THE INTER-SOCIETY FOR THE ELECTRONIC ARTS
ISEA NEWSLETTER============================================= 1/2
ISSN1488-3635
#76 Februray - March 2000
_______________________________________________________________
* CONTENTS *
* Editorial * ISEA News * News from Members * Feature Articles * Event Reports *
_______________________________________________________________
*Une version francaise est disponible. Contacter le secretariat pour l'obtenir*
**************************
EDITORIAL
**************************
In this issue of the INL, we are delighted to publish the much anticipated
ISEA2000 Call for Papers and Participation. From the number of requests for
information we've received to date, it seems that ISEA2000 will be very much on
the new media arts agenda this year. Combined with the 10 year anniversary of
the Inter-Society's founding, this makes for a very exciting 12 months.
Both the Symposium and the Inter-Society are, at heart, about the countless
people who have enlived them over the course of the last decade. The history of
the last ten years of ISEA and the electronic arts is YOUR history. That's why
at ISEA HQ, we invite members and former Symposium participants to join us in
marking our 10th anniversary and the 10th Symposium on Electronic Art. You can
be apart of these celebratory activities in two ways:
CONTRIBUTE TO THE ISEA ARCHIVES 10TH ANNIVERSARY PROJECT
A multimedia CD-ROM and website launched at ISEA2000 in December will present
highlights from the last 9 ISEA Symposia, and open up an interactive discussion
space for recalling the last decade in the electronic arts. We are looking for
former particpants and members who have any materials relating to the
International Symposium on Electronic Art, especially its earlier incarnations
in 1988 (Utrecht), 1990 (Gronigen), and 1994 (Helsinki). This includes audio or
video documentation, proceedings, catalogues, etc. This material will be
returned to you afterwards if you so desire.
Was your artwork included in an ISEA Symposia? Send us a copy of the work or
audio-visual documentation for the ISEA Archives and be included in an expanding
and impressive Archival Collection which will be a key research tool for art
historians, critics, researchers, curators, and artists.
Do you have anecdotes or photographs from the last 9 ISEA Symposia? Do you
recall anything outrageous, inspiring, controversial? Do you remember the first
time you participated in an ISEA Symposium? Did it change your perception of
art, science, new media, the creative process.....?
Send us your materials, texts and comments! We look forward to reminiscing.
PARTICIPATE IN THE ISEA2000 WEBCAST
Like the successful webcasts undertaken by ISEA HQ at ISEA97 and ISEA98, the
ISEA2000 webcast will provide live dispatches from the Paris symposium:
interviews, reviews, photographs, streaming performances. If you've got a
hankering to be a roving reporter, videographer, or photographer, or if you want
to help organize/fundraise for this project, let ISEA HQ know.
Whatever way you decide to participate, do mark your calendars -we look forward
to a December rendez-vous in Paris!
**************************
ISEA NEWS
**************************
ISEA2000 CALL FOR PAPERS AND PARTICIPATION
ISEA2000, 10th International Symposium on Electronic Art
Paris, France
December 7-10 2000
CALL FOR PAPERS AND PARTICIPATION
Deadline: April 15, 2000
ISEA2000 is organized by ART3000 in collaboration with ISEA - The Inter-Society
for the Electronic Arts, with the support and the collaboration of the Ministry
of Culture and Communication (DDAT, DAP, DAI,CNC, DMDTS), and in partnership
with the Forum des images, CICV Pierre Schaeffer Center, Canadian Cultural
Center, ACROE and the General Quebec Delegation.
ISEA2000
http://www.art3000.com
http://www.isea.qc.ca
Email : isea2000@art3000.com
COMPONENTS :
PAPERS : See heading Information on submissions, The International
Symposium, 1
PANELS : See heading Information on submissions, The International
Symposium, 2
POSTER SESSIONS : See heading Information on submissions, The International
Symposium, 3
WORKSHOPS : See heading Information on submissions, The International
Symposium, 4
INSTITUTIONAL PRESENTATION : See heading Information on submissions, The
International Symposium, 5
CONCERTS, PERFORMANCES AND "STREET SCENES" (OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES) : See heading
Information on submissions, Associated public events, 6
EXHIBITIONS : See heading Information on submissions, Associated public events, 7
ELECTRONIC THEATER : See heading Information on submissions, Associated public events,8
LOCATION
ISEA2000 will be held from December 7-10, 2000 at the Forum des images in Paris
as well as other participating venues in the capital.
INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIA
ISEA2000 continues the tradition in which each edition is hosted by a different
city. The ISEA Symposium will hold its 10th edition in Paris.
1. Utrecht, Netherlands (FISEA, 1988)
2. Groningen, Netherlands (SISEA, 1990)
3. Sydney, Australia (TISEA, 1992)
4. Minneapolis, USA (FISEA, 1993)
5. Helsinki, Finland (ISEA 94)
6. Montreal, Canada (ISEA 95)
7. Rotterdam, Netherlands (ISEA 96)
8. Chicago, USA (ISEA 97)
9. Liverpool & Manchester, UK (ISEA 98)
10. Paris, France (ISEA 2000) - 10th edition
PRESENTATION
ISEA2000 will be a major international event for members of the artistic
community involved with new media. It consists of:
1- an international symposium composed of papers and panel sessions, poster
sessions, workshops and institutional presentations,
2- a program of exhibitions, concerts, performances, electronic theater, "street
scenes" (outdoor activities),
3- and publications.
This call for participation is open to all propositions related to the above
program of activities.
TARGET GROUPS
ISEA2000, the International Symposium is oriented toward :
- professionals in the arts and new media (creation, production, publishing and
broadcasting electronic arts)
- students, teachers, researchers,
- as well as the general public who are invited to attend concerts,
performances, electronic theater, "street scenes" (outdoor activities), and
exhibitions.
