MOUCHETTE - Franklin Furnace's first "Future of the Present 2003" Artist

[anna balint]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Franklin Furnace and Postmasters Gallery are delighted to announce their 
collaboration in support of the latest form of the longstanding and highly 
successful Net Art project, mouchette.org.  This occasion marks the first 
event of Franklin Furnace's FUTURE OF THE PRESENT 2003 residency program.

?Mouchette? is the Net-based alter-ego of an anonymous artist whose actual 
identity is a closely guarded secret.  Mouchette is a very young artist 
(not yet 13) who created her own website in October of 1996. Since then, 
she has taken part in numerous art manifestations, exhibitions and events 
in the artworld, and created a new part of her website each time. Mouchette 
has held a very important presence within the NetArt community and has 
lectured and appeared (anonymously) extensively in online and offline 
events and publications.

The power of the Mouchette persona, and its ability to insinuate itself in 
the real world was demonstrated recently when the widow of Robert Bresson, 
director of the 1967 motion picture from which the contemporary Mouchette 
took her name and some part of her inspiration, brought the influence of 
the French Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques to bear in 
seeking to censor part of Mouchette?s site.  Ironically, it is demonstrated 
equally well by the immediate response of a host of Mouchette?s Net-based 
admirers, who cheerfully made the material available on their own sites, 
thus actually increasing its accessibility.

On Easter Sunday, April 20, the seven-year-old Mouchette project changes 
forever.  The artist who created and maintains the website mouchette.org 
has decided that they are ready to meet their public, reveal their 
identity, and talk about their motives and intentions.  This remarkable 
event will take place in a live environment especially constructed with New 
York artist Anakin Koenig at Postmasters Gallery, 459 West 19th Street (at 
10th Avenue) New York, NY 10011, between 3 and 5 in the afternoon.

Even more remarkably, for personal reasons Mouchette will give away the 
website.  The Postmasters Gallery event will provide an opportunity to 
recruit someone to take it over.  Not only will visitors meet the present 
artist behind the web character, they might also get to be the next one!

Obviously anyone thinking of taking the site over and becoming the new 
Mouchette should be there that afternoon, as the present Mouchette wants to 
meet you in person.

THE FUTURE OF THE PRESENT is Franklin Furnace's artist residency program, 
founded in 1998 when Franklin Furnace transformed itself from a real to a 
virtual entity.  Franklin Furnace offers artists an honorarium and a 
residency to create "live art on the Internet" facilitated by Franklin 
Furnace, for a 2-4 month duration at a physical or online venue appropriate 
to the artists' work.

THE FUTURE OF THE PRESENT 2003 is made possible by grants from Jerome 
Foundation, and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual 
Arts.  Mouchette's participation is further supported by Funds for Visual 
Arts, Netherlands (Fonds BKVB), and the Mondriaan Foundation Netherlands.

Note to editors:  Mouchette will be available for interview.  Please email 
info at franklinfurnace.org for an appointment.


Click http://www.franklinfurnace.org/links03.html
to visit 'This Month's World Wide Events'.
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Franklin Furnace Archive, Inc.
45 John Street, #611
New York, NY 10038-3706
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mail at franklinfurnace.org

Martha Wilson, Founding Director
Michael Katchen, Senior Archivist
Harley Spiller, Administrator
Tiffany Ludwig, Program Coordinator





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