#086 Mar/Apr 2002

THE INTER-SOCIETY FOR THE ELECTRONIC ARTS
ISEA NEWSLETTER #86

ISSN1488-3635 #86 March - April 2002
_______________________________________________________________

* CONTENTS *
* ISEA2002 Progress Report * In praise of Australia *
  ISEA2002 Orai ArTv *

In separate attachment:
* Conferences/Symposia/Workshops/Festivals * Exhibitions * Jobs * Calls *
Lists/URLs/Newsletters *
****************************************************************************************

*******************************
ISEA2002 Progress Report
by Kiyofumi Motoyama
*******************************

report on proposals for ISEA2002

proposals for artworks, from the following countries
(received at the 1st deadline: November 30)   
USA
UK
JAPAN
GERMANY
CANADA
ISRAEL
AUSTRALIA
AUSTRIA
ESTONIA
FRANCE
POLAND
DENMARK
CZECH REPUBLIC

Proposals received by presentation format
exhibition
performances
electronic theater
concerts
-------------
2nd deadline: February 28
This slideshow could not be started. Try refreshing the page or viewing it in another browser.


papers/21
panels/2
round tables/2
posters/4
workshops/2
tutorials/1
exhibition/41
performance/6
electronic theater/8
concerts/3

We just had the second deadline on Feb. 28. 2002.
So far, we received more than 400 proposals for total by Feb.28. We 
are getting ready for judging process right now. However, we decided 
to extend the deadline for papers/panels/round 
tables/posters/institutional presentations/workshops/tutorials. We 
will still receive delivered packages of proposals for the above 
categories until March 20th. Notifications of acceptance will be 
mailed in May 2002.

The city of Nagoya and other public governments will support our 
official programs, symposium , publications,ISEA2002 Official 
Exhibition, including remodeling two warehouses in the Nagoya port 
area as the venue.  Images of the warehouse are available from 
archives of our Mediaselect exhibition on the following websites:

http://www.artport.city.nagoya.jp/mediaselect/index.html     or
http://vision.mdg.human.nagoya-u.ac.jp/mediaselect/

Because of our current economic situation in Japan, we are still 
making efforts to find other private sponsors for other programs.

The program committee is organizing the keynote lecture and symposium 
with the theme  "Orai."   University galleries and art galleries in 
the area are planning to have related exhibitions.  We also plan to 
offer sightseeing excursions to traditional cultural sites of Japan, 
club events, cultural exchange programs and so on.  Our support 
committee is working on organizing support volunteers including Asian 
language speakers for foreign participants during  the symposium.  
They  will also translate and organize information about possible 
local private support programs.  The publicity committee will work on 
multilingual invitation letters of ISEA2002 symposium, especially for 
underrepresented areas.

We are looking forward to see you in Japan for ISEA2002 NAGOYA

************************
In praise of Australia
by Nina Czegledy
************************

According to well established rumours, the third ISEA in 1992 in Sydney is
credited as a major contributing factor to the rapid development of
electronic and digital arts in Australia. Today Australian artists,
theorists and interdisciplinary scientists play a leading role in the area
of art, science and technology as Julianne Pierce, director of Anat
observed in the latest edition of the Anat Newsletter. In the month of
February as a guest of Anat, I have traveled across the continent and was
impressed both by new initiatives and ongoing projects. This subjective
report of my travels and recent explorations traces some aspects of
Australian digital culture. References, including URLs are listed at the
end of the text.

My journey began with participation in the Solar Circuit residency/workshop
in TASMANIA.
The Wild2002 exhibition, connected to Solar, showcased at the Tasmanian
Museum an impressive range of international artists, including David
Rokeby, Nigel Helyer, Ken Gregory, Melinda Rackham, Andrew Burrell, Martin
Welch and others. Wild2002  -as one of the first large exhibitions of this
nature in Tasmania- presented a landmark exhibition.

Solar Circuit was built on the Polar residency traditions of Lapland and
was coordinated by Antoanetta Ivanovna, Sophea Lerner and Andrew Burrell in
collaboration with local institutions and organizations in Hobart. The
residency brought 35 international artists to the Southern Hemisphere.
Workshops, presentations, screenings and performances were organized daily.
In a public presentation, Tapio Makela and myself promoted ISEA2002 and
ISEA2004  encouraging all to submit applications and participate in the
symposia. Judging by the incoming correspondence the encouragement has been
successful.

In early February, the whole group moved by ferry to Maria Island.  This
former penitentiary (today a national park) with absolutely limited amount
of electricity and no phone,  became the unlikely but very happy site of
our residency.  Narratives and images of the Maria Island adventure
(including the kangaroos, snakes and gray geese) will -in due course-  be
visible to all on the website.