ISEA2000 aims to represent the diversity of those engaged in new media, and
encourages submissions from artists and researchers from cultural groups that
have been traditionally under-represented at global events and previous ISEA
Symposia.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
ISEA is committed to interdisciplinary and cross-cultural
communication/cooperation between the arts and the fields of technology,
science, education and industry.
With "Revelation" as its theme, ISEA2000 will focus on new means of
representation, and will explore the effects of the technological revolution on
art and society : digital images, virtual realities, multimedia, interactive
installations, networks etc.
ISEA 2000 "Revelation" will put into perspective the transformations undergone
by different artistic disciplines : fine arts, theatre, music, film and video,
architecture, design, fashion. It will attempt to understand how new information
and communication technologies produce means of expression unique to digital
civilizations.
THEMES
In April 2000, an international programming committee comprised of professionals
working in art, culture and research will select the projects chosen to be part
of ISEA2000. These works will concern the following themes :
Digital Art
Dedicated to art history and theory, various schools of thought and their
relation to new technologies, this part of the symposium will consider artistic
movements which have preceded and accompanied the emergence of information and
communication technologies. The goal will be to gain a better understanding of
how contemporary approaches to digital art have developed. We will also examine
the ways in which these approaches are unique.
Interactivity And Generactivity : Transmitters Of New Forms
Using interactivity, global networks and computer equipment available worldwide,
authors and creators of digital works are inventing new means of expression
which dramatically alter the artist's relation to art and the public. The form
and the manner in which a work develops are no longer solely determined by its
creator. With interactive and generative processes, a work's form and
development may be influenced by the reactions of the
viewer, or those of its environment, and/or by a programmed autonomy.
Real time and outside interventions are thus two elements of the creative
process. How do these factors modify representation, speech, narrative and
expression?
New Arenas Of Revelation
In comparison to certain powerful cultural industries, digital creation presents
itself as being a laboratory of free expression which entirely modifies our
relation to time, space, information, communication and art. Virtual realities
and communication networks are increasingly becoming indispensable elements of
our daily environment. Can this new arena of representation be considered a new
space for revelation, and if so, for the emergence of which emotions and meanings?
The Internet foreshadows the interconnection of a multitude of virtual spaces
for exchange and expression populated by nomadic communities. International,
interdisciplinary and multicultural, digital space abolishes borders and is part
of a massive social and cultural transformation. It is defining new codes of
representation which are unique to cyberspace and which call for analysis and
questioning.
The transformation of creative tools resulting from the convergence of digital
techniques allows for means of expression previously unheard of, as well as new
relationships between different artistic disciplines : video and film, fine
arts, theatre, sound, writing, design, fashion, architecture.
New artistic forms emerge from these encounters. What are their consequences?
How will they affect the creative process?
All proposals must be related to these mentioned themes.
INFORMATIONS ON SUBMISSIONS
THE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
1-PAPERS
Papers can be short (20 minutes) or long (45 minutes). The papers will be
published in the ISEA2000 Proceedings after the event. All papers must be
written in English and / or French. They must be original and previously
unpublished.
An abstract of 500 words maximum is required for the first deadline, April 15,
2000 . After a preselection, the authors will be requested to send their full
dossier, including illustrations, videos, or other materials.
2- PANELS
Panel proposals should contain the theme of the panel and a description of the
proposed panel members.
3- POSTER SESSIONS
Poster sessions are informal presentations (about 30 minutes) of research or art
practice, with the aid of audiovisual equipment. Proposals should include a
short description of the work, with supporting visual or audio materials
(pictures, videotape, cdrom, website, etc.).
4- WORKSHOPS
Workshops are thematic discussions open to the public. Workshop proposals should
aim at both teachers and students in the field of the electronic arts (including
music) and at Symposium participants. Proposals can cover any field of
electronic art. Workshop proposals that aim at integrating electronic art in
more traditional art forms are especially welcome. Workshops typically include
hands-on sessions. Proposals can be for a half day session or a full day
session. Workshop proposals must be sent in a short and precise text
presentation form. Since available equipment at this stage is limited, it is
important to indicate the equipment requirements as completely as possible in
the proposal.
5-INSTITUTIONAL PRESENTATIONS
Institutional presentations are open to institutes, organizations, festivals
etc. in the field of the electronic arts. In principle, all relevant proposals
should be accepted, but it must be noted that presenters in this category do not
receive free admission to the Symposium.
ASSOCIATED PUBLIC EVENTS
6-CONCERTS, PERFORMANCES AND STREET SCENES
Concerts and performances will be programmed as part of the event. Individuals
and institutes are invited to submit the best and most recent examples of their
work in these fields. The street represents an ideal space for presenting new
media creations to the general public. Artists invest the public space with a
critical view of urban communication, architecture and social debate. Proposals
which relate to the above mentioned topics and adapted to an outdoor exhibition
are especially encouraged.
7-ISEA2000 REVELATION EXHIBITIONS
All forms of new media creations (interactive installations, Websites,
videotapes, virtual reality works, multimedia, networks, computer aided
sculpture, digital imagery, etc.) keeping with the proposed themes are welcome
for ISEA2000's exhibitions. Proposals should clearly describe the contents of
the materials submitted, the installation requirements (including hard and
software, audiovisual equipment, necessary assistance, etc.) and include audio
and/or visual material (pictures, tapes, etc.) to give an overview of the work.
8-ELECTRONIC THEATER
A film and video show will be held during ISEA2000. Individuals and institutes
are invited to submit the best and most recent examples of their work in the
fields of computer animation, image processing and video art. A broad selection
will be shown at the exhibition site.
GENERAL SUBMISSION INFORMATIONS
It is important to include with each proposal :
- a complete list of required equipment,
- a description of how the projects will be financed and produced.
