October 12 - 18 , 2003

Originally published on 10/04/03 An online space / collaboration I was about to review has coincidently just made a call for works, so here are both the review and announcement for that call. The SimGallery Project is making a very unusual call for contributions and proposals of artwork and performances to be housed / performed in its gallery space "in The Sims Online (a multiplayer online game) in conjunction with the Counter Gaming show at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts" in San Francisco, California, America in January of 2004. Okay, so let's just emphasize that point again. Artworks and performances are to be housed / performed in the Sims Gallery, a gallery space constructed in collaboration by Katherine Isbister and Rainey Straus, in the Sims Online! This is not an exhibition using a game as part of an artwork or a performance in real space but very much the inverse. Artworks and performances must be completely virtual, conform to the restraints of the commercially designed game and the constructed gallery space. The 'exhibition / event' raises questions such as "what kinds of art and performances are relevant, or even possible in virtual space?" How do you enact a performance without your body, something usually taken for granted? The Sims game (can we call it a game?), or world, has been popular ever since it was first released early in 2000 and has become the best-selling gaming franchise of all time. Surpassing the ideals that had been set out in the 90's about virtual bodies in virtual worlds--mostly through VRML-based worlds or the highly photographed and documented yet generally inaccessible glove and headset VR--the Sims game has given the general public access to highly visual and identifiable avatars through which to explore virtual identity and space. Fittingly set up by two women, it could be said that (almost carrying on the ground-breaking work of Donna Haraway) the 'exhibition / event' has already achieved a very tangible intimate touch through its website, something lacking in most male-dominated gaming environments and the highly codified space of the network. Hopefully, the 'curated' exhibition will be as successful. Deadline for entries and proposals is October 31, 2003. For further information please see the website. :: Garrett Lynch :: Originally published on 09/29/03 Ciber@RT Bilbao 2004 International Festival of New Technologies, Art and Communication is making a call for Papers / Entries under the theme of Challenges for a Ubiquitous Identity to take place from 23-30 April 2004 in Bilbao, Spain. "If you are interested in presenting works to the various sections of the festival (Net-Art, Off-Line Multimedia Projects, International Conference, Computer-generated Animation, "Minimization" and Interactive Installations) you can find the Call for participation [Rules] on our web page." The Deadline is 30th of November 2003, for further info please see the website. :: Garrett Lynch :: Originally published on 09/29/03 Lately, British net artist and musician Michael Szpakowski of http://somedancersandmusicians.com has been experimenting with net cinema. One of his latest efforts, time machine, is a perfect moment of cinematic transformation. :: Lewis LaCook ::