Podcasts of artist talks & performances from 2006 Biennale of Sydney http://freedigitalcontent.com FreeDigitalContent.com en Thu, 02 Nov 2006 09:07:52 +1100 Wed, 05 Jul 2006 15:51:18 +1000 FeedForAll Mac v2.0 (2.0.0.4); http://www.FeedForAll.com/ Podcasts of artist talks & performances from 2006 Biennale of Sydney Podcasts of artist talks & performances from 2006 Biennale of Sydney Rebecca Belmore, Djambawa Marawili, Ujino Muneteru, Miroslaw Balka,Stella Brennan,Cao Fei, Chen Chieh-jen, Jose Damasceno, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Adrian Paci, Milica Tomic, music, freedigitalcontent, performance FreeDigitalContent.com rpalmer@2gb.com FreeDigitalContent.com no http://2gb.com/podcasts/images/biennale.jpg 144 144 I am Milica Tomic (1998-99) explores the constructed, 'accidental necessity' (Friedrich Hegel) of national identity. In the video loop, Tomic successively repeats her name in various languages and takes on associated nationalities. Despite wounds miraculously appearing with each phrase confidently uttered, the artist calmly continues until her bloodied body transforms back to its pristine condition. Tomic decided to speak from 'the position of the wound'. The political climate of the 1980s was hostile to Serbians, who would not define themselves first and foremost in relation to their ethnic roots. The work not only evokes the violent and indestructible nature of statehood, but also a global dislocation of body, mind, perception, and reality. http://freedigitalcontent.com rpalmer@2gb.com http://freedigitalcontent.com Wed, 05 Jul 2006 15:41:00 +1000 I am Milica Tomic (1998-99) explores the constructed, 'accidental necessity' (Friedrich Hegel) of national identity. I am Milica Tomic (1998-99) explores the constructed, 'accidental necessity' (Friedrich Hegel) of national identity. In the video loop, Tomic successively repeats her name in various languages and takes on associated nationalities. Despite wounds miraculously appearing with each phrase confidently uttered, the artist calmly continues until her bloodied body transforms back to its pristine condition. Tomic decided to speak from 'the position of the wound'. The political climate of the 1980s was hostile to Serbians, who would not define themselves first and foremost in relation to their ethnic roots. The work not only evokes the violent and indestructible nature of statehood, but also a global dislocation of body, mind, perception, and reality. Rebecca Belmore, Djambawa Marawili, Ujino Muneteru, Miroslaw Balka,Stella Brennan,Cao Fei, Chen Chieh-jen, Jose Damasceno, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Adrian Paci, Milica Tomic, music, freedigitalcontent, performance FreeDigitalContent.com no The work Noise of light (2006) draws on an earlier video work Turn On (2004). As one writer has commented, the artist believes that 'the greatest simplicity may conceal the most intense things', and it's hard to think of a more powerful and direct metaphor for self-reliance and the human spirit. In Turn On we can't return the silent men's gaze, but they seem to know we are there. Their generators roar and no-one moves, except to blink….The electricity supply regularly fails in Albania. In the West simply turning on a video player wot watch this work seems like an ironic statement about what we take for grantedISLANDHOPPING questions hegemonic structures of cultural, social, historical and political landscapes through discourse across the geopolitical premise of the 'island'. I spent three years travelling through the Japanese archipelago, collecting the stories of fellow islanders and collaborating with Japanese artists. The sprawling opus now contains approximately 60 episodes (quasi-documentaries, video documentation of performances and installations, and an extensive archive). Re-mixed specially for Australia (a Very Large Island) the work is a meta-textual re-presentation of ISLANDHOPPING 2002-2005 Japan. The Sydney 2006 version is a concept map, bathed in the pseudo-serious glory of a museum artefact. Its debut here will also mark ISLANDHOPPING'S finale, though expect no conveniently cathartic conclusions. http://freedigitalcontent.com rpalmer@2gb.com http://freedigitalcontent.com Wed, 05 Jul 2006 15:41:00 +1000 The work Noise of light (2006) draws on an earlier video work Turn On (2004). As one writer has commented, The work Noise of light (2006) draws on an earlier video work Turn On (2004). As one writer has commented, the artist believes that 'the greatest simplicity may conceal the most intense things', and it's hard to think of a more powerful and direct metaphor for self-reliance and the human spirit. In Turn On we can't return the silent men's gaze, but they seem to know we are there. Their generators roar and no-one moves, except to blink….The electricity supply regularly fails in Albania. In the West simply turning on a video player wot watch this work seems like an ironic statement about what we take for grantedISLANDHOPPING questions hegemonic structures of cultural, social, historical and political landscapes through discourse across the geopolitical premise of the 'island'. I spent three years travelling through the