Below Sea Level

Sunday

2008-04-07T14:01:00.007+02:00

After a full 3-day program, the last workshop had a bit of slow start, perhaps due to the national strike that fell on the same day. Motivated in response to rising food-prices and lacking government response, the most glaring effect of the strike was the prominence of groups of soldiers at every street-corner.

Inside the CiC however, were no soldiers but hacktivist workshop participants further exploring the various uses of the open source-based Dyne:bolic operating system. After having been introduced to the image-editing program 'Gimp' the day before, this morning was spent fooling around with a fractal-image creator, word-editor, and others. Another interesting activity proved to be the browsing of Jaromil's hard-disk for new music. Finally, the group gathered around to watch, and perhaps learn from, Jaromil's attempts to encode one of the participant's videos (which after some a series of trials and errors succeeded).

With nightfall, the organisers of the project were released from their active-role as participants, most of them active in the Cairene arts-scene, now showed the audience some of their work. Singer and actress Lana Mushtaq showed both a short first film made by herself recently, as well as a movie she played a part in, 'From Within' (Minhum Feehum), directed by Maggie Morgan. Photograper Rana El-Nemr showed some of her work on Egyptian coloured balconies, while Malek Helmy talked about her inclusion in an earlier project by CiC, 'tales around the pavement', as well as some other work.

While all great things must come to an end, at least the end to 'Below the Sealevel' was celebrated with a worthy bang. In an informal meet&greet (& eat) the participants of the workshop, attendants of the lectures, program organisers and myself winded down from a succesful and packed 4 days of visual arts themed and open-source activities. Below are some pictorial accounts of the night, before it started getting too festive for camera-exposure. Next time in Amsterdam!

On Video-Art

2008-04-07T13:27:00.004+02:00

In the saturday evening lecture Joke Ballintijn explained the nature of her daily work; as a staff member in the collection and distribution department of the Netherlands Media Art Institute in Amsterdam. Talking about the field of video-art from the point of the view of the distributor, as well as the artist, Joke discussed the different platforms that are available for video-artists to showcase their work, dependent on the visibility or exclusivity the artists wants to give the work. While a limited edition piece sold to a select few collectors will ensure a secure income for the artist due to a higher cost-price, it will keep the piece isolated from the general public. Loaning a piece out to an institute like the Netherlands Media Art institute, on the other hand, results in a greater visibility, as well as the ability for the artist to retain all rights to the work.

As for the selection of video-art by the distributor, Joke mentioned a few points taken into consideration by a distributor, besides subjective opinion of a work. The first was that the artist should work in an artistic context, as opposed to the commercial video-world. The work should be suitable for a presentation in a museum or the gallery-circuit. Additionally, an original technique or style is highly appreciated. On top of these, a distributor will also consider whether a particular artist and artwork will add the collection as a whole; for instance, a lack of Egyptian video-art might make such a piece more interesting.

The evening was rounded off with a screening of a selection of video-pieces from the Institute's collection; ranging from short scripted films on a seemingly Utopian future to rhythmically re-edited politician's speeches.

Day 3 - The Workshop gets Tech.

2008-04-05T16:54:00.008+02:00

After spending two days talking about the philosophical, political, economical and possibly even ethical elements of free software; the third morning of the workshop took a turn for the more applied side of things, or, how to reboot your computer from a Live-CD. This step enables you to make use of the most user-friendly method of a linux-based operating system, as it doesn't require any installation but simply works of the CD. As this step consumed quite some time, here follows a bullet-point description.

Turn on PC. Insert the CD you want to boot from.
Press restart.
While Windows, or Mac, or whatelse is restarting, is shown in the black window shortly before logging on, press whatever key (usually F12, F2, or delete) takes you to the Setup menu.
While in the set-up menu, find the option that allows you to change the priority order of booting-- instead of going straight to Harddrive, you will want your PC to try booting from a CD/DVD first. This way, if there is no bootable CD inserted, on start-up your PC will go straight to the regular operating system, while with a CD inside it will take you to the other one.
Continue the reboot!

If all goes well, this is what you'll end up with.

The next hour was spent looking into the possibilities of setting up your own WiFi connection, by building an antenna (for examples of how to do this, google 'wifi antenna build' and find out about the multiple uses of a pringles can). More websites of information that were mentioned include the Linux Documentation Project, as well as a website geared towards making the Linux circles accesible in Arabic.

Going on with the Linux in Arabic, half way through-out the workshop we were joined by an active member (of the open source community) in Cairo; Alaa. He graciously spent some of his time to introduce the class to the local GNU/Linux network, thereby giving participants the
possibility to continue in the field after the finish of the workshop, as well as talking about some other things ... the content of which I couldn't confidently report to you here, due to my merely budding knowledge of Egyptian Arabic. Nevertheless, for the locally interested, I urge you to check out both websites mentioned above (which are in English as well as Arabic).

