south african art

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22 April 2005 by nathaniel

watercolours and works on paper @ warren siebrits

william kentridge at warren siebrits

kentridge’s UNTITLED watercolor concertina, circa 1991

First, I gotta say that the siebrits site is just about finished, and it’s already looking pretty classy… I like it when SA arts go live for the rest of the world to find! Woot.

Second, as usual, Warren et al have put together a fine exhibition of some of South Africa’s staple artists, both during the struggle, and after. There are two main highlights about this exhibition, and they compliment one another greatly.

The first is the curator’s uncanny ability to educate the public (including those supposedly “in the know,” I might add – god, I love his catalogues). The show is exhibiting mostly unknown works by aforementioned artists – and all done in watercolor, rather than the usually collected oil. Siebrits, on some level, talks about these pieces as unsung genius, claiming that one must differentiate between a masterpiece, and a work that simply bears an artist’s signature.

The second thing I love is the element of surprise in this show. I went around guessing at who did what and when (based on the aesthetics I think I know in South African art), and was mostly wrong. (Norman Catherine and Malcolm Payne immediately come to mind….)

See the show, and definitely get the catalogue.

Archives

21 April 2005 by nathaniel

crazy days

Sorry for the virtual silence, everyone – been a bit hektik with the upcoming show (hope to see you on Friday at Franchise!). Other goings-on this week and after: There’s a screening of Joyti Mistry’s film at Wits tonight, 6pm (head of television) Great show, according to the amiable Zingi Mkefa, at Gallery Momo Muti opened a show last week Friday Digital Soiree at Wits – 1st in a series of turntablist explorations (at.joburg affiliated) Also, some up and comings are the creative commons commons sense conference, 25 – 27 May (contact me if interested in being involved – I may be organizing some artists and bloggers to meet with the main peops; starring larry lessig!)…. and Marina Abramovic at the Johannesburg Art Gallery (1 May and ongoing)! Great time to love art!

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17 April 2005 by nathaniel

compressionism and experiment02

A couple of days ago, I posted the invite to experiment02, my second duo show – and third, large-scale collaboration – with marcus neustetter. My half of the show, the beginning of a new body of work, has now been added to this site, as well as launched its own! For more information on Compressionism, you can head on over to http://compressionism.net, or just use the "concepts" link on my top, flash menu (above), to see it in relation to the rest of my work. There will be video documentation on the main Compressionism site by this Thursday, so keep an eye out. Yes, it’s cheeky. Hee. Anywho, here’s a press release about the show, which opens (with free drinks) next Friday (22 April) @ Franchise, in Johannesburg. Hope it gets you excited….

experiment02 at franchise

nathaniel stern | marcus neustetter experiment02 stern + neustetter invite 22 April 2005 – 14 May 2005 Opening: 18h00 Friday 22 April by Stephen Hobbs Walkabout: 10h30 Saturday 30 April http://onair.co.za/mn | http://nathanielstern.com | http://compressionism.net *********************************************** In their second duo show, marcus neustetter and nathaniel stern will use simple technologies to explore different ways of looking. With experiment02, Neustetter continues on his Digital Frottage track, while Stern embarks on what he has been ironically calling Compressionism. Both artists are using various capture and display modes, sending physical objects and bodies, over time, through digital and analogical mediations. The work is intended to ask us all to "look again". This dialogue developed out of their first exhibition, The Getaway Experiment, at The Artspace, and getawayexperiment.net, a commissioned project for Turbulence ( http://www.turbulence.org ). ***********************************************

neustetter’s experiments

neustetter experiments @ franchise

"scanning" franchise process documentation (photo by nathaniel stern)

Continuing experimentation with his Digital Frottage, scanning, photocopying and photographically exposing his laptop screen, Marcus Neustetter is exploring the concept of "scanning" space without the use of digital technology. What could the analogue equivalent be for the capturing of light and space? Using sensitized paper and a development process with ammonia fumes, Neustetter’s site-specific work is scanning physical space at Franchise. This visual outcome continues to explore his interest in the aesthetic translation and abstraction of experimental digital and analogue inputs and outputs. experiment02: neustetter print

detail from a neustetter artwork

Compressionism

http://Compressionism.net

nathaniel stern compressing franchise

compressing franchise performance (photo by Lara Rivera)

