The Eye Mac at Electrohype ROM

WHO:	The following artists and works are in the Classic II exhibition Richard Bolam -HyperScape Sebastian Campion – The Matrix 9×9w Mogens Jacobsen – Classico Salz Bee Jul JODI – ALRT#ID Tore Nilsson – Inferiorator Torrey Nommesen – ‘The Artist’s Eye’ David Rokeby – Liquid Language John F. Simon jr. – Arrow Variations – Book 1 Magnus Wassborg – Auto Stefano Marotta & Roberto Russo – OutPut
WHAT:	The exhibition focuses and reflects on the development both in computer based art and the accelerating demands on hardware used to create and present art. Due to the characteristic design of the Classic II computer it will of course also focus on the software and hardware joined together as a work of art or maybe more precisely an art object.The exhibition is also an experiment with issues concerning buying and selling computer based art. Most artists working in this field are familiar with the various aspects of this issue. There has been endless discussions, proposals for solutions and so on but the fact still remains that computer based art is rarely or never bought and sold, at least not in Scandinavia.By implementing the artwork in a small stand alone unit it might be possible mobilize an interest for computer based art among art collectors and institutions. This might appear as a provocative issue to focus on, especially in Europe but maybe it is just time to try out an economic model in real life.
WHERE:	Electrohype-ROM Sodra Forstadsgatan 18 Malmo, Sweden
WHEN:	December 20th to January 11th 2003/4 Opening reception December 12, 4pm to 8pm
WHY:	In 1997 Tamas Banovich curated an exhibition called “Mac Classics (the immaculate machines)” at the Postmasters Gallery in New York. The exhibition is also sometimes mentioned as the “The Classic Show”. In his text from 1997 Tamas Banovich says: In the rush to try to be on top of the minute-by-minute advances of the digital medium, there is seldom time for reflection. With the pace of technological change, the creative process becomes one of reacting to all the latest developments in programming. All too often, the exhilarating sense of freedom to communicate, coupled with the latest and showiest techniques, plug-ins and engines, seem to determine the concept and aesthetic of content. These issues raised by Tamas Banovich seems just as applicable today as seven years ago, if not even more. Going to new media festivals today often means that you will see huge computer controlled installations and projections accompanied by 5:1 surround audio. Too many of these works tend to be more experiments with expensive hardware and new technology than actually dealing with art and artistic content. This is very unfortunate, not only for artists with a serious approach but also for the audience and the genre itself. If computer based art continues to move on this track we will quite soon be left with only a bunch of expensive theme park installations. On the positive side one can note that lately there have been some focus on software art and code. One could suspect that the reason why this topic suddenly is focused on, even at big festivals, is related to the problems mentioned above. Software art and coding is not something easily approached by new media art charlatans and low-end artists. It requires substantial insight and knowledge. The process of working with software art itself is also a kind of slow process allowing, or forcing, the artist into a different artistic pace, a pace different from the easily approached artworks that are generated by off the shelf software.