Esmeralda KosmatopulosRachel BartonAmanda KarlssonLalya GayeLiat BerdugoSang Jun YooMolly BradburyMatia ArmendarisPaul Hage BoutrosRecep AkarJolene MokLarisa David

Esmeralda KosmatopulosRachel BartonAmanda KarlssonLalya GayeLiat BerdugoSang Jun YooMolly BradburyMatia ArmendarisPaul Hage BoutrosRecep AkarJolene MokLarisa DavidJyotsna GyananiYana SakellionConstantin HartensteinWoo Guru

STIGMART/10 is pleased to announce the list of artists selected for our annual Issue: more than 330 workswere submitted for this year's edition. We thank you all for your interest in our review. Our primaryresponsibility has always been not only to explore the most significants trends, but also to stress therhizomatic nature of the flux of contemporary-ness . We strongly believe that the ever-expanding role ofthe curator should not be considered in terms of conflict with the role of the artist. Twentythree yearshave passed since Les Magiciens de la Terre, in Paris: today curators' duties include stimulating anendless dialog between different artistical practises, avoiding easy classification, in order to face aglobalized scenario where approaches seemingly so antithetical share a radicality of aestethic intent.Selected artists:Sang Jun Yoo............................2Liat Berdugo..............................4Esmeralda Kosmatopulos.......7Lalya Gaye...............................9Rachel Barton.........................10Amanda Karlsson...................12Matia Armendaris..................14Jolene Mok.............................16Paul Hage Boutros.................18Jyotsna Gyanan....................20Larisa David............................21Molly Bradbury.......................22Yana Sakellion ......................23Recep Akar.............................24Woo Guru................................25Constantin Hartenstein............26

“In the literary machine that Proust’s “In Search of Lost Time” constitutes,we are struck by the fact that all the parts are produced as asymmetrical

sections, paths that suddenly come to an end, hermetically sealed boxes,noncommunicating vessels, watertight compartments, in which there are

gaps even between things that are contiguous, gaps that are affirmations,pieces of a puzzle belonging not to any one puzzle but to many, pieces

assembled by forcing them into a certain place where they may or may notbelong, their unmatched edges violently forced out of shape, forcibly made

to fit together, to interlock, with a number of pieces always left over.”Gilles Deleuze, Anti­Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia

STIGMART/10#DETERRITORIALIZATION!2012 ISSUE

STIGMART/10: "Under a light source,every subject is illuminated in humanperception because light amplifiesour vision". Your statement remind usof the great Italian artist CarmeloBene, who decided to use aparticular reflective material knownas 3M Scotchlite in his art-film"Salom ".When people asked himthe reason why he used thisuncommon technique, he replied"All the objects in my film don'treflect light: simply, they are light".However, his provocative sentence

refers to the ancient debate overthe nature of color and light sincethe Renassaince, while yourworksexplore this dimension througha contemporary approach, stressingthe interaction between theinstallation and the spectator. Couldyou illustrate this aspect of yourwork?SANG JUN YOO: Sometimes, Iquestion myself perceiving specificthings in between variety ofappearances in my life,but also myendless desire and movementtoward my perspective. Because westate in an artificial world which isdesigned by human beings, I seethere is a dilemma to find ourselvesin a natural spaceover the artificial surroundings. Whyare we longing the natural space?What drives us to process time andspace beyond physical andpsychological distance, to someoneor something else? To find our ownreflections in other side, rather thana numerous reflection in artificialworld. I started to find the light - theonly natural element we could seeour progression in time and space,for designing certainbridges that connect people to theirfamiliar surroundings. It is the viewer'sdecision to connect their

experiences to communicate withthe space I designed.My project aims to invite anauthentic experience from ourindividual perspective that focuseson the viewer's optical perception ina present moment, which possiblyconnects to a new perspective byamplifying or duplicating ourunderstanding on the light. Also theinstallation elicits one’s emotionalresponse to locate themselves fromtheir personal memories in a differenttimeline. My friend told me he wasreminded of a childhood memory ofhis mother doing laundry in the sun.Some people said that the lightsource from the projector remindedthem of the sun or the moon, oreven the view from a moving trainat dusk. This warmness gives apositive impression to observe in ahalf-sleep scroll the wildernesssometimes in our lives. From this, Iwant to help the viewers measuringthe distance to what they arelooking beyond the surface of thereality. My project aims to bring anauthentic experience from ouruniversal perspective that focuses onthe viewer's experience in a presentmoment, also translate human'sintimate relationship in betweenartificial and natural into anindividual experience. To share our

DISTANT LIGHT

SANG JUN YOO

DISTANT LIGHT

Sang Jun, Yoo is a new media artistbased in New York City. Born in 1982 inSeoul, South Korea.

SANG JUN YOO

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emotional response to a deep,lasting impact of incredibly simplepleasure: the light.-From a technical point of view, wehave found very impressive you useof curtain walls, subtracting therichness of colours typical of light-based installation in art galleriestoday: it suggest a more minimalistand at the same time really emotiveapproach. How do you achieve it?Slowly rocking window curtainsagainst the sunlight is one of themost beautiful images I’ve everseen. My personal impression drovethis project as a study of therelationship between natural andartificial surroundings, and ourchanging perception of the two. Theinstallation's translucent swathesmimic the movement of fabric infront of an open window, also thedepth of natural encounters in ourdaily lives, and are backlit in arotating spectrum of natural hues. Asheer sheet blow gently in amanmade breeze, accompanied bya soft computer-generated whirr. Amixed feeling in a big, dark andhazy space with constantly movinglight wall wakes up and pushes theviewer's motivation to discover theunseen perspectives in reality.-Could you explain the peculiarrelationship between light andshadow in your work?A constantly moving light in myinstallation generates an ambivalentfeeling to the viewers in terms of

understanding time and the space.The light mimics the characteristic ofsunlight, which represents a daylight:a white-yellow-red spectrumthroughout the day. Also, themovement of the sunlight. Thecurtain wall symbolises our visualboundaries as well. In the spotsbeyond the curtains, the shadowdelineates us better against the lightin an ambiguous space. The viewersbecome immersed in an ambiguousspace which drives a self motivationsto discover their own reflections inbetween light and shadow. Theycan directly approach to the insideor the outside of curtain wall, toexperience the spatial interactivity inthe installation space. By touchingthe lights on a moving curtain wall,the viewers become able to changethe colour spectrum, also their ownvisual perceptions to the light. Byconstantly changingphenomenological atmosphere inthe space with the light and theshadow, the viewers recall theirpersonal memory or experience tolocate themselves in theambivalence of time and space.-What in your opinion defines a workof art?Art is based on feeling rather thanintellect, and its value is experientialfor the viewer, ratherthan having apassive art experience in front of atraditional painting or sculpture. Arthas been contemplated ourperception on our space andsurrounding by discovering human’s

capability to translate therelationships in between natural andartificial world, also tried to lookbeyond of reality with efforts ofextending and limiting possibilities ofourselves. Since, we perceive thingsin a different timeline by recallingexperiences from one’s past, alsoprojecting perspectives from one’sreflection, it appears to be ashortage in the information contentsin our connections: ambiguousconversation is only partly clearbecause half of the language isredundant. Furthermore, in amoment, a state of order anddisorder may seem to be predicted.However, it is impossible to predicteverything in reality since thepractical use of physical function isbased on constant change ofrelationship with other conditions.Therefore, the art has beenprogressed to connect one’sexperience to a present moment,rather than looking to the artwork, tolook inside -for this is where the realart lies, in opening ourselves to thepresent moment. This idea belongsto a contemporary notion: in theart's power to enrich us as weexperience it. Because the space orthe artifice doesn’t lose the aspectof own characteristics under art, itinvites another perspectives by notadjusting or modifying the originalitself. So, the space remains in ourfamiliar relationship we alreadyhave, so the art opens the possibilityto let us discover and experiencethe space.

