Jon Kessler and Thomas Hirschhorn are both known for large-scale installations that convert gallery spaces into environments laden with political commentary and consumerist critique as well as high tech/low-tech dichotomies. Their recent exhibitions are typically overloaded spectacles that nevertheless serve as indictments of the proverbial society of the spectacle. Kessler’s Circus could be seen as an Iraq-era Disasters of War achieved via Calder’s Circus. An army tent is pitched in the center of Deitch’s Grand St. space, book-ended by metal shelving that holds army beds and a series of TV monitors. The action takes place on the floor under the tent, as a cluster of mechanized contraptions put a variety of GI Joe and Ken dolls in constant jeopardy. One doll is dragged bottomless in a circle on the floor; another rocks back and forth slowly, his hands bound in front of him, against a backdrop of the sky pasted on a revolving drum; a green-faced soldier is bent over backwards and slathered with an oil-like liquid; a headless figure in fatigues and an “army” t-shirt has blood on his hands; four soldiers are placed upside down, guns at the ready. As in many of Kessler’s other recent works, each scenario is outfitted (embedded, if you will) with a mini-cam, making each setup a live-action loop that is broadcast on its own monitor. There’s also a hole in the tent for a large white balloon floating near the ceiling in the center, whose camera provides a bird’s eye view of the entire scene.
Open Call: Eyebeam Residencies Summer / Fall 2009
Become a resident artist at Eyebeam! The New York art and technology center announced an open call this week for the Summer/Fall 2009 term of their artist residency program. Each resident receives a $5,000 stipend and 24/7 access to Eyebeam's digital design and fabrication studios. For more information, check out their FAQ. To start an application, go here. For those living in New York City, Eyebeam will host a "How To Apply" Forum on April 16th at 7pm with past Eyebeam Resident and recent Residency curatorial panelist Robert Ransick (Bennington College, Vermont) and current senior fellow Steve Lambert (Parsons/The New School and Hunter College). Deadline for applications is May 15, 2009.
Rhizome 50K Update
With a couple weeks under our belt, we’re kicking the Rhizome 50,000 Dollar Webpage into high gear. We’ve already raised $4000, but have a long way to go to fill up the page for it’s unveiling at our annual benefit on May 28th at the New Museum.
We’ve been discovering a lot of great stuff via the links that people have been submitting. In fact, starting later this week, we’re going to start highlighting some of the best stuff we’ve found via the 50k site on the Rhizome homepage. We’re also going to start integrating the pixel buys into our delicious feed - more on that later…
So, if you haven’t bought pixels yet - go buy some! They’re a great way to support Rhizome, show you’re a part of the community and promote your project. Plus, they’re cheap! If you’ve been meaning to buy some, there’s no better time than now - you get to pick up the best real estate, maximize your time on the page and keep the momentum rolling. Want to participate but don’t know how to find, create or resize your image? No problem, we can help. Just drop us a line at 50k@rhizome.org.
So, to buy some pixels, find out more info or discover some cool people, projects and websites, visit us at http://www.rhizome.org/50k/.
CVM Library
We thought it would be fun, here at Rhizome HQ, to follow Marisa's write-up of the upcoming Visual Music Marathon with a few Visual Music-related posts. I thought I'd kick it off with a link to the Center for Visual Music's extensive Visual Music bibliography, otherwise known as the CVM Library. The Los Angeles-based non-profit film archive are the go-to source on the subject, so go-to-it.
Sound and Image in Electronic Harmony
On Saturday, April 11th, New York's School of Visual Arts will co-present the 2009 Visual Music Marathon with the New York Digital Salon and Northeastern University. Promising genre-bending work from fifteen countries, the lineup crams 120 works by new media artists and digital composers into 12 hours. If it's true, as is often said, that MTV killed the attention spans of Generations X and Y, this six-minute-per-piece average ought to suit most festivalgoers' minds, and the resultant shuffling on and off stage will surely be a spectacle in its own rite. In all seriousness, this annual event is a highlight of New York's already thriving electronic music scene and promises many a treat for your eyes and ears. The illustrious organizers behind the marathon know their visual music history and want to remind readers that, "The roots of the genre date back more than two hundred years to the ocular harpsichords and color-music scales of the 18th century," and "the current art form came to fruition following the emergence of film and video in the 20th century." The remarkable ten dozen artists participating in this one-day event will bring us work incorporating such diverse materials as hand-processed film, algorithmically-generated video, visual interpretations of music, and some good old fashioned music-music. From luminaries like Oskar Fischinger, Hans Richter, and Steina Vasulka to emerging artists Joe Tekippe and Chiaki Watanabe, the program will be another star on the map that claims NYC as fertile territory for sonic exploration. - Marisa Olson
Edwin VanGorder