July 7 - 19, 2003

Originally published on 06/30/03
herenorthere.org. Here nor There, "a collective of artists and musicians from Bristol and its twin cities of Tbilisi and Hanover involved in collaborative & interdisciplinary projects," is launching a project (and we literally mean launching) entitled "where r u?" with some collaborators "at sunset from the banks of the River Avon on July 13th 2003" (that's in England folks!).

Here nor There would like to ask people, no matter where they are, to contribute to the work by responding to the following question "where r u ? where would u like 2 b?" before Friday July 11th 2003 in one of four ways: pick up a postcard from the Arnolfini Box Office in Bristol, England, fill it in and hand it back or post it to: Box 92, Green Leaf Bookshop, Bristol. BS1 5BB; fill in the form on the Here Nor There website www.herenorthere.org/; respond to the question via email info@herenorthere.org; or respond to the question by text message (0797 172 1204).

For further information on participation or attendance, please see the Here nor There website (www.herenorthere.org/) or contact the Arnolfini box office in Bristol.
:: Garrett Lynch ::
Originally published 06/30/03
http://www.bram.org Annie Abrahams has developed a number of remarkable online projects dealing with the reshaping of human relationships due to people's dependency on computer technology -- more specifically in relation to online interactivity. A piece that I have looked through and actually added a few lines of text at one point in the past is I am not an artwork, a meandering narrative challenging the viewer to make sense of the role of the artist through a rhetorical play on personalized negative definitions of the work of art.

Also, reassurance, one of the basics needs of all human beings (I think it is safe to say) is explored and questioned as a communicative structure in Reassuring; here, the user can choose a language in which to find emotional support. The result is a benevolent gesture, reading as a generic abstraction of kindness, that need not be specific to a situation.

Following this line of work, Abrahams now brings us ne me touchez pas / don't touch me. Here, a woman tells a story about her experience with her mother. It is best that the viewers experience the piece on their own, so I will not describe what happens with the interactivity; but I will suggest to click as much as possible, when it feels appropriate. Abrahams aims, once again (as with her other projects), to question issues of intimacy and communication. The viewer will react differently to the web project depending on his/her gender.

Ne me touchez pas / don't touch me is a minimal yet psychologically loaded piece which I suggest viewing in both English and French, since the nuances of each language makes the project a unique experience -- even if one is not fluent in a foreign language. Click, click, and then click some more. But be warned; you might feel like an intruder, depending on your personal projections.
:: Eduardo Navas ::
Originally published 06/29/03
The Melbourne, Australia based www.nextwave.org.au/ Next Wave Festival is making a call for entries for its event held next year from 18th - 30th May 2004. The festival's theme is "Unpopular Culture" and the deadlines are Friday 1st August 2003(Round 1), and Friday 31st October 2003 (Round 2). Proposals from the fields ofÊ music, visual art, theatre, dance, performance, text, and new media will all be considered.

Please see the website for dossier. requirements and further information.
:: Garrett Lynch ::

Originally published 06/26/03
Here is an intensive exhibit which recently closed offline, but is still available online. Press release:

"www.variablemedia.org/ Variablemedia is pleased to announce VM.01 at the www.hoxtondistillery.org.uk/ Hoxton Distillery Gallery London from the 19th until the 22nd of June. Marking a year of online artistsÕ residencies at www.variablemedia.org, VM.01 will both present and elaborate on all of the first six years of online projects. The www.variablemedia.org site has hosted artists based in England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. "

A particular piece to note is Paul Blichard's Staying into Play, which was previously reviewed: one of the most interesting 3-D interfaces combining online user participation with gaming strategies.
:: Eduardo Navas ::