Alaa

Returning to the everyday use that can be made of free software, the remainder of the workshop was spent playing around with the different applications of GIMP, a photoshop-style software tool, differing most significantly in that the first can be downloaded for free (as is the case with all free software) online, while the other comes at a costly price.

'Film and Architecture' Lecture and Screening by Jeroen Kooijmans

2008-04-05T16:06:00.003+02:00

Friday evening Dutch artist Jeroen Kooijmans presented numerous examples of the works he has made over the years, as well as introducing to the audience the project he is working on momentarily, 'The Fish Pond Song'. The artistic-fields mentioned in the lecture title didn't quite reflect the nature of Kooijmans work; while generally using moving images in a 3-dimensional set-up somehow, the startling new effects he has created with this in his works definitely surpass the familiar notions of 'film' and 'architecture'.

Originally a painter, Kooijmans' first experimentation with moving imagery resulted in his 1994 work 'Work', intended to visually capture the mindset of a workaholic, as well as playing with themes of circularity and repetition.

From then on, subsequent creations both extended and transformed the ways in which moving images can be shown within a moving image itself, such as in the 1997 video 'Train Dance', in which the sun is used as a projector to depict a person on a moving train, with the earth as a screen.

Other works that were shown this evening include 'Floating Gardens' (2001) - a project which originally started out as a fantasy of combining high-rise building with land, but was almost realised during an architecture competition- and 'Fata Morgana (2006) - a short movie showing a regular idyllic Dutch landscape, suddenly brightened in its center, during which the church towers quite unnoticeably transform into minarets.

The end of the lecture was spent introducing the audience to Kooijmans' latest work, 'The Fish Pond Song', a work which has only just been realised, combining both the thematic explorations of prior works (utopia) and new themes (danger), with a physical transformation of the screens (in this case house-like structures) upon which this video is projected. The evening was rounded of with a well appreciated screening of 'New York is eating me & The Cactus Dance', a film that originally started out as a project about moustaches, but after being disrupted by the events of 9/11 changed into an identity-search.

Freedom of Creation Workshop - Part II

2008-04-05T15:24:00.004+02:00

The Video-Library

The morning after the night before, the workshop continued on with its explanation of the use(fullness) of free software and the open source/linux movement. Jaromil especially emphasised the importance of privacy on the web, as he showed in a few seconds how full (real-life) adresses can be obtained from (virtual) IP-adresses. Additionally, the many hubs that lie on a user's path to the internet are vulnerable spots that can be compromised, and may result in your communication being obtained or obstructed. To stress the importance of keeping your data safe, Jaromil mentioned a few cases in which insecure data of influential people had been sold to third parties to be used, without their consent. The participants, including myself, were then shown the ways to ensure optimal privacy, against these type of actions, in the Dyne:bolic Operating Server, primarily by 'nesting'.

The rest of the workshop soon spun into a political Q&A on the economy in which open source operates. Participants were slightly confused when they were told they were welcome to sell their free Dyne:Bolic CDs to friends and families, without having to give the creators a share of the profits. Nevertheless, Jaromil ensured us that while copy-right as such isn't relevant in the open source movement, as everyone is free to create, use and distribute sofware, creators still get credited for their adaptions.

Motivated by the liberatory and ideological motivations underlying free software-creation, the group collectively expressed its desire to put the workshop into practice somehow during the national strike that will take place this Sunday. To be continued..

Day 1 - 'Wonderwall - Live Visuals' Lecture & screening by Annet Dekker

2008-04-04T18:12:00.009+02:00

Half a screen/The location of the lecture

Following the workshop, we were led up to the roof for a screening and informal lecture by Annet Dekker on VJ Culture. Interspersed with many visually stimulating clips by various VJ-artists, whose projection on a slightly loose screen positioned on top of the bare roof gave a fitting 'grindy' feel to the topic presented, the speaker introduce the audience to the various forms of VJ-ing (the more commercial club-dj versus the performance-art style VJ), the differences between VJ culture in its heydays in the 70s and recent manifestations (originally being part of a youth-movement, it was an artform imbued with ideological messages, which has lessened with the years, to its current status of portraying images as such). As the starry and increasingly chilly Cairene night set in, we were shown as a finale the full video-clip 'Global Groove' of one of the first VJ's, video-artist Nam June-Paik, whose techniques are still being employed today. Watch the first few minutes of this amazing video below:

[Disclaimer: some short lo-fi videos were made this evening of the other video-clips, but unfortunately they were lost in electronic-translation...]

