:: Saturday, October 04, 2003 ::

An online space / colaboration I was about to review has coincidently just made a call for works, so here is both 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 next January, 2004.

Ok so lets just emphasise that point again. Artworks and performances are to be housed / performed in the Sim Gallery, a gallery space constructed in colaboration by Katherine Isbister and Rainey Straus, in the Sims Online!

This is not an exhibition using a game as part of a 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 inaccessable glove and headset VR, The Sims has given the general public access to highly visual and identifable avatars through which to explore virtual identity and space.

Fittingly set up by two women, it could be said 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 environment and the highly codified space of the network. Hopefully the 'curated' exhibition will be as successfull.

Deadline for entries and proposals is October 31, 2003. For further information please see the website.

:: Garrett Lynch [+] ::
...

The e-culture fair is to take place in the Leidseplein area, Amsterdam on the 23rd and 24th of October 2003 and you are cordially invited to "cuddle a computer, sit on a busy bench, wear a smelly dress, date a net-flirt.... experience the future generation of creative new media".

The fair or festival will endevour to bring together individuals and projects over two days that cross boundaries between culture, industry, education and science. Showcasing thirty five projects as varied as installation work to education demos, presentations by researchers in new media on topics such as wearable technologies and online publishing tools there will be plenty to interest all. For more information and an exact timetable of all events please see the website.

:: Garrett Lynch [+] ::
...

The crossover of new media to pop culture will be explored in Media Space 03. Official announcement:
------------------

MEDIA-SPACE 03: MEDIA IN SPACE/SPACE IN MEDIA

International experts and artists will deal with the topics architecture, robotics, and pop culture. Guests and lectureres are e.g. Ian Anderson from Designers Republic (Sheffield), the architecture theorist Andrew
Benjamin from Sydney, the Berlin based musician Angie Reed and Patrik Schuhmacher from Zaha Hadid Architects (London).

More than 30 speakers will attend media-space 03. The programme will be completed by film screenings and concerts.

All necessary information on programme, registration, and fees are available on the media-space website: www.media-space.org

media-space 03
media in space/space in media

October, 10-12, 2003 at the Filmhaus in Stuttgart/Germany


--

Benjamin Fischer
------------------
:: Eduardo Navas [+] ::
...

Year 01 releases a new media project:
-------------------
teletaxi
:: a mobile interactive media art exhibition in a taxicab ::


October 10th ­ 31st, 03
Presented by Year Zero One
at various locations across Toronto


Year Zero One is pleased to present teletaxi, a site-specific media art exhibition in a taxicab. The taxi is outfitted with an interactive touch screen/computer that displays video, animations, music, and information
triggered by an onboard GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver which allows the displayed artwork to change depending on where the taxi is in the city. With the combination of the media/gps technology, the mobile environment and the passenger/audience inside the cab ­ the seven artists in teletaxi are offered a unique set of possibilities for exhibiting their work - both technically and thematically.

Teletaxi will expose interactive media art to a normally passive audience, by presenting works that explore notions of mapping, subterranean space, generative art games, simulated cities, enclosed intimacy, information architecture, data-visualisation, public interventions, surveillance and psychogeography.

Participating Artists:

Michael Alstad - Toronto
Isabelle Hayeur - Montreal
David Jhave Johnston - Montreal
Michelle Kasprzak - Montreal
Jim Ruxton - Toronto
Camille Turner - Toronto
Gernot Wieland ­ Berlin
-------------------

:: Eduardo Navas [+] ::
...

Short interview with Elout de Kok.

Elout de Kok lives and works in Amsterdam the Netherlands. His work can be best described as 1920's constructivism meets digital architecture. The interesting twist Elout gives to this is that he adds interactivity to it. Recently though there seems to be a shift towards more personal related work like pictures that are built by algoritms of friends and himself.

Peter Luining: When did you start to create work for the internet, and was there a specific reason for that?
Elout de Kok: Around 1993 I started uploading my interactive amiga animations onto bulletin boards and dumping my ascii-art on irc. These days it feels good that I can express myself with graphics and code, and having a world-wide audience.

PL: A lot of your work looks inspired by 20's constructivism is this really the case or do you have different or other inspiration sources?
EK: I just started with these 'raw/simple' building materials; cubes and pixels, [also] inspired by Bauhaus/De Stijl/Constuctivism.

PL: You use different formats, like flash, java and c++ to make your work. Why?
EK: They all have their special pros and cons, and it`s [a] good thing to learn different languages.

PL: These pros and cons of different language I can understand, but isn't it so that if you learn one language you can get much deeper into it?
EK: I slowly dig deeper into different languages now. And reality/fear in the back of my head, that your work stops working if a big company decides not to support a certain os, software or plugin anymore.

PL: Recent works show a shift towards more personal work, is this for a particular reason?
EK: I did some digital self-portraits back in 1993. One year ago I rewrote one of them for the net, and it started from there.

PL: Could you tell something more about the why of this shift?
EK: Mmm. I didn`t realize this shift, maybe after all this playing, learning and experimenting, I`m finding better ways to express myself, and I`m trying to push this level everytime.