In order to facilitate the selection submissions, ART 3000 will set up a
database of the proposals. For this reason it is strongly recommended that
submissions include an html/Web presentation of each proposal ( one page
maximum) which will be availabe for consultation on the ART3000 Website
(www.art3000.com).
Submitters who believe that a broader understanding of the context of their work
is important for review may include additional supporting materials, such as a
statement describing their access to technology or documentation of other work
which is not intended for current consideration. Please clearly identify
supplemental materials.
All submitters whose work is selected will receive a letter of acknowledgment
including a request to use materials for ISEA2000 publicity and for their
eventual placement in the event archives.
SUBMISSION PROCEDURE
Deadline for all submissions : April 15, 2000
To respond to the call for participation, send a proposal accompanied by the
application form and all requested documents (see instructions) to :
Atelier d'ART3000 - ENSCI
ISEA2000
48, rue Saint Sabin
75 011 Paris - France
http://www.art3000.com
E-Mail : isea2000@art3000.com
REPLY FORM
Note : All proposals, papers or other entries should be accompanied by a cover
page stating full name, address and position of the author(s), the title and a
short abstract ot the contents.
NAME
INSTITUTE / ORGANIZATION
POSITION
PROFESSIONAL ADDRESS
CITY / STATE / POSTAL CODE / COUNTRY
PHONE / FAX
E-MAIL ADDRESS / HTTP ADDRESS
PERSONAL ADDRESS
CITY / STATE / POSTAL CODE / COUNTRY
PHONE / FAX
E-MAIL ADDRESS / HTTP ADDRESS
* I intend to submit a project entitled __________, and the abstract is enclosed
(see instructions)
* I have a proposal for :
- Paper
- panel
- Poster session
- Workshop
- Institutional presentation
- Concert
- Performance
- Street scene (outdoor activity)
- Exhibition
- Electronic theater
* I would like to contribute to the organization of ISEA2000
* I am interested in supporting ISEA2000 (public, institutional partnership or
sponsoring)
* I am interested in an advertisement or a booth
* Please keep me informed
THE COMMITTEES
The organization of the event is being undertaken with different committees.
They are responsible for the selection of the projects being presented during
the symposium, the exhibitions and other related events.
ISEA2000 STEERING COMMITTEE - FRANCE
The steering committee defines the major orientations of the event and
supervises the programming, the logistical organization and the choice of
partners.
Nils Aziosmanoff, Chairman, ART3000
Maurice Benayoun, Artist
Jean-Pierre Balpe, Writer, Director, Hypermedia Departement, Paris 8 University
Jean-Baptiste Barrière, Composer
Florent Aziosmanoff, Multimedia author, editorial manager - ART3000
Alain Mongeau, President, ISEA
Roger Malina, Leornado and co-chair, ISEA International Advisory Committee
Atau Tanaka, Artist / composer
Pierre Bongiovanni, Director, CICV Pierre Schaeffer Center
Michel Reilhac, Director, Forum des images
Simone Suchet, Head of Cultural Industries, Canadian Cultural Center
Claude Cadoz, Director, ACROE
Martine Bour, Hypermedia Departement, Paris 8 University.
THE INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
The International Programming Committee (IPC) has the mission to examine and
select the works emanating from the Call for Papers and Participation.
Yoshiyuki Abe (Japan)
Moncho Algora (Spain)
Jacopo Baboni-Schilingi (Italy)
Barbara Becker (U.K.)
Hervé Bailly-Basin (France)
Giselle Beiguelman (Brazil)
Richard Castelli (France)
Philippe Codognet (France)
Sara Diamond (Canada)
Diana Domingues (Brazil))
Odile Fillion (France)
Marina Grzinic (Slovenia)
Ryszard W. Kluszczynski (Poland)
Machiko Kusahara (Japan)
George Lewis (United States)
Julie Méalin (Canada)
Melentie Pandilovski (Macedonia)
Niranjan Rajah (Malaysia)
Peter Ride (U.K.)
Josephine Starrs (Australia)
Mike Stubbs (U.K.)
ISEA2000 is organized by :
ART3000
Art and New Technologies
ART3000 has undertaken its activities for eleven years in the field of creation
and new media, and constitutes an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural space of
exchanges and reflexion on digital culture. The action of ART3000 is organized
around : the presentation, exhibition and the promotion of new forms of
expression (organization of more than one hundred events), the edition and the
production of studies, and the support for creation (digital workshop).
http://www.art3000.com
ART3000
Atelier d'ART3000 - ENSCI
48, rue Saint Sabin
75001 Paris - France
Tél. : 33 (0)1 48 06 28 10
Fax : 33 (0)1 48 06 28 83
Mail: contact@art3000.com
In collaboration with :
ISEA - The Inter-Society for the Electronic Arts
The Inter-Society for the Electronic Arts was founded in 1990 and has been based
in Montreal (Québec/Canada) since 1996. ISEA is an international non-profit
organization dedicated to the promotion and development of the technological
arts. ISEA is committed to interdisciplinary and cross-cultural
communication/cooperation between the arts and the fields of technology,
science, education, and industry.
http://www.isea.qc.ca
Information or Membership
ISEA
Complexe Ex-Centris
3530 Boulevard Saint Laurent, suite 305
Montréal (Québec) Canada H2X 2VI
Mail: isea@isea.qc.ca
With the support and the collaboration of :
Ministry of Culture and Communication
The Ministry of Culture and Communication follows an active policy of support
for creation and promotion in the field of technological arts Five head offices
support the international event ISEA2000 : the "Délégation au Développement et à
l'Action Territoriale" (DDAT), the "Délégation aux Arts Plastiques " (DAP), the
" Département des Affaires Internationales " (DAI) et the " Centre National de
la Cinématographie " (CNC), the " Direction de la Musique, de la Danse, du
Théâtre et des Spectacles " (DMDTS).