For more works, come by CiC's Video-Library to view both the full half an hour of 'Global Groove' and the other video-clips that were shown!

Day 1 - Starting out with the Workshop

2008-04-04T14:45:00.008+02:00

With the start of the workshop, 'Below the Sealevel' was officially kicked off. Facilitated by Jaromil, rastafari artist/programmer/activist, the four day workshop will introduce its, pre-dominantly female, pre-dominantly from the art-scene, participants to the applications and philosophy of 'Freedom of Creation', or, creating and using free software.

Jaromil in action

The first workshop proved to be an introduction to the reasoning underlying the open-source movement, besides its technological transparency. Jaromil explained how software could be likened, really, to a set of orders for communication. As communication structures our everyday life, it would make sense that the way this is created and used, should be as accessible and public as possible, and not just in the hands of commercial stake-holders. A prime-example of this kind of reasoning put into practice is dyne.org, a community of young hackers, or, digital artisans, creating and sharing free software and ideas. Some of the software applications that been developed here for instance, are Hasciicam; an application enabling more primitive PCs to show live video on the web (for a more detailed and technologically correct explanation, check out this tool yourself!). Other examples of the software that have been created by the community at dyne include MuSE, a radio-making application, and FreeJ, a tool to make and create video-interface.

The workshop & participants, in the dark.

Many more open-source applications and creators were mentioned, as everyone enthusiastically dove into the topic at hand. The websites that were mentioned, and may be of use to anyone else interested in free software and the linux-community, are mentioned in a list below:

gnu.org : the original movement behind free software, started in 1984

dyne.org : aforementioned community, providing free software amongst others

flossmanuals.net : a much needed website offering manuals to the many free software tools created, making it accesible to the less technically literate amongst us

rastasoft.org : Jaromil's homepage

fsf.org : Free Software Foundation

Video Library

2008-04-02T13:30:00.015+02:00

During the four days of the program, a compilation of various historical and contemporary videos from the collection of the Netherlands Media Art Institute will be accessible to all visitors in a video library. Here is a link with the complete list of videos that will be shown on four different terminals. To get into the mood, below are some stills of the videos.

Still from 'Global Groove' (Nam June Paik, USA, 1973) (from Lecture Annet Dekker)

still from 'New York is Eating me & The Cactus Dance' (Jeroen Kooijmans USA/NL, 2005)

ibid.

still from 'Your blood is as red as mine' (Julika Rudelius, 2004)

'Le Dernier Cri' (Erwin Olaf, 2006)

'Nummer Zeven' (Guido van der Werve, NL, 2007)

'Beautiful World' (Mieke Gerritzen, NL, 2006)

'VOC/VIP: Holland Experience!' (Arno Coenen, NL, 2007)

'Sonatina' (eddie d, NL, 2004)

'Saeftinghe' (Jacco Olivier, NL, 2006)

'(why do I keep going) FORWARD' (Martijn Veldhoen, NL, 6'00")

Program Schedule

2008-04-02T11:29:00.008+02:00

Additionally, below is the complete program schedule, in Arabic and English, containing the times and short descriptions of the workshops, lectures, screenings and discussions that will take place at the Contemporary Image Collective from the 3rd to the 6th of April. Under the program schedule you will find short biographies of the experts involved in the program. (Scroll down for the English version)

المعاصرة

بالتعاون مع معهد الإعلام الفني الهولندي – مونتى فيديو

3-6 ابريل2008

تحت مستوى البحر

فن الميديا المعاصر من هولندا - 4 ايام من ثقافة الميديا

عروض, محاضرات, مناقشات, ورش عمل ومكتبة فيديو

3ابريل2008

6 مساء اً:  بداية حرية الابداع - ورشة صناعة أفلام والبرمجيات المجانية جنو/لينكس (للمتقدمين فقط)

في عالم الابداع الفني، تمثل البرمجيات المجانية أداة في متناول الجميع وحرية في التعبير. ستركز هذه الورشة على
        التطبيقات المستخدمة في التسجيل والتحرير.بتقدم الورشة، نشجع كل مشارك على استخدام وتبني التطبيقات الملائمة لأفكاره واحتياجاته.

