[nettime-see] [spectre] transmediale.05 Conference programme

[zeljko blace <zblace@mi2.hr>]

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transmediale.05
BASICS
international media art festival berlin
http://www.transmediale.de
info@transmediale.de
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English version
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Newsletter 22.12.2004

transmediale.05
BASICS
Berlin, February 4 – 8, 2005
Haus der Kulturen der Welt

Conferences
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1. Conferences
2. BASIC Life
3. BASIC Security
4. Art and Social Responsibility
5. Xeno_Tech Interim Report
6. Sound Art Visual
7. BASICS of Media Art
8. Re-Thinking Media History
9. BASIC Media Education
10. Cool Interaction

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1. Conferences

transmediale.05 questions the BASICS of our contemporary culture in
the areas of
biotechnology, politics and media art amongst others. Will our existence 
become
newly defined in gene-technology laboratories, and how can one acquire this
biotechnical knowledge? Security technology is deployed at the expense of
individual freedom - how much 'BASIC Security' do we need? As well, our
perception of what constitutes our basic political, media-related and 
aesthetic
needs must continually be redefined. Necessities, demands and possibilities
change, whether in the production of art, in the education of media 
producers,
or in our understanding of interactivity. The conference programme discusses
current and historical art and cultural projects - a springboard for an
approach to the Next-Level-BASICS.

All conferences will take place at Haus der Kulturen der Welt,
John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10, 10557 Berlin.
All conference panels in the auditorium will be translated 
simultaneously into
German/English.

Conference programme in cooperation with the Federal Agency for Civic
Education.

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2. BASIC Life

The handling of genetic information is determined by economic interest - 
long
before the ethics-committee could decide as to how to go about the issue
responsibly. Great Britain and Estonia have already begun to create national
gene pools because they claim to recognize them as the business of the 
future.

The starting point for this panel is the development of bio and gene 
technology
and a questioning of the ethical basics of our socitey. Which boundaries are
transgressed by the new bio-political regime? How, with the present
circumstances, should we newly define 'man', nature, agriculture and
nourishment? Without claiming to provide an appropriate response, 
artists are
creatively trying to negotiate their way through this moral quagmire. 
Questions
regarding societal awareness of bio-technology and the protection of
bio-political self-determination will be raised.

Participants:
Steve Kurtz, Critical Art Ensemble, Buffalo
Henk Oosterling, philosopher, Rotterdam
Claire Pentecost, artist, Chicago
Presented by: Jan-Christoph Heilinger, Humboldt University, Berlin

Conference: BASIC Life
Sun 6.2. 12-15 hrs
auditorium

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3. BASIC Security

Security has become a central issue in political negotiations. In the 
interest
of 'security', every type of intrusion, whether in the private sphere or to
overall civil liberties, becomes justifiable. Where social security 
systems are
compromised in aid of increasingly private personal-risk takeovers, all 
areas
of military, infrastructural and police power are the primacy of abstract,
mass-media created fear-tactics to fuel further security requirements.
The fear of insecurity and terror paves the way for new control technology.
Beside the broad surveillance of net-based data traffic (Echelon) and the
complete surveillance of city centres, come bio-metric security systems
(fingerprinting, iris-scans) and the localisation of persons by GPS
transmitters, as well as of goods and objects via RFID-Chips. Comprehensive
security systems seem to replace ideals of a free society. This panel 
explores
the relationship between technical, political and cultural aspects of the
security issue and questions its ethical boundaries.

Participants:
Konrad Becker, Public Netbase, Wien
Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, Brown University, New York
McKenzie Wark, media theorist, Lang University, New York
Presented by: Jeanette Hofmann, sociologist, Berlin (to be confirmed)

Conference: BASIC Security
Sun 6.2. 16-19 hrs
auditorium

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4. Art and Social Responsibility

Artists have an important role in the articulation of local conflicts
and global
change. The aim of this panel is to draw attention to the differences and
similarities in artistic and activist strategies emerging from South 
East Asia
and Europe. Asian curators and artists will present their work and discuss
their experiences with the public role of the artist in social and political
development, whilst focusing on the implications of these issues in the 
field
of media art with their European counterparts. The artists will talk about
their work within the context of creative media practices, both within the
hugely varied East Asia region, and beyond. An important side-effect of the
panel will be the intensification of cooperation and networking among the
different groups and individuals.
Kindly supported by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)