http://www.culture.fr
Tel : 33 (0)1 40 15 80 00
And in partnership with :
Forum des images
The Forum des images, located in the Halles district in the center of Paris, is
a place of exchanges and meetings around the Image : cinematographic,
televisual, digital... Its activities are multiple : it has an audio-visual
collection of 6300 films, organizes events and festivals and proposes a
sensitizing of the multimedia and a practice with it.
http://www.forumdesimages.net
Forum des images
Forum des Halles - Porte Saint-Eustache
75 001 Paris - France
Tel : 33 (0)1 44 76 63 14
Fax : 33 (0)1 40 26 40 96
Mail : AHesbert@vdp.fr
CICV Pierre Schaeffer Center
The CICV Pierre Schaeffer Center is an art and creation center with an
international vocation. Questions of image, sound, medias and networks are at
the heart of its activity. Artistic and cultural creation and experimentation
are the founding roles of this structure (residences of creation,
experimentation...). The technical facilities of the CICV Pierre Schaeffer
Center make it possible to intervene in network, sound and image processing.
http://www.cicv.fr
CICV Pierre Schaeffer
BP 5, 25310 Hérimoncourt - France
Tel : 33 (0)3 81 30 90 30
Fax : 33 (0)3 81 30 95 25
Mail: ole@cicv.fr
Canadian Cultural Centre
The Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris is a place of discovery and innovation,
the mandate of which is to allow Canadian artistic creation in all disciplines
and in all its dimensions to develop, to be expressed and to be promoted in
France.It represents a relay for Canadian artists and creators, and ensures the
support and promotion of their work and their projects.
http://www.canada-culture.org
Centre culturel canadien
5, rue de Constantine
75 007 Paris - France
Tel : 33 (0)1 44 43 21 90
Fax : 33 (0)1 44 43 21 99
Mel : simone.suchet@dfait-maeci.gc.ca
ACROE
The ACROE-ICA is a group made up of a university research laboratory at the
Institut National Polytechnique and Joseph Fourier University of Grenoble, and a
center for research, creation, promotion of data processing applied to artistic
creation at the Ministry of Culture and Communication. Today, the ACROE-ICA
develops several research orientations on the interfaces for musical creation,
as well as activities of creation (hosting artists in residence), diffusion
(organization of artistic, scientific and cultural events), tutorial activities,
and promotion.
http://www-acroe.imag.fr
ACROE
Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble
46, avenue Felix Viallet
38 031 Grenoble Cedex - France
Tel : 33 (0)4 76 57 46 69
Fax : 33 (0)4 76 57 48 89
Mail: Claude.Cadoz@imag.fr ; Annie.Luciani@imag.fr
GENERAL DELEGATION OF QUEBEC
The Cultural Services of the General Delegation of Quebec work to promote and
support artists from Quebec in France. Actions are undertaken in partnership
with French organizations working to make known the specificity of the culture
of Quebec, and this under the direction of Mr. Andre Dorval, Cultural Adviser.
http//www.delegationquebec.fr
Delegation generale du Quebec
66, rue Pergolese
75116 Paris - France
Tel : 33 (0)1.40.67.85.70
Fax : 33 (0)1.40.67.85.79
Mail: andre.dorval@mri.gouv.qc.ca
*****
LEONARDO UNDER ATTACK
ISEA collaborator and sister organization, Leonardo (ISAST- International
Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology), has recently come under legal
attack by Transasia, the independent French cousin to the US-based investment
firm Leonardo Finance, for use of the word "Leonardo" in any shape or form on
the web. These aggressive and outrageous tactics are only one instance in a
spate of examples in which corporate bullies attempt to squeeze out pre-existing
artist/non-profit organizations on the web. The now-infamous Etoy/eToys case is
perhaps the most notorious example. RTMark, the corporate subversives who
launched a successful counter-campaign (the giant Internet toy retailer eToys
has withdrawn its lawsuit against Swiss art collective Etoy) is now posting
information on similar attacks, such as the one against Leonardo (ISAST).
Information can be found on RTMark, with links to a December article in Wired as
well as links to Leonardo (ISAST) and Leonardo Fianance:
http://rtmark.com/leonardo.html
Below we reprint Leonardo (ISAST)'s most recent press release concerning the
lawsuit. Updates can be found at the organization's website:
http://mitpress.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/
PRESS RELEASE FEBRUARY 2000
LEONARDO
French Association Founded in 1967 and On the Web Since 1994 Under Legal Attack
for Using the Name " Leonardo "
Court Suit Threatens the Existence of a Non-Profit Organization Dedicated to
Bringing Together Art and the New Technologies For the Past 30 Years
THE FACTS
On November 3, 1999 a bailiff and eight policemen carried out a search directed
against the Leonardo Association, raiding a private residence. This highly
unusual procedure was followed by the filing of a lawsuit against Leonardo by
the Transasia Corporation and two co-complainants.
Transasia has just recently registered the names Leonardo, Leonardo Finance,
Leonardo Partners, Leonardo Invest and Leonardo Experts in France. It is suing
Leonardo for a million dollars in damages and interest on the grounds of
trademark infringement.
Their basic argument is that a search engine request using the keyword
"Leonardo" brings up not only the Transasia's sites but also the Web sites
affiliated with the Leonardo arts organization.
As part of this suit, Transasia has asked that Leonardo be forbidden to use the
word "Leonardo," not only on its Web sites, but in any of its products and
services, including its publications. This strikes at Leonardo's right to exist.
LEONARDO: for 30 years the world's premier champion of a closer relationship
between the arts and the sciences, providing information, promoting exchanges
and stimulating thinking on both sides.