'Distant Light' is a space installation.Although light makes everything visible,light itself is not usually noticed becausewe see things reflected against it. WhenI look toward the sun, normally,everything in my vision turns into visibleand invisible. This is nature's rule: anobject is only visible when light reflects it.Under a light source, every subject isilluminated in human perception becauselight amplifies our vision. Ultimately,relationship between light and shadowbecomes the threshold of humanperception. Sheer curtain walls slowlyrocking by wind current. The lightscomes from somewhere behind curtainwalls, and the light makes the curtainsvisible . An ambivalent feelings in a darkand hazed space drives the viewers selfmotivation to discover.

STIGMART/10:"The absurd humanobsession with appending ourbodies and our senses with high-tech gadgetry" reminds us ofStelarc's performances indeed,however, in your videos any kind ofinteraction seems frozen, moreunsettling and at the same timeironic. Why did you decide to makethis work?When I began this work, I waslearning how to use Arduino for thefirst time. Arduino is a microcontroller-- made in Italy, actually -- that

most new media artists use to makeworks that are interactive andinvolve physical computing orrobotics. You can see the Arduinoboard in most of the videos inSwitch. When I was learning how touse Arduino, I was overcome withthe feeling that so many of the waysto append electronic feedbackonto things in the real world viaphysical computing are just slightvariations on basic switches. A lot ofwork made with Arduino boardsreminded me of the “Clap-on, Clap-off” lamps that were popular in the80s and 90s. I was much moreinterested in what we’re willing tobelieve is an electrical switch, ratherthan what can actually be wired upproperly to function as real electricalswitches. So I started imagining lotsof strange devices, and makingvideos of them as if they reallyworked. I wanted to imagine alandscape where these things weretrue. It was more interesting to me tomake these imaginative, fake videos,and place them into the Internetculture of how-to videos. It wasdefinitely ironic.In his essay "The end of the world"on psychopathological apocalypsesErnesto De Martino, Italiananthropologist, focused on theemotional substratum lying incommon use household objects. He

observed that people suffering frompsychological disease show apeculiar attachment to everydayobjects, often insignificant things.After about 60 years, we ask you ifthe latest technologicaldevelopment has radically changedour emotional approach to commonobjects, apart from technologicalfetishism?I feel a particular attachment toeveryday objects! But I think that’swhat art can do -- it lets you beattached to things, or see things,that you normally overlook. It giveswhat Jacques Ranciere calls themoment of ‘dissensus’, or themoment of poetic estrangement, orwhatever you want to call thatmoment that allows you to see whatyou commonly see as old,uninteresting and unremarkable asnew again. Most everyday objectsare normally overlooked. I don’tthink that technology has radicallychanged our attitudes towardscommon objects. Maybe mycommon objects are less valuable tome because I know if I lose them Ican just order them again onAmazon Prime and they’ll be on mydoorstep in two days. But I still lovethem. I’ve always been drawn to therealm of the domestic, themundane, and the everyday. In away, what is mundane is what’s most

LIAT BERDUGOSWITCH

Liat Berdugo is an American artist whose workfocuses on the strange, delightful andincreasingly ambiguous terrain that liesbetween the digital and the analog andbetween the online and the offline. Her workhas been shown at conferences in the U.S. andin Canada, and in galleries and festivalsinternationally. Berdugo is currently pursuingher M.F.A. in Digital + Media at the RhodeIsland School of Design. She lives and works inProvidence, RI.

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approachable, and what gives thestrongest tentacles for access andunderstanding for readers andviewers. What’s mundane is alsomost intimate. Only my lover knowsthe way I squeeze my toothpasteout of its tube. I love technology,too, and I like making it just anothermundane material of my everydaylife. I don’t believe that technologyshould be fetishized or put on apedestal, just like I don’t believe thatit should be lamented orcatastrophize. I do believe it shouldbe approached, engaged with, andtoyed with, as if it were just anotherpotato chip in a big bowl of Utz.What is your relationship with video-recording devices?I tend to use the cheapest andsimplest means possible to makevideos. Switch was shot entirely witha Kodak Zi8 Pocket camera, which issort of like a Flip cam. Sometimes Ieven shoot footage with the built-iniSight camera on my Mac. I tend tocare more about getting lots ofideas germinated, prototyped, shot,and distributed out into the worldthan I care about superior quality offootage. As I work more and morewith video, this is beginning tochange for me -- but mostlybecause my cheap cameras keepbreaking.Your work focuses on the border thatbetween the "digital" and the"analog". Could you explain whatthese terms exactly represent foryou?I use the word “digital” to refer tothings that are technological, thatare plugged-in, and that are in therealm of new media, and the word“analog” to refer to things that are

non-technological, unplugged, andmore old-school. I know this isn’t thestandard definition of the words, butit’s their gist. It used to be the casethat these worlds were reallyseparate: either a TV was on or off;either you were online or youweren’t; either you were out todinner with your friend or you weretalking to your mom on thetelephone, but now both.Increasingly I see that the divisionsbetween these world have begun toerode. Today our identities resideboth in our physical selves as well ason our Facebook walls; QR codesfrequently lead us from physicalobjects such as bus stops andmuseum exhibits to sites online; andchildren mistakenly use the multi-touch gestures of iPhones inattempts to zoom pictures inphysical photo albums. As theseboundaries erode, they leavebehind fascinating and culturalresidues, or imprints, of their formerdivisions. This is what I like to explorewith my work. I often find myselfmaking video work and installationsthat aim to cast a spotlight on thiscultural residue in an effort to form acritical understanding ofcontemporary culture as bothsaturated by and resisting newmedia technologies, andincreasingly, as unable to tell thedifference between this saturationand resistance.In his essay "Beyond the pleasureprinciple" Freud depicted for the firsttime the biological instinct directedtoward the organism's return to theinorganic state. Do you think thattoday technology can offer us areassuring instinct de mort?

