#079 Aug/Sept 2000

THE INTER-SOCIETY FOR THE ELECTRONIC ARTS
ISEA NEWSLETTER

ISSN1488-3635

#79 August - September 2000   PART II
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* CONTENTS *

* Editorial * ISEA News  * News from Members * Article *
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*Une version francaise est disponible. Contacter le secretariat pour
l'obtenir*

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EDITORIAL
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After an exciting week at Siggraph, the ISEA team is now preparing for the
whirlwind ride that fall promises to bring. In this edition of the
Newsletter we present to you
the latest news from ISEA2000 and update you on the ISEA presence at
Siggraph 2000.

Once again this year, Siggraph was a place to meet with all those who make
up the Inter-Society. With the precious help of Cynthia Beth Rubin, Wim van
der Plas and Thecla Schiphorst (ISEA Board Members) we organized an informal
ISEA reunion.  This gathering brought together friends and members of the
Inter-Society making it possible to assess the present situation of ISEA,
discuss upcoming projects and present the ISEA2000 Symposium.  For this, we
were happy to have among us Maurice Benayoun and Philippe Codognet, the
former is a member of the steering committee the latter a member of the
international programming committee for ISEA2000. They updated us on the
latest developments of the symposium while promising an
event-filled week in the heart of Paris.

Art3000, the organizers for the event, are happy to announce very minimal
registration fees - making it possible for a greater number of people to
attend. The preliminary program schedule will be out mid-September. We
strongly encourage you to communicate with the organizers and subscribe to
their mailing lists.

You will find in the following pages an article by Cynthia Beth Rubin
outlining the participation of ISEA members at the Siggraph Gallery, news
about our members and the jobs and calls section.  This is an abridged
version of the Newsletter. A special 'Board Elections' issue comprising of
nominee presentations and a voting ballot will be out shortly. The new Board
will
be unveiled during ISEA2000 in Paris. These elections are a unique chance
for members to be heard and express their wishes and
preoccupations about the evolution of our organization. We encourage you to
participate in the vote to ensure the election of a Board that reflects our
membership.

More to come...

Natalie Melançon
ISEA-HQ

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ISEA NEWS
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ISEA2000 UPDATE
10TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ELECTRONIC ART
December 7-10, 2000
Paris, France
www.art3000.com

After Helsinki, Rotterdam, Chicago, and Liverpool, the tenth edition of the
International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA) will be held in France in
December of 2000, uniting participants from over 30 countries.

Under the theme of Revelation, ISEA 2000 will explore the effects of the
technological revolution on art and its impact on society through new forms
of representation, such digital imaging, multimedia, the virtual,
interactive installations and networks.

ISEA 2000 will focus on the transformations and the challenges that exist in
the visual arts, the performing arts, music, imaging, architecture and
design, while highlighting how these new tools generate artistic expression
intrinsic to digital culture.

ISEA 2000 includes:

* An International Symposium at the Forum des Images from December 7th to
the 10th which will bring together over 2000 artists, educators, researchers
and industry experts.

* A series of artistic events organised by various groups in and around
Paris, including : Batofar, Bibliotheque nationale de France, the Canadian
Cultural Centre, Centre d'art d'Ivry (CREDAC), Centre Georges Pompidou,
Centre National de la Danse, CICV Pierre Schaeffer, Divan du Monde, Espace
Landowski (Boulogne), Institut Goethe, Institut Finlandais, IRCAM, Project
Cafe MK2, Universite Paris 8-CIREN, Web Bar, les Nuits Savoureuses
(Belfort), Monaco Danse Forum, De Visu (Brest), Mix Move (Paris), ACROE
(Grenoble), Intersenses (Marseille).

ISEA2000 is organised by ART3000 in collaboration with ISEA/Inter-Society
for the Electronic Arts, with the support and collaboration of the Ministere
de la Culture et de la Communication (DDAT, DAP, DAI, CNC, DMDTS, DRAC IDF),
the Conseil Regional IDF, and with the help of public and private partners
such as: Forum des images, Delegation Generale du Quebec...

ISEA2000 is sponsored by Paris 2000, la Mission pour la celebration de l'An
2000 and the Council of Europe.

For more information visit www.art3000.com

USEFUL INFORMATION:

ISEA2000 REGISTRATION FEES
Registration gives complete access to the Symposium (conferences, panels,
workshops, poster-sessions, screenings and concerts at the Forum des Images)
as well as discounts for all associated events.

FULL-PRICE :
- 400 FRF - 4 day package
- 150 FRF - 1 day pass

DISCOUNT PRICE (ISEA members, Students, Unemployed...) :
- 300 FRF - 4 day package
- 100 FRF - 1 day pass

GROUPS (minimum 10 people) :
- 10% discount on full or discount price.