The Leonardo Association is a French non-profit organization. Together with the
International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology (ISAST), it works to
forge an international community of artists, scientists and students.
John Cage, Franck Popper, R. Buckminster Fuller have participated in Leonardo,
an artistic and academic network founded in Paris during the 1960s by Frank
Malina, a space science pioneer and kinetic artist. For 30 years now Leonardo
has been dedicated to promoting artists who use science and the new technologies
in their work. Its activity, long centered on print media, now also includes a
Web site and online publishing.
The broad juridical implications of the Transasia suit are of a matter of
serious concern for all those involved in the Net. The Leonardo Association,
conscious of what is at stake in this case, is preparing a legal defense based
on three main arguments:
Net Democracy: Forbidding someone to use a particular keyword means facilitating
access to some sites and obstructing access to others. This is inequitable and
contrary to the spirit of democracy that characterizes the Net.
The principle of antecedence ("first come, first served"): Leonardo magazine has
been published and circulated internationally for three decades. It has been
available online as an MIT electronic publication since 1994
(mitpress.mit.edu/Leonardo).
Thus suit betrays a bias in its choice of target: Search engines looking for the
keyword "Leonardo" come up with many Web pages, some of them dedicated to
Leonardo da Vinci and others to Leonardo DiCaprio!
A Leonardo Legal Defense Fund has been established: donations may be sent to
Leonardo, c/o ISAST, 425 Market St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA.
Leonardo/ISAST is a U.S. nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. Donations are tax-
deductible in the U.S.
**************************
NEWS FROM MEMBERS
**************************
* PATRICK LICHTY is curating the exhibition "Through the Looking Glass" Digital
Creativity at the Turn of the Millennium, which will take place at Beachwood
Center for the Arts, Beachwood, Ohio April 15-30, 2000. Through the Looking
Glass is an exhibition that will survey digital art forms (video, net, print,
installation, etc.) to examine critical issues in digital art, and to explore
the ways in which these aesthetic practices engage with the audience.
Info: voyd@raex.com
* ERNESTINE DAUBNER organized a one-day conference Entitled "Art and New
Technologies: The Real, the Virtual, the Auratic", held at the Montreal Museum
of Fine Arts, February 11, 2000. The conference presenters included: Bill Vorn,
David Tomas, as well as ISEA members ANDRA McCARTNEY ("Placing and Webbing with
Sound") and MARGOT LOVEJOY ("Interactive Art: Negotiating Aura and Meaning").
Stay tuned for the next newsletter (INL#77) for more on this conference.
Info: daubner@vax2.concordia.ca
* AGRICOLA DE COLOGNE's new media art project, le Musée di-visioniste,
represents a network of the following Websites, which represent each one for
itself a framework of projects and subprojects:
www.le-musee-divisioniste.de
www.a-virtual-memorial.de
www.lmd-collections.de
www.lmd-mediacentre.de
www.javamuseum.de
www.agricola-de-cologne.de
Each Site represents also a platform for developing projects in virtual and real
enviroments, for example by using JavaMuseum as a server for artistic online action.
* ATAU TANAKA took part in the 2nd edition of the Festival de l'eau, which took
place along the Mouhoun river in Burkina Faso from January 12 to February 2,
2000. Descending down the river in a boat, the festival featured collaborations
and improvisations at various villages along the way between Burkenese artists
and an international, interdisciplinary group of artists. This edition of the
festival focused on new technologies. ( http://www.olats.org/zekri/ ). ATAU
TANAKA has also recently released a new CD entitled Biorythms.
Please send us information on YOUR achievements and projects!
**************************
WELCOME TO NEW AND
RENEWING MEMBERS
**************************
Welcome and thank you to the following new and renewing members:
Marie-Luise Angerer, Anna J. Bonshek, Marie-Lise Campeau, Analivia Cordeiro,
Ernestine Daubner, Everett Frost, Sue Gollifer, William Law, Ilga Leimanis, Dawn
Morgan, Paula Perissinotto, Réjean Plamondon, Andrea Polli, Sonya Rapoport,
Ellen Sandor, Richard Ste-Marie, Bas Vroege, Marilyn Waligore, Eugene Zero
**************************
FEATURE ARTICLES
**************************
VIDEO AND SURVIVAL: A BALKAN UPDATE
By Nina Czegledy
Videomejea'99 "Video is a form of survival", the Fourth International Video
Summit was held between December 3-5, 1999 in the Cultural Center of Novi Sad,
Yugoslavia. This simple statement hides a complex situation and a heroic
organizational effort.
On December 2nd, I traveled to Novi Sad by train from Budapest. Apart from a
light sheet of snow covering the country side, everything looked deceptively the
same as before. On arrival, the unfailing hospitality by local hosts and friends
was also very reassuring. Next morning however, my first walk took me to the
Danube, where I was confronted by a surreal picture, -a picture symbolizing the
local situation. Huge steel and concrete chunks of the collapsed bridges pointed
to the sky from the murky waters of the Danube below. Up on the riverside, the
surrounding buildings stood intact. A few people -young and old- stood by the
shore and simply stared, while others briskly passed by. The bridges were
destroyed over a half year ago. This act, more than any other damage, visibly
touched something very deep and lasting in the heart of the city's inhabitants.
In the course of the next few days, several of the locally produced videos
presented at Videomedeja focused on the broken bridges as metaphors for the
recent war and destruction. But just as the buildings stood untouched, (on the
surface) city-bustling Novi Sad remained unchanged. Shortages, unemployment,
limited prospectives are mostly invisible - furthermore there are twice as many
boutiques as last summer, full with merchandise. Somehow people manage to
purchase gas for their cars and food for their table. Or so it seems.
