V2 Newsletter

[oskar]

V2_Info
Newsletter, year 3, issue 1, April 2002
This newsletter is published twice a year

V2_s year theme
Data Knitting
During 2002 and up to and including DEAF03 V2_s programme will focus on

the role, design and meaning of information in our society and how this
information is shaped in the actual art practice. With this choice V2_
addresses the political, cultural, social and software-based
implications
of the textualization and clustering of data. The programme will
emphasize
the role of interactivity as a method to manipulate, transform and
individually shape media realities.

Designing and working with databases, software and archives has become a

new and strongly emerging operational field for artists. An increasing
number of artists and artists groups are designing information as a
means
of artistic intervention. In Data Knitting, V2_ poses and explores the
question whether linking information to various environments (such as
public spaces, designated locations and so on) can generate new social,
cultural and aesthetic experiences.

2001 in retrospect
2001 has in many ways been an exciting and tumultuous year for V2_.
Besides
organizing an extensive programme for Rotterdam Cultural Capital 2001,
V2_
has been deeply involved in the creation of Las Palmas, the
international
center for image culture and media technology that was to be based in
Rotterdam, a project that was finally cancelled in September 2001.
During
last year V2_ has devoted all of its energy to these various activities,

which has meant a lot of pressure for the entire staff of V2_ and has
brought with it a lot of unexpected developments, positive ones as well
as
negative ones. Looking back on V2_s 2001 programme, we can see that an
impressive range of activities has taken place at many locations in the
city. One of these  Body Movies by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer (CDN/MEX)  even
made the front pages of a number of national daily newspapers, including

NRC/Handelsblad. For a period of three weeks this interactive shadow
game
was presented on the facade (60 x 20 meters) of the Pathi Cinema at the
Schouwburgplein. Giant portraits of citizens from Rotterdam, Mexico City

and Montreal were visible through the shadows of passers-by.
Together with Ra.nj and ZaPPWeRK, V2_Lab was awarded the Europrix 2001
for
the Jheronimus Bosch Adventure Game, developed for the BoschUniverse
website (part of the huge Bosch exhibition at museum Boymans van
Beuningen).
After the Las Palmas episode, a lot of effort went into developing
alternative plans for the next few years. Meanwhile, the Arts Council
has
approved of these plans and we now have to wait and see whether the
Ministry of Culture will follow its advice. We then expect to have a
less
hectic period in which to further develop our theme for 2002 Data
Knitting,
a challenging subject that will culminate in the presentations planned
for
DEAF03.

V2_On line
V2_s website has had 420,000 visitors in 2001 (over seven million
hits).
When the new website is launched this year, we expect this number to
rise
even higher. The new site will also make available the archive of V2_s
activities over the past 20 years. The completely re-designed site will
offer various ways of accessing the information: either through a
convenient tree structure or via a search on dates. In a later stage the

information can also be viewed in relation to other data in the
so-called

landscape view. Visitors will then be able to influence the way in
which
the information is displayed.

Gigaport
This summer, V2_ will be hooked up to Gigaport, a high bandwidth
connection
for organizing (Internet) projects that will enable them to apply moving

images, sound, virtual reality, interactive television and online
performances. V2_ has occasionally made use of high bandwidth in the
past,
but thanks to a subsidy from the E-culture funds of the Ministry of
Culture
and the Mondrian Foundation there will now be a three year Gigaport
pilot
project, initiated by V2_, the Waag and the Virtual Platform.
Preparations for the first Gigaport project by the partners in the
Virtual
Platform, called central Station, have already been started. Central
Station consists of a culture channel on the Web that explores, offers
and
develops (new) possibilities for streaming media.

Expert meeting copyright
On 13 March 2002, V2_ and the Virtual Platform organized an expert
meeting
on copyright, especially with respect to the application of digital
media
in the fields of image culture and digital culture. Among the varied
group
of 26 participants were experts from many cultural and heritage
organizations, organizations dealing with image rights, researchers,
lawyers and a staff member from the Ministry of Culture involved in
policy
making. At the expert meeting an inventory was made of the problematic
issues of copyright confronting institutes that are active in image
culture
and digital culture. A report (in Dutch only) of the expert meeting is
available at www.virtueelplatform.nl and at www.v2.nl/2002.