Elout de Kok's site pixel-lab can be found at: http://www.xs4all.nl/~elout.

:: Peter Luining [+] ::
...

The many shapes of net art sometimes manifest outside the net. No one would have thought that aside from being interactive the net could also be metaphorically eaten. Pavu.com has done it again, their quirky minds have created an intriguing piece for Doron Golan's Computer Fine Arts Collection (our recommended fix this week by the way).

Pavu.com created a special dish for Doron Golan's restaurant La Casalinga. All proceeds will be used by Computer Fine Arts Collection to commision future net art pieces. Makes me want to fly to New York to get a taste, but maybe I can order it virtually. Wish, wish, wish...
:: Eduardo Navas [+] ::
...

esquinanorte.com is having its annual symposium officially called Tercer Congreso Internacional de Diseño happening October 1 - 5 in Tijuana, Mexico. The events include lectures, workshops and open discussions.
:: Eduardo Navas [+] ::
...

Matt Mirapaul published in the New York times a critical review on Rhizome's affiliation with the New Museum. The news were first heard through the grapevine, via Rhizome Raw out of all lists, speculating that Rhizome's board had been dismantled and that now Mark Tribe (Rhizome's founder) would be part of the board of the New Museum, while Rachel Greene would be in charge of handling Rhizome's Artbase for the New Museum. Rachel Greene eventually posted a public announcement to Rhizome Raw which explained that Rhizome's offices were housed in the New Museum building but that Rhizome remained an independent entity, and that Mark Tribe was actually leaving for an academic position at Columbia University. Questions have been posted to the Rhizome list, and, for the most part, many of the comments have been rather positive. Those unable to log on to Rhizome's site due to membership fees can read the press release now:
-------------------------

New York, NY (September 23, 2003) --

The New Museum of Contemporary Art and Rhizome.org announced today that Rhizome.org will operate as an affiliate of the New Museum. Rhizome.org, a leading online platform for the global new media art community, will continue to operate its programs in accordance with its mission and core principles and will retain its identity as a separate organizational entity. The New Museum will provide office space and administrative support for Rhizome, which will be known as Rhizome.org at the New Museum.

"Rhizome’s established online programming complements the New Museum’s offline new media art programs. We have worked closely with Rhizome in
the past, and we are very excited about the opportunities for collaborating on programs, exhibitions, commissions and events," remarked Lisa Phillips, the Henry Luce III Director of the New Museum of Contemporary Art.

"The global scope of the New Museum’s curatorial practice fits well with our mission to serve the global new media art community. Working in tandem, the two organizations will be able to offer programs of unique quality and relevance in the field of new media art while creating synergies and expanding our audiences and educational initiatives," stated Mark Tribe, founding director of Rhizome.org.

Tribe is succeeded as Executive Director by Rachel Greene, who has worked at Rhizome.org in various capacities since l997. Greene’s forthcoming book, Internet Art, will be published by Thames and Hudson as part of the World of Art series in the spring of 2004.

Tribe, recently named Director of Art and Technology at the Columbia University School of the Arts, will serve as Chair of the board of Rhizome.org, which will also include representatives of the New Museum. Francis Hwang will continue in his position as Rhizome.org’s Director of Technology.

Rhizome.org was founded in 1996 as a central resource for the exchange of ideas and information for the burgeoning new media art community. Rhizome.org is best known for its online archive of over 1,000 works of new media art, known as the ArtBase, as well as various online discussion groups and publications (known individually as Rhizome Raw, Rhizome Rare, Rhizome Digest, and Net Art News).

In November 2000, the New Museum of Contemporary Art launched the Zenith Media Lounge—New York’s only dedicated museum space for the exhibition of new media art. Since then, the Museum has regularly integrated new media works into its programming museum-wide. In 2002, Rhizome commissioned five new online works that were exhibited in the Zenith Media Lounge.

-------------------------
:: Eduardo Navas [+] ::
...

Next month's theme on the Empyre mailinglist is Anamorph/Semiomorph: Playspace/Playlife. If you're interested in this subject and you aren't subscribed yet you can you do it here: http://www.subtle.net/empyre.

:: Peter Luining [+] ::
...

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, "Minimisation" 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 [+] ::
...

Last week's fix of the week Cream released today a new issue of their newsletter titled cream bits. This issue has amongst others reviews of articles, books and projects by Heath Bunting, Jon Ippolito, Cary Peppermint, Karen Lancel, Kate Rich and Lars Midboe. If you don't have a subscription you can read this latest issue of Cream at http://cream.artcriticism.org.

:: Peter Luining [+] ::
...

Here are the latest additions to the New Media Fix:

Hangar.org a great resource for the new media artist at large. Provides News, opportunites, and articles of interests in Catalan, English, and Spanish.

Slashdot for some reason this most important resource had not been added to the fix. For the hardcore net community this one is a vital part of everyday surfing.

Whalelane recently released its latest edition of hybrid works. A must for the post-hypertext enthusiast.

The fix for this week is Computer Fine Arts currently featuring a new commission from Pavu.com
:: Eduardo Navas [+] ::
...