Compressionism is a digital performance, and an analog archive; it utilizes various "perform and capture," "edit and exhibit" modes, and the resulting art-objects-as-evidence ask viewers to explore different ways of looking. The first Compressionist studies use the reflective beam of a moving digital scanner, over time, to compress large spaces or objects into images the size of a small sheet of paper. Once a performance is digitized and compressed, the computer acts as multiple frames for its subject; it’s used to process, clarify, and unpack the study – both literally, and metaphorically. The resulting prints are intended to provoke a complex conversation between artist, performance, mediation tool, art-object(s) and viewer.

More info: http://Compressionism.net

c.table: compressed table by nathaniel stern

c.table (compressed table) 29.7 x 22 cm, april 2005, mounted archival print

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about the artists

marcus neustetter has been developing projects addressing the relationship between art and technology. These take the form of mobile, installation, and web artworks tackling the translation of data through different online and offline platforms. In this process he has been exploring the digital and analogue ways of representing virtual experiences. Marcus Neustetter has exhibited and has been actively involved in developing opportunities and platforms for local digital art through projects in South Africa and Europe, these include ARS Electronica (Austria), Transmediale.03 (Germany) and E-tester (Spain). As director (with Stephen Hobbs) of The Trinity Session and sanman (southern african new media art network) and The Gallery PREMISES, Marcus Neustetter is actively involved in developing cultural strategies through a range of projects. Currently he is consulting to UNESCO DigiArts Africa. http://onair.co.za/mn nathaniel stern is an internationally exhibited installation artist, net.artist and performance poet. His interactive installations have won awards in New York, South Africa and Australia, and his net.art, recently commissioned by turbulence.org, has been featured in festivals all over Europe, Asia and the US. nathaniel’s collaborative physical theatre and multimedia performance work has won three FNB Vita Awards – including Best Presentation of a New Contemporary Work – and has been featured on the main stage at the Grahamstown Festival (South Africa). His poetry repertoire includes the US National Poetry Slam competition and the RSA HIV/AIDS Arts, Media & Film Festival. http://nathanielstern.com

Archives

11 April 2005 by nathaniel

experiment02

e x p e r i m e n t 0 2�� at franchise nathaniel stern | marcus neustetter experiment02: nathaniel stern and marcus neustetter @ franchise gallery 22 April 2005 – 14 May 2005 | Opening: 18h00 Friday 22 April by Stephen Hobbs | Walkabout: 10h30 Saturday 30 April http://onair.co.za/mn�� | ��http://nathanielstern.com�� |�ݬ�http://compressionism.net Gallery hours: Tuesday – Friday 11h00 – 18h00 | Saturday 10h00 – 16h00 44 stanley avanue milpark johanesburg | phone +27 11 482 7995 fax +27 11 482 1207 | franchiseart[AT]44stanley.co.za

Archives

11 April 2005 by nathaniel

Physical Computing workshop runs over April long weekend

Mayav Patel demonstrates the physical computing milmoe box

Interactive Media Design MA student, Mayav Patel, demonstrates the physical computing application that he developed in the workshop led by Ralph Borland – pic and text by Christo Doherty

Designed and led by Ralph Borland (ITP, New York; Michaelis Fine Art, UCT) the workshop was attended by a group of WSOA Digital Arts students and interested Fine Arts students.

Physical computing makes use of sensors, mechanical and electronic devices, and computers to activate objects or environments in the physical world, making interactive artworks, installations and performance devices.

In this 3-day (2 – 4 April) workshop held in the Interactive Media Design Lab at WSOA Digital Arts, the students explored examples of physical computing work by contemporary artists, and learnt some of the possibilities for tracking information from the physical world through various sensors. They also looked at particular software which can be used to manipulate audio and video. A large part of the the workshop was devoted to building simple circuits which could be used towards workshop plans for an artwork, performance tool, or other physical computing project of the students’ own design.

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