I don’t really think so. I think morethan anything technology tends tooffer us a reassuring feeling thatthings can live forever, thateverything can be remembered,and that we can be immortalized.Computer memory seems cheapand infinite. Our Facebook walls liveon after we die -- even if no onechecks them. We freeze momentswith photographs, videos, animatedgifs, and so on. I think technologywants to always be new: we want anew iPhone, we want newerupdates on Twitter, we newer mapsand we work hard to keep ourdevices looking new by coveringthem with cases, screen protectors,and other prophylactic sheaths as ifthey were fancy sofas in ourgrandmother’s houses. This is why Ilove broken devices, because theyshatter these illusions.What are your next projects?I’m working on a few differentprojects right now. I’m making a newvideo series called My iPhone isEverything, where iPhones and iPadsare recast as objects that they couldnever really be. In one video, awoman rubs a block of cheddarcheese on the surface of her iPad asif it were a cheese grater, and inanother a man in spandex lifts twoiPhones as if they were heavydumbbells. As these devicesbecome our technological Swissarmy knives, My iPhone is Everythingquestions whether technology canreally do everything. I’m also workingon a set of videos where I use theApple multi-touch gestures to zoommy own image on video. And I’mworking on another project where Ishoot footage from the built-incameras on the devices in Applestores -- its laptops, desktops, tablets,and phones. I don’t know how Ibecame so Mac-centric, it justhappened one day. I think ithappened because I like looking athow technology has becomeincreasingly totemic -- andfetishized, as you say -- and theultimate totem or fetish is the shinychrome Apple product on a whitebackground with a halo of lightsaround it, as if it were delivered to usfrom some sort of digital heaven.

Frames from "Switch"

Stills from "Switch"

When I was a kid, my parents say Iplayed with food more than youraverage child. Parents like to saythat their kids are above average atmany things, like reading books,writing the alphabet, sharing toys, oreven being tall, but not playing withfood. I used to sculpt my mashedpotatoes into rows of perfectrectangular prisms and twist myspaghetti into multiple concentricrings. I would stick olives on each ofmy fingertips and wiggle my handsaround as if my nails were paintedblack. I liked to take the things onmy plate and transform their edibilityinto playful plasticity, as if they weredrawn from an imaginativelandscape and plopped onto thedinner table.For a while I stopped playing withmy food. I studied philosophy andabstract mathematics. I worked as acomputer programmer for a whileand then as a designer in Silicon

Valley. But last year I started playingwith food again. I made analphabet out of Jell-O, constructingthe letters A through Z from greengelatin. I filmed each letter jiggling,and used this footage to program avideo poem where words wobble,move, and narrate a story about theAmerican dinner table experience. Iliked how the prongs of an E wilteddown with gravity and how a wordwith lots of I’s fell over on itself withthe unwieldy instability of long andstraight letters. I liked giving digitaltypography a delightful tangibility.I wrote a poem in Jell-O because Ibelieve that we enrich work whenwe put it into a new context – whenwe translate it. When I lived in Italy, Iused to go to bookstores to readliterary translations of poems, takingin the Italian on one page and theEnglish on the next to garner newmeanings from each one context toanother, making each richer and

and fuller than before. For me, thesetranslations are personal. I am botha programmer and a designer, amathematician and an artist. Thesetranslations allow me to sewtogether opposing sides of myidentity – to bridge polarities likescience and art, like the digital andthe physical.Translations can happen throughmany different media, but I’ve foundthat the digital landscape enablesthem with a fluidity unavailable inother contexts: prototyping is fastand distribution networks are wide. Iuse this landscape to examine themedium of technology itself. I look atthe mundane moments of ourtechnological lives – our iPhonegestures, the ads we see alongsideGoogle searches – and translatethese into video art. I film myselfsqueezing bananas as if this couldturn on blenders and I film my friendsin slapping raw meat as if this canmake a boxer punch in Wii. I ammotivated by projects small and big– from turning messy objects like fruitinto technological interfaces toexploring how perceptions of spaceare modified by digital tropes likevideo games. I like to seetechnology as just another thing, asjust another material, as if it were amashed potato.Perhaps it wasinevitable that I’d play withtechnology as I played with food.When I was growing up, my father,an engineer, used to leave hiscomputer chips strewn about liketoys, and on the weekends we’dtransform Tropicana cartons intomakeshift lanterns. On my weekendsthese days I transform digital screensinto mirrors that help us see the waytechnology alters our everyday lives.I’m not one to catastrophize; I likethe changes technology brings. I likethe objects of the digital world: itstropes, its memes, its mouses. Butmostly I like making it into messes. Ilike to play with the boundarybetween the tactile and the virtual –between the digital and the analog,between the online and the offline –just like I played, as a kid, with theline between the edible and theartful. LIAT BERDUGO

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ESMERALDAKOSMATOPOULOS

Esmeralda KosmatopoulosINSTALLATION

As a multi-media artist, I amdriven by my desire to locatemyself. I attempt to trace theboundaries of my persona inorder to determine where I beginand where I end. In each of myprojects, I have considered howidentity is created and restrictedby the limitations of the bodyand society. I inquire into thevarious incarnations ofpersonhood: the voice, the body,the virtual self and the socialidentity.I believe we are in a universalpredicament; we occur insimultaneous planes of existence,more various than at any othertime in history.We co-exist on virtual planes,disassociated from our ownbodies, fragmented. The locationof our identity is in a crisis now.

Esmeralda Kosmatopoulos is a self­taught sculpture and installation artist. She wasborn in Thessaloniki, Greece and grew up in Paris. She now lives and works in NY.Her works connects Art with social causes. She uses whimsical imagery as a way toengage the audience and open the dialogue about important issues. Her latest publicart installation, "the Palm Authority Project" was presented during Miami Art Basel2011.It also won the Scotiabank Prize in Canada and will be part of the Figment ArtFestival in NY in June and the Toronto Nuit Blanche on October 2012.

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Arbre à Palabres was a temporary3D street-art installation dedicatedto local immigrant communities ofthe neighbourhood of Federal Hill, inProvidence, RI, USA. The piece was asteel structure made of white andcircular rings and cylinders, wrappedaround a tree trunk, stacked on topof each other. The piece wasaugmented with an audiotransducer connected to a musicplayer. The transducer made themetal vibrate to sound and turnedthe structure into a large-scale streetloudspeaker.

This installation referenced the oldtradition of “whitewashking” trees(painting tree trunks with white limeto protect them from bugs and sunscald), which is practiced in manycountries around the world (Mexico,China, Senegal, Morocco, Poland,etc); countries that are coincidentlymain sources of immigration in thecity of Providence. This minimalistdetail of everyday life and publicspace is instantly recognizable forpeople who have seen it before, yetnot typical enough of a specificplace to be read as “exotic”, thusmaking it universal.Looking disjointed as if prone toradio interferences or glitches, thepiece "teleported" this simple detailof foreign everyday life into thecurrent reality of the immigrantcommunities, blending into theurban landscape as an uncanny yetmundane touch of elsewhere, andreminding the public of a place faraway they might originate from. Thisdisjointed aesthetics as well as theuse of steel – a heavy material witha strong history in the state of RhodeIsland – reflected the anchored yetstretched nature of migration. As astreet-speaker, it also vibrated to thesound of foreign music, thus actingas an audio link to distantsoundscapes.

This piece belongs to a series I amworking on about the notions of‘diaspora’ and ‘home’. It wasrealised as part of an artist residencyat the Digital + Media departmentat Rhode Island School of Design(http://dm.risd.edu/), in collaborationwith The Steel Yard(http://www.thesteelyard.org/) andwith the support of the WestBroadway NeighbourhoodAssociation (http://www.wbna.org/).It was installed in public space andran for a period of one week.