Japanese archipelago, collecting the stories of fellow islanders and collaborating with Japanese artists. The sprawling opus now contains approximately 60 episodes (quasi-documentaries, video documentation of performances and installations, and an extensive archive). Re-mixed specially for Australia (a Very Large Island) the work is a meta-textual re-presentation of ISLANDHOPPING 2002-2005 Japan. The Sydney 2006 version is a concept map, bathed in the pseudo-serious glory of a museum artefact. Its debut here will also mark ISLANDHOPPING'S finale, though expect no conveniently cathartic conclusions. Rebecca Belmore, Djambawa Marawili, Ujino Muneteru, Miroslaw Balka,Stella Brennan,Cao Fei, Chen Chieh-jen, Jose Damasceno, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Adrian Paci, Milica Tomic, music, freedigitalcontent, performance FreeDigitalContent.com no The work Noise of light (2006) draws on an earlier video work Turn On (2004). As one writer has commented, the artist believes that 'the greatest simplicity may conceal the most intense things', and it's hard to think of a more powerful and direct metaphor for self-reliance and the human spirit. In Turn On we can't return the silent men's gaze, but they seem to know we are there. Their generators roar and no-one moves, except to blink….The electricity supply regularly fails in Albania. In the West simply turning on a video player wot watch this work seems like an ironic statement about what we take for granted http://freedigitalcontent.com rpalmer@2gb.com http://freedigitalcontent.com Wed, 05 Jul 2006 15:41:00 +1000 The work Noise of light (2006) draws on an earlier video work Turn On (2004). As one writer has commented, the artist believes that 'the greatest simplicity may conceal the most intense things', The work Noise of light (2006) draws on an earlier video work Turn On (2004). As one writer has commented, the artist believes that 'the greatest simplicity may conceal the most intense things', and it's hard to think of a more powerful and direct metaphor for self-reliance and the human spirit. In Turn On we can't return the silent men's gaze, but they seem to know we are there. Their generators roar and no-one moves, except to blink….The electricity supply regularly fails in Albania. In the West simply turning on a video player wot watch this work seems like an ironic statement about what we take for granted Rebecca Belmore, Djambawa Marawili, Ujino Muneteru, Miroslaw Balka,Stella Brennan,Cao Fei, Chen Chieh-jen, Jose Damasceno, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Adrian Paci, Milica Tomic, music, freedigitalcontent, performance FreeDigitalContent.com no Technology is one of the inevitable languages of globalisation. I like calling it a language because this conveys two attributes that are significant. Firstly, that technology is inseparable from contemporary identity, and secondly that it is not something that has been invented or engineered, but rather that it has evolved through constantly changing social, economic, physical and political forces. I think artists use technology explicitly as a way to understand, and to criticise from within, some of the paradoxes of our culture. How can a condition of placeless ness become situated as multi-place? May telematics actually remarginalise the periphery? http://freedigitalcontent.com rpalmer@2gb.com http://freedigitalcontent.com Wed, 05 Jul 2006 15:41:00 +1000 Technology is one of the inevitable languages of globalisation. I like calling it a language because this conveys two attributes that are significant. Technology is one of the inevitable languages of globalisation. I like calling it a language because this conveys two attributes that are significant. Firstly, that technology is inseparable from contemporary identity, and secondly that it is not something that has been invented or engineered, but rather that it has evolved through constantly changing social, economic, physical and political forces. I think artists use technology explicitly as a way to understand, and to criticise from within, some of the paradoxes of our culture. How can a condition of placeless ness become situated as multi-place? May telematics actually remarginalise the periphery? Rebecca Belmore, Djambawa Marawili, Ujino Muneteru, Miroslaw Balka,Stella Brennan,Cao Fei, Chen Chieh-jen, Jose Damasceno, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Adrian Paci, Milica Tomic, music, freedigitalcontent, performance FreeDigitalContent.com no Damasceno arranges found objects and everyday material to provoke a sense of disbelief, challenging our perception by transforming the familiar into something new. The artist arranges thousands of objects such as hammers, chess pieces, erasers, or pencils to create representations that become hybrids of sculpture and wall drawings. Instilled with a sense of wonder, space-natural or constructed- is never passive. It can suddenly oppose, refusing to sustain the reassuring boundaries of our bodies. Therefore, artistic interventions can cause the constitutive elements of architecture to come to life by acquiring unusual behaviours; floor tiles that dislocate themselves as if they were free