Virtual [email protected] v.4: Regime Change

A Collection of New Media Artwork curated by Didi Dunphy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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ATHICA: Athens Institute for Contemporary Art, Inc. presents:

Virtual [email protected] v.4: Regime Change
A Collection of New Media Artwork curated by Didi Dunphy
Launch Date: Wednesday, October 27, 2004

ATHICA: Athens Institute for Contemporary Art is delighted to announce the launch of Regime Change, the fourth incarnation of its Virtual Art Gallery, which displays collections of online artwork created specifically for the Internet medium.
Regime Change was curated by Athens' artist Didi Dunphy, her third such venture for ATHICA. Ms Dunphy reviewed 50 submissions before deciding on the dozen sites described below, all of which the artists submitted with the current political environment and issues related to the upcoming election in mind. Many of the works deal with the Iraq war, others with the election itself, and still others with the part the Media plays in shaping opinion. Three of the artists, Kevin Hoth, Laura Floyd and Ben McCormick are Athens' locals who have shown non-virtual artworks at ATHICA, as has Nick Fox-Gieg from West Virginia, who exhibited animations in last January's Piece Process exhibit. The well-established new media artist team of Margaret Crane and Jon Winet, who appeared in Virtual Art Gallery V.2., weigh-in with complex a site that links users to current electoral votes polling data, among many other links. Other artists hail from Europe and around the nation, many employing lush audio tracks and online movies to express their strong feelings. All share the urgency of this vulnerable moment in our nation's history.
As Ms Dunphy states:
"All art is a political act. And we must act. With the 2004 elections around the corner, our personal and global media saturated with party grand-standing, the art community is feverously voicing fresh, strong, disturbing, satirical and much applauded opinions, many of which are at work in these web projects. With so many strong submissions, I can only hope that this number of significant artist investigations reflects the numbers of voters at the polls in November. Art for a stronger America, Art for a stronger World."
We hope you will log on to www.athica.org and explore these websites before you cast your vote. We would like to acknowledge the excellent labors of our volunteer website manager, Andrew Hollingsworth, who makes the Virtual Art gallery and the ATHICA website possible.

The artists of VA v.4 are:
Mark Cooley, Lionello Borean + Chiara Grandesso, Nick Fox-Gieg, Doran Golan, Kevin Hoth, Ben McCormick and Allison Rentz.

Their works are described below:

Mark Cooley
Springfield MO
War-Product-War
http://www.war-product-war.com
warProductwar represents an ongoing meditation on US war culture. Previously web published content is recontextualized @ war-product-war.com in efforts to promote active re-readings of US visual culture in reference to war, politics, and the global economy. Through the course of the project warProductwar will remain in a state of flux. Broken links and loose ends should be expected. Additions, deletions, and changes are continually pondered and infrequently enacted.

Jon Thomson & Craighead
United Kingdom
CNN Interactive
www.cnnextra.net
In ‘CNN Interactive just got more interactive’ artists Jon Thomson & Alison Craighead allow site visitors to add a variety of soundtracks to the monolithic CNN Interactive website in an attempt to further mediate a moment of infotainment–to bring a cinematic conceit to this ever changing global news feed. As such, the economy of the news is blurred ever more towards venerability and entertainment–forcing us to question ways in which we all distinguish between 'fact' and 'fiction.'

Michael Takeo Magruder
United Kingdom
FALLUJAH . IRAQ . 31/03/2004
http://www.takeo.org/nspace/ns011/
Fallujah, Iraq, 31/03/2004 - According to witnesses and U.S. officials,
four American 'civilians' were ambushed and shot or beaten to death by
Iraqi insurgents. Townspeople mutilated the bodies of the men, dragged
them through the streets, lynched them from a bridge, and burned them
while crowds danced and cheered…
notes:
- The desecration of the victims' bodies was filmed in its entirety by
an Associated Press camera crew.
- There was no intervention by collation forces during the attack or the
subsequent mutilations.
- The coverage of the event was highly censored on all international
media networks.
- The 'civilian' causalities were mercenaries employed by Blackwater
Security Consulting, of Moyock, N.C.
* This work is not intended as a discourse on the axiom of 'the evil
nature of war'. It is merely a consideration of an event we have (or
have not) witnessed and a reflection on the iconic nature of conflict in
the new millennium.

