other. I would like to draw on the experience with this subject of our readers. Anyone having any experience with or (grounded) opinion on this relationship, is asked to reflect. You are invited to write to me (by letter or Email) and tell me whatever is on your mind concerning the cooperation between the two disciplines. Please try to give me the following information: -What is your education/occupation/background? -Do you think cooperation between the two disciplines is necessary for the development of electronic art? Why (not)? -Have you got any relevant experience with this cooperation and can you elaborate on it, either in a possitive or a negative sense? -Please, give examples. Illustrations by way of video tape or other AV materials is welcomed very much. They can illustrate both succesful cooperation, failures, or illustrate the point of view that cooperation is not necessary. -Does education anticipate on the needs for cooperation or is there anything you have to say concerning the relationship between the disciplines in the light of education? Thank you very much for your cooperation. I will keep you informed via this Newsletter. Wim van der Plas POB 60103, 9703 BC Groningen, Holland Email ISEA@RUG.NL __________________________________________________________________________ Selected items from Fineart Forum, Volume 6 #11 and Leonardo Electronic News, November 15, 1992 The Inter-Society for the Electronic Arts contributes to Fineart Forum and republishes the items on electronic art on behalf of its members. FAF and LEN are published by the International Society for Art, Science and Technology on behalf of The Art, Science and Technology Network. __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- DAY WITHOUT ART Susan Kirchman I will be editing the December 1 issue of FineArt Forum and will continue the theme of D A Y W I T H O U T A R T , December 1 - the day of mourning for artists who have died of AID's, that I established in the December 1 `91 issue. I am currently soliciting articles for that issue. If any of you have material you would like to have considered for this special issue (or know someone who does) please send it to me ASAP but at least by November 17. I hope to hear from you. Thank you. Susan Kirchman < smk@archone.tamu.edu >. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- HYPERTEXT, HYPERMEDIA: DEFINING A FICTIONAL FORM Judy Malloy Terence Harpold 420 Williams Hall, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA Email: tharpold@mail.sas.upenn.edu Until recently, critical discussion of hypertext has tended to focus on issues of implementation, psychology and epistemology--the problems raised by hypertext as a kind of writing independent of its generic applications. Little attention has been paid to issues specific to the writing and reading of hypertext _fiction_. This session will be devoted to a discus- sion of hypertext fiction (and, more generally, electronic fiction) as an emerging mode of discourse in the late age of print. The panel HYPERTEXT, HYPERMEDIA: DEFINING A FICTIONAL FORM (1992 Modern Languages Association Convention; Special Session #119 Tuesday, December 29, 1992, 12:00 noon) will include individuals from both academia and the growing community of authors working in electronic text and multimedia: Terence Harpold, University of Pennsylvania (chair); Michael Joyce, Jackson Community College; Vassar College; Carolyn Guyer, Manistee, MI; Judy Malloy, LEONARDO; Stuart Moulthrop, Georgia Institute of Technology. In addition to the sizable body of theory and criticism they represent, each of the panelists is well-known for his or her electronic fiction. Michael Joyce's paper, "Hypertextual Rhythms (The Momentary Advantage of Our Awkwardness)," addresses the historical moment of recent hypertext fiction. He will suggest that the common perception of hypertext as an awkward and opaque mode of discourse may actually make it easier to grasp its historical significance. Before the novelty of the electronic medium fades, and electronic text assumes the transparency that printed text now has, we may better understand it as a distinct representational form. Judy Malloy's paper, "Between the Narrator and the Narrative (The Disorder of Memory)," will draw on several of her "narrabases" ("narrative databases") to discuss problems of narrative "truth" in radically non- sequential electronic texts. The randomness and interactivity of hypertext fiction make it possible to vary the reader's experience with each reading; the disorder of the fictional worlds that thus emerge mimics, she contends, the disordered yet linked structure of human memory. Carolyn Guyer's paper, "Buzz-Daze Jazz and the Quotidian Stream (Attempts to Filet a Paradox)," explores the structure of narrative temporality in hypertext fiction. She will argue that hypertextual narratives are "complex mixtures" (Deleuze and Guattari), in which figure and ground are shifted arhythmically, in a chaotic or fractal way. The result is an oscillating transformation of the linear temporality of traditional fictional forms. Stuart Moulthrop's paper, "Hypertext as War Machine," situates hypertext fiction as an inherently politicized byproduct of the late capitalist event-state of spectacle, simulation, and multinational aggression. Focusing on John McDaid's "Uncle Buddy's Phantom Funhouse" and his own "Victory Garden," he asks whether the deformations of print narrative in these fictions provide an alternative to the semiotics of the spectacle, or represent (in Hakim Bey's term) merely "festal" digressions from the discourse of disembodied power. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- CALENDAR ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The DESERT MUSIC: A Live Show 13 November - 6 December 1992 George Coates Performance Works, San Francisco, CA USA Contact: George Coates Performance Works, 110 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA USA tel: 415-863-4130 4th Annual DAY WITHOUT ART, an International Day of Action and Mourning in Response to the AIDS Crisis 1 December 1992 Scheduled events include Night Without Lights, Electric Blanket, Moment Without Television, The Celebrity Ribbon Cavalcade Contact: Visual Aids, 131 West 24th Street, New York, NY 10011 USA tel: 212-206-6758 fax: 212-206-8159 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONFERENCES ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ECHT 92 Fourth ACM Conference on Hypertext and Hypermedia November 30 - December 4, 1992, Milano, Italy Info: Enza Caputo, Politecnico di Milano Dipartimento di Elettronica Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy Tel 39-2-23993520 Fax 39-2-23993411 Email CAPUTO@IPMELL.POLIMI.IT SPONSORSHIP 92 International Conference on the Application of Sponsorship and its Impact on Marketing Strategies 2-4 December, 1992, Monte-Carlo, Monaco Info: Ms. C. Bayens, Expoconsult POB 200, 3600 AE Maarssen, Holland Tel 31-3465-73777, Fax 31-346-73811 WOMEN AND TECHNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM 5 December 1992 The Beverly Hilton, 876 Wilshire Blvd. ,Beverly Hills, CA 90210 *Topics Include: professional directions, communications and media, architectures of gender, the technologized body and empowerment and change *Speakers Include: Anna Couey, Anne Fallis, Brenda Laurel, Sherrie Rabinowitz Allucquere Rosanne Stone *Artworks include work by Lynn Hershman and Sarah Roberts; Lucia Grossberger; and a demo center sponsored by LA SIGGRAPH. Pre-registration conference fees are $70 for the full day (includes catered lunch and evening reception) $40 (afternoon program and reception only) Day of conference $80 full day, $45 half day Full and partial scholarships are available for qualified applicants. Contact: hypertelsaloon, 837 Traction Avenue space 308, Los Angeles, California 90013-1841 USA tel: 213-621-3127 fax: 213-621-4187 e-mail: strauss@well.sf.ca.us HDTV & FUTURE TELEVISION '93 December 7-8, 1992 The Production Box at the Cumberland Hotel London, U.K. HDTV, Wide Screen TV, Video Compression, Direct to home Satelite TV, Computer Business booting up for Television, Electronic Cinema, Interac- tive Broadcasting, etc. Full rate: PS 517, One day: PS 282 Info: Alice Taylor, Meckler Ltd 247-249 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 1HQ, U.K. phone: 44-71-9319985, fax: 44-71-9318908 CREATIVITY AND COGNITION SYMPOSIUM April 13-15, 1993 Topic areas include Creativity in practice, Reflection upon and obser- vation of the creative process, art practice and cognition, the role of technology, creative communications: dialogue and interchange across disciplines, cognitive concepts of creativity, computational models of creativity. Contact: The LUTCHI Research Centre, Loughborough University of Technology, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK Tel: (44) 509 222694 Fax: (44) 509 610815 Email: p.j.bolligan@lut.ac.uk ------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXHIBITIONS ------------------------------------------------------------------------- NIGHTMARE AT THE HELMSLEY PALACE, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts Minneapolis, MN USA 18 December 1992 - 31 January 1993 A multi-media installation by Minnesota artist Judith Yourman that examines the American fascination with celebrity and scandal and the role of media in transforming news into entertainment Contact: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55404 USA, tel: 1-612-870-3000 EXHIBITION ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY By: Paul Berger, Carol Flax, Manual Esther Parada October 22, 1992 - January 4, 1993 Opening by Jack Lang (Minister of Culture), October 21, 18.00 hours Open: every day except Tuesdays, 09.45 - 17.00 hours Centre National de la Photographie Palais de Tokyo 13, Avenue du President Wilson, Paris 16, France VISIONAY COMPUTER ART As part of the International Futire Images Exhibition July, 1993, Toky, Japan Info: Toshihiro Yatsumonji Fuji Television Network Inc., Special Events 3-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan phone: 81-3-33531111 fax: 81-3-33594224 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- COMPETITIONS ------------------------------------------------------------------------- IMAGINA COMPETITION for the Pixel-INA Awards Computer graphics, computer animation, image processing. 'All works featuring animated sequences of computer graphics and special effects shall be allowed to compete'. Categories: Fiction, Research, Simulation, Art, 2D Animation, 3D Animation, Special effects, Advertising, TV Credits, Schools & Universities. Deadline: All works together with an enrolment form should be sent not later than December 18th, 1992. Info and forms: INA, Delegation Strategie et Development Piece 3224 4. Avenue de l'Europe 94366 Bry sur Marne Cedex, France phone: 33-1-49832684 (Pierre Henon, Lydia Boutot) fax 33-1-49833185 ________________________________________________________________________ ISEA distributes a hard copy version of this Newsletter in order to keep its members, who have no access to Electronic Mail, informed. Those members can, if they desire, get in touch with the Email addresses mentioned in this Newsletter by contacting ISEA. The Inter-Society aims at joining a world-wide network of artists, scientists and their institutes, making it easier for the institutes and individual members to share expertise with each other. The aims of the Inter-Society are to promote a structured approach to electronic art and to help finance worthy electronic art projects. For membership information contact ISEA at the address on the front page. Support: Groningen University, Amsterdam University, De Fabriek/Hollandia. End of Newsletter