Participants:
Keiko Sei, Bangkok
Vincensius 'venzha' Christiawan, Venzha and the House of Natural Fiber, 
Jakarta
Yukiko Shikata, ICC Tokyo / MobLab, Tokyo
Dominick Chen, Tokyo
Woon Tien Wei, tsunamii.net, Singapore
Marie Le Sourd, ASEF, Singapore

Conference: Art and Social Responsibility
Fri 4.2. 16-18 hrs
K1

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5. Xeno_Tech Interim Report

Technology and media - whether used for medical, military or informational
purposes - have become the symbols of our present and future, as well as an
indicator of prowess, progress, and civilisation. In other words, 
control over
technology and media (their production, dissemination and usage) 
function asan
index of power.
What happens when Eastern Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia 
develop
their own understanding of these technologies? Does this produce a cultural
break and an identity crisis within a supposedly dominant Western techno
culture?
The panel presents an interim report of 'Xeno_Tech', a curatorial research
project conducted by Deanna Herst and Nat Muller. The aim of 'Xeno_Tech' 
is to
examine how cultural differences, media and technology affect artistic
practices and representation. The featured guests will question, from 
their own
context and practice, paradigms of locality, urban space, identity, and
technology.
Xeno_Tech is supported by The Netherlands Foundation for Visual Arts,
Design and
Architecture

Participants:
Deanna Herst, curator and lecturer, Amsterdam
Nat Muller, curator and lecturer, Rotterdam
Lea Mauas, Sala-Manca, Jerusalem
Gueben Incirlioglu, Xurban, Istanbul
Charles Lim, Tien Woon, Tsunamii, Singapore

Conference: BASIC technologies - Xeno_tech
Fri 4.2. 14-16 hrs
K1

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6. Sound Art Visual

The dominance of the visual in media art has broken down. Finally,
technical and
creative requirements are given for an equal presentation of both sound and
image, in spatial installations as well as live-performances. 
Conceptually, it
remains difficult to pinpoint the respective meaning of the aesthetic 
means in
terms like audio-visual art, optophonetics or live cinema, one or the other
tends to always stand in the foreground.
The panel 'Sound Art Visual' questions the latitude and boundaries of 
various
means of artistic expression such as video images, sound, architecture or
performance. It is concerned with the convergence and divergence of a 
digital
aesthetic and with the interfaces of current media art
The event is part of the Live Cinema programme series in which the 
transmediale
and the club transmediale 2005 jointly organise performances, workshops and
discussions.
In cooperation with Sound Studies - Akustische Kommunikation (UdK Berlin) -
www.udk-sound.de

Participants:
Anthony Moore, KHM Koeln
Edwin van der Heide, artist, Rotterdam
Elena Ungeheuer, musicologist, TU Berlin
Presented by: Holger Schulze, Sound Studies, UdK Berlin

Conference: Sound Art Visual
Fri 4.2. 18-20 hrs
K1

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7. BASICS of Media Art

Media art was, for a long time, defined by its use of new electronic
and digital
technology, which appeared in rapid succession in the 1990s and offered new
communication and interactive possibilities. Today these technologies 
are, for
the most part, well-developed and mainstream. Media art can therefore focus
more on its societal and cultural meanings. The once tense relationship 
between
art and media art is currently propelled more by dialogue and 
bridge-building.

The discussion regarding the fundamentals of a media art, which no 
longer can
solely define itself by its use of digital technology, has resulted in the
abolishment of the competition categories (image, interaction, software) 
of the
transmediale award competition. The first result is a fundamentally broader
perspective of the potential of media art, and of the aesthetic 
possibilities
of interdisciplinary approaches.

Participants:
Gunalan Nadarajan, LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts, Singapore, member of
transmediale Jury 2005
Sally Jane Norman, Culture Lab, Newcastle, member of transmediale Jury 2003
Christiane Paul, Whitney Museum, New York City, member of transmediale Jury
2005
Presented by: Mercedes Bunz, editor of magazine DE:BUG - Zeitung fuer
elektronische Lebensaspekte, Phd candidate at Bauhaus-University Weimar

Conference: BASICS of Media Art
Sat 5.2. 16-18 hrs
auditorium

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8. Re-Thinking Media History

The histories of the media arts are rooted in numerous disciplines. 
Often these
histories are understood as coinciding with the technical, social, or 
artistic
spheres. Yet it is clear that the development of media (broadly speaking) is
joined with communication, representation, invention, science, and with
speculative worlds, imaginary communities, and experiences that demand 
broader
approaches to historiography.
Though it is convenient to trace the development of 'media art' in 
relation to
particular technologies (and more and more to specific softwares), a more
reasoned approach is evolving as a 'media archaeology' that attempts to
understand the historical stages in which technologies have corresponded 
with
social and artistic transformations and to realize the reverberating effects
these have had on contemporary practices.
Re-thinking Media History will focus on the reciprocal relationship between
media practice and media theory.

