Experimenta - Altered States

Interact Multimedia Festival 1997
Experimenta - ALTERED STATES
Curated by Helen Stuckey and Shiralee Saul
30 October - 2 November
Melbourne Exhibition Centre

Out of Interact Asia Pacific Multimedia Festival this year comes
Experimenta - Altered States, a multimedia arts exhibition designed to
explore artistic expression in the age of the digital revolution, bit by
byte. So if you're sick of cyberbole and multimediocrity, and you want a
fresh look beyond the commercial cliches of media art, then delve into
the farthest reaches of a digital universe at Experimenta - Altered
States.

Experimenta Media Arts is Australia's pre-eminent provider of
exhibitions, promotion and associated services for experimental and
media art and artists. Biennially, Experimenta presents its own media
arts festival, so Experimenta - Altered States at Interact is a treat in
the multimedia art calendar.

Experimenta's program director Shiralee Saul and renowned multi-media
curator Helen Stuckey have selected some of the most exciting,
entertaining and innovative art being created in Australia for the
exhibition.

Experimenta - Altered States is housed in an architect-designed 270
square-metre enclosed stand designed by Drome. The stand will contain
three interactive environments, three video installations and over six
computer-based interactives with a video wall continuously displaying a
program of works. Amongst the artists displaying their work are Naomi
Herzog, Dorian Dowse, Norie Neumark, Mindflux, Tim Gruchy, Christopher
Langton, Troy Innocent, Peter Hennessey, Jon McCormack, Rebecca Young,
Lindsay Colburne and Tina Gonsalves.

Experimenta's publication of contemporary theory and criticism, MESH
will be available at the site. In this issue, MESH will focus on
psychotropic visions and digitally corrupted gaze, with feature articles
exploring the relationship of advertising to art practices, smart drugs
and dumb entertainment, creative authenticity in the age of electronic
reproduction, profiles of Altered States artists and much more.

On Sunday 2 November 2p.m, the last day of the exhibition, a Screening
Program will showcase the innovative and exciting Australian digital
animation. The scrrening program features works by 18 artists: Alyson
Bell, Misako Sugiyama, John Brigden, Alan Dorin, Lynne Sanderson,
Lindsay Colborne and Mark Powers, Adrienne Patrick, Chris Newling, Troy
Innocent, John Tonkin, Ian Haig and Laurens Tan. On the same afternoon
at 3p.m, visitors can join in Artists'-talks, a rare opportunity for the
general public, trade representatives and artists to gain an insight
into the inspirations, aspirations and working practices of new media
artists Naomi Herzog and Tim Gruchy. Both the screening program and
artists' talks will be held in the Auditorium, 1st floor, Melbourne
Exhibition Centre.

For an insight on Experimenta Media Arts, visit their web site which
will have a section dedicated to Altered States. Experimenta - Altered
States Site will include information about all the artists exhibiting
and the complete contents of Experimenta's publication MESH. The address
for the site is http://www.peg.apc.org/~experimenta

Experimenta Media Arts
Exhibiting and promoting media arts that explore new aesthetic,
conceptual and technological boundaries.

Forthcoming events and projects:

'Altered States', @ Interact Asia/Pacific Multimedia Festival, October
30-November 2, Melbourne Exhibition Centre. Interactive environments,
multimedia and screening program exploring 'dreams, psychotropic visions
and the digitally manipulated gaze'.

'e~Media Gallery', @ Centre for Contemporary Photography, showcasing new
interactive multimedia, December 1 deadline for 1998 entries October
17-November 8 Sally Pryor 'Postcard From Tunis' November 14-November 29
Gwyn Wethereld 'Travels with C.O.D' December 5-20 Paul Thomas 'The
Poetics of Thresholds' This program can also be viewed @ the Arts
Victoria Foyer Gallery

MESH#11 film/video/multimedia/art journal, exploring 'psychotropic
visions and digitally corrupted gaze'- more writers, more ideas, more
artists, more colour, more information than ever before. MESH will be
launched at Interact Oct. 30 and @ the Powerhouse Museum, November in
conjunction with Sydney Intermedia Network.

MESH#12 'Game Theory', proposals now being taken for this issue which
will be launched in conjunction with the Australian Film Commission's
'Filmmaker and Interactivity' conference April 1998

'The Great Australian Byte' Interactives and screening program,
Pan-pacific Festival, Groenig Arts Centre, the Netherlands. Nov 15-16

'Domestic Disturbances' National Tour, showcasing female digital
artists, Next venue: Benalla Regional Gallery, 10th Oct - 16th Nov 1997.

'Nothing Natural' National Tour, works by Martine Corompt, Ian Haig,
Patriccia Piccinini, Christopher Langton. Gippsland Art Gallery (Sale)
17 October - 16 November 1997, Ararat Gallery 5 December 1997 - 22
February 1988, Featival Centre Artspace, Adelaide 27 March - 9 may 1988,
Riddoch Art Gallery (Mt Gambier) 22 May - 4 July 1998, Millicent Art
Gallery 10 July - 15 August 1988, Riverland Gallery (Berri) 22 August -
4 September 1998, Pt Pirie Arts & Tourism Centre 28 September - 23
October 1998

'Interactives @ Australian Centre for Contemporary Art'
Experimenta-curated program of multimedia. Currently showing 'Shock in
the Ear' by Norie Neumark

Staff
General manager: Amelia King
Program Director: Shiralee Saul
Project Coordinator: Sally Tulloch

Contact Details
Tel. 61 (0)3 9525 5025
Fax. 61 (0)3 9525 5105
PO Box 1102 St Kilda Sth, VIC, 3182
URL: http://www.peg.apc.org/~experimenta