هذه الورشة تستغل نظرة المبتديء للموضوع المتناول وتشرح عدة تقنيات لانتاج الوسائط المتعددة باستخدام برمجيات المصدر المفتوح المجانية فقط

7 مساءاً: محاضرة حائط العجائب- عن العروض البصرية الحية المحاضر: آنيت ديكر

ستحاضرآنيت ديكر عن تاريخ ثقافة الفيديو. هل هناك علاقة بين نواحي معينة لثقافة الفيديو المعاصرة والتجارب الأولى لفناني الفيديو؟ هناك تشابة واضح حيث استخدم الإثنان نفس المعدات تقريبًا ولديهم قيم جمالية مشتركة. في ناحية أخرى تأثرت ثقافة الفيديو بفن البروفورمانس (العرض الحي) خاصة بالإبداع الحي للتجربة حيث يشترك فيها عدة حواس بشكل متواز. سيتم التركيز في المحاضرة على واقع الفيديو المعاصر في ضوء التطور التاريخي والتقدم التكنولوجي والأحداث الإجتماعية.

مدة العروض (50 دقيقة): - إيقاع عالمي . نام جون بايك (الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية, 51"28)

شتينا وودي فاسوليكا: باس فان كولفيك , ميكا كلاين, آرنو كونين, تطور البلاستيك المتوقع : آندي وارهول\ رونالد راميث: عرض موسيقي وبصري حي: جريت مول, اصطدام تلج : باروكاد : إحساس بصري (عرض حي, أول مسابقة في جي في هولندا 2005-2006)

4 ابريل 2008

11 ظهراً- 2 بعد الظهر ورشة عمل حرية الإبداع (للمتقدمين فقط)

6 مساءاً: الفيلم والعمارة - محاضرة وعرض للفنان يرون كويمانس

سيناقش يروين كويمانس العملية الإبداعية وسيعرض مقتطفات من أعماله. سيتحدث الفنان عن مشروعه الجديد, أغنية سمكة البركة (2007-2008) وسيعرض بعض الأجزاء المنتهية منه. أغنية سمكة البركة هو عمل طويل مقسم إلى أجزاء. يتكلم العمل عن الدين, عدم الإيمان والخرافات وتم التصوير في وحول بحيرة صغيرة في الطبيعة الهولندية. الفيلم لا يحمل سيناريو واضح ولكن العمل يتطور في موقع التصوير ويتحكم فيه الإرتجال والشخصيات.

عمل (1994)

معذرة, أهذه غرفتك؟ 2000 (مشروع أنجزه بنيويورك)

الحدائق العائمة, 2001 (مشروع أنجزه بالتعاون مع م ر في دي في للعمارة)

7 مساءاً: عرض نيويورك ورقصة الصبار إخراج يروين كويمانس (2005 , 36"31)

5 ابريل 2008

11 ظهراً- 2 بعد الظهر ورشة عمل حرية الإبداع (للمتقدمين فقط)

6 مساءاً: تجميع, توزيع ومساندة المحاضر: يوكى بالينتين

في هذه المحاضرة ستناقش يوكى بالينتين مجال الفيديو آرت اليوم من وجهة نظر الموزع والفنان. هدف العديد من الفنانين الصاعدين هو أن يدخلوا مجال الفن التجاري وعالم جاليري العرض لأن مخاوف القلة من الجمهور الثري تتعلق بالحصرية, شرائط الفيديو و الإسطوانات الرقمية (دي في دي) والأعمال المركبة التي تباع في نسخ محدودة.

لكن ماذا عن العرض والرؤية؟ هناك فنانين يرون أنه من المهم أيضًا أن تعرض أعمالهم على الجمهور العام في سياق متواز. ما هي خيارات وفرص هؤلاء الفنانين وما هي العواقب المحتملة؟

في عالم العرض التقليدي كالمتاحف و الجاليرهات والبينالي رسخ الفيديو آرت موقعًا له بدون شك. من ناحية أخرى الفيديو والميديا آرت يمكنهما أن يعرضا في ساحات مختلفة, من دور السينما الفنية إلى العروض التي تقام في الأماكن العامة. ما هي الأماكن الأخرى التي يمكن للفنان أن يختارها ليعرض فيها عملة أو عملها؟

7:30: مساءا فردوس الأراضي المنخفضة: فيديو معاصر من هولندا. مدة العرض 90 دقيقة

وضعت يوكى بالينتين برنامج من الأعمال المعاصرة من مجموعة معهد الإعلام الفني الهولندي لفنانين مقيمين أو يعملوا بهولندا. هؤلاء الفنانين يقدومون نظرة نقدية للثقافة المحيطة ومحيط الإعلام العام, وبأساليب و أدوات متنوعة, من التسجيلي إلى الصور المخلقة بالكمبيوتر

