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BIP2010 - The Acrobatic Squad
If you live in Belgium or if you happen to be in The Netherlands, France or Germany anywhere near Liege/Luik/Lüttich, then you might want to drop by BIP2010, the 7th International Biennial of Photography and Visual Arts because it is one of the most exciting events i've seen in a while (and yes, i'm aware i write that a lot but i always mean it you see.) This year's theme is (Out of) Control. It oscillates between the cheerful and the somber, between the mundane and the extraordinary. I'll get back to you with a proper report but i couldn't help singling out a quirky series of photos i discovered at the biennial.
Thomas Mailaender, Acrobatic Squad, 2004
As The Acrobatic Squad demonstrates, Thomas Lailaender has a soft spot for the absurd....
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Sensity V & A, an interview with Stanza
A few weeks ago, and against my better judgment, i stopped by Decode: Digital Design Sensations at the Victoria and Albert in London. The exhibition showcases recent developments in digital and interactive design through three themes: Code, Interactivity and Network.
I have nothing particularly flattering to write about the exhibition. I wish i had done like Furtherfield and visited the Digital Pioneers exhibition instead. The exhibition takes place at the V&A as well but doesn't benefit from as much advertising as Decode.
In theory, Decode looks like a very glam affair. In reality, it has a bit of a fancy thrift shop feeling with all the works crammed in a confined and confused space. I was left in shock when i saw how little space each work had...
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Book Review - Data Flow 2: Visualizing Information in Graphic Design
 Data Flow: v. 2: Visualizing Information in Graphic Design, edited by Robert Klanten, Nicolas Bourquin, Sven Ehmann and Thibaud Tissot (Available on Amazon USA and UK.)
Publisher Die Gestalten Verlag says: Data Flow 2 expands the definition of contemporary information graphics. The book features new possibilities for diagrams, maps, and charts. It investigates the visual and intuitive presentation of processes, data, and information. Concrete examples of research and art projects as well as commercial work illuminate how techniques such as simplification, abstraction, metaphor, and dramatization function.
The book also includes interviews with experts such as The New York Times's Steve Duenes, Infosthetics's Andrew Vande Moere, Visualcomplexity's Manuel Lima, ART+COM's Joachim Sauter, and passionate cartographer Menno-Jan Kraak as well as text features by Johannes Schardt about the challenges in creating effective information graphics and...
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Japan Media Arts festival - The Art Division
Very lucky me happened to be in Tokyo during the Japan Media Arts festival. Cheerful, a bit chaotic and very laid-back, the festival had much to tickle a European amateur of media art.
The National Art Center where the exhibition was held
First of all, the festival doesn't just celebrates media arts, it also highlights creative works of entertainment, animation, and manga which gives the feeling that media art is part of a broader contemporary culture than it is in Europe. On the other hand, i didn't see as many socially-engaged artworks media art works as one can find in similar exhibitions in both Europe and the U.S. of A. I'm all for activism and hacktivism but you know what? i didn't expect to find conscience-wrecking works in the...
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Exhibition tip - GaMe! at the [DAM] gallery in Berlin
GaMe!, a group exhibition you can check out until March 24 at the [DAM] gallery in Berlin, presents positions by six international artists on the subject of computer games and electronic toys.
Todd Deutsch, a.k.a. KillerJ00, 2005
The show is rather small but it covers a surprisingly large spectrum of game art practices. More importantly, GaMe! is one of those rare exhibitions about game art which favours the artistic approach over the more accessible attractions of playfulness and interactivity.
You'll understand immediately my point when i tell you that one of the games on show is all about mania, melancholia, and the creative process. The unassuming 8-bit graphics and very straightforward gameplay of Jason Rohrer's Gravitation offers a striking contrast to the poignant challenge that the player has to face: find...
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