V2_Events
www.v2.nl/2002
Model Behaviour by Jon Thomson & Alison Craighead (GB)
 From 25 January to 10 February 2002 the interactive installations
Telephony, Driving through Las Vegas and CNN Interactive just got more
interactive by Jon Thomson and Alison Craighead have been exhibited at
V2_.
Characteristic of the work of this British artists couple is the
surprising
way in which they manipulate existing data structures (such as websites,

soundtracks, or ring tones).
This quote from a review in the Rotterdam Daily of 29 January 2002 quite

aptly describes the effect of the exhibition: 
Craighead and Thomson
pose
often difficult questions about truth, about private and public space,
and
about how media increasingly influence our lives. However, they do this
in
such a thoroughly humorous way that even children are enjoying
themselves
immensely in this interactive exhibition. Definitely a 
must see,
especially for those people who think of V2_ only as that institute with

incomprehensible media art. 276 people have visited the exhibition.

Wiretap 7.13: Urban Collisions : New York
On Sunday 27 January 2002 Wiretap 7.13: Urban Collisions : New York was
the
final event of Grounding, the title of the project in which V2_ last
year
explored the impact of technology on the city. Wiretap 7.13: Urban
Collisions : New York was another successful collaboration with the
Goethe
Institute Inter Nationes and this time round was presented at the
occasion
of the 31st International Film Festival Rotterdam. Jutta Zaremba and
Birgit
Richard  both of them media theorists at the Goethe University in
Frankfurt
(Germany)  reflected on the images of the events of 11 September in New
York from a cinematic, architectural and cultural-symbolic perspective.
Brigit Richards lecture was entitled 9.11 and the Culture of Shifting
and
analyzed how the destruction of New York was visualized in Hollywood
movies. She also discussed what happens when shocking fictional images
(e.g. in movies like Independence Day) are replaced with 
real images,

and the shifts in imagery this implies. Jutta Zarembas lecture was
entitled MEDIA-SCRAPING: The Media-Arts4 Presentation of New York
Skyscrapers. She discussed how skyscrapers are represented in media art
and
which cultural and urban myths they reinforce or negate. Wiretap 7.13:
Urban Collisions : New York was attended by 51 visitors.

Infotopia_the info golem
On Friday, 22 March 2002, V2_ presented the first event of Data
Knitting,
the year theme for 2002. A number of projects by students from art
academies from both Holland and abroad were shown: browsers for mobile
communication technology (pda, cell phones) that had been developed for
specific 
information environments.
The evening offered a both unlimited and critical view of the great
expectations that are held regarding the information and knowledge
society
and demonstrated how artists generate social and aesthetic experiences
by
browsing information. Also, some light was shed on the political use of
information, with an emphasis on deliberate 
disinformation.
Infotopia_the info golem was attended by 53 visitors on site and by 131
via
the Internet.

The following projects were presented:
- Daten am Ort by Aram Bartholl (student of architecture at the Art
Academy
of Berlin, Germany)
- Friend by Dirk van Oosterbosch (student at the Gerrit Rietveld Art
Academy in Amsterdam, Netherlands)
- Big Brotherhood Browser by Jaanis Garancs (ex E-Lab from Riga, student
at
the Academy for Media Art in Cologne (Latvia/Germany))
- World_Information.Org is a project by Konrad Becker (director of
Public
Netbase, Institute for New Culture Technologies in Vienna, Austria)

V2_Store
www.v2.nl/store
In April 2002, the V2_Store has been rearranged and reorganized. All
music
is now situated at the front of the store, and the vinyl had been
further
subdivided by musical style and record label. The book section has been
extended with the categories Photography, Games and Biotechnology. The
number of current magazines on offer has grown substantially to include
titles such as The Wire (UK, music), Angelaki (UK, media theory),
European
Photography (UK, photography), Mute Magazine (UK, media theory), The
Illustrated Ape (UK, design) Adbusters (CDN,
alt.culture/politics/design)
as well as the well-known MIT Press Journals (USA): Computer Music
Journal
(digital music), Grey Room (architecture/design), Leonardo and Leonardo
Music Journal (USA, art/science/technology/music).

New service:
If you wish to subscribe to the monthly 
new in store mailing list,
send
an e-mail to store at v2.nl and list the subjects you are interested in.

dot.nu
www.v2.nl/dotnu
At the 31st International Film Festival Rotterdam V2_Organisation, in
collaboration with the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Paradiso
Amsterdam and the Production House of the Rotterdam Theatre presented
dot.nu, 
live cinema in motion.

dot.nu is one of the driving forces behind the phenomenon of 
live
cinema, which focuses on various forms of live projections. At the
invitation of dot.nu two unique performances took place:

COH (Ivan Pavlov, RUS) together with Telco Systems (founders of 0010,
minuszero, D:U:M:B and DLF, NL) worked for four days at a concise
presentation for which they gathered material from pornographic
websites.
The result was a mutating image and sound performance that was
remarkable
for its intensity.
KODI (Nathalie Bruys, NL) with Tappo Kontakt (Remco Schuurbiers,
Germany/NL) had worked for two weeks in Berlin and Amsterdam to create
an
impressive basic structure that allowed them to improvise freely during
the
performance itself. Unlike COH and Telco Systems, KODIs and Tappo
Kontakts work was quite low-tech and analog in nature.

