Chuck Lewin, “Sex And The Single Algorithm”

Grey Thumb features a talk by Chuck Lewin, “Sex And The Single Algorithm :: When: February 5, 2007, 7:00 pm :: Where: The Asgard Irish Pub & Restaurant (350 Mass. Ave, Central Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts) :: All are welcome.

Sex And The Single Algorithm: Similarities and Differences in the Reproductive Habits of Biological and Simulated agents: In honor of Valentines day, Chuck Lewin will use selected examples from the natural and artificial world to discuss differences and commonalities in how biological and simulated organisms reproduce, and how they map their genetic characteristics into a functional organism or artificial agent. Continue reading

Creativity, Support and Sustainability

New Frontiers in Arts Sociology: Creativity, Support and Sustainability :: Conference of the ESA Research Network Sociology for the Arts :: Lueneburg and Hamburg (Germany), March 28-April 1, 2007.

The ESA Research Network Sociology for the Arts is organizing its 8th meeting at the end of March 2007 in Lueneburg (Germany), with additional events in near-by Hamburg. The main conference venue will be at the University of Lueneburg, close to the medieval old town. The conference will feature keynote lectures, plenary discussions, paper sessions, workshops, and round tables. Following the triad theme of the conference, “Creativity, Support, and Sustainability”, we will put an emphasis on those issues that are of sociological interest within arts worlds but also relate to those powerful developments in economy, ecology and ethic contexts on the macro level that influence, manipulate or determine production, content and forms, distribution and reception of the arts.

Second Front watches “Strange Culture”

This week we were invited to attend the premiere of “Strange Culture“, an independent film by Lynn Hershman which discusses the infamous case of the arrest and pending trial of Steve Kurtz from the Critical Art Ensemble. The film will be shown at the Sundance Film Festival this week and has the distinction of being the first-ever feature film shown in Second Life.

It seemed altogether appropriate to have the first-ever performance art group in Second Life present at opening night (afternoon). We decided to don hazmat suits and gas masks to show our support for the defense in the ongoing Kurtz case. Second Front was unusually subdued in its urge to create a large-scale performance. We sat quietly and watched the film. The only sound besides the movie soundtrack was the constant clicking of the Second Life cameras as we documented this historic event.

Watching a movie in Second Life was totally weird. When you get to the movie theater, you hit the play movie control on your SL window. We’re all watching the same film, but a different times! That seems like the most significant difference from a traditional cinema. Continue reading Hazardous: Second Front watches “Strange Culture” by Great Escape, Second Front. Continue reading

TurntablistPC – CALL FOR PARTICIPATION :: The Art Museum of West Zealand invites you to participate in TurntablistPC, an internet-connected physical art installation by artist Mogens Jacobsen on show now at the museum through April 9th 2007. You can participate via your website from today on (please see below).

We are seeking the participation of websites from as many different countries as possible, so please forward this message to other interested parties.

WHAT IS TurntablistPC? TurntablistPC is a telematic hybrid of a turntable (a grammophone) and an old personal computer. Installed in the museum space, the TurntablistPC will play a vinyl record whenever someone visits one of the participating websites around the world, including your website. A video projection of a world map will show where the participating party is from, thus generating a map of global, remote participation for the local visitors in the museum space. Continue reading

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

Enter_Unknown Territories is an international New Technology Arts Festival and Conference happening in Cambridge for the first time from 25-29 April 2007.

PUBLIC ART EVENTS: From 25 to 29 April, Enter_ invites you to explore new ways of experiencing and making new technology performance and sonic arts. LED art installations, CCTV footage films and an interactive maze are just some of the works set to invade CambridgeÂ’s public spaces as Enter_ unfolds, claiming new territories.

WORKSHOPS: Visit our temporary dome site on ParkerÂ’s Piece to meet artists and find out more about new technology arts practice and process. Take part in a DIY workshop or hang out at the Mediashed or just drop in for a coffee to see what itÂ’s all about. Continue reading

Son-of-Copybot

A conversation with Social Autopoiesis, one of the first fully-formed interactive NPC avatars in Second Life. Best viewed as a Windows Media video here; low-res YouTube version here.