USEFUL ADDRESSES

A pre-program for ISEA2000 will be available in mid-September. At this time
you will also be able to access the official ISEA2000 website to consult the
programme and to register for the Symposium.

To keep informed, send your contact info to: isea2000@art3000.com

ART3000
(to receive a more detailed program and/or to register)
156 Avenue de Verdun
92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux
France
tel. : 33 (0)1 46 48 66 36
fax : 33 (0)1 46 48 66 59
email : isea2000@art3000.com
web: www.art3000.com

TOURISM OFFICE :
(hotel reservations)
127, Avenue des Champs ElysZes
75008 Paris France
tel. : 33 (0)1 49 52 53 34 or 33 (0)8 36 68 31 12
web : www.paris-touristoffice.com
Metro : Franklin Roosevelt, ligne 1

The preliminary program will include a list of hotels offering discounts to
ISEA2000 participants.

FORUM DES IMAGES :
(Symposium venue)
Forum des halles
Porte Saint Eustache
75001 Paris
Metro : Chatelet, ligne 4

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NEWS FROM MEMBERS
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PATRICIA SEARCH'S multimedia installation Ancient Voices in Cyberspace will
be on view at the Amos Eno Gallery, 59 Franklin Street, New York, NY, from
October 21 - November 8, 2000.  Ancient Voices in Cyberspace explores the
aesthetics of narrative, visual images, music, and action in aboriginal
cultures as a foundation for new perspectives in human-computer interaction.
The installation juxtaposes symbols, poems, and music drawn from aboriginal
cultures with the limitations of human-computer interaction.  For more
information about the artist and the installation see
www.rpi.edu/~searcp/voices.html.

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NEW AND RENEWING MEMBERS
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Thank you and welcome to the following new and renewing members:

Ernestine Daubner, Bert Bongers, Jose-Carlos Mariategui, Margot Lovejoy,
Margaret Dolinsky, Peter Anders, Will Larson, Diane Leduc, Roslyn Dauber,
Alberto Gaitàn, Kia Ng, Catherine Ikam, Melinda Rackham, Madris Duric,
Wolfgang Dopp,InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre/Kathleen Pirrie Adams

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SIGGRAPH 2000
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ISEA MEMBERS AT SIGGRAPH
A Report by Cynthia Beth Rubin

SIGGRAPH once again provided the occasion for ISEA members and followers to
network, share ideas, and hang out in a stimulating swirl of sessions,
exhibitions, discussions, and parties.  The cohesive, accepting nature of
the Electronic Arts community was summed up by ISEA member Paul Hertz at the
end of the week, when he said "there are only two places where I dance: my
kitchen and SIGGRAPH".  Of course he meant to include ISEA as well, where
this year Paris will give us another great opportunity to hang out, dance,
and share ideas.

Of particular interest to independent creative minds at this year's SIGGRAPH
were the artist discussions drawn from art show participants, and the
several sessions on the nature of narrative and the conceptual challenges of
non-linear story telling.  And while some sessions on Web design stuck to
the familiar questions of how to sell, it was clear from audience questions
that many people are now considering the fuller potential of the web as an
important part of art and culture. The presentations on VRML, organized by
ISEA Board member Kathy Rae Huffman (with Karel Dudesek) and the annual 3D
web round up proved that the web is changing and growing by leaps and
bounds.

This year's art show chair was ISEA member Diane Gromala, who coordinated an
impressive show that was even discussed in the Arts section of the New York
Times!  Noah Wardrip-Fruin (also an ISEA member) and Diane Gromala
orchestrated a number of artist presentations and discussions, including the
panel "No Art Jargon!", a discussion on how artists use technology in the
creative process.

ISEA members who participated in the SIGGRAPH art show include the following
(descriptions taken from the artists' statements).

Annette Weintraub, Crossroads: This work explores the capacity of film and
advertising culture to shape our sense of place. CROSSROADS examines a
mythic Times Square through a series of narratives.

Ellen Sandor, Art(n) Lab (with TJ McLeish and Skyboy Productions and Art(n)
Lab team), Townhouse Revisited: This PHSCologram and interactive audio
sculpture addresses issues of the body, public space, and touch in the
architecture of virtual reality.

Richard Brown, Biotica: A visceral and immersive 3D experience of evolving,
responsive and abstract artificial life forms. Gestural sensing (via the MIT
fish) enables the viewer to fly in the Biotica world simply using their
arms.

Bonnie Mitchell, Merging Identity: This work invites people from all over
the world to collaborate by manipulating each other's images, adding poetry
and audio to theme pages and submitting animations and video. The site has
theme pages that update automatically when submissions are sent.

Anna Ullich, The Siren: An image of a woman constructing an industrial form
out of her hair using decorative braids and hair weaves. The physical
prowess of men is fueling the regeneration of her hair that is swallowing
the landscape and the men upon it.