V2_Lab
Website Jheronimus Bosch wins Europrix 2001

On Monday 3 December 20001, the website www.boschuniverse.com, with the
Jheronimus Bosch Adventure Game, has been awarded two prizes at the
annual
EuroPrix Gala in Lisbon, Portugal. BoschUniverse was chosen as best
European multimedia production in the category 
Overall Europrix 2001
and
was also first in the category 
Knowledge, Discovery and Culture.
The Europrix is an annual prize awarded to progressive multimedia
producers
and designers in order to acknowledge and generate attention for
projects
that offer practical added value to visitors of art events.
The Jheronimus Bosch Adventure Game is by V2_Lab and Ra.nj digital
entertainment and Museum Boymans van Beuningen, Rotterdam.

Secure Multi Media Retrieval
On 14 March 2002, the results of the research project SuMMeR were
presented
at a workshop at KPN Research in Leidschendam. SuMMeR  which started in
January 2000  offers technical solutions for making multimedia
(photographs, video) accessible via the Internet. Special attention was
given to issues such as the protection of copyright and personal
information and how to keep the exploding demand for multimedia under
control, and at the same time keeping multimedia effective and
affordable.
V2_Lab supplied content for SuMMeR and developed two interfaces. During
the
workshop two SuMMeR prototypes were proposed to and discussed with
specialists from technical fields such as image recognition, security,
multimedia, database technology and content management systems.
In this project V2_ has collaborated with Royal KPN, the Competence
Center
for Information Technology of the University of Twente, the Center for
Mathematics and Information Technology and the Ministry of
Infrastructures
Advisory Department for Traffic and Transport.

Data Cloud2
In late 2000, ArchiNed and V2_ were given a research grant by the
National
Millennium Contest for DataCloudHoekscheWaard. The Data Cloud visualizes

information (objects) from a database in a multidimensional space. Users

can order, search and browse the information, based on its internal
relationships. Users can also define new relationships within the
information and add new information themselves.

Data Cloud2 primarily offers an improved user interface and a clearer
representation of the information in the dynamic Data Cloud environment.

Multiple layers have been added to the overview screen (going from 2D to
3D
representation), allowing fluent switching of perspective and scale.
Also,
preparations have started to make Data Cloud2 an 
open source
application. This means that the basic interface and code can later also
be
used by others for their specific application. The project Genetics of
the
Wild City by the STEALTH group was the guiding principle in developing
Data
Cloud2.

More information + a demo of the prototype can be found at:
www.datacloud2.v2.nl

V2_Publishing
Recently published by V2_Archive and now available from the V2_Store:
the
new CD 
b [ ] + 2.7.
Packaged in catchy green fetish rubber the CD 
b [ ] + 2.7K contains
works by two Japanese sound artists: Kozo Inada and *0 (aka Nosei
Sakata).
The soundpiece 
2.7K was inspired by the background radiation (better
known as 
Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation) filling our universe.

The title refers to the extreme impenetrability and high temperature of
the
radiation in the early stage of the universe. As the universe developed,

this radiation cooled down to the absolute temperature of 2.7 Kelvin.
The
two soundpieces by Kozo Inada were inspired by a spot that supposedly
exists in our subconscious where stillness and movement meet in harmony.

The various compositions on 
b [ ] + 2.7K work quite well together, as

both artists use sounds from the microwave sound spectrum for their
carefully constructed music.

For more information about CD releases by V2_Archive please contact
Peter
Duimelinks by e- mail archief at v2.nl or by phone at 010 206 72 76.

V2_Networks
Artists-in-residence
EMARE is an exchange programme between several European media art
institutes. The collaboration takes the form of an international
exchange
of young artists.

In 2002 the participating organizations are Werkleitz Gesellschaft
(Germany, also the initiators of EMARE), Hull Time Based Arts (UK),
Duncan
of Jordanstone College Dundee (UK) and V2_Lab.

For the period February - March 2002 Martin Howse (UK) is invited to
further develop his project artificial paradises at the V2_Lab in
Rotterdam. In April and May V2_ welcomes Diogo Terroso (UK) to work on
his
project TRANS-KP.