from gravity, walls that wrap up, creating labyrinths with no entrance doors, the floor that swallows the objects into its surface. http://freedigitalcontent.com rpalmer@2gb.com http://freedigitalcontent.com Wed, 05 Jul 2006 15:41:00 +1000 Damasceno arranges found objects and everyday material to provoke a sense of disbelief, challenging our perception by transforming the familiar into something new. Damasceno arranges found objects and everyday material to provoke a sense of disbelief, challenging our perception by transforming the familiar into something new. The artist arranges thousands of objects such as hammers, chess pieces, erasers, or pencils to create representations that become hybrids of sculpture and wall drawings. Instilled with a sense of wonder, space-natural or constructed- is never passive. It can suddenly oppose, refusing to sustain the reassuring boundaries of our bodies. Therefore, artistic interventions can cause the constitutive elements of architecture to come to life by acquiring unusual behaviours; floor tiles that dislocate themselves as if they were free from gravity, walls that wrap up, creating labyrinths with no entrance doors, the floor that swallows the objects into its surface. Rebecca Belmore, Djambawa Marawili, Ujino Muneteru, Miroslaw Balka,Stella Brennan,Cao Fei, Chen Chieh-jen, Jose Damasceno, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Adrian Paci, Milica Tomic, music, freedigitalcontent, performance FreeDigitalContent.com no Although I have named this film Bade Area (2005), there is no intention of making an actual, physical depiction or presentation of any one place called "Bade'. In Taiwan, places or streets with names like 'Bade' (meaning 'eight virtues') were mostly named after the end of Japanese colonial rule…These 'ruptures' between the names' literal meanings and the actuality of experience in these places are, in a sense, almost a kind of 'premonition' to their development process… After the 1960s, to accommodate the development of Taiwan's labour industries, agricultural lands were redeveloped and turned into industrial areas. In the 1990s, when factories relocated other Asian countries in search of cheaper labour, it cost these locals labourers their jobs…It appears that these landscapes are constantly in a state of being demolished and reconstructed, resembling a never-ending 'collage'. http://freedigitalcontent.com rpalmer@2gb.com http://freedigitalcontent.com Wed, 05 Jul 2006 15:41:00 +1000 Although I have named this film Bade Area (2005), there is no intention of making an actual, physical depiction or presentation of any one place called "Bade'. Although I have named this film Bade Area (2005), there is no intention of making an actual, physical depiction or presentation of any one place called "Bade'. In Taiwan, places or streets with names like 'Bade' (meaning 'eight virtues') were mostly named after the end of Japanese colonial rule…These 'ruptures' between the names' literal meanings and the actuality of experience in these places are, in a sense, almost a kind of 'premonition' to their development process… After the 1960s, to accommodate the development of Taiwan's labour industries, agricultural lands were redeveloped and turned into industrial areas. In the 1990s, when factories relocated other Asian countries in search of cheaper labour, it cost these locals labourers their jobs…It appears that these landscapes are constantly in a state of being demolished and reconstructed, resembling a never-ending 'collage'. Rebecca Belmore, Djambawa Marawili, Ujino Muneteru, Miroslaw Balka,Stella Brennan,Cao Fei, Chen Chieh-jen, Jose Damasceno, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Adrian Paci, Milica Tomic, music, freedigitalcontent, performance FreeDigitalContent.com no Cao Fei's works have covered a wide range of subject matters, closely related to everyday life…but expressing profound concerns with social transformations. Inspired by both advertisements and experimental films, Cao Fei has developed a highly personal language of image making demonstrating the fantasy, desire, critique and jouissance vis-a- vis the mutating …reality of China's rapid and immense urbanisation. http://freedigitalcontent.com rpalmer@2gb.com http://freedigitalcontent.com Wed, 05 Jul 2006 15:41:00 +1000 Cao Fei's works have covered a wide range of subject matters, closely related to everyday life…but expressing profound concerns with social transformations. Cao Fei's works have covered a wide range of subject matters, closely related to everyday life…but expressing profound concerns with social transformations. Inspired by both advertisements and experimental films, Cao Fei has developed a highly personal language of image making demonstrating the fantasy, desire, critique and jouissance vis-a- vis the mutating …reality of China's rapid and immense urbanisation. Rebecca Belmore, Djambawa Marawili, Ujino Muneteru, Miroslaw Balka,Stella Brennan,Cao Fei, Chen Chieh-jen, Jose Damasceno, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Adrian Paci, Milica Tomic, music, freedigitalcontent, performance FreeDigitalContent.com no The 1979 Erebus disaster, in which an Air New