(Nl, 2004, 2'09”) إيدي د. سوناتينا

(NL, 2004, 16'17”) جوليكا رودليوس- دمك أحمر مثل دمي

(NL, 2005) 2'59” باس فان كولفيك- ف.دي.بي.سي.ك\ أ ف علم أحمر

(NL, 2006, 2'29”) إيروين أولف- الصرخة الأخيرة

(NL, 2006, 2'39”) جاكو أوليفر- سيفتينجي

(NL, 2006, 6'00”) مارتين فيلدوين- (لماذا أظل أتقدم) إلى الأمام

(NL, 2006, 8'49”) جيودو فان دير فيرف- رقم 7 (السحب أجمل من الأعلى)

(NL, 2004 – 2007, 13'47”) أرنو كوينين – في.أو.سي- في أي بي: تجربة هولندا

(NL, 2007, 1'57”) إيدي دي- خطوة ثانية

(NL, 2006, 30'00”) مايكي جريتزن- عالم جميل

6 أبريل 2008

11 ظهراً- 2 بعد الظهر ورشة عمل حرية الإبداع (للمتقدمين فقط)

6 مساءًا: ساعة التشاور \ أسئلة وإجابات: يوكى بالينتين, آنيت ديكر و جاروميل سيكونوا موجودين

في جلسة غير رسمية لمناقشة والرد علىالأسئلة الخاصة بتوزيع وتجميع وحفظ وتقديم فنون الميديا.

8 مساءًا: نتائج ورشة عمل حرية الإبداع مع مشروبات ليلة الختام.

لمتابعة حيثيات برنامج تحت مستوى البحر يوم بيوم من خلال التعليقات والنصوص والصور ومقطتفات من الفيديو عن طريق الانترنت برجاء الذهاب الى المدونة :

http://cairo-belowsealevel.blogspot.com

4-6 أبريل 2008 (مفتوح للجمهور من 11 ظهرًا - 5 مساءًا)

مكتبة الفيديو

أربع قاعات مختلفة تجمع أعمال تاريخية ومعاصرة من مجموعة معهد الإعلام الفني الهولندي ستكون متاحة بمركز الصورة المعاصرة. سيتمكن الزوار من تفقد أكثر من 160 عنوان نسبة إلى أذواقهم وميولهم

نبذة عن الخبراء

بعد تخرجها من جامعة أوتريخت, هولندا وتخصصها في دراسات الفيلم والتلفزيون, عملت يوكى بالينتين ( 1969) كمنتجة ومبرمجة ومبدعة في حقل الإعلام. حاضرت في العديد من المهرجانات الدولية والأكاديميات والسمبوزيم وتم إختيارها عضوًا محكمًا وجزءًا من لجان شرفية في العديد من المنظمات الفنية. منذ عام 1999 وهي عضوًا أساسيًا في قسم التجميع والتوزيع بمعهد الإعلام الفني بأمستردام.

أنيت ديكر (1970) ناشطة في مجال الميديا منذ منتصف التسعينات كباحثة وكاتبة ومشرفة على معارض فنية ومناقشات وورش عمل.محور إهتمامها هو تأثير الميديا الجديدة, العلم والثقافة الشعبية على الفن والعكس. قدمت عروض عديدة بسمبوزيا دولية وكانت عضوًا محكمًا وعضوًا إستشاريًا. عملت بالسنوات الثمان الماضية كراعية ورئيسة لمعارض ولبرنامج الفنان المقيم بمعهد الإعلام الهعولندي بأمستردام. تعمل حاليًا كمشرف حر مدير برامج لأرضيات مفترضة.

يرون كويمانس (1967) تتميز أعماله بالصغر والتجميعات عالية التميز. يرى هذا بوضوح في إختياره لإطارات أعماله أو في إقتباس ذكي لمواد مسجلة في المونتاج بمرحلة متقدمة من عمله. بأسلوب شيق وحر ينجح كوجيمانس في تقديم مشاهد شديدة الواقعية. تبدو أعماله مرتبطة بقوة الملاحظة. كما لو كانت ترجمة مباشرة لما رآه أو تخيله. يضع كروته على الطاولة حتى يتمكن المتفرج من النظر بسعادة والتفكير والحلم معه. بترو وصفاء يرينا لحظات نادرة يحلم فيها الناس ويتخيلون, تاركين الواقع و"الزحام المجنون" خلفهم لبرهة.

http://www.jeroenkooijmans.com

معهد الإعلام الفني الهولندي

منذ إنشاء جاليري الفيديو مونتيفيديو في أمستردام 1978 , تخصص معهد الإعلام الفني الهولندي في الفن الإلكتروني وخاصة الفيديو آرت والذي يبحث في الخصائص الإبداعية للوسيط ذاته. اليوم نحن نشطاء في في ثلاث مجالات: التقديم, الحفظ والبحث.

