i-DAT has been awarded a Canada Council for the Arts ‘Grants to New Media and Audio Artists: New Media Residencies’ for the sound and installation artist Marc Fournel. This follows initial funding from the Canada Council for the Arts for a research visit to i-DAT in September 2007, where Marc presented a first version of his installation SKIN-PÔ. This new award will enable Marc to develop a project incorporating Arch-OS and the Immersive Vision Theatre (Full Dome). Watch this space for further developments…
A new series of projects and residencies that have been developed through an ongoing collaboration exploring new systems and technologies for artistic production, dissemination and participation that challenge traditional models of creation and consumption of art. Artists and Curator; Stanza (UK) 8 February – 6 April, Cadu (Brazil) 11 January – 11 March and Basak Senova (Turkey) 19 January – 9 February, will be residence spending time at both organisations exploring new work to create a series of new commissions and a seminar. i-DAT refer to the prominence of online social networks to create a series of creative interventions and works ‘S-OS: Social Operating System for Plymouth’ in the galleries at Plymouth Arts Centre from the 8 February – 6 April.
http://www.plymouthac.org.uk
Basak Senova is an international curator and founder of the online curatorial project nomad TV. She will undertake a two-week research residency hosted by Plymouth Arts Centre and i-DAT as part of the Curatorial Network programme to explore the potential of online environment and social networking tools as mechanisms for generating cultural exchange.
The particular focus of the residency is on ideas of cross-cultural generosity, sharing, communication and social interaction in contemporary curatorial practice. Using the Curatorial Network’s online resources including discussion List and website as a research platform, Senova will initiate a debate about curatorial exchanges and develop a map of curatorial network in the region and internationally. In this way she will also map parallel cases and counter-actions that are linked to contemporary art practices that set new modes and channels for social, political and cultural information flow.
The debate generated through the residency will conclude with development of a seminar for March 2008, as the third of the Curatorial Network programme. The Curatorial Network is a collaborative initiative involving curators working independently and as part of organizations across the visual and applied arts, museum and academic sectors. It offers an online portal and programme of activities dedicated to the development of curatorial practice through critical debate, collaborations, professional development opportunities and exchange. It explores the metaphor of ‘network’ in relation to curating to discuss dynamics and models of curatorial networks, to advance collaborative curatorial practice and to develop international curatorial network. The Curatorial Network runs a series of international curatorial research residencies and seminars as well as international visits for curators based in South West of the UK. For further information on the Curatorial Network, details of the programme and to join the discussion list, see http://www.curatorial.net/
11 January – 11 March.
Cadu (Carlos Eduardo Felix da Costa) has been invited to undertake a three-month residency as part of an International Fellowship supported by the Arts Council of England. Cadu is an artist based in Brazil and will undertake this residency for the first time in the UK. This is an opportunity for this artist to define new ideas and processes in his work, by collaborating quite specifically with i-DAT the artist intends to work with the Robotics Research department at Plymouth University. This situation is a unique opportunity for the artists to explore advanced technologies and collaborate with engineers and scientist.
The International Fellowships Programme enables artists from all art forms and at any stage of their career to engage with artists and arts organisations from other cultures and disciplines. Selected artists are offered fellowships primarily for practice-based research, experimentation and the development of new work in relation to the artistic ethos of international hosts and the cultural contexts of the countries in which they are based.
Dr Paul Thomas, Artistic Director of BEAP.(Biennale of Electronic Arts Perth 2007) will be the i-DAT Interactive Architecture Resident artist during the month of July. Thomas will be further developing Arch-OS through the i-500 Project extension. With funding provided by Curtin University the residency will focus on the articulation of the dynamic data generated by the public art instillation to be incorporated into the fabric of the Curtin University of Technology Minerals and Chemistry Research and Education Precinct buildings. http://www.i-500.org
Higher education has changed rapidly over recent years, reflecting the general tendency of increased corporatisation of culture at large. Management cultures insist on personal responsibility where the individual employee is supposed to align themselves with the organisation’s brand values. The phrase, “I want to make a difference”, reveals something of the tendency towards increased individualisation and a break with previous collective ways of engendering change. Does this demonstrate the view that large corporate and hierarchical institutions are ineffectual, that local and more complex models are at work in the forces of change? Who holds responsibility in seeking positive improvement in the workplace and in terms of the service on offer? Will the number of people pressing the “I want to make adifference” button reveal a true willingness or an empty gesture towards change? The shift from the individual sound to a chorus by the end of the project presents itself as an allegory in this respect. http://www.i-dat.org/projects/makingadifference/