Zealand sightseeing place crashed into the Antarctic mountain, remains New Zealand's worst air crash. The accident, which killed 257 people, has all the pathos of Scott's doomed return from the South Pole, of systemic failure compounded by unforgiving weather….There is something deeply affecting about the images from the interior of the plane. Passengers mill around looking out at the bright white landscape below. Funereal black hides their eyes, protecting their identities, marking them as figures in some drama. Unlike us, they are innocent of their fate…the shadows we see died not expect that this might be their last journey. Plane hits mountain. In an instant all on board are dead. http://freedigitalcontent.com rpalmer@2gb.com http://freedigitalcontent.com Wed, 05 Jul 2006 15:41:00 +1000 The 1979 Erebus disaster, in which an Air New Zealand sightseeing place crashed into the Antarctic mountain, remains New Zealand's worst air crash. The 1979 Erebus disaster, in which an Air New Zealand sightseeing place crashed into the Antarctic mountain, remains New Zealand's worst air crash. The accident, which killed 257 people, has all the pathos of Scott's doomed return from the South Pole, of systemic failure compounded by unforgiving weather….There is something deeply affecting about the images from the interior of the plane. Passengers mill around looking out at the bright white landscape below. Funereal black hides their eyes, protecting their identities, marking them as figures in some drama. Unlike us, they are innocent of their fate…the shadows we see died not expect that this might be their last journey. Plane hits mountain. In an instant all on board are dead. Rebecca Belmore, Djambawa Marawili, Ujino Muneteru, Miroslaw Balka,Stella Brennan,Cao Fei, Chen Chieh-jen, Jose Damasceno, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Adrian Paci, Milica Tomic, music, freedigitalcontent, performance FreeDigitalContent.com no On a winter day I decided to make a journey to Birkenau. From Krakow the journey takes about 1 hour. Poland. I was looking for the Pond. Famous because into it was thrown the ashes of people burned in crematoriums. Birkneau was the site of the Nazi concentration camp active in the first half of 1940s. From the gate –straight, right, left, straight. After 20 minutes of walking between birch and pine trees I found the Pond. The 9the Nazis) stopped to throw the ashes into the Pond until it was full. More ashes than water. Now sealed with a thin coat of ice and snow on it. Fragile cover. Beautiful winter landscape. Postcard. Winterreise is also the title of a song cycle by Franz Schubert. http://freedigitalcontent.com rpalmer@2gb.com http://freedigitalcontent.com Wed, 05 Jul 2006 15:41:00 +1000 On a winter day I decided to make a journey to Birkenau. From Krakow the journey takes about 1 hour. On a winter day I decided to make a journey to Birkenau. From Krakow the journey takes about 1 hour. Poland. I was looking for the Pond. Famous because into it was thrown the ashes of people burned in crematoriums. Birkneau was the site of the Nazi concentration camp active in the first half of 1940s. From the gate –straight, right, left, straight. After 20 minutes of walking between birch and pine trees I found the Pond. The 9the Nazis) stopped to throw the ashes into the Pond until it was full. More ashes than water. Now sealed with a thin coat of ice and snow on it. Fragile cover. Beautiful winter landscape. Postcard. Winterreise is also the title of a song cycle by Franz Schubert. Rebecca Belmore, Djambawa Marawili, Ujino Muneteru, Miroslaw Balka,Stella Brennan,Cao Fei, Chen Chieh-jen, Jose Damasceno, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Adrian Paci, Milica Tomic, music, freedigitalcontent, performance FreeDigitalContent.com no The Rotators, based on a the idea of gyre (a circular or spiral form, or a vortex), comprises familiar materials like electronic appliances, junk, building material and books. It's an aggressive work composed of chain saws, grinders, and turntables that continue to rotate while making screeching noise. The work is based on the fact that most electronically functioning as an interface, the artist uses devices such as an industrial drill, a juicer/mixer and other home appliances as 'musical instruments'. While serious in its intent, Ujino's critique of the future of our society is tempered by his style and humour. http://freedigitalcontent.com rpalmer@2gb.com http://freedigitalcontent.com Wed, 05 Jul 2006 15:38:30 +1000 The Rotators, based on a the idea of gyre (a circular or spiral form, or a vortex), comprises familiar materials like electronic appliances, junk, building material and books. The Rotators, based on a the idea of gyre (a circular or spiral form, or a vortex), comprises familiar materials like electronic appliances, junk, building material and books. It's an aggressive work composed of chain saws, grinders, and turntables that continue to rotate while making screeching noise. The work is based on the fact that most electronically functioning as an interface, the artist uses devices such as an industrial drill, a juicer/mixer and other home appliances as 'musical