<nettime-ann> ...EXP-O-LAB... call for proposals

[wim <wim@villalogica.nl>]

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...EXP-O-LAB...    call for proposals

 

Meneer de Wit (creative factory/artproject space in Amsterdam/Witte de Withstraat, www.meneerdewit.com) will expand their grounds and activities from september 07 on. Now still being renovated, there will be 3 projectspaces available of total appr. 260 m², partially underground and including a bar.

 

...EXP-O-LAB... will be the first in a series of short, intensive exposition/events that will take place in the new spaces

 

The idea of ...EXP-O-LAB... is to show audiovisual works (in progress) that use aspects of the medium itself and/or works that reflect on the relation between the public and the rapid evolving technical context of audiovisual arts and design.

 

you are invited to propose a work

 

Some thoughts to consider (or ignore):

 

The fact that since mid fities last century more people watch television than go to church signifies a major cultural shift caused by technological innovation. This fenomena has been extensively described by mediacritic Marshall McLuhan in the sixties that is still actual, albeit that his warning ‘We become what we behold’ doesn’t sound that alarming anymore, certainly not to the general public. This warning implicates the fear of loss of spiritual values through the democratization of media. (‘So what? There are enough screens/channels to choose from to distract myself’).

 

The question nowadays is more like this: should we still worry about the dangers of democratization of media and firmely focus on content for that media that lifts our spirit? Or should we let go of these fears and fully embrace the gallopping technology to expand the possiblities of aesthetic representation and disregard the message concerning the medium itself?

 

Artists have been engaged in both working with the – not all so new anymore - media  to artistically reflect their themes, presented in the artworld. Others just embrace and (ab)use technology as a medium to seek new forms of representation in other (more public) environments.

 

Some artists/designers today reach back to outdated technologies (maybe for nostalgic reasons, as if it possesses more ‘spirit’) to spread the word. Others are experimenting with state-of-the-art audiovisual media to get a grip on their communicative or new aesthetic qualities.

 

What ofcourse is connecting them these days is that everyone is seeking for a public that asks for a shifting disposition of the reception of the works that use audiovisual media – either for for entertainment or for reflection. The border between the two however seems not so clear in all cases.

 

...EXP-O-LAB... is a series of expositions/events from artists and designers who have different approaches (dis)regarding the democratization of audiovisual media. ...EXP-O-LAB... presents these works together to highlite the possible differences in working with the available audiovisual media.

 

The primairy goal of ...EXP-O-LAB... is not to offer theory but to show work and to let the makers talk about their way of working.

By presenting selective works (or ways of working) together ...EXP-O-LAB... will show where the different approaches to audiovisual representation are actually merging or clashing.

 

SUMMARIZING:

 

The ...EXP-O-LAB...series are not topic or thematically related (any theme will do) but it all is about HOW you work, WHERE/for WHAT public you usually present your work and WHY you do this.

 

...EXP-O-LAB... opposes different approaches to audiovisual representation. It wil be informational and inspirational because it presents the works ‘out of the box’, experimentally together, in a safe and independent environment.

 

Please propose a work as follows:

 

1.     A plan for a work in max. 2 A4 (shorter=better) or documentation of a finished work (work in progress is preferred),

keeping in mind the oral or visual presentation of the HOW, WHERE, WHAT and WHY of your work.

2.     List of needed equipment for presentation

3.     A budget (materials and travelling costs)

4.     Some indication of your availablity for the period sept2007 /june 2008

 

We offer: the space, housing and publicity anyway. Other costs (standard fee, materials, travelling) are in progress to cover (we are still looking for subsidies and sponsors).

 

10 monthly events are scheduled from september 2007 - till june 2008 in the project space for contemporay art and dialogue ‘Meneer de Wit’.

 

For more info, photo’s or viewing of the space: wim@villalogica.nl

 

Deadline proposals: 15 th may 2007

Selection notification before 15th of june 2007

 

·       PROPOSALS can be emailed to:                        galerie@meneerdewit.com

·       documentation preferably online (URL/download)

·       or any other format by regular mail to:

 

Meneer de Wit ...EXP-O-LAB...

Att: Wim Jongedijk

Witte de Withstraat 10

1057 XV AMSTERDAM

NETHERLANDS

 

CURATED BY:

Initiator and curator of the series is Wim Jongedijk, filmmaker, artist and organiser of art events (www.villalogica.nl). The works for the series will be selected in corporation with Arjen Bangma, producer from Beyond _expression_ (www.beyondexpression.nl).

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