Syndicate: CyGnet starts late July

[yshikata@crpg.canon.co.jp (Yukiko Shikata)]

dear syndicalists,

here is the press information of CyGnet, the new Internet art
gallery sponsored by Shiseido cosmetic company where i was
involved for the launch and curated "Tyrell.Hungary" by EastEdge
(Hungary), led by Daniel Molnar, as one of two inaugural projects
(as freelance curator, besides of ARTLAB).

all the best, yukiko shikata(yshikata@crpg.canon.co.jp)

--------------------------------------------------------
July 1998            Shiseido Co., Ltd.


Creative "CyGnet" Art Gallery on the Internet
available late July

        CyGnet (Cyber Gallery Network), the gallery on the Internet
which Shiseido has newly introduced, is an experiment to explore the
possibilities of using the Internet for art. New works of this special net
art, created by collaboration among people such as artists, web designers,
and curators, will be added to about three or four times a year.
        The first exhibition will show two works: "Tyrell.Hungary" by
EastEdge (led by Daniel Molnar), a group based in Hungary promoting
digital culture going beyond genres, and "Constellation Project" by
Japanese Akane Asaoka, based in Barcelona.

Title:  CyGnet (Cyber Gallery Network)
URL:    www.shiseido.co.jp/cygnet/
Scheduled to start late July, 1998
Sponsor: Computer Design Group, Advertising Department / Corporate Culture
Department, Shiseido Co., Ltd.

For further information, please contact:
Mr. Higuchi, Corporate Culture Department, Shiseido Co., Ltd.
Tel: (03) 3289-8204  Fax: (03) 3289-0543


1) "Tyrell.Hungary" by EastEdge

        In this project, a virtual corporate website "Tyrell.Hungary" is
set up, which provides various services to meet the needs of
contemporary people. The user will have access to services such as
"Virtual Idoru," "Future Radio," and "Gene Bank." The word "Tyrell" comes
from "Tyrell Corporation,"  the replicant-producing company in the movie
"Blade Runner" directed by Ridley Scott. "Tyrell.Hungary" functions as an
agency which can expand our desires at the same time that it promotes
currently acceleratedly developing technology. By establishing a virtual
corporation on the net, it allows users to tap into issues between providers
of information and themselves in the information-environment of the
 Internet and focus on boundaries between local/global and real/fictional.
For example, the issue of ethics concerning the treatment of life (which we
now face through the development of bio-technology) obscures the border
between self and others, and between humans and that transcendental
being above the level of humans. It also questions how humans can be
defined in this contemporary era. Tyrell.Hungary is, in a virtual sense, a
slice of reality.


EastEdge:

This is a group set up by Daniel Molnar in 1993 for a contemporary
cultural network. The group created the first electronic publication in
the Hungarian language about the cyberpunk subculture in 1994.
The group has been hyped worldwide for its launch of the first Hungarian
Internet radio "ParaRadio" in 1997. No one knows the real roots of the
hype surrounding the group, but they are having numerous amourful
relationships with other likeminded people all around the world - no doubt
about it. The group also held digital music workshops for gypsy folk
musicians at Rroma DubB, sponsored by C3 (Media Art Center of Soros
Foundation in Budapest) in 1997. EastEdge started two
projects:"Plan:Money:Sex" and "The Bridge" at C3.

about the member of EastEdge:

* cj.b2men (Daniel Molnar) / Leader of EastEdge (Concept & Direction)
Born in Szeged, Hungary in 1976. Learned computer science at JATE
University, Department of Artificial Intelligence. Familiar with handling the
computer since the age of ten, and became active in the underground
techno scene. Established the independent record label and DJ agency
called "GetUp@9 Records" with his friends in 1996. Presently working
at Carnation Strategic Internet Consultant as new media consultant.

* AlieN (Gergely Antal) / Member of EastEdge (Web Authoring)
Born in Budapest, Hungary in 1978. Learned computer technology at
the Technical University of Budapest (BME), Department of Informatics.
Started to work with EastEdge since the launch of ParaRadio, utilizing
up-to-date web technology, as a freelance webmaster.

 * DarkEye (Akos Maroy) / Member of EastEdge (Concept & Programming)
Born in Szeged, Hungary in 1974. Learned computer science & economics
at the Attila Jozsef University of Sciences, Szeged. Recent programming
works include examples in th fields of artificial intelligence, multimedia
and internetworking communication.

* Xybear (Mate Zimmermann) / Member of EastEdge (Multimedia Authoring,
Design) Born in Budapest, Hungary in 1977. Learned computer technology
at the Technical University of Budapest (BME), Department of Informatics.
Multimedia supervisor of the NetTeam of ParaRadio, familiar with most used
HTML, JavaScript, Flash and 3D graphics knowledge.

* Jinx (Sandor Szabo) / Member of EastEdge (Coordination and Logistics)
Born in Szeged, Hungary in 1977. Coordinator of ParaRadio at Soros Center
for Culture and Communication (C3) in Budapest. One of the funders of
EastEdge since its early years back in the computer underground.


2) "Constellation Project" by Akane Asaoka

        In the Constellation Project, vehicles' lights and other city
lights are seen as stars, connected to make virtual constellations which
are based on photographs. Constellations are, to begin with, a group of
stars which are created through man's imagination. They are actually
located by some light-years apart in real space. Constellations are
creations of human imagination as humans try to find meaning in a void
and create a world they can comprehend.
       Each viewer making access to the Constellation Project would start
to make his/her own virtual constellation with the city lights. The viewer
might also imagine how numerous virtual connections are made on the net,
which can be regarded as a kind of constellations. Asaoka shows the
Constellation Project as a telescope which allows one to look around the
original world through daily objects.
        The Constellation Project consists of the "Ginza Planetarium" and
the "Table of Summer Constellations." In "Ginza Planetarium," the viewer
looks at the constellation called Ginza through the virtual planetarium.
(This geographic place called "Ginza," located in the center of Tokyo, can
be translated as "Silver Constellation" by reading its Chinese characters/
ideographs.) The content of the "Table of Summer Constellations" will
change with the season. Viewers worldwide will send in photographs
taken at different times at different locations, and in this way new
constellations will be continually added.


Akane Asaoka:

Born in Tokyo in 1966. Entered the Theater Arts Division, Fine Arts
Department, Nihon University, but withdrew in 1987. Graduated from
Art Department, Goldsmith College, National University of London in
1991. Graduated from Grenoble Ecole des Beaux-Arts in France, in 1993.
Lives in Barcelona.

Major solo exhibitions:

1994    "Archetypes" Sala Mas, Santa Coloma de Gramanet, Barcelona, Spain.
1997    "Esperando la Tormenta (Waiting for the Storm)" Sala Montcada de
la Fundacio La Caixa, Barcelona, Spain.

Major group exhibitions:

1994    "Sous Reserve de Modification" Usine d'Engrais Letellier, Montpellier,
Spain.
1995    "Women/Beyond Borders" Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum,
California, USA.
1996    "La Festa" Galeria Metoroporitana de Barcelona (GMB), Barcelona, Spain.
1997    "Sweet de Barcelona" ACC Galerie, Weimar, Germany.
"Art & Document" Art Museum Ginza, Tokyo, Japan.
1998    ARCO International Art Fair 1998 (Galeria Metropolitana de Barcelona),
Madrid, Spain.