ARBRE À PALABRES

Born in 1978 in Geneva, Switzerland,Lalya Gaye is a Swedish andSenegalese­Malian digital media artistand interaction design researcher basedin Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Lalya Gaye

Steel, foam, acoustic actuator, music player (2009)LALYA GAYE

Why did you decide to make thiswork?There are a few reasons as to why Icreated this piece; firstly through outmy life I have seen a lot of mentalillness from one thing to another,observing people in public andpersonal experiences with familymembers.I have noticed that there is a strongconnection with the abuse of drinkand drugs with people who suffer

with a mental illness or people whoare trying to escape or numb what isactually troubling them.We’re all a little bit mad it’s just thatsome of us are better at controlling itthan others. In a nut shell Imdescribing the human condition!It is very easy to become an outcastin society and it’s very easy to endup alone and when this happenspeople adapt they find solace in theanimate or they enter a world thatmerely exists in the own heads. Weall have the ability to adapt whetherit’s to a new job, loneliness or evenprison it’s all a means of survival. Sowith all these aspects in mindBernice’s character was created.Your work shows a powerful anddisturbing balance between a sortof artificial amateurism and at thesame time extreme attention todetails; objects, dresses are strictlyselected by colour in acinematographic manner. How doyou achieve this balance?This film was shot in my own house,all the objects selected we’re fromaround my home, its funny howthese ordinary everyday objectscombined represented theweirdness of Bernice’s character. It’smade to look like an amateur

documentary about this womanBernice where in actually fact it’snot a documentary she’s just insane.I carefully selected the outfit andobjects to show a disturbing yetcomforting sense of being stuck in atime warp. A disturbing essence wascreated with the juxtaposition ofBernice’s alter ego.The technical side of the film issimple for example it was filmed inone continuous shot and from oneangle and was set in my ownkitchen. The script was off the cuff Ididn’t have any thing until I startedfilming. All of these aspects without adoubt help with the amateur feel ofthe film.What in your opinion defines a workof art?A work of art can be a lot of thingswithout stating the obvious. In myopinion a work of art pleases andrepulses the senses, it deals with theworld that we live in today, it’s ourpast, present or future, it can makeyou laugh, cry, angry or even bored.Art can be the intelligent placing ofobjects projecting subliminalmessages. Art can tell a story of themeaningfulness of naked existence.It all depends what I get from it.

DISTANT LIGHT

Rachel Barton

RACHEL BARTONBERNICE OH NO(FILM)

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We have appreciated in your worksan uncommon use of voice, oftenoverlapped; like in “sound piece”could you better explain this aspectof your videos?

This aspect of my video representsones intrusive thoughts with thebattle of the good and badsubconscious. It’s those ramblingconversations we have withourselves. It’s those personal whispersthat you’ll never tell your friends. Forexample intrusive thoughts forsomeone that is mentally unstable, itis a nonstop thought which theycan’t switch off. Where as a mentallystable person can.It’s like when you’re driving along ina car and you imagine the wholecar crashing but you just shake yourhead and tell yourself to shut up butfor someone with, O.C.D, they couldhave that one thought but theycan’t stop it. That one thought goeson and on and gets darker anddarker which causes the need forrituals such as counting or washingto counteract the horrible thoughts.The voice also describes Bernice’sdelight in her boundless insanity.

"Is this a synapsis in the subconscious?We give ourselves the illusion of being normal that causes a battle within oneself, a battle between thegood and bad subconscious, a battle between the innocently deluded positive and the sinister negative.We constantly deal with the intelligent cancer of ones emotions, these emotions are poked by onesintrusive thoughts.We find comforts in the inanimate to try and make ourselves content in life.Peoplehave a longing for love leaving a desperate hopeless air of the lonesome. Pushed to the edge we canfind delight in boundless insanity. To grab a moment of clarity in a lifetime of sheer madness is whatsome wait for. What is normal?The convoluted jibber jabbers and the judgement society throws at us.The abuse of drugs and alcoholis nearly always commonly used to distract or to numb the other problems that really reside in a person.This might just be a reflection on society today.A reflection on how easy it is to become isolated and invisible to others around you. As much as youhate to admit it, unless its family or your job, nobody want to take care of the “crazy” it’s too hard.On alighter note toast is good at anytime of the day!"RACHEL BARTON

Still from "Bernice Oh no"

I was born and raised in Sweden,surrounded by the wild, deep andalmost fairytale forests. With peopleshaped by the fixed nature, theythus become fixed individuals,separated from whats not alreadyknown. I used to hate the separationfrom the outside world, alwaysseeking a larger experience from life.Now, this separation is something Iam constantly seeking for in

my artworks.I often see my motives as actors in aroom, or space that I created. Theseactors, or objects, are not the mostimportant part of the basic feelingthat I am trying to convey. Instead, itis the space surrounding them.For me these are emotionless areas,they still aren't empty, but theycontain a lack of human emotion.For me, this is to keep, let go or use.Mostly I seem to preserve it, I havealways been driven to the oldfolklore melancholia. The moreromantic kind when you actuallyenjoy your own misery.That is why I so often turn to graphitein my works. I enjoy the sensitive leadpencil and the ability to conveysharp details but still keep the lighttouch. A really useful material towork with when trying to do bothrealistic drawings and includeabstract shapes, the graphitecreates a dialogue between thesetwo for me. The realistic becomesabstract because of thesurroundings, and the abstractquestions the realistic shapes.

When I turn to my oil paintings I useit slightly differently, still keeping themelancholia and separation fromthe outside world, but also to add aseparation between the people orobjects I portray and the canvas.Often I want it to feel like these

motives just accidentally stepped into the picture. I believe indeconstructing and rebuilding; touse a moment, preserve its visualimportance, and then remove therest. This makes it possible to add theempty surroundings.Creating emotion with emotionlessspace.My motives are often people,maybe its because human beingsinspire me, or maybe its because Ifind it interesting to see how humansinteract with each other. Portraitsdon't really get to me, neither towatch nor to create. My piecesoften contains several people thatdon't seem to be aware that theyare a part of an artwork.The eyes turning another wayAmanda Karlsson, Swedish artist

currently living in Berlin­Germany.

AMANDA KARLSSON

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Like children, they have such anability to observe and observe only.When I am using children in myworks I often get the feeling that meand the motive are involved in agathering observation, notsomething in the artwork, butsomething close by. We are stillseparated in two different worldsbut, the viewer, become interestedin something that is not told in thecanvas.This is really interesting because I, asthe creator, feel completelypowerless in this realisation that Imyself is being drawn into this.

On the other hand, I also enjoy it. Inthe beginning of creating an artworkI often start with the title, then I candecide the basic mood and the firstimpression that the viewer shouldhave. Often in a slightly humorousway because, when using humourthe title is a suggestion, not ademand.

I don't want to decide what theviewer should receive, nor feel, I justwant to use the title as a suggesteddirection to go in. Also, I really enjoymixing humour and romanticmelancholia, it creates a bit of darkhumour.This separation of dark humour andscenery in itself gives me inspiration. Idon't live in the Swedish forest anymore, I live in Berlin.This exclusionfrom the outside world has passedand still I find myself creating it. Orre-enacting it to lead the viewerthrough my eyes, but never to betoo obvious. Thus, art isn't fixed, nor isit personal, its a creative perceptionthat lies beyond the individual work.My goal is to make art that requirethe viewer to respond.