من خلال منشأتنا نقدم أقصى المساعدة للفنانين والمعاهد. المجموعة الفنية لمعهد الإعلام الفني الهولندي تتكون من 1800 عمل وهي القلب النابض للمعهد. أقدم الشرائط تعود لعام 1970 ولازلنا كل عام نضيف حوالي 35 عمل جديد للمجموعة. كل الشرائط والأعمال الفنية www.nimk.nl من المجوعة تم توثيقها في كتالوج عام على الإنترنت ومتاحة للتأجير والعرض والمعارض الفنية. تاريخ فن الميديا يوضح أنه من البداية أصبح التبادل والتعاون الدولي ضرورة مهمة لهذا الفن. الآن نوزع سنويًا آلف عمل تقريبًا من المجموعة لـ36 دولة ونستعد للمزيد في المستقبل, حيث أن التوزيع عن طريق الإنترنت للأعمال المختارة سيصبح متاحًا قريبًا.

*بالتعاون مع السفارة الملكية الهولندية بالقاهرة

Contemporary Image Collective - CiC

In collaboration with the Netherlands Media Art Institute, Montevideo

3 – 6 April 2008

BELOW SEALEVEL: Contemporary Media Art from the Netherlands

4 days of Media Culture

Screenings, lectures, discussions, workshop and video library

3 April 2008

6pm Kick off Freedom of Creation Workshop led by Jaromil (By application only)

In the world of artistic creation, free software means tools that are accessible to everyone for the freedom of expression. This workshop will focus on GNU/Linux applications available for recording, editing and publishing of audio/video materials. Participants will be introduced to the vast choice of possibilities free and open source software can offer. As the workshop progresses, each participant will be encouraged to use and adapt applications that best suits his or hew own ideas and needs. This workshop which makes use of a beginner's approach to the topic at hand explains various techniques of multimedia production using only free ans op

7pm Wonderwall – Live visuals: lecture and screening by Annet Dekker

Annet Dekker will give a lecture on the background of VJ Culture. Are there relations between certain aspects of contemporary VJ culture and the early experiments by video artists? There are certain resemblances as both use almost the same equipment and have a common aesthetic. On the other hand, VJ Culture has been influenced by performance art– particularly the live creation of an experience in which various senses are stimulated simultaneously. The emphasis in this presentation will be on the contemporary VJ scene viewed in the light of art historical developments, technological innovations and social happenings.

Screened works (total time 50 minutes) : Global Groove - Nam June Paik (USA, 28'51”); Steina and Woody Vasulka; Bas van Koolwijk; Micha Klein; Arno Coenen; Evolving Plastic Inevitable, Andy Warhol / Ronald Nameth; live sound and image performances; Geert Mul; Snowcrash; Barkode; Visual sensations (live performances, first VJ contest in the Netherlands, 2005-2006)

4 April 2008

11am – 2pm Freedom of Creation Workshop (By application only)

6 pm Film and Architecture Lecture and screening by artist Jeroen Kooijmans

Jeroen Kooijmans will talk about the creative processes and show works and excerpts of his works.
He will present his new project, The Fish Pond Song (2007- 2008) showing some finished parts. The Fish Pond Song is a long term project that is divided into episodes. It deals with religion, disbelief and superstition and is set in and around a small lake in the Dutch landscape. The film project does not have a clear scenario; instead the work develops on location, controlled by the improvisation of the characters.

Work (1994)
Excuse me, is this your room? 2000 (project he did in New York)
Floating Gardens, 2001 (project he did with MRVDV architects)

7 pm Screening New York & The Cactus Dance by Jeroen Kooijmans (2005, 36'31 “)

5 April 2008

11am – 2pm Freedom of Creation Workshop (By application only)

6pm Collect, Distribute, Support Lecture by Joke Ballintijn

Joke Ballintijn will discuss the field of video art today from the point of view of the distributor and the artist. The goal of many aspiring artists is to enter the commercial art and gallery world. Because the concerns of the small wealthy audience focus on exclusivity, videotapes, DVD’s and installations are sold in limited editions. But what about visibility? There are some artists that find it equally as important that their work is seen by a general public in a relevant context. What are choices and possibilities for these artists and what are the possible consequences? In traditional art display platforms like museums, galleries and biennales, video and media-art have now gained their unquestioned position. On the other hand, video and media art can also be presented in a multitude of other platforms, from arthouse cinemas to events in public spaces. What other spaces can the artist choose to present his/her work?

