World Wide Wrong - exhibition with work from Jodi

World Wide Wrong<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-=
com:office:office" />



August 27 - October 22, 2005



Opening: Friday, August 26, 5:00 p.m.



The conventions regarding how we interact with and use computers were accep=
ted very quickly. People all over the world use the same graphic icons and =
interface. With notes, recycle bins and files, the desktop of a computer is=
a graphic reflection of a real desk. These conventions appear to simplify =
the use of the computer for everyone. On the other hand, they also strongly=
reflect a virtual reality which makes it seem that the user has control ov=
er the machine. But everyone who works with a computer knows that it's a di=
fferent story. A computer can run amok, freeze up, or simply refuse to do w=
hat you want it to do. The artist pair Jodi (Joan Heemskerk and Dirk Paesma=
ns) occupy themselves specifically with disruptive miscommunication of this=
sort.



From the birth of the Internet, Jodi were already actively involved with ne=
t art. They simulated computer crashes, viruses and error messages with pro=
grams they wrote themselves. These projects were a response to the rules of=
the Internet, and confront the visitor with the cleverly designed interfac=
es and websites by showing the flip side of the technology, the possibly ug=
ly side. Before you know it dozens of screens or a page full of programming=
codes appear on the desktop. But the pair are not computer freaks constant=
ly searching for new opportunities. The goal is not to deregulate or reprog=
ram the computer. Jodi's interest is primarily in the possibilities the med=
ium has for communication, within which it is primarily the limitations of =
coded communication that they raise as issues.



In the late 1990s their attention shifted from the computer itself to compu=
ter and video games. There are also many pre-programmed codes to be found i=
n the game culture which make it easier for the player to quickly understan=
d the game. Jodi approaches such limits and simplifications with the requis=
ite skepticism. Through simple interventions, they let us see other possibi=
lities and applications. For instance, the color architecture of the Quake =
game is simply replaced by black and white fields, eliminating the player's=
sense of direction and dimensionality. In their latest work they are sear=
ching for the possibilities (and impossibilities) of GPS systems.



Just like many older video artists such as Nam June Paik and the Vasulkas, =
for instance, Jodi are consciously concerned with raising technical standar=
ds for discussion, and modifying them. But rather than producing predictabl=
e results, Jodi go a step further by employing the unpredictability in the =
use of software and playing with the expectation patterns of the viewer/use=
r.



The exhibition gives an overview of Jodi, from their first computer experim=
ents on the Internet through their three-dimensional video installations of=
game modifications.



Opening hours exhibition: Tuesday - Saturday and the first Sunday of the mo=
nth: 1 - 6 p.m.

Entrance 2,50 (1,50 with discount)



More information / Images: Marieke Istha Communication: <mailto:istha@mont=
evideo.nl> [email protected]

Netherlands media Art Institute
Montevideo/Time Based Arts
Keizersgracht 264
1016 EV Amsterdam
T +31 (0)20 6237101
F +31 (0)20 6244423
[email protected]
www.montevideo.nl