BETAHAUS - BERLIN

19 - 20 FEBRUARY 2010

WAVE Opus 1 Programme The WAVE - Opus 1

WAVE Berlin Panel Discussion 8-10 pm
« Innovative Artistic and Economic Practices »
I-Wei Li, Christine Kriegerowski, Claudia Burbaum, Ela Kagel, Matthias Reichelt, Tonia Welter, Arthur Engelbert, Helen Corcoran.

WJ-SPOTS Berlin 10 pm to midnight
« 15 Years of Artistic Creation on the Internet »
Anne Roquigny, I-Wei Li, Pierre Bongiovanni, Helen Thorington, Marie Petit, Maria Ptqk, Per Platou, Hans Bernhard, Isabelle Arvers, Anne Laforet.

WAVE Berlin Panel Discussion 8-10 PM

Fluctuations in the economy have become similar to global climate warnings : nobody knows exactly what will happen tomorrow, or whether the future will be bleak or bright. Uncertainty seems to become the only certain rule. Throughout the early 20th century, art was the forerunner of social, political and technological upheaval. Art at the time foresees (but not always understands) in advance what would happen. Now, artistic activity seems too be carried away by the whirlwind of uncertainty. The democratic ideal has never seemed so fragile.

To a very large extend, it remains to be a total utopia. The modesty of political ambitions, the widespread practice of mafia, the rise of nationalist and religious sect, continuation of poverty, distraught middle-class, all these elements are destroying day after day the ideals of brotherhood, equality, and liberty. Modern communication technology and the digital economy have overwhelmed all social practices, either cultural or economical but we still have great difficulty understanding the reality. We still continue to struggle with positive outlook and engage in critical changes into the future. In this context, it is possible to imagine new relationships between money, politics, and artistic creation ? How will we identify new approaches, especially critical approaches in a time of crisis ?

Panelists:

I-Wei Li - multi-media artist, curator, artistic director of SideBySide Studio
Christine Kriegerowski - artist, working with drawing, digital drawing and photography
Claudia Burbaum - art historian and freelance curator
Ela Kagel - program curator of Transmediale, initiator of the Free Culture Incubator
Matthias Reichelt - cultural journalist, curator and editor
Tonia Welter - co-funder and director of betahaus
Arthur Engelbert - ae prof. dr. habil., theory and practice of media and contemporary art Heather Corcoran - Curator at FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology)

WJ-SPOTS Berlin - 10 PM to midnight

Anne Roquigny, French media arts curator (http://www.roquigny.info) will follow her series of interviews, in Berlin, of outstanding figures of the internet community who share their reflections of 15 years of Internet history. The interviews are conducted inside the WJ-S (webjay) http://www.wj-s.org multi-screen environment, transformed into a space for thought and investigation.

Live online browsing into a selection of emblematic websites, chosen by the speakers, take place simultaneously on 3 big screens. Real time surfing magnifies and augments thought presentation, offering multiple points of view while the participants comment and analyze, from an artistic perspective, how the Internet has been progressively taken over as a space of artistic creation, from its beginning until now. http://www.wj-s.org/WJ-SPOTS-1-15-years-of-internet

Interviews:

I-Wei Li (TW/CA/DE) - artist, curator / http://www.sidebysidestudio.net/
Pierre Bongiovanni (FR) - artist, curator / http://www.bongiovanni.info
Helen Thorington (US) - writer and co-director Turbulence / http://www.turbulence.org
Marie Petit (FR) - author, theater director / http://www.chambrebleue.eu
Maria Ptqk (ES) - critic, curator / http://ptqkblogzine.blogspot.com
Per Platou (NO) - artist, curator / http://www.perplatou.net
Hans Bernhard (CH) - artist / http://www.ubermorgen.com

Live internet browsing:

Isabelle Arvers (FR), curator, art critic / http://www.isabelle-arvers.com & Anne Laforet (FR) researcher and critic / http://www.sakasama.net
Translation : Sylvine Bois Choussy
Live webcast : http://www.sidebysidestudio.net

Partners: MCD « Musiques et Cultures Digitales Magazine » (http://www.digitalmcd.com) special bilingual paper editions of WJ-SPOTS with the interviews and the bookmarks. Videos of WJ-SPOTS events are published on line on Digitalart platform (http://www.digitalarti.com)