7:30pm The Lowlands Paradise: Contemporary Video from the Netherlands. Total duration 90 minutes Joke Ballintijn curated a program with recent works from the collection of the Netherlands Media Art Institute, by artists living and working in the Netherlands. These artists show a critical approach to the surrounding culture and media landscape, in a wide range of styles and formats, from documentary style to computer generated images.

eddie d – Sonatina (Nl, 2004, 2'09”)

Julika Rudelius – Your blood is as red as mine (NL, 2004, 16'17”)

Bas van Koolwijk – FDBCK/AV Red Flag (NL, 2005) 2'59”

Erwin Olaf – Le Dernier Cri (NL, 2006, 2'29”)

Jacco Olivier – Saeftinghe (NL, 2006, 2'39”)

Martijn Veldhoen – (why do I keep going) FORWARD (NL, 2006, 6'00”)

Guido van der Werve – Nummer zeven (the clouds are more beautiful from above) (NL, 2006, 8'49”)

Arno Coenen – VOC/VIP: Holland Experience! (NL, 2004 – 2007, 13'47”)

eddie d – Pas de Deux (NL, 2007, 1'57”)

Mieke Gerritzen – Beautiful world (NL, 2006, 30'00”)

6 April 2008

11am – 2pm Freedom of Creation Workshop (By application only)

6pm Consulting hour / Q&A: Joke Ballintijn, Annet Dekker and Jaromil will be present in an informal setting to discuss and answer questions about distributing, collecting, preservering and presenting media art.

8pm Freedom of Creation workshop results presentation + closing night drinks.

Day to day photo-, video- and text-based updates about BELOW SEALEVEL are accessible on the blog http://cairo-belowsealevel.blogspot.com

4 - 6 April 2008 (open from 11am to 5pm)

Videolibrary

On 4 different terminals, compilations of historical and contemporary works from the collection of the Netherlands Media Art Institute will be presented at CiC. Visitors to will be able to navigate the selection of 160 individual titles, depending on their interests and taste. Please check blog for a complete list of titles.

Biographies of Experts

Jaromil is a developer and media artist inspired by the GNY free software movement: he follows the ideal of creating FOSS for freedom of expression, to let people communicate, freed from consumerist speculations and the need for expensive hardware. Among open source software he created and maintains are: MuSE (for running aweb radia), FreeJ (foor Vee-Jay and real-time video manipulation), HasciiCam (ASCII video streaming) and dyne:bolic (efficient live-CD widely employed for media production and broadcasting). These creationsare redistributed by the Free Software Foundation and several other educational institutions worldwide. Based in Amsterdam, Jaromil is currently active on FOSS R&D for the Netherlans Media Art institure, adjunct lecturer (year 2008/2009) for the Media Design MA at PietZwart Academy in Rotterdam and the Digital Environment Design MA at NABA in Milano.

Annet Dekker (1970) has been active in the field of media art since the mid 90s: as researcher, writer and curator of media art exhibitions, discussions and workshops. Subjects of interest are the influence of new media, science and popular culture on art and vice versa. She has given various presentations at (inter)national symposia and was part of juries and advisory boards. For the past eight years she worked as curator and head of exhibition and the artist in residence program at the Netherlands Media Art Institute in Amsterdam. At the moment she is freelance curator and program manager for Virtual Platform.

Jeroen Kooijmans' (1967) work is characterised by small, but highly significant interventions. Evident in the choice of the framework or a subtle adaptation of the recorded material in the montage at a later stage. In a lively, carefree manner, Kooijmans succeeds in presenting extremely realistic images. His work seems to be closely related to that of pure observation, as if it is a direct translation of that which Kooijmans saw or imagined. He lays his cards on the table so that the observer can happily look, think and dream along with him. Coolly and serenely, he shows us rare moments in which people dream and fantasise, leaving reality and 'the madding crowd' far behind them for a while. http://www.jeroenkooijmans.com

After graduating in Film- and Television Studies at the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, Joke Ballintijn (1969) worked as a producer, programmer and curator in the field of media art. She has given numerous presentations at international festivals, academies and symposia and was part of juries, advisory boards and selection-commitees in various visual art organisations. Since 1999 she is a staff member of the the collection and distribution department of the Netherlands Media Art Institute in Amsterdam.

Please note that lectures will be conducted in English.

This program has been made possible with the kind support of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Embassy in Cairo.

Workshop 'Freedom of creation'

2008-04-01T22:39:00.000+02:00

Below you will be able to find an outline of the 4 day intensive workshop held during 'Below the Sealevel'.

FREEDOM OF CREATION

An intensive practical workshop on free software and video-making

In the world of artistic creation, free software means freedom of expression. This workshop will focus on the various software available for recording, editing and publishing of audio/video material. Participant will guided in identifying potential paths and in creatively choosing a direction within the vast choice of possibilities on offer. As the workshop progresses, each participant will be encouraged to use and adapt the software that best suits his or her own ideas and needs. This workshop, makes use of a beginner's approach to the topic at hand, explains various techniques of multimedia production using various free and open source software.