Margaret Crane and Jon Winet
No. & So. California
2004-America & The Globe
http://www.america-the-globe.net
The 2004 US presidential elections and democratic
practice in America.

Laura Floyd
Athens, GA
Jiffylux Girls
www.jiffylux.com/goya/jiffyluxgirls.html
Our very own 2004 campaign contribution!

Lionello Borean + Chiara Grandesso
Padova, Italy
Plug’n’Pray
http://www.plug-pray.org

A TV preacher is promoting a new way to deal with religious conflicts - a software application helps you get converted in a couple of clicks. You can choose the most suitable and convenient religion for you - anytime, anywhere. Fanatic crusades, bloodshed - get away with it without compromising your pacifist ideals and launch new religious marketing campaigns.
The website parodies these attitudes to elicit dialogue and thought sharing on serious issues like tolerance and religious wars.
The language you read and the graphics you see on the website pertain to the IT world - it is a typical e-commerce portal selling innovative, complete, but most of all plausible and convincing software kits.

The “Plug’n’Pray” concept borrows its name and reinterprets the famous idea behind “plug and play” technology. PnP is now a synonym for easy hardware installation and hassle-free software set up that allows you to immediately start using a new HW device or SW application. “Play” becomes “Pray” - your conversion is instantaneous, smooth and seamless.

Doran Golan
New York
'after the revolution'
http://www.the9th.com/04/revolution/index1.html

The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy. David Rovics sings 'after the revolution'.

Nick Fox-Gieg
West Virginia
Instant Memorial
www.fox-gieg.com/stuff/memorial
The Instant Memorial is capable of commemorating an infinite number of
tragic events that have yet to take place. Feel free to let it run in the
background as you go about your business, and be ready (if the opportunity
should present itself) to exploit the tragedies it generates to advance
the political goals of your choice.

Ben McCormick
Athens, GA
distortion
http://www.benmccormick.com/athica/distortion.html
music by vic chesnut

"Distortion” is a video piece commenting on the United States’ current obsession with war and the War on Terrorism specifically. Our view of the world is constantly distorted by the filter which exists between truth, government, and the media. We live in a culture of fear that is capitalized upon by media outlets which prey on our vulnerabilities by doling out our daily intake of governmental propaganda.

Kevin Hoth
Athens, GA
Casualties of War (WHITE REDUX)
http://www.orangemancreative.com/video/html/casualties.html

This video is meant to be a counter-action to the idea in other parts of the world that most Americans support our current president’s policies and his reasons for going to war in Iraq.


Allison Rentz
Atlanta, GA
http://www.imissamerrykuh.com

I perform “I Miss a Merry K UH” live, on the web, and through email.
This is an ongoing political project, which is critical of corporate greed and domination. Themes include anti-war, anti-corporation, and feminism.
There are multiple characters - such as Miss Marry, Snookums, and WorkEr. Miss Marry is the beauty queen, a spoof on Miss America. Snookums is the sexist CEO of the company. WorkEr is an employee of the I Miss a Merry K UH empire.




Print Quality Images available on request.
CONTACT INFO:
For more information about Virtual [email protected], please contact:
Didi Dunphy, Curator, [email protected]
(Home number not for publication 706.208-8242)
For more information on ATHICA please contact:

Lizzie Zucker Saltz, Director
Phone: 706-208-1613 - Email: [email protected] - Website: www.athica.org
(Home #- Not for publication: 706.208.0702)

Address: ATHICA: Athens Institute for Contemporary Art, Inc. Chase Street Warehouses, Unit 3 Entrance at 160 Tracy St. off Barber/Wynburn Streets.

Mailing Address: PO Box 1604, Athens, GA 30603-1604 USA.

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