This is a pretty neat 10 minute poliitcal spectrum survey, with some interesting theories around how left/right does/doesn’t work. Seems I’m in bed with the likes of Ghandi and Madiba… Nice.
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The newest handheld scanner
Its called the Docupen and its a portable hadnheld scanner about the size of a pen. Its USB plugin and you can scan anything. Check it –http://planon.com/
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Dropping Knowledge
In 2 days, www.droppingknowledge.org will launch a global dialogue platform at the table of free voices, Berlin. On September 9th, 2006, 112 of the world’s great minds will come together around the world’s largest table in Berlin’s historic Babelplatz Square.
Recorded by 112 digital cameras, they will simultaneously answer 100 questions chosen out of thousands donated by the global public. The resulting 600+ hours of audiovisual content will launch an unprecedented online resource: a knowledge portal and dialog forum created to host a global conversation covering the most pressing questions of our time.
Among 112 participants, a number of them are artists, musicians, filmmakers and authors. A complete list of participants can be viewed on the site.
Please visit www.droppingknowledge.org for more information.
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interactive arts lectureship post, johannesburg
I worked in this department (at the top University in Africa) as the part-time core lecturer for over 3 years, but it seems timing has worked against me – now that they have a full-time position, I’m about to pursue my own advanced degree in Ireland. I HIGHLY recommend considering this job – even if, rather than looking to settle here, it’s just an adventure in Africa for a couple of years (or if you want some tenure-track, full-time experience). It’s a very small department – three full-time posts – and the interactive MA degree would be yours to control, with about only 10 grad students per year (the undergrad courses are new, so I’m not sure how those would run). Christo, head of the division, is game for all types of experimentation in practice and curricula, and a master at cutting through red tape, alternative methods of presentation, and finding funding and equipment – especially considering this is third world.
I’ve put a pdf of the post ad at http://atjoburg.net/wits-post.pdf – and note that if you know any 3D-ers, there is also a post for them (separate MA degree, in same department) ;)
Contact Christo, email address below, with any q’s (and unofficial ones can come to me, should you want a scoop).
PS note that application deadline is a bit tight – 29 September
WITS UNIVERSITY, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
FACULTY OF HUMANITIES
DIGITAL ARTS (FULL-TIME LECTURESHIP)
LECTURESHIP IN INTERACTIVE MEDIA DESIGN
The successful candidate will be a producing artist working in the area of interactive/digital arts.
Qualifications: MA, MFA, MPS, MSc or equivalent qualification. Experienced with at least one interactive development environment and qualified to teach creative web design and at least two of the following: multimedia performance, video art, sound art or net.art.
Duties: Teach both production and theory to postgraduate and undergraduate classes. Supervise postgraduate research projects, collaborative exhibitions and assist with course administration.
For further information contact Professor Christo Doherty, Head of Digital Arts, christo.doherty@wits.ac.za or visit www.wits.ac.za/artworks
Renumeration: This is a tenure track position or can be a short-term (two year) contract. A competitive package with excellent benefits will be offered, dependent on qualifications and experience. Appointment: Incumbents will be required to assume duty in January 2007, or as soon as possible.
To apply: Submit a covering letter and detailed CV with names addresses and e-mail addresses of 3 referees, as well as certified copies of degrees and identity document to:
Molly Orr, Human Resources Manager
Faculty of Humanities, University of the
Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, WITS, 2050, South Africa.
Tel: +27 11 717 1411
Email: orrmg@hse.wits.ac.za
Closing Date: 29 September 2006
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NETWORKED_PERFORMANCE at The Premises Gallery
via atjoburg and Christo Doherty:
I’m wary of rushing to proclaim South African firsts, but the networked art event at Premises on Saturday 2 September certainly felt like an authentically new thing. Digital Artists from South Africa and different parts of Britain were collaborating in real-time to create a networked video art event.
Trinity hosted a live collaborative performance by Nathaniel Stern (on site in Johannesburg), Marc Garrett from Q Arts (in Derby, UK) and Ruth Catlow from HTTP, London. They engaged in thirty minutes of live audio-video performance by uploading, manipulating and collaging images, video clips and sound via the VisitorsStudio database.
According to VisitorsStudio, the idea behind their service is "to encourage audiences new to media arts to get actively involved in the creative process by providing an easy-to-use, experimental production space live online, which was also a playful social space." This definitely happened on Saturday. The small but enthusiastic audience watched the three headline artists interact and then sat down behind the provided laptops to experiment with the network themselves.
Fueled by the sponsored Red Bulls (look closely at the debris on the tables) even participants new to the process quickly got the hang of the VisitorsStudio interface, which is written in Flash 8. The system allows a form of participatory doodling which, at times when real interaction occurs, bursts into moments of visual delight. I hope this is just the first of such networked performancens and intercontinental collaborations through the WWW.
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Jeremy Wafer takes Sasol Wax Award
Will have to blog more about this later in the week (probably weekend), as it was such a commendable show of great work by some of SA’s best, and sometimes underappreciated, artists – but that’s for when my time winds down a bit. In the meanwhile, you heard it here first. Without the Kebbles, this is SA’s biggest contemporary art award, and the only one geared towards long-time/mid-career artists, whose contributions to the community in this country matter almost as much as their art. Congratulations Jeremy – you deserve this and so much more.
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