"In my art I always try to find emptyspaces where you can rest, whilebeing surrounded at the same time. Ibelive in deconstruct and rebuild.Use a moment, preserve the visuallyimportance and then leave the rest.I usually work a lot with titles to myartworks, then I can decide the basicmood and the first impression thatthe viewer have. And as im doingwith the motives, leave the rest. "

STIGMART: In your work we can seemany family photos from the 60’s:this practice was very commonamong narrative artists, like ChristianBoltanski. However, in SKIN theemployment of found footage showsa contemporary approach, basedon the failed recognition of the past(out of focus). Could you explain thisaspect of your work?

In Christian Boltanski’s work the useof found photographs is purposelyclose to his own personal experienceas a child and recalls deepdepressions on the collectivememory of humanity bringing up asensation of loss and death. Thisrecognition process of the pastbecomes relevant in his workbecause of the emotions that areburied in the specific past he isrevisiting.In SKIN the screen that divides theroom in two spaces receives afragmented and out of focusprojection of found images form thesixties. This reference to the past is anexperience focused in the presentand our distance from the past. Itpresents a nostalgic separation thatis not only emotional but alsophysical. The screen works as a skinthat divides the body from theoutside, and all this marks, holes and

weights alter the surface and allowus to see a little bit of the mechanicsbehind it while influencing theprojection itself. This intends to mimicthat physical map of memories thatwe carry and the way it allows us aglimpse into our mental or emotionalmemory archive remaining a bodilyexperience where memories comeand go as feelings or sensationsblurred and fragmented.- What in your opinion defines awork of art?Nowadays something becomes artthe moment it has beenextrapolated as such. In my opinion,art is no longer a word attachedwith a sense of quality, it only placesa frame from which people caninteract with that something that hasbeen called art. In order for thisrecognition to happen is most likelythat this something had a discourseattached to it.

- You often deal with dualisticaspects of everyday life: do youthink that there are only negativeconsequences of this? And could Artplay a revealing role, in order to getthrough this simplification?

MATIAS

The barrier that divides thecorporeal and the mental dictates therestrictions that influence ourperception and conservation of ourexperiences. We often think ofmemories as narratives or cinematicfragments within a larger mentalarchive that relies on our ability toprocess, store and retrieve data withour brain. This piece explores theboundaries of this process andexplores the capacity of physicalmemory and corporeal sensoryreception. The skin works as a mapthat stores the weight of pastexperiences and retains physicallywhat is no longer present. The imagesprojected on the screen are foundfamily photos from the 60’s. Thisprojection fragmented and out offocus, brings up questions of limitsand boundaries of our own bodilyexperience and our incapability ofescaping our dual nature.

ARMENDARISI believe that the dualistic structurethat permeates through oureveryday experience is a culturallyand socially constructed beast,mainly product of a westernimposed gaze.

This dualism can have negativeeffects especially within our socialinteraction, but if we allow ourselvesto see the full spectrum once weidentify this opposed binaries wemight be able to turn that into apositive understanding of our nature.

Art certainly has that ability topresent these dichotomies that givesthe viewer the chance toidentify themselves with the intricateinterweaved middle grounds.

SKIN

Matias Armendaris

14

Do you think that actual"personality" of an object could beas a matter of fact anepiphenomenon of what culturalimpositions give to it, instead of itsintrinsic peculiarity?I think that the “personality” of anobject is completely a result ofcultural impositions.All our conceptions of romanticizedobjects come from a collectivecultural construction, and out of anindividual urge for identification weadopt concepts and ideas toconstruct ourselves through thethings around us.I do believe nonetheless that thismalleability of value within objectsgives us a wide range of possibilitieswhen trying to create content orknowledge.It’s an infinite playground of

emotional and ideological imposedmeanings. When you becomeconscious of such culturalconstruction it turns into a subjectivefreedom of appropriation or evensubjective imposition.

Do you think that social impositionsare capable of influencing thebehaviour of an artist? And how farthe influence of the outside worldcan actually restrict the freedom ofcreativity?I think that the word artist itself isalready so charged with social andcultural connotations and the artmarket, the art institutions, and thesocial shenanigans of art interactionall come with particular ideas thatinfluence anyone who is thinking ofbeing a part of this structure.I believe its naive to think that we

can exist in a pure form withoutoutside influence. In fact, I am a firmbeliever that we are only individualsas a result of our search for thatoutside influence; it is theconstruction of each person’sidentity.I think that outside influence can be

both restricting and expansive forand artist and a creative mindwould know how to use and mishmash different influences in order toexpand possibilities in his own work.

What are your next projects?I just moved to Mexico City fromVancouver and my next projects areall at an early stage. I’m writing andillustrating a graphic novel aboutfortune telling from the perspectiveof a young girl. I’m also working on asemi-magical object store project,and a series of intruder pages forbooks in public libraries. I just startedtraining as a traditional wood carverand plan to start a series ofsculptures in the near future.

SKIN, installation by Matias Armendaris

the not so ongoing smoke is a spin-off from a 43-minute long wide shotthat records some dense smokearising from a fire happened in adessert nearby downtown LasVegas.This video is a chance-operationpiece based on three uncontrolledelements: 1) the unusual occurrenceof a fire, which was an unfortunateaccident; 2) the high-up shootingangle, which profiled the windowview of an assigned room I stayed inLas Vegas during my work trip there;3) a fairly sunny day with a clearcloudless sky, which was veryfavorable for natural light shooting.Without either of these elements, thenot so ongoing smoke would nothave existed.Of course I found myself extremelylucky to have witnessed these threehappenings on my first-ever visit toLas Vegas. That was why Iinstinctively turned on one of mycameras, which was a pocket size

HD video recorder, and let it sit infront of the window capturing suchan ongoing moment.Frankly speaking, I didn't know whatI was going to do with the footagewhen I decided to take such a shot.The act of shooting was entirelyspontaneous and accidental. When Ireturned to my workstation reviewingall the visual materials I shot in LasVegas, I found this 43 minutes longtake quite boring and almostmundane somehow.To me, a videographer, the processof documentation begins with themoment I press the record button,and ends when I press it again. Inthis particular case, I didn't even endthe video recording myself but leaveit to the depletion of two AAbatteries. My notion of leave it all tofate was actually a good intentionwith experimental rationaleembedded in it. However, thedangerous of being experimentalwas that I would easily allow myself

to rely solely on randomness andchance operation, and forgettingabout being critical with the natureand characteristic of the footage Icollected.Whereas the shooting process hasoccurred, with the fact that I didn'tpay much effort in carrying out acontrolled experiment in recording,the only way for me to rectify allconstruction defects was to carry onwith conscious editing. In the editingprocess, I endeavored to build agenerative system by dissecting andjuxtaposing various elements, i.e. theslow pace motion of dispersingsmoke; the dynamic movement ofmotor vehicles; and the casting oflight and shadow on a spread-outsurface. Through manipulating themoving image with thoughtfulcalculations and alternative editing, Ienlivened a tedious shot by showingthe record of record, and presentingthe presence of the completedpresent in a playful yet serious way.JOLENE MOK

DISTANT LIGHT

SANG JUN YOO

THE NOT SO ONGOING SMOKE

JOLENE MOK

16

Jolene Mok (b. 1984) was born andraised in Hong Kong. She is anexperimentalist and researcherspecializing in video, film,photography and new media, and isnow an M.F.A. candidate inExperimental & Documentary Arts atDuke University. She has beenexposed to an interdisciplinarylearning and working environmentsince her undergraduate educationin the School of Creative Mediathrough her major in the CriticalInter-Media Laboratory.Mok takes both practical andtheoretical components asinterconnected aspects throughouther creation process. Since 2006,Mok's works have been shown in film& video festivals in Korea, Macau,Estonia, Spain, Italy, Serbia and HongKong. Her other digital creationshave traveled to academicconferences in Japan, Indonesia,Thailand, Vietnam, China and Brazil.