Subjects of the workshop: The following topics can be explored

How to fix a PC computer

Suggestions on recycling hardware components and how to assemble a PC computer

How to make Radio

Recording, editing and encoding of sound, interviews etc. how to broadcast voices and music on the Internet with online radio

How to make Music

Recording, editing of audio samples, equalizing and editing on multitrack, encoding and online publishing, live instruments for mixing and realtime performance

How to make Video

Recording, introduction to some editing applications, encoding, transcoding and online publishing, live instruments for veejaying and realtime manipulation, mathematical and algorithmical theories of video manipulation

Every participant will receive a dyne:bolic CD necessary software, free to be used and redistributed (GNU GPL license). The notions acquired will not make it necessary to buy any commercial software, the students will be free to produce and distribute their own creations without depending on commercial companies.

The workshop consists of a hands-on experience employing GNU/Linux for digital artisanship and tactical media, exploring various ideas and practices of crafting and recycling technologies to stimulate students towards the invention of novel forms of interactive computing and social networking.

Language of Instruction: English with Arabic translation if necessary

Instructor

Jaromil (1977) is a developer and media artist inspired by the GNU free software movement: he follows the ideal of creating FOSS for freedom of expression, to let people communicate, freed from consumerist speculations and the need for expensive hardware.

Among open source software he created and maintains are: MuSE (for running a web radio), FreeJ (for vee-jay and real-time video manipulation), HasciiCam (ASCII video streaming) and dyne:bolic (efficient live-CD widely employed for media production and broadcasting). These creations are redistributed by the Free Software Foundation and several other educational institutions worldwide.

Based in Amsterdam, Jaromil is currently active on FOSS R&D for the Netherlands Media Art institute, adjunct lecturer (year 2008/09) for the Media Design MA at PietZwart Academy in Rotterdam and the Digital Environment Design MA at NABA in Milano.

Information about the Program-Organisers

2008-04-01T22:14:00.004+02:00

Contemporary Image Collective

The Contemporary Image Collective (CIC) is an independent non-profit artist initiative founded in 2004 by a collective of artists and professional photographers, focusing on the visual image and the development of contemporary visual arts and culture in Egypt.

Our main goal is to create a platform for an active, reflective local community that supports contemporary artistic and professional practices. CIC aims to trigger a critical dialogue around current visual culture by encouraging production, organising exhibitions and initiating educational projects.

The CIC offices and studios are located on the second floor and rooftop of a charming 1920's villa in Mounira, a once-affluent residential neighborhood near Downtown Cairo. Exhibitions, photography courses, film screenings, performances, lectures and workshops are held regularly. CIC also offers local, regional and international artists and researchers the opportunity for collaboration and exchange within the framework of a studio/residency program.

CIC aims to promote the enrichment of the local visual culture by emphasizing the role of the visual image in shaping and documenting society at large.

www.ciccairo.com

The Netherlands Media Art Institute

Ever since the founding of the video gallery Montevideo in Amsterdam, 1978, the Netherlands Media Art Institute has been specialised in electronic art and especially video art which seeks the creative possibilities of the medium itself. Today we are active in 3 core areas: presentation, conservation and research. Through our facilities we provide extensive services for artists and art institutions.

The collection of the Netherlands Media Art Institute comprises over 1800 works, and is the beating heart of the institute. The oldest tapes date from 1970, and still every year we add about 35 new works to the collection. All tapes and installations from the collection are documented in an on-line public catalogue at www.nimk.nl and are available for rental for screenings and exhibitions.

The history of media art shows that from the very beginning international exchange was going to be an essential part of this art form. Now we distribute yearly almost a thousand works from the collection to 36 countries and we are preparing for the future, as on-line distribution though streaming selected works directly from our servers will be possible soon.

www.montevideo.nl

Contemporary Media Art from the Netherlands

2008-03-26T15:50:00.004+02:00

From April 3 - 6, the Netherlands Media Art Institute is invited at the Contemporary Image Collective in Cairo, Egypt.

The CiC is the first independent artist-run initiative in Egypt, where photographers and video artist are dedicated to the enrichment, analysis, production and dissemination of the visual image borne out of this region.

The program includes a 4 days workshop on GNU/Linux free software and video-making (حرية الابداع: ورشة صناعة أفلام والبرمجيات المجانية جنو/لينك) focusing on Freedom of Creation (حرية الابداع ) and facilitated by Jaromil, different lectures and screening programs by Joke Ballintijn and Annet Dekker, and a presentation by artist Jeroen Kooijmans.