Noah Wardrip-Fruin  (with A.C. Chapman, Brion Moss, Duane Whitehurst), The
Impermanence Agent: This site monitors the user's web browsing, and tells
stories. Images and texts from the user's browsing are combined with the
stories of the Agent. In time, the stories of the Agent are lost. Something
new, a collaboration between the user a

Kathy Rae Huffman (with Karel Dudesek), VRML Art: An overview of exciting
developments in the VRML Internet worlds.

Any ISEA members who presented sketches, papers, or on panels are invited to
continue the discussion on the ISEA Forum.

Cynthia Beth Rubin is a member of ISEA's Board of Directors and Contributor
to the ISEA Newsletter.

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DATABASE OF VIRTUAL ART
at the Department of Art History / Humboldt-University Berlin

Interactive media art, telematic art and especially virtual art create
entirely new forms of perception and aesthetics that enjoy a considerable
response from audiences at festivals and exhibitions world wide.
Nevertheless, museums failed to collect and document art of this kind
systematically. Because of an informational deficit among museum, curatorial
and conservational attempts are only partially supported. Consequently,
long-term concepts for gathering virtual art, especially in cooperation with
computer centers, do not exist at this point.

Specific to the nature of digital art works is that their electronic,
physical carriers become anachronistic with quick progression of
technological innovation. It is not an exaggeration to say that a full
decade of international media art is in danger of being lost. The growing
gaps in collecting media art can only be filled again with immense effort.
In order to counter the increasing complex of difficulties, and in view of
the current active developments, it is necessary to make information readily
available as soon as possible.

The Project

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) supports an initiative of the art
history department of the Humboldt-University in Berlin to build up an
international archive of virtual art. A high-capacity Internet database able
to accomodate large numbers of users is being developed in cooperation with
the university's computer center and multimedia service. The project is
officially cooperating with international institutions like CAiiA (GB),
Banff Centre (Can), IAMAS (J), Paris 8 (F), ZKM (G), GMD (G) and rhizome
(world).

The goal of the project is to provide an overview and to document the
development of media art scientifically in support of an oeuvre created by
artists who are themselves actively engaged in complex international
research networks.

Materials that are needed for realization of the database:
-video documents
- concepts (sketch and text)
- hardware and software configurations
- installation structures
- list of exhibitions (places, dates, names of works)
- interviews and sound documents
- biographies
- bibliographies
- articles from journals and newspapers - literature about work

Our technical basis consists of a SUN-Server and an Oracle database

Oliver Grau

Assistence:
Ana Ofak, Arndt Roth, Lena Bader, Anja Schmalfuss and Christian Berndt

Artist that confirmed their cooperation are so far: Seiko Mikami, Charlotte
Davies, Christa Sommerer/Laurent Mignonneau, Christian Moeller, Eduardo Kac,
Jack Ox, Jane Prophet, Jeffrey Shaw, Jenny Holzer, Jill Scott, Joachim
Sauter, Ken Goldberg, Maurice Benayoun, Michael Naimark, Monika
Fleischmann/Wolfgang Strauss, Benjamin Britton, Paul Sermon, Simon G Penny,
Simone Michelin, Supreme Particles (Michael Saup), Toni Dove, Paul
Yuxweluptun et. al.

DR. OLIVER GRAU
Kunsthistorisches Seminar
Humboldt University Berlin
Dorotheenstr. 28; 10099 Berlin
Tel: +49 (0)30 2093-4295 (direct)
Tel: +49 (0)30 2093-4288 (Secr)
Fax: +49 (0)30 2093-4209
Oliver.Grau@culture.hu-berlin.de
www.arthist.hu-berlin.de/arthistd/mitarbli/og/og.html

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JOBS AND CALLS
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will be sent as separate email

ISEA NEWSLETTER============================================

Editor: Katarina Soukup /Translation: Carina Di Menna, Natalie Melançon
Contributors: Patricia Search, Cynthia Beth Rubin, Natalie Melançon
______________________________________________________

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:
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============================================
ISEA distributes a hard copy version of this Newsletter in order to keep its
members, who  have no access to Electronic Mail,
informed.

Support: La Fondation Daniel Langlois, Ministere de la culture et des
communications du Quebec.

============================================end of newsletter

*****************************************
Inter-Society for the Electronic Arts
Inter-Societe des arts electroniques
3530, boul. Saint-Laurent, suite 305
Montreal, Quebec, CANADA H2X 2V1
tel. +1-514-847-8912 * Fax. +1-514-847-8834
isea@isea.qc.ca * http://www.isea.qc.ca

********************* ISEA2000 **************
7.12 - 10.12, 2000 / Paris, France / www.art3000.com

 

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