August 18, 2006
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF IRATIONAL.ORG
Tools, Techniques and Events 1996-2006
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF IRATIONAL.ORG: Tools, Techniques and Events 1996-2006 :: Daniel G. Andujar (Valencia/E), Rachel Baker (London/GB), Kayle Brandon (Bristol/GB), Heath Bunting (Bristol/GB), Minerva Cuevas (Mexico City/MEX), Marcus Valentine (Bristol/GB) ::
Have you ever taken part in International Tree Climbing Day? Did you know that there is a genetically modified "superweed" resistant to current herbicides such as Roundup? How would you react to the statement "Remember, language is not free?" Have you ever heard of "Public Sculpture Climbing" or the "Tour de Fence"? All of these are projects that have taken form around the server irational.org in recent years.
On August 27, 2006, the Hartware MedienKunstVerein in the PHOENIX Halle Dortmund is opening a unique exhibition project called "The Wonderful World of irational.org. Techniques, Tools, and Events 1996 - 2006". The show will run from August 30 to October 29, 2006.
Irational is a loose grouping of six international net and media artists who came together around the server irational.org, founded by the British net artist Heath Bunting in 1996, going on to make decisive contribution to early net art from the mid-1990s onward. With dry humor and minimal aesthetics, irational commented the Internet hype of the mid-to-late 1990s, competing with the commercialization-euphoria of the new market by developing its own pseudo-ventures. Net art was immediate during this period, neither needing nor enjoying the safety of a mediating space or instance. This is why irational often hit upon humorless trademark attorneys, who wanted to keep irational from using brand names such as 7-11, American Express, Sainsbury's and Tesco. These encounters, which the exhibition documents extensively, were little more than a prelude to more recent developments in the field of copyright, intellectual property, and brand protection. Heath Bunting was the first net artist to retire in 1997, putting an end to his exclusive work on the net and turning back to more intensive work in public space, which the Internet has become such an important part of today. If the activities of irational during its "net phase" were dedicated to calling virtual boundaries into question, its members now experiment with interrogating and overcoming economic, political, and social boundaries in real space, producing a great deal of comic relief, among other things.
Never before have so many complex and relevant artworks from around irational.org been shown in such a comprehensive exhibition. The goal of the exhibition is to use the media of a large-scale showing, workshops, and a comprehensive documentation to make these artistic-activist pieces more accessible to a general public.
The Hartware MedienKunstVerein, which - like irational - is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, has received significant funding through the Federal Cultural Foundation of Germany (Kulturstiftung des Bundes).
Inke Arns, Jacob Lillemose
A comprehensive accompanying program can be found at www.hmkv.de
Exhibition curated by Inke Arns, Jacob Lillemose
irational Action Weekend curated by Francis Hunger
Managing director: Susanne Ackers
Exhibition architecture and technical director: Uwe Gorski
Organisation, coordination: Francis Hunger, Darija Simunovic
PR: Roland Kentrup, Dortmund
A catalogue will be published at the end of October 2006: Susanne Ackers / Inke Arns / Francis Hunger / Jacob Lillemose (eds.) The Hartware Guide to irational.org Revolver - Archiv fuer aktuelle Kunst, Frankfurt
am Main 2006, ISBN 3-86588-299-4
Funded by:
Kulturstiftung des Bundes
Der Ministerpraesident des Landes NRW
Kulturbuero Stadt Dortmund
dortmund-project
PHOENIX
LEG
Media partner: Heinz
Venue: Hartware MedienKunstVerein (HMKV) at PHOENIX Halle Dortmund Hochofenstrasse / corner Rombergstrasse Dortmund-Hörde (no postal address!)
Opening hours PHOENIX Halle
During the exhibitions of HMKV:
Wed 11:00 - 17:00, Thu until Sun 11:00 - 20:00
Tuesday, October 3, 2006, open 11:00 - 20:00
Admission: 4 Euro / reduced 2 Euro
Guided tours: Each Sunday at 16:00 ::Individual tours on request (Tel ++49 - 231 - 823 106)
How to get there by car: B 54 exit Rombergpark, Nortkirchenstraße
direction of Hörde, left into Entenpoth (speed 30 zone), then left into Hochofenstrasse
How to get there by subway: U41 direction Hörde until Dortmund-Hörde Bahnhof, 10 min. ride from Dortmund main railway station, then a 10 min. walk
Map: http://www.hmkv.de/dyn/e_contact_roaddescription/
HMKV Team: Dr. Inke Arns (Artistic director Hartware MedienKunstVerein) Susanne Ackers (Managing director Hartware MedienKunstVerein) Uwe Gorski (Technical director) Francis Hunger (Junior Curator) Darija Simunovic (Project coordinator and management)
Posted by jo at August 18, 2006 09:47 AM