Advisory board transmediale (Berlin)
In February 2002, Alex Adriaansens (V2_s director) has joined the
advisory
board of the transmediale festival. The international advisory body will

support the festival in its future development. Besides the positive
effects this will hopefully have on the transmediale, V2_ stands to
benefit
as well, as this may be an ideal opportunity for further collaboration
between the transmediale and the Dutch Electronic Arts Festival (DEAF)
that
is organized in Rotterdam every two years by V2_.
The transmediale is an international festival of media art that is
linked
to the Berlin International Film Festival. Since 1999  the year Andreas
Broeckmann became its director  the transmediale has grown into a
prominent
media art festival in Germany. In February 2002, over 10,000 people have

attended the transmediale.

V2_Staff, volunteers and trainees

Alex Adriaansens (V2_Organisation)
Artem Baguinski (V2_Lab)
Simon de Bakker (V2_Lab)
Hans Beekmans (V2_Store, V2_Events)
Marjolein Berger (V2_Office)
Joke Brouwer (V2_Publishing, V2_Events)
Stephan Drescher (V2_Lab)
Peter Duimelinks (V2_Store)
Sandra 'Fokky' Fauconnier (V2_Archive)
Maarten Handstede (V2_Lab)
Melanie Kandelaars (V2_Design)
Pieter van Kemenade (V2_Web)
Erik Kemperman (V2_Lab)
Brigit Lichtenegger (V2_Lab)
Jan Liezenga (V2_Finances)
Anne Nigten (V2_Lab)
Nathalie Muller (V2_Events)
Jacco van de Ree (V2_Production)
Boudewijn Ridder (V2_Web)
Eliane Roest (V2_Store)
Martijn Stevens (V2_Archive Internal)
Marije Stijkel (V2_Publicity)
Stock (V2_Lab)
Lucas van der Velden (V2_Store)
Lenno Verhoog (V2_Lab)
Pascal van Woudenberg (V2_Production)

New staff members, volunteers and trainees since October 2001:
Gabriklle Anceaux (V2_Production DEAF)
Lea Binzer (V2_Store)
Rens Frommi (V2_Archive)
Enric Gili Fort (V2_Lab)
Thijs Kelder (V2_Store)
Arjen Mulder (V2_Publishing)
Nirit Peled (V2_Web)
Bram Perry (V2_Lab Intern)
Christine Rusche (V2_Store)
Thijn van der Schoot (V2_Lab)
Angela Verschelling (V2_Lab)
Remco Visser (V2_Lab Intern)

Staff members, volunteers and trainees who have left V2_ since October
2001:
Maziar Afrassiabi Sefid Dasthi (V2_Web)
Jesse Bhola (V2_Store)
Jeffrey de Neef (V2_Production), will return for DEAF
Sacha Roth (V2_Store)
Ivonne Schippers (V2_Publicity Internal)
Martin Taminiau (V2_Production), will return for DEAF


V2_Calendar

February  March 2002
Martin Howse (UK), artificial paradises
artist-in-residence, V2_Lab, Eendrachtsstraat 10

April  May 2002
Diogo Terroso (UK), TRANS-KP
artist-in-residence, V2_Lab, Eendrachtsstraat 10

Saturday 4 May 2002
dot.nu, live cinema in motion
presentation, V2_, Eendrachtsstraat 10

Sunday 5 May 2002
dot.nu, live cinema in motion
presentation, Paradiso, Weteringschans 6-8 Amsterdam

Wednesday 8 May 2002
Rotterdams Produktiehuis meets Dasarts
panel discussion, Rotterdamse Schouwburg, Schouwburgplein 25

June  July 2002
Thecla Schiphorst & Susan Kozel (CDN)
artists-in-residence, V2_Lab, Eendrachtsstraat 10

Saturday 22 June 2002
dot.nu, live cinema in motion
presentation, V2_, Eendrachtsstraat 10

Sunday 23 June 2002
dot.nu, live cinema in motion
presentation, Paradiso, Weteringschans 6-8 Amsterdam

September 2002
publication of 
TransUrbanism
published by V2_ and NAI Publishers

Tusday 25 February  Sunday 16 March 2003
DEAF03 Data Knitting
Dutch Electronic Art Festival, central festival location: V2_,
Eendrachtsstraat 10



V2_Organisation
Eendrachtsstraat 10
3012 XL Rotterdam
phone: +31 (10) 206 72 72
fax: +31 (10) 206 72 71
e-mail: v2 at v2.nl
URL: www.v2.nl