Lately the very notion of video art as well as the validity of festivals has
been a hotly debated topic. Videomedeja belies some of these "invalidity"
assumptions. The first Videomedeja in 1996 presented works from 27 women from 9
East European countries. In 1999 -despite the extremely difficult conditions- 70
artists were represented from 17 countries. From the very beginning the festival
has been promoting the work of women, however for the first time this year "men
of Videomedeja" were also included. This and some other initiatives may be due
to Balint Szombathy the current festival director. "This year," Balint told me,
"we introduced a retrospective program from earlier programs including last
year's Golden Sphinx Award winner. The first competition program for young
artists was also initiated this year. Traditionally we hold workshops -and we
have one running right now at the Academy". Balint, justifiably, feels a sense
of victory by accomplishing the organization of a festival only a few months
after the bombing. "It looked pretty hopeless, nothing worked," he said, "yet
now, like a miracle, we have larger audiences than ever before. It really shows
how hungry young people are for activities. The scale of events shrunk
drastically in this city. At this point there is simply no way for large
projects. Currently the Modern Museum has no on-going exhibits -only a
functional office space and in the end, the whole space might be converted into
boutiques."
Survival -an aptly chosen title- was the festival theme of Videomedeja4. "The
title of the festival came to us quite naturally" Sylvia Chamber, one of the
enthusiastic, long time Videomedeja associates, told me, "we all had to develop
survival tactics during the bombing". Recently Videomedeja has established a
foundation and in the New Year the new Foundation plans to organize various
events, workshops and presentations throughout the year.
Sylvia has been working from the very beginning with Videomedeja. I have asked
her how the recent situation is reflected in terms of the festival. She
confirmed Balint's words: Due to funding cuts many events such as "Brahms," an
established annual festival, was canceled last summer and so were others.
Consequently each event gained a new significance. "After the bombing, festivals
became much more important," observed Sylvia, "This year we received many more
submissions than before, especially from young female Yugoslav artists. When
some people who sent us work, were told that they have not been selected, their
response was: it doesn't matter - we still will come." And they all came. The
theater was filled up for each and every screening. My presentation of new
Canadian videos was for example on late Sunday evening, outside rain was pouring
and I was convinced nobody would turn up. I was wrong. In addition to the
theater, all the other spaces such as the "galerija" where the installations
were shown or the NS Time Club were some other events took place, proved to be
too small to accommodate the audience.
The three day program included international video screenings, installations,
round table discussions and performances. We saw some curated programs from
other countries, however only a few individual tapes came from abroad. "Somehow
Yugoslavia became too exotic," said Sylvia.
On Friday the 3rd of December, following the screening of the retrospective
selection, and the official festival opening by Nina Czegledy and Branka Parlic,
Videomedeja4 featured the premiere of Milica Mrdja-Kuzmanov's
"Amarissima:Katalin Ladik and the Novi Sad Artistic Scene in the Seventies".
This video, lovingly recapturing the performances of Ladik, received a standing
ovation. Later the same evening we saw an eclectic selection of Finnish Female
Video Artist's works. This was followed by the first Men of Videomedeja program.
At least two tapes of this program focused on the Novi Sad "bridge" issue. "The
name of the game" by D. Zivancevic adopted an especially wry point of view, by
showing a ball game - as it turned out in the end - on one of the fractured
bridges. The "Live Coals" performance by Natasa Teofilovic was also scheduled
for Friday evening. Due to the large crowd and my small size, I was simply
unable to see any of it.
On Saturday afternoon Biljana Tomic moderated "Survival", a well attended round
table session. In her introduction she described the important contributions of
the video pioneers of the sixties and seventies. "Today the video scene is a
different story in this country, however Videomedeja is a pioneer attempt to
give a chance to young people. Video is a form of survival". Then the discussion
focused on various other issues such as access to (high or low)technology, the
question of "East" versus "West", politicized art etc., The conclusion was that
in a difficult situation -political or otherwise- a sense of humour is the only
way out.
The Bulgarian video installations were formally presented on Saturday evening.
These included the highly successful tapes by Borjana Dragoeva (showing her
screaming present self and using her two year old voice) and the intimate work
of "Close to the Body" by Zornitsa-Sofia Popgancheva as well as "Conversation"
the two channel installation by Ivan Moudov and Simeon Nikolov. This voiceless
conversation was conducted via passing back and forth a joint (in skillfully
edited close-ups), while the viewer was sandwiched between the two monitors.
The Romanian program from the University of Arts, Bucarest, curated by Roxana
Trestioreanu and presented by two of her students was among the highlights of
the Videomedeja. Gaspar Csongor's "Can I swim Wearing a Tampon" was one of the
most popular tapes of the festival.
Late that night, a considerable crowd vied to see the "Whites" performance by
Olga Egorova and Natalia Pershina Kakimanskaya from St. Petersburg. The
performers used video projections (of earlier performances), sound and live
action, including the participation of a local (slightly bewildered) homeless
person. He was served a full meal by the elaborately costumed performers, while
a recorded voice recited the tale of the "Whites". The intriguing performance
was a great popular success.
On Sunday noon, we were treated to an official reception in the elegantly
renovated City Hall, which was followed by a further round table discussion and
Stephen Kovats's presentation of the Ostranenie '93 '95 '97 Forums. Through the
CD-ROM presentation, the audience (including regular Novi Sad participants, such
as Balint Szombathy) were able to re-capture the Ostranenie atmosphere and
events. In Biljana Tomic's words: "Ostranenie was one of the few initiatives
which tried to show a broad spectrum of Central and East European media art in a
Western context."