Participants:
Ute Holl, film maker and theorist, Bauhaus University, Weimar
David Tomas, media theorist and artist, Univ. of Quebec
Siegfried Zielinski, media art theorist, KHM, Cologne
Julien Maire, artist, Berlin
Woody Vasulka, artist, ZKM, Santa Fe / Karlsruhe
Presented by: Timothy Druckrey, media theorist and curator, New York

Conference: Re-Thinking Media History
Mon 7.2. 14-18 hrs
auditorium

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9. BASIC Media Education

A large number of colleges, fine arts institutions and universities are
currently offering courses in media art, media design and in media 
theory. For
this reason, there is a growing demand for international dialogue and
cooperation. In November 2004, the Dutch Electronic Art Festival organized a
colloquium with the title 'Open Alliances' attended by representatives from
various Dutch institutions to discuss their experiences with 
interdisciplinary
projects and their cooperation with higher-education, industry and research
institutes. This forum will also be taking place during transmediale.05 
witha
focus on the conceptual and technical fundamentals of media education. What
role does technical material play for the development of curriculum and 
to what
extent is our understanding of media culture dependent upon the continually
growing demands of software and hardware? Is media education 'doomed to
upgrade'?

Participants:
Keiko Sei, educator on independent media in South East Asia, Bangkok
Geert Lovink, media theorist, Institute of Network Cultures Amsterdam
Lorenz Engell, Bauhaus-Universitaet Weimar (to be confirmed)
Presented by: Alex Adriaansens, director of V2_Organisation, Rotterdam

Conference: BASIC Media Education
Tue 8.2. 12-14 hrs
K1

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10. Cool Interaction

In continuation of the critical interaction debates hosted by
transmediale, this
panel discusses new critical methodologies of interactivity in 
trans-cultural
media art. It investigates classical and ancient, esp. Asian aesthetics as
'cool aesthetics'. The notion of 'cool' is borrowed from the cultural media
theorist McLuhan who described 'cool' or 'cold' media as stimulating
participants to complete auditive or visual media content, in sharp 
contrastto
'hot' media that degrades the viewer to a merely passive or non-interactive
receiver. Asian countries, for example Japan, have developed a tradition on
their own to explore types of 'cool' or 'ambiguous' aesthetics. For 
instance,
the concept of 'ma' in Japan is interactive, insofar as interaction 
takes place
between viewer and image by means of a projective imagination. We would 
liketo
remediate these classical strategies of mental interactivity in various
cultures and explore them in the context of technical, physical, electronic,
and interactive media.

Participants:
Hiroshi Yoshioka, philosopher and curator, Institute of Advanced Media 
Arts and
Sciences (IAMAS), Ogaki: "Slowness and Speed of Light: Aesthetics of 
Play and
Interval"
Gunalan Nadarajan, art historian and critic, LASALLE-SIA College of the 
Arts,
Singapore: "Islamic Control: Ludic Machines of al-Jazari as Visual Play"
Boseul Shin, media art theorist, Seoul: "In-between Analogue and Digital in
Contemporary Korean Media Art"
Henk Oosterling, philosopher, Rotterdam: "Japanese Inter-Esse: 'MA' as
In-Between"
Axel Roch, media theorist and artist, Goldsmith College, London: "Cool Up.
Virtual Surfaces and Projective Media"

Conference: Cool Interaction
Tue 8.2. 14-19 hrs
auditorium


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transmediale.05 - BASICS - 4-8 february 2005
international media art festival berlin
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transmediale - Klosterstr.68-70 - 10179 Berlin
tel. +49 (0)30.24749-761 fax. +49 (0)30.24749-814
info@transmediale.de - http://www.transmediale.de
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Member of the European Coordination of Film Festivals
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