Stills from "the not so ongoing smoke" by Jolene Mok

STIGMART: In your video "Not OnlyAutomatons" you make use of astatic shot, and the only sensationsof motion are carryed on by sounds,which so have great importance ansmost of the times seems to be therevealing element of the context: itseems to hide a solution ofsomething. Do you think that thejuxtaposition of audio trackssucceed in getting unexpectedmeanings?A static shot is important in order to

reduce the effects and subjectivityproduced by the man behind thecamera.As the work is about a specificunconscious behavior, and in orderto expose that behavior I reduce allthe surrounding to a mere still lifeand a serenity space and thandisturb it by giving it life through theaudio coming out from theheadphones, whistling and singing ofthe protagonist.In my work I use a reduction methodand by doing so I believe the workwill be intercepted better by viewers.I believe in a process of reduction inage of overproduction.The only signs of life on the scene

are the slow motion of the trees andthe whistle of the man on thechair.This gives back the idea ofrandomness: what is the role of

uncertainty in your works? Does itinspire you?

In my early works I tried to workagainst the idea of randomness byreducing the level of work to thevery basic. I admit I wanted tocontrol what I was doing but to findout it’s an impossible task. I believethat some kind of randomness existsin most of my work. I don't try togenerate randomness but it I think ithas its own free will.Your work seems to deal with

everyday reality, but it's a realitywhich has more things to say thanwe often use to understand: somerevealing elemts are hidden by dailyroutine. Do you think that art shouldlinger over on these aspects whicheveryday life is tending to hidebehind simple actions?Well most of everyday reality is a

social constructed reality. People’sconception of what reality is turn outto be embedded in the institutionalframework of society. What my worksactually deals with is are fragilemoments, objects and phenomenathat are there but are unnoticeabledue to our apprehension of idea oftime in the world we live in.Unfortunately Time is seen as anentity of measuring quantity todayinstead of quality. Through my work I

PAUL HAGEBOUTROStry to challenge what is conceivedand accepted as a daily reality.

Do you think that if several anddifferent kinds of behavior, whichmight seems without anyconsciousness, could even give riseto a collective consciousness? Doesart have a particular role in exploringthis?Yet the unconscious still exerts

control over the behaviors, desires,dreams and drives of humans and isnever entirely dispatched from theconsciousness, I reject the attemptto link psychoanalysis with socialtheory and the strive towards acollective consciousness As an artist Iam not trying to carry psychoanalysisover to the cultural community, I amexposing what shouldn't berepressed.

Not Simply Automatons

Paul Hage Boutros

18

NOT ONLY AUTOMATONSIn the process of my work I focus onsubjects such as inertia,unnoticeable moments, junk objects,leftovers, nostalgia, and unconscioushuman behavior. All of thesesubjects have the property to exist ina state of rest or uniform motion,unless an external force disturbs thatstate. I am mostly interested insubtracting life to these momentsand objects so the most mundane,and disregarded become endowedwith a new grandeur. With the notionof life comes the notion of time; inmy works time is stretched,transformed and slowed down.Nowadays we are losing the slowpace of the revelation of things, wehave lost one sense of time in favorof another where high production isproduced in a very short span oftime. My artworks try to re-articulateand confront the notion of time andcultural production in the age ofnatural resource depletion andglobal consumerism.The works present questions andchallenges about the way the worldis, the way we perceive it, and theway in which we can act in it asartists.PIn my latest works I started to getinterest in the idea of beingpolitically incorrect, so I startedproducing works which attract andarrest our principal attention basedon images, experiences andobjects rejected by what is labeled“political correctness”. A mereatmosphere of political correctnessis an enforced orthodoxy. I believethat freedom of the individual shouldtake precedence over the powerand identity of groups.PAUL HAGE BOUTROS

Stills from "Not only Automatons"(Details)

How does imagination succeed indirecting different and seeminglyconflicting experiences, in order tofind an unforeseen unifier action?I appreciate you for asking because

for an artist it is a pleasure to talkabout the unforeseen object asevery time a beautiful immaginateryform creates a niche of directing,finalizing and presenting approachto come with an exhibit. Myimagination goes very vast anpurposefully except an extravagantdimension to go around and havemy exhibit look undoubtedly natural,although doing this directingapproach creates some conflictsgetting the immagenatery form oncanvas but also these allexperiences make me moreexperiment oriented once find aniche approach in between myimagination and confrontation. Iactually enjoy the glory of unifierexperience and than I get anunforeseen object placed on mycanvas coming more naturally.It's not unusual that contemporary

artists deal with money in their worksin an ironic way: I can see that insome of your works you are able tosnatch another side of the matterwhich reminds me sacredness?

Phenomenally of course not everycontemporary artist doesn’t dealwith money in his or her artwork butmy basic object just to talk aboutthe potential aspect of money in mylife because it also flows on to afeeling of perceptual negativity andpositivity of money in my life. Asbeing a contemporary artist if myimagination is flowing in such objectsand my executional approaches arenot creating any conflicts or similarthing, than I may create aawareness about money intoeverybody’s life as whatsoever I feltabout money or feelings have flownin that way. As being acontemporary artist choosing moneyform had given me an innersatisfaction and an encouragementto come up for something differentfor the world because money has anunidentified aspirational negativismor positivism running besides in mylife. My creation has somethingdifferent to say, somethingabsorbent to looking and somethingvery natural to except.As being doing with contemporaryform bringing an object like moneydiffers me with an unforeseenimagination, extrovert feel ofhumanity and practical aspect ofbeing in the world.

Do you think that one of the maintasks of artists is to discover andexplain these "instructions"?

Yes I do agree on this and paying agratitude to the Borgesstatement,”the task of art is totransform what is continuouslyhappening to us, to transform allthese things into symbols, into music,into something which can last inman’s memory”.Do you think that this deals with thefact that charcoal and pencil canbe rubbed out, but at the same timethey are capable of leaving behindan invisible mark, who claims itsflickering existence in the innermostsides of our conscience?