In MELBOURNE, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image hosted me. ACMI is
poised to move into the brand new and very impressive Federation Square
complex, located in the middle of the city.  The Centre is promoted as
Australia's premier exhibition and discussion centre for screen-based arts,
showcasing all forms of the moving image including video, television, film,
digital multimedia and online experiences.  Alessio Cavallaro, the
extremely busy producer and curator of New Media projects at ACMI showed me
the town and organized  Cross-Circuits. This international new media
artists forum, with the participation of Mark Amerika, internet performer,
artists and writer, who presented on "re:source" and myself - was moderated
by Adrian Miles. We had a large audience and a good Q&A session at the end.

SYDNEY  was the next stop on this tightly scheduled tour. This buzzing and
beautiful city is well known for its diverse activities,  however my short
time there was mainly restricted to present at Artspace, one of the most
interesting venues for regularly programming a wide range of events. There
was some time left to talk with several friends who live and work in new
media in Sydney including  my hosts Zina Kay and Mr. Snow
(http://laudanum.net) with whom I discussed in some detail their unique art
and consultancy practice.

BRISBANE.  Two years ago, I had the good fortune to work within the
framework of the Alchemy master classes at the Powerhouse in Brisbane. The
intriguingly renovated industrial building (built in 1926) opened its doors
with festivities in the spring of 2000 and presented a long list of
exhibitions, performances, concerts and conferences ever since. In addition
to cultural activities the
excellent riverside cafe&restaurant is a favoured watering hole for many
Brisbanites.
In Brisbane, Kim Machan director of the remarkable Maap organization,
hosted me. Starting in 1998 MAAP has showcased four festivals, "Excess" the
latest multimedia event was presented online and at the Brisbane Powerhouse
in October 2001. Kim  is planning the next fest, which might take place in
China
is her plans are successful.

I have visited IMA The Institute of Modern Art  in Brisbane, which has
moved recently to its current elegant quarters. In addition to a regular
exhibition program, IMA produces an impressive array of publications
yearly. The elegantly renovated building includes a modern theater space
and in addition to IMA serves as a home for several organizations focused
on performing arts.

PERTH.  COMING UP! - The first Biennale of Electronic Arts in Perth (BEAP)
under the direction of Paul Thomas is scheduled for the summer of 2002. The
Fourth CAiiA conference takes place at the same time in Perth. These events
and the connected conferences and exhibitions will be of great interest to
digital artists, educators and theorists.

Symbiotica, the most unique bio-art initiative by Oron Catts, Ionat Zurr
and Guy Ben-Ary, is part of the University of Western Australia. In
addition to ongoing research Symbiotica offers for the first time a course
in bio art and also accepts visiting research fellows. Oron has shown me
around in the
new and excellently equipped Department of Biology and Anatomy where
Symbiotica is located.
The in-depth collaborative work of this group is very impressive, the
latest results will
be shown this August at the BEAP festival.

ADELAIDE.
Adelaide is built on the land of the Kauma nation and in early March at the
opening night of the Adelaide Festival of Arts,  respects were paid both to
Kauma people and to the ceremonies performed by indigenous people from
across the globe. While the list of festival concerts, films, workshops,
theater, exhibitions and conferences is endless, I would like to highlight
the conVerge events. The conVerge  "where art and science meet" exhibition
of installations presented in the Art Gallery of South Australia, included
an impressive array of Australian artists, presenting the work of Nigel
Helyer, Patricia Piccinini, Justine Cooper, Ionat Zurr&Oron Catts and
Martin Welch among others. The conVerge symposium ( March 3-4, 2002),
organized within the framework of the Adelaide Festival of Arts, explored
relationships between the arts and sciences in the context of sustainable
futures. The symposium complementing the exhibition at the Art Gallery,
presented topics ranging from bioeconomics to knowledge systems and
ecology.

Adelaide is also home of ANAT the Australian Network for Art and
Technology.  Beyond my gratitude for  generously supporting my tour, I have
been impressed for years with ANAT: the range of events they are
supporting, their informative newsletters, projects, workshops and
conferences. Visiting the office
and meeting the officers in person confirmed my earlier opinions.

This is a tiny bird's eye view of the Australian mediascape, however it
will hopefully serve as an encouragement for other to explore country's
culture in greater detail.

References

Adelaide
Adelaide Festival of Arts
www.adelaidefestival.org.au
*conVerge: where art and science meet
March 1-April 28 *art exhibition, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
March 2-3,  *symposium, Masonic Hall, Adelaide

Anat, Australian Network for Art and Technology
www.anat.org.au
Membership based organization. Promoting and organizing new media events,
interdisciplinary projects between art, science and technology,
exhibitions, workshops, conferences, residencies and publishing online and
hardcopy newsletters.

Brisbane
Powerhouse
www.brisbanepowerhouse.org

Institute of Modern Art IMA
www.ima.org.au

MAAP
www.maap.org.au
non-profit organization promoting innovative art and technology in
Australia and the Pacific region.