I got a clue from Dedric Mauriac, and found Social Autopoiesis sitting there on a park bench on the isle of Discordia. So I joined him, and got to talking, and after a time, he told me he was the son of Copybot. (Then again, he also claimed to be logging in from a leather bar in the Castro district.) Whatever the case, he’s perhaps the first avatar-based, conversation-enabled, non-player character to enter Second Life– a project stemming from libsecondlife, the admired (and occasionally vilified) initiative to create a reverse engineer version of the SL viewer. Making such ‘bots as Autopoiesis possible.

Like any conversation with a chatbot powered by a limited database, dialog with Social Autopoiesis is apt to run off the rails, on occasion; watch this video, to see. (View with Windows Media player; intermittently ribald chat possibly not safe for work, unless you work in a steel mill.) Or have a chat with him yourself– direct teleport here. Continue reading SOCIAL ANIMAL by W. James Au. Continue reading

Call for Entries

International Artist Call Art Tech Media 07:: Calling on all creatives of the world to participate. Submissions will be accepted from the following categories: A: – Video art – Net-art – 2D & 3D Computer Animation – Blog, videoblog – Creation for mobile platforms – Digital Music. B: – Digital Communities – Geospatial storytelling – Artificial Life, Software art, Transgenic art, Generative art.

In a globalised world, dominated by communication technologies, with countless questions concerning a future that affects our everyday life, it is essential to make this analysis and to consider, from different perspectives, how our polyhedral, altered reality is being effected by the widespread use of new technology as a support for new ideas and possibilities that are almost infinite. We need to investigate how this occurs in different societies and cultures and to propose models that may go beyond what has been known until now. Continue reading

The Work of Fred Forest

“Art and Society: The Work of Fred Forest” featuring Fred Forest :: Slought Foundation Exhibition :: Curated by Osvaldo Romberg :: February 03 – March 23, 2007 :: Reception: Saturday, February 03, 2007 ; 6:30-8:30pm :: Free admission (Reservation not required) :: A special seminar by Forest concerning his practice will take place immediately before the opening from 5:30-6:30pm, and will be moderated by Jean-Michel Rabate.

Fred Forest, “For an aesthetics of communication” (Plus Minus Zero, 1985): “I have always considered that the natural field of artistic production is the terrain of social activity. A field which may be enlarged and explored thanks to the new Communication technologies. This option upsets the holders of a fixed concept of aesthetics, who are incapable of grasping the obvious articulation between this type of practice, the concept of art, and a society in transformation. We are called upon to ask the question “Where are the frontiers of art situated?” It’s a brave man who will stick his neck out! There is no frontier. Art is an attitude–
Continue reading

Call for Entries

Collision 11 is looking for experimental technology based artwork. Collision 11 will be held in conjunction with the Cambridge Science Festival and the Boston Cyberarts Festival.

In order to submit, first add yourself as a user (if you haven’t already in a prior submission), login, and then use the submissions navigation link to submit your proposal. After initially submitting, reedit to add collaborators. If you have any trouble send me mail.

Collision 11 will take place at the mit stata center balcony apr 20 – may 3 on the two weekends from 12p-6pm and during the week 9a – 5p. The opening will take place on sat apr 21st at 6-9pm. Artists will be responsible for artsitting during the two weekends. Continue reading

The Nature of the Urban Night

Night Haunts is a collaboration between writer Sukhdev Sandhu, website designer Ian Budden and sound artist and musician Scanner. Night Haunts unfolds in monthly episodes through 2006 on this specially designed site.

In this contemporary nocturnal journal, Sandhu prospects in the London night with the people who drive its pulse from night cleaners to praying nuns, security guards to the Samaritans. In each episode, Sandhu reflects on the nature of the urban night. Has night life been corroded by light and entertainment? What are the invisible forces that pulse through the sleeping city? Is real darkness possible any more? Continue reading