While my all creations withtextured art I used majorly charcoaland pencil to give better emphasison their executional part because asfar as the properties of charcoal andpencil are concerned a feel oftemporary glance comes first, butwhile affixing it, it can be alter to thepermanent side. As per the penciland charcoal are concerned it is allsimilar to whatever has happened touin the past. I used charcoal andpencil as it can be connected withanybody’s life because things mayhave happened in past (positive ornegative whatsoever it was) couldbe rubbed of for a while intensionally or unintentionally, but can notbe erased permanently from ourmind. As charcoal or pencil couldbe rubbed of but the feel of theirflickering presence can be feel.

GYANANIJYOTSNA

20

My work is focused on identitybehavior, and how syntheticconstructed conducts take form andare influencing us in daily practices. Iam interested in the line betweenfiction and lived life, betweennonsense and sense; the way life isportrayed in narratives and plots ofmainstream forms, interrogating thebehaviors and values that areabsorbed and used in local contexts.Because many behaviors arenormalized by media and arguablywe are raised by culture industry, Itake a look at, and confront popularvisual culture: films, commercials andmusic videos, in search for thehidden meaning in the media’sofficial discourse. My position is thatwe all need to be habitants of

global culture, to understandconstructions artificially made thatare invading our lives andinfluencing our perception. Iappropriate, interpret and recycleexisting material, remove elementsto disrupt their form and reconfigurethem with a new grammar thatallows me to dig deeper to theircore and highlight their hiddencontent. This process allows me tomake strange and unnatural images,revealing a new visual grammar.Eliminating certain elements, likebrands, products or narrative, allowsunderstanding of the fetishisticnature of gestuality and absurdchoreographies that are employedin creating images. I explore in myvideo work, time, performativity andrepetition, reminding viewers of themechanical aspect of video, butalso to trivialize actions, to center onthe sisyphean aspect of life. I tend touse repetition and loops because Ifind them powerful and obsessive,relating to specific psychologicalimpulses and at another level,mimicking the continuous loop ofimages and gestures in our culture. Ilike to insert in my work juxtaposingelements to explore banality,creating images that are built ontension and confusion. I insert newpossibilities, d tourned domesticobjects and actions, to form analtered reality gravitating aroundchaos and order. The piece, Eggs,has a ritualistic form in which the

action of breaking is repeated overand over, reminding us of the habitof destroying objects on New Year’sEve, in some cultures, to purifyoneself. The eggs employed in thework, are filled with confetti, makingthe moment of them breakingsensational, but also commenting onthe sensationalism of destructionwith no point seen on screen.

Project Bear with Me, is adeconstruction of commercials andre-contextualizing them with newcritical meaning, developing anarration that is concentrated, noton the brand or product, but on thecharacter, his vandalism, aggression,and how they all come togetherwithin the world of commercials. Thisproject appropriates and recyclescommercials from mass media,exploring socio-cultural construction,invisible meanings and recurrentmotives from the global culture.Using repetition and loops, theimages used are formed in a fictivenarration that shows us the possibleeffects of passive viewing of thescreen. This project consists on usingand overthrowing mass-medialanguage.

Larisa David. Born in 1988, Romania.She lives and works in Bucharest,Romania. Working with with video,installation, photo­collages andphotography.

LARISADAVID

Still from "Eggs", video.

Bear with Me

Interview with Molly BradburyWhat locations did you use for thefootage in Five Against Three?The footage was shot in California,from the coast near Malibu,throughout San Francisco and a bitnorth in Muir Woods. I spent mychildhood and pre-teen years inNorthern California and spent a lotof time in the car with my parents onroad trips. It feels natural to shootfrom a moving car, capturingwhatever is present at hand on theside of the road.The piece visually seems musical inthe rhythmic structure of the edits.How did you arrive at the editingstructure used in Five Against Three?I’ve always been fascinated by howthe perception of regular forms inthe landscape, (guardrails, fenceposts, orchards) seem to dancearound against a moving viewpoint.This phenomenon creates aprofound synaesthetic sensation ofsound for me, so it seemed naturalto use a structure familiar in music tocreate more control over thesynaesthetic sound for myself, and toorganize footage into digestibleparts.The rhythms are strictly apolyrhythm of “playing” 5/4 against3/4, or “five against three”. Each“beat” is 15 frames long, and the

phrases are made up of either fiveor three sets with alternatingfootage. In each channel of thevideo, the five andthree videos are compositedtogether, thereby causing thecollision of the two different timesignatures resulting in polyrhythms.How did you conceptualize thesoundtrack for the piece? I began bycreating a layered sonic bed,comprised of a drone of low pitchedsine tones, then adding anoccasional “bong” sound to rideover the sine tones. In order to morefully engage the viewer in the visualrhythm presented, I recorded myselftapping out a phrase of eight beats,accented to break up the phraseinto counts of “1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5”,each time accenting the “1” beats.This solution immediately satisfiedsome desire to have audio thereferenced the movement within theshots, and the impending nature ofthe cuts.Visually, the piece functions as visualmusic, in a way describingpolyrhythms. What was your intentionwhile you were making the piece?I’ve always found polyrhythmsfascinating, though not easy to play.When I started editing the footagefor this piece,

MOLLY

Five Against Three is anexamination of polyrhythmic timestructures in video, bycompositing two discreet videosequences ­ one video cut in unitsof three, while the other video iscut in units of five. Each of theseunits are 15 frames long, so thereis a brief, but recognizable motionin each of the cuts. Since theoverall pattern in the video ispersistent, there is a tendency bythe viewer to stop counting timeactively, and rather allow thevideo to wash over them. Theaudio maintains the viewer’ssense of motion by layering even­timbral sine tone groups withtapping rhythms, and occasionaltonal swells.

BRADBURYI had been thinking aboutalternative ways of teaching non-musicians polyrhythms. As anexperiment, I arranged the footageinto parts that would demonstrate

the rhythmic relationship of theparts visually. Five Against Threepresents the viewer with apseudosynaesthetic experience.Does the success of the work relyonthe viewer’s ability to see sound?Not necessarily. even without theexperienced phenomenon of seeingsound, I think the viewer is able tolatch on to the driving force of themeter of the piece. There issomething about satisfying our desireto recognize patterns thatismesmerizing, and requires anattention we don’t actively thinkabout engaging.

Molly Bradbury

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Multimedia Vivaldi Four Seasonsis a real-time reactive audio-visual performance. Thiscollaboration between designersYana Sakellion (applicant) andYan Da with Dan Abraham, amusical director of Bach Sinfonia,was performed on May 7 2011 atthe Cultural Arts Center at SilverSpring, Maryland, USA. Theconcert featured responsivegenerative projections and

particle typography of theoriginal accompanying sonnets,possibly authored by VivaldiHimself.

Our primary goal was to createa holistic experience betweenthe visuals, typography andsound within the classical musiccontext, and with considerationfor the gestalt of contemporaryelectronic audio-visualperformances. Our secondarygoal was to engage thedemographic which otherwisemay not be exposed to Newand Interactive Media. We didn’twant to create a “music video”;neither did we want our work tobecome a mere subtitlebackdrop to the musicians onthe stage. Rather, we aimed tobecome the Visual Performersourselves, and asked DanAbraham to serve as ourconductor.

What you see is a two-partsystem. The first (made withMaxMSP) captures the live sound

and allows us to set its pitch andamplitude to different visualproperties (position, speed, scale,color). The other (made withProcessing) lets us map thoseproperties to any image or textwe are showing in real-time. Thesonnets appear at the exacttimes noted on the original score,and are controlled during theperformance to match theproper queue points.