Taste of Landscapes a current video selection by Canadian women was presented by
me, Nina Czegledy on Sunday. In this program I attempted to provide a brief
glimpse of the multi-cultural contribution -ranging from Italian to Inuit
background- to video art by Canadian women
The festival ended with the jury's announcements. The jury consisted of Andrej
Tisma, Sava Stepanov, Darka Radosavljevic. The Bogdanka Poznanovic prize to the
best emerging artist went to Biljani Klaric for "Jovan's life". The Golden
Sphinx for a lifetime opus was awarded to Dragana Zarevac. Vesna Vesic received
the "Videomedeja Medallions" for "Wash me and I shall Be Whiter Than Snow". This
prize was shared by Olga Egorova and Natalia Pershina Kakimanskaya for the
performance "Whites" and the ATA Center for Contemporary Art in Bulgaria for
their program selection.
Videomedeja4 proved to be a testament to the artistic vigor, enthusiasm and
heroic "survival" of the Novi Sad artists as well as the festival organizers.
Nina Czegledy is an independent media artist, curator, and writer and a member
of the ISEA Board. Currently at www.ljudmila.org/co (in progress!!)
**************************
EVENT REPORTS
**************************
Resistant Media: NxT Northern Territory Exposure Multimedia Symposium
30 September - 3 October, 1999
Darwin, Australia
http://www.nxtnt.net
http://www.anat.org.au/resistant-media
Report by Lisa Bode and Shuddhabrata Sengupta
in collaboration with Amanda McDonald Crowley
During 1999, the Australian Network for Art and Technology developed a series of
projects under the heading of resistant media. The final component of the
project, Resistant Media - NxT, took place at the NxT Multimedia Symposium
hosted by QANTM Multimedia Centre and 24 Hour Art - NT Centre for Contemporary
Art in Darwin from 30 September to 3 October, 1999.
The presentations by all the artists were really well received, and the space
was also available to members of the local community, with the East Timorese
community in particular being encouraged to access the facilities available in
the venue for the duration of the event. The presentations and the conference
party were also streamed live to the web and a number of people were able to
participate remotely via CU-SeeMe to ensure that an international audience also
had access to the event. The artists who participated in panel discussions,
workshops, performances and presentations as part of Resistant Media were Ian
Andrews, Shuddha Sengupta, Geert Lovink, Josephine Starrs, FTR, and Sam da Silva.
International guest artist Shuddhabrata Sengupta of Delhi, India and Syndney-
based ANAT member Lisa Bode both provided dispatches from the Darwin event.
Extracts from their impressions below:
Shuddha wrote:
"Working with the new media can sometimes lead us to believe that e-mails, news
groups, IRC, websurfing, webcams and virtual conferences exhaust all the
possibilities of human interaction. After all you don't necessarily have to
budge from your cozy digital perch anymore if you want to know what other people
are thinking, or doing with their machines, no matter where, in which corner of
the world they, and you, maybe located. After all, don't we all know that
"connectivity" is just a matter of logging in through the right portal? My
experience of being a part of the Resistant Panel group at the NxT Symposium
proved how misplaced such assumptions can be.
"Perhaps it was the fact that here we were in the middle of a conference that
felt comfortable under palm trees and looking on to a spectacular ocean sunset.
Perhaps it was the fact that Amanda Mcdonald Crowley and her team at ANAT,
together with Mary Jane Overall from QANTM NT, and Geraldine Tyson from 24HR Art
had gotten together and made welcome this curious assortment of people with a
diversity of backgrounds and concerns - artists, programmers, techies, and
activists, - people whom you wouldn't normally expect to see in the same place,
at the same time, doing things together, or getting to engage with each others
concerns and questions. Perhaps it was this delicate balance that the event
achieved between the demands of cutting edge arts practice, and grassroots
activism, without any agenda overtaking the conference. Or the urgency of what
was going on, not so far away from Darwin in East Timor, which sharply
foregrounded the task of thinking about the social and political implications of
working with new media technologies. But there certainly was something
remarkable in what I witnessed and grew to be a part of in the course of those
four days in Darwin. No amount of cyber chatter could have generated the human
chemistry that for me was the most important aspect of the event.
"And it wasn't only a matter of getting to know people and their work, forming
new friendships, and establishing valuable alliances for the future (although
all that was important too). More crucially, what the resistant media space, and
the other discussions and events at NxT provided for was focused attention on
the reasons why all of us are working in the new media. That it allows for
broader public access to the means of communication and expression, for the
innovative recombination of older and existing media practices and art forms
with new technologies. That it challenges the separations between artist and
spectator, or artist and activist, that have dominated mainstream and
conventional arts practice. That it forces us to think about what happens when
people with different cultures, contexts and histories start creating something
together.
"Whether it was Bong Ramillo talking about the virtues of low tech activism, the
BRACS (Broadcast Remote Aboriginal Community Scheme) Project emphasizing the
immense potential of radio in giving marginalized communities a voice , Geert
Lovink's incisive theoretical insights into the political contexts of new media
practice, Josephine Starrs initiating us into the delights of subversive gaming,
Ian Andrews' and Sam de Silva's reflective interventions on the directions that
a media activist might take, Michael Buckley's delination of the possibilities
of the usage of the new media as a repository of community memory, or the
stimulating debates that occurred on themes of cultural identity and the
philosophical questions that emerge from the human being- digital technology
interface."
Lisa Bode added:
"While most of us involuntarily changed from our metropolis black to hibiscus
prints in keeping with the stunning beauty and relaxed nature of our
surroundings, we were nevertheless constantly aware of the nagging troubled
presence of East Timor like an abscess over the horizon. This crisis, as well as
the more incremental ones facing Australia's Indigenous community, could not
help but haunt many of the artist/activist presentations, panel discussions, and
informal chats.