Arterial,
www.arterial.org.au
Art in the public interest

Hobart
The WILD New Media Project
www.wild2002.com

February 1-February 12, 2002
*Exhibition of Installations Bond Store,Tasmanian Museum&Art Gallery

February 11, 2002
*Cyber symphony for the Tasmanian Devil.
Web cast session with Main in Cyberspace, Montreal, Canada

February 13, 2002
*Net Radio Broadcast featuring Funda_mental (Austria)

Solar Circuit Residency
February 2-11, 2002 *Maria Island

Melbourne
Australian Centre for the Moving Image
www. acmi.net.au
*From mid 2002, presenting all forms of the moving image:
film, video, television, film, digital multimedia &online work.

Perth
July 31-September 15, 2002
Biennale of Electronic Arts, Perth
conferencens August 2- September 15, 2002
www.beap.org

*Exhibitions at the John Curtin Gallery/Perth Institute of Contemporary
Arts.
*Consciousness Reframed. The Fourth International CAiiA-STAR
Researche Conference at the John Curtin Gallery.
*The Aesthetics of Care, the research and application of living biological
systems into a new art practice, presented by SymbioticA and the Institute
of Advanced Studies University of Western Australia. *Teaching in the
Digital Domain (Forum for Electronic Arts Research).
Paul Thomas, Director, Biennale of Electronic Arts, Perth

SymbioticA
Oron Catts, Ionat Zurr, Guy Ben-Ary
Department of Anatomy and Human Biology
University of Western Australia
www.symbiotica.uwa.edu.au

PICA, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts Ltd.
www.pica.org.au

Sydney
Artspace
www.artspace.org.au
A contemorary visual artspace&critical theory, performance art,
conceptual&experimental practices, publications, video& sound art,
artists studios.

***********
Orai ArTv
***********

ISEA2002 multicast webart event

An Amersfoort (Holland) based foundation called <LINK> is preparing a
multicast/web art project on the occasion of ISEA2002 [Orai]. The project
comprises three mutually-reinforcing components. <LINK> aims at taking
webcasting a step further, towards a new medium/artform known as ArTv.
<LINK> invites participation in this project, and has so far received
responses from over 70 artists worldwide.

The three components of the project are:
-a 3 x 24h. multicast of the complete symposium, including all parallel
sessions, exhibition tour, special events etc. All sessions will be archived
and accessable after the webcasting.
-a web gallery of international web art, exhibited in a structured format.
During special sessions several unique art projects will be added 'live' from
different parts of the world.
-a very special interface that aims at creating the sense of physical presence.

With this project <LINK> hopes to link the culturally diverse, international
art community to the lucky ones that actually attend ISEA2002 in Nagoya.

The participation <LINK> seeks is:
-actual participation in the live webcast at the symposium site in Japan
(camera, mixing, good ideas, technical, etc)
-contributions to the web art gallery in as many art disciplines as possible,
including the traditional, the interdisciplinary and the still undefined artforms.
-plans for 'live' contributions from different places in the world. We aim
this to be as multi cultural and multi disciplinary as possible. There must,
however, be a clear relation to the theme of ISEA2002: 'Orai'. This should 
not be too difficult*). Potential contributers must be prepared for testing
several times before the symposium takes place.

<LINK> stresses that although it is raising the funds necessary for organizing
this project, it will not be able to financially sponsor any of the contributants.
<LINK> will, however, help your own fund-raising by writing letters of
recommendation etc. as necessary.

Send your responses asap to w.vanderplas@icim.org

*)'ORAI' is a Japanese word, meaning comings and goings, communication and
contact, as well as streets and traffic. About 200 years ago a book titled
'Nagoya Orai' was compiled and published in Nagoya and it was used as a kind of
textbook for teaching and writing. Through arguments around art and its
interdisciplinary studies, ISEA2002 Nagoya [Orai] hopes to provide an
opportunity to create a new text in this electronically networked society.
(source: www.isea.jp)

****************************************************************************************

In the attachment to this Newsletter:

* Conferences/Symposia/Workshops/Festivals * Exhibitions * Jobs * Calls *
Lists/URLs/Newsletters *
****************************************************************************************

Contributors:
Kiyofumi Motoyama, Nina Czegledy, Wim van der Plas

Editor:
Madris Duric (ISEA HQ)

ISEA Board Members:
Nina Czegledy, Kathy Rae Huffman, Cynthia Beth Rubin, Peter Anders,
Atau Tanaka, Wim van der Plas, Marina Grzinic, Niranjan Rajah.

ISEA-HQ:
Madris Duric, Milo Pationiott

ISEA LISTSERV:
To subscribe, send a message to:
listproc@uqam.ca, no subject, with the following message in the
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ISEA:
Inter-Society for the Electronic Arts
POB 512, 3800 AM Amersfoort, Netherlands
Phone ++31-33-4228915 Fax ++31-33-4228933
isea@isea.qc.ca * http://www.isea.qc.ca

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