Each of the three movements inthe four seasons follows a theme.The small pictures used tocompose text required specialtreatment in order to be legible,yet expressive. The imagery,which began as a traditionalstoryboard, evolved into a moreflexible system of modulardesigns. They follow the narrativeof the sonnets, but do not reflectthe text literally. Instead they setthe mood and provide aplayground for the imagination.

MULTIMEDIAVIVALDIFOUR

SANG JUN YOO

Yana Sakellion

YANASAKELLION

withBACH SINFONIADan Abraham,conductor&Yan Da

Man, in his complicated andmulti-dimensional life, can makehimself independent inintellectual terms only when heinternalizes his experiences anddevelops awareness. The struggleman has with himself becomesmeaningful when the historicaldevelopment of his desire tolead himself is considered. Thispainful struggle whose winnerand loser are the same, bringschange and transformationwithin. “In-between” is a singlechannel video that has beenproduced starting off from thisstruggle.

MULTIMEDIAVIVALDIFOUR

SANG JUN YOO

Recep Akar was born in Istanbul in1979. He graduated from MarmaraUniversity Faculty ofCommunications Department ofCinema­TV in 2001. He hasproduced works in the fields of shortfilm, documentary and video since1998. As a form of artisticexpression every type ofstill&moving images attracts hisattention. He has recently producedworks mainly in the field of field ofvideo art. He is continuing his post­graduate degree in cinema­tv givingcinema lessons at Lycée SaintMichel.

RECEPAKAR

withBACH SINFONIADan Abraham,conductor&Yan Da

IN-BETWEENSingle Channel VideoHD, 5'29", 2012Video: Recep AkarMusic & Sound Design:Alessandro Broggini

All motion and still pictures attractshis attention as a form of artisticexpression. While recording what hethinks, reflecting on what he hasrecorded and re­realizing it within aform determines his approach to hisworks, he aims to produce worksthat do not ignore visuale concernsand "speaks" to the spectator.

24

"I am an inexplicable andabsolute individual, consideringof innumerablecomponents"...We daresay "themass of my atoms" to quoteArtaud about the strongconnection between old

Balinese theatre anddance).Today theatre anddance are intimately linked:what is your view about thisstrong connection?

I've been pursuing only certain

pure dance. it means that i wantto seperate completely danceand theatre.and honestly, a sortof theatrical arts are notimpressive at least for me.Thus,Ialways wondered why peoplewant to combine dance with

theatre in that way.I just wantto dig deep into the danceitself.

Your work reveals apolyphonic and synestheticapproach to gestures andmovements,thanks to the useof microphones and effects.Do you plan a sort of"partiture" or you are inclinedto rely more on improvisation?

I disavow the choreographicalconcept in dance. Dance is themost free form ever imagined,that's why I try to be true to thefreedom of the primal danceand I try to train myself to danceall movement as an art, aperformance and a completesingle sequence dance. I wish tobe free from being conscious ofmy dancing self. I could tell ihave been relying on certain

improvisation and i will keep myown way.What are your next projects?As always, I will try to add depthto my dance works and I plan tocollaborate with Platoonkunsthalle Berlin in this way.Sofirst, we will try to extend my stylewith some sound artists, then wewill discuss about the flexiblelighting that is to be controled bymy movement. I've tried this withFlip-D(engineer) in my show oncein 2011. However, we couldn'tdevelop this anymore for variousreason. Fortunately, Platoon isinterested in this idea, so I can tryit again with them and I will jointhe meeting for the combinationof art and technology. It's along-term plan.

WOOGURU free dance

WOOGURUFREE DANCE"This is a dance solely for dance'ssake. I am an inexplicable andabsolute individual, considering ofinnumerable components"

INTERVIEWYour works are deeply pervadedwith meanings which deal withModernity: do you think that allof these features are strictlyfortuitous, or do you think thatthey will outlive these years?My practice is embedded in thesocial and historical context thatit helps co-shape, and thus itmust be in constant relation withthe conditions of its coming tobe. These conditions are ones offlux: flows of meanings andbeings, or the lack of thereafter,the constant and ever-presentexchange, more as a conditionthan an occurrence, and oftenon a global scale, that ourpresent is discursively describedas epitomizing. This discourseturns out to be exaggeratedhype, and not only acts as awitty expose of the tribulations oflate-capitalist states and theirlaggard mode of relation, butactually how much a modestand in complete opposition tothe narrative of free andunrestricted passage of goods. Iwant to work on postmodernthemes, or better yet, howsometimes postmodern discourseclashes with remnant moderninstitutions and the resulting void.In your work JUST SAYIN' we cansee a masterly use of moderntechnique, while in LAUFBAHN itseems that the meaning of thewhole work is intrinsically drawntogether with quotations of anold technique. How big do youthink is the real contribution of a

particular technique to the finalmeaning of the work?It can be as real as making adefinitive contribution to themessage. Using found materials, Iwant to underline the co-existence of material from thepast and examine in which waysthis material still has a validmeaning for the shifts in art-making today. The final workthen overcomes the meaning ofan old material to createsomething completely new thatcannot be separated ,though,from its past.Do you think that the deep sense ofestrangement that peopleexperience during these years is aepiphenomenon of Modern Times?If by modern times it meant asthe present, then yes. Becominga stranger happens when weput ourseolves on stages anddraw borders between theindividual sphere and ‘an other’.With the expectations of ourtimes, when being individualbecomes mainstream, it is harderand harder to draw those lines.To quote Zygmunt Bauman(1992): “The ethical paradox ofthe postmodern condition is thatit restores to agents the fullnessof moral choice andresponsibility while simultaneouslydepriving them of the comfort ofthe universal guidance thatmodern self-confidence oncepromised. Ethical tasks ofindividuals grow while thesocially produced resources tofulfill them shrink. Moral

responsibility comes togetherwith the loneliness of moralchoice.”Migration is one of thecornerstones of your work. Youappear to look with critical eyeat a process of mere"geographical and humanjuxtaposition". But, on the otherhand, it seems that one of theaims of your works is to "build abridge" between differentcultures, acting as a go-betweendifferent opposites. Do you thinkthat a modern synchretism couldbe possible?Syncretism is the moralimperative of our times. Theability to do so in harmony, andwith respect, should also be thepolitical goal of late-capitaliststates, and of internationalorganizations. Consider theFrench case and the calls of“multiculturalism failed” oftenheard, or the propagation ofanti-immigrant parties inindustrialized societies such asthe case in the Netherlands, tonotice the gravity of thisimperative. My work however,does not concern itself with anevaluation of the possibilities of acoming-together, because thatcoming-together is happeningon some areas (forced perhaps,like in the case of the Eurozone)and not on others. I ask “why is itlike that”? Why are some borderscrossed easier than others, whyare some frontiers uncrossableand some have ready-madebridges?

DISTANT LIGHT

SANG JUN YOOCONSTANTINHARTENSTEIN

26

Constantin Hartenstein (*1982 in Herzberg,Germany) is an installation and video artistliving and working in Berlin and New York.JUST SAYIN' ­ Still