Syndicate: CefCa

["Melentie Pandilovski" <mpandil@soros.org.mk>]

NEW INITIATIVE OF THE SOROS CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY
ARTS - SKOPJE, MACEDONIA 

CENTER FOR COMPUTER ART (CEFCA) 


After two very successful annual exhibitions of SCCA - Skopje,
Macedonia (Image Box and especially  after the second CD ROM project
Icon on Silver), and regarding the activities in the field of media,
SCCA proceeded with opening a venue for creative understanding of new
media and electronic arts. The experiences gained from the work and
contacts were sufficient to develop a Center where the artists who are
interested can continue their activities that began with the project
Icon on Silver,  and especially for those who applied later, showing a
substantial interest in multimedia and computer art. 

CefCA is promoting the following activities:

a. Web Site. The documentation for the artists is a priority activity
in this paragraph. 

- Internet Database  The Macedonian Internet Art Database is
continuously expanded with various data covering  the Artists' files,
Comprehensive Documentation and documentation about various art
projects. 678 Macedonian artists are covered in the Internet Database.

The interest is expanded by the idea to place the CD ROM Icon on
Silver, as the first interactive project from Macedonia, on Internet.

- Internet Conferences. One of the projects within this program will
be the organizing of the first video conference in Macedonia. 

CefCa is also engaged in the organization of specific CuSeeMe
conferences which especially focus on the artistic, cultural and
social implications arousing from the phenomenon of electronic arts.
These Conferences  are of an international character and urge and
alleviate the communication between the artists, critics, and
interested audience. 


b) CefCA projects. The projects that are produced in CefCA are of
special interest for SCCA. Different kinds of artistic treatment of
the electronic media can give an insight in the production of the
Macedonian artistic scene. Because of this, several different
approaches to this technology also include the professionals from
non-artistic areas. The production is granted by means of open
competition. In this way, the SCCA Board is selecting three to five
projects realized in the period of one year, which are completely
financially covered by SCCA. This implies that SCCA offers technical
equipment and professional assistance for the project. 

- Computer Art Projects. These projects include the preparation of the
entire software for initiating installations which involve computer
and interactive components. The new projects of the Archimediala group
and the artists Nada Prlja, Stefan Buzarovski, Miroslav Stojanovik -
Suki are in a preparatory phase. The first realized project in 1997
will be performed on 09.04.1997 for the opening of Synthesis -
Festival of 20th Century Music.

- Internet Projects. The project "Welcome Back to the Empire" of
Melentie Pandilovski which is placed on
http://w.soros.org.mk/scca/empire/ is the pilot project of SCCA which
provides primary experiences in this field. Continuos steps are 
directed towards the enriching of the interactive components of the
WWW Site. 

 - CD ROM Projects. Having the experience of the first CD-ROM in
 Macedonia Icon on Silver, the basic idea for these projects is the
 intention of continuing with this kind of artistic exploration. The
 increased interest for this will provide at least one project a year.
 

- Moving Images. In order to develop all other possibilities of the
electronic  treatment of motion picture and video record, these
projects enable extending of the "classical" art disciplines, either
in video clips, motion pictures, or interactive film. The efforts are
aimed at involving artists from experimental areas of computer
technology, with the goal of  surpassing of the limits of traditional
disciplines, towards their mixing and evolving. In this way, the
current video production would become more popular. 

- Computer Design Projects. These projects are planned to overcome the
actual, or conventional approach towards the computer design, rather
than to continue the present one. The projects should be based on the
possibilities for software support. By experimenting with the
different possibilities of the software, the results will be used for
the publications of SCCA.  

- Computer Sound Projects. In order to stimulate the computer-post
production of the sound for the art projects (which are more and more
present in Macedonia) this will be provided to the interested artists.

- Free Laboratory  in the frame work of CefCa which is used for
training artists and interested audience in using the tools for the
creation of electronic arts.

- Internet provider.  More than 50 free Internet accounts will be
provided in 1997 to the artists and galleries.

- CD ROM Library        The growing CD ROM Library is of service to the
interested artists and audience.


c)  Video. CefCA produces all the video materials of the SCCA
programs, and makes copies of other visual materials of different
artistic performances and events in Macedonia. Within this activity is
the co-production of artistic videos in co-operation with other
students as well as with other institutions interested.

d)  Educational aspects. Through the activities that will be realized
CefCA shall primarily represent a place for information and education
for all interested persons including the introductory information for
the new technologies and possibilities of the artistic work. CefCa
will enable  different aspects of the approaches towards these
technologies, especially through direct work with the equipment,
serious lectures, electronic library etc.


Melentie Pandilovski
assistant director

Soros Center for Contemporary Arts - Skopje
Ruzveltova 34
91000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia

Tel/Fax: 389.91.361.855
e-mail:  mpandil@soros.org.mk    scca@soros.org.mk
http://www.soros.org.mk