"Pertinently, Shuddhabrata Sengupta's ebullient talk on 'tactical media in
times of crisis', gave much food for thought. Focusing in part on the use of
the internet during the Indian - Pakistani war in Kashmir, he detailed how
anonymous citizens in both countries created a plain-text website to forge links
across borders and battle-lines. The site also provided an outlet for the
expression of alternative voices to those touting nationalist hysteria in the
mainstream press. From this he turned to the problems of focusing on 'crises of
the everyday', and broad access to communications technologies in countries
like India. We were gently reminded how the information carried by electronic
networks can be channeled through other low-end tech tendrils such as word of
mouth and broadsheets - in this case to connect thousands of exploited factory
workers in New Delhi with others in similar situations.
"The emphasis on older and low-tech media as co-existing adjuncts to the
internet - extending its reach to sections of the local and global communities
without online access - arose in a few discussions both formal and otherwise.
"Reminding us of what can be done with very little money and access to
technology, Ian Andrews' showcased some very entertaining political low-res
scratch-video from early 80s Sydney, created on dodgy rented VHS machines out
of the scraps of game shows, soaps, advertisements etc. As well as historically
situating the work, he stressed the greater political effectiveness of only
hijacking issues and images in current public circulation. This point was well
illustrated by how 15-16 years had glossed those videos presented with a
distracting patina of nostalgia, stemming from their outmoded televisual codes,
music and hairstyles.
"I left Darwin bowled over that such a diverse fired-up range of individuals
could be given the opportunity to link up, compare strategies and enrich each
other (and hopefully the local community), in this particularly politically
charged locale."
*****
Round Table at the 3rd etats generaux de l'ecriture interactive
Organized by Art3000
Forum des images
Paris, France
November 16-17, 1999
http://www.art3000.com
A Non-Exhaustive Brief on Computer-Aided Generative Music
By Pascale Malaterre
As abstract art par excellence, and one which is not subject to the dictates of
linearity, music is building its future by developing its initial proposition.
It is through the development of musical constructions that the computer can
optimise the articulation of sonic tessitura. Besides making routine the
contrapuntal and synaestheic relationship between the rhythm of images and
musical tone, the tools developed by computers in these last few years promise a
future which sings for the composer -provided that she or he does not fall into
the trap of technological fascination.
The presentations concerning the theme of music at the =83tats géneraux presented
multimedia creators the results of research conducted in the domain of
electronic music. Jacopo Baboni Schilingi, a composer who has already employed
generative tools, underscored the ontological difference between creation and
generation: "If an artist is capable of creating something from nothing, ex
nihilo, the computer must, on the contrary, base itself on an existing system in
order to generate something -that is to say, to produce and shape a new state of
work..." Jacopo Baboni Schilingi employs the computer as an ideal orchestra
which draws on all the possible variations and paths of a model which remains
his conception, and for which he assumes paternity. At each level of writing he
then chooses what he will keep after proofreading. For him, therefore,
generative tools make more sense if they are used in real time, live, in order
to take advantage of this principle of permanent discovery.
If the energy of surprise is lost, the results frozen in a medium are less
convincing. The composer Jean-Baptiste Barriere, who was in charge of the panels
on music at the =83tats généraux, added in agreement that since the the
decompartmentalization of the arts, the idea of the computer as an essential
agent of synthesis and the site where interactivity between the 'active'
spectator and different media is regulated, is now a a key subject of research.
Born out by his creative experience, Jean-Baptiste Barriere strongly recommends
designing non-linear tools through which the user dialogues with the artist's
initial proposition and permanently modifies it. Sensors and computer tools,
then, translate the living materials in a synthetic fashion and create a
relationship of counterpoint between the different media, permitting the
creation of a real interdisciplinary practice, such as that as envinsioned by
opera.
For that matter, is multimedia not simply the opera model liberated from the
subjugation of different disciplines to a musical range centered on the vocal
kingdom, which exludes all interactivity? Imagine the computer as a vectoral
site for the encounter and confrontation between the arts and the human....
By presenting his CD-ROM work on negritude and its Francophone poet Leopold
Sedar Senghor, Roland Cahen showed an excellent example of interactivity between
music and poetry. And his notion of 'Silence in Art' said a lot about his
conscience and the 'have-nots' of technology.
I would like to finally slip away with the ethnomusicologist Frederic Voisin,
who over the course of his research on so-called 'exotic' musical forms, is
seeking to put the computer tool in the service of the Other, an important facet
of interactivity which Art3000 also attempted to emphasize.
Pascale Malaterre writes plays and performances counterpointed by technological
media. She lives and works in Montreal and Paris.
**************************
JOBS AND CALLS
**************************
To be sent under separate cover.
ISEA NEWSLETTER=============================================
Editor: Katarina Soukup /Translation: Katherine Liberovskaya, Natalie Melancon,
Katarina Soukup Contributors: Lisa Bode, Nina Czegledy, Pascale Malaterre,
Amanda McDonald Crowley, Shuddhabrata Sengupta
______________________________________________________
ISEA, 3530 boul. Saint-Laurent, suite 305, Montreal (Qc), H2X 2V1, CANADA
Tel: (514) 847-8912, Fax: (514) 847-8834 email: isea@isea.qc.ca
URL: http://www.isea.qc.ca
__________________________________________________________
ISEA Board Members: Nina Czegledy, Kathy Rae Huffman, Amanda McDonald Crowley,
Alain Mongeau, Cynthia Beth Rubin, Thecla Schiphorst, Atau Tanaka, Wim van der
Plas
______________________________________________________________
ISEA LISTSERV:
To subscribe, send a message to:
listproc@uqam.ca, no subject, with the message in the body: "subscribe ISEA-
forum first name last name"
=============================================
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.
Support: La Fondation Daniel Langlois, Ministere de la culture et des
communications du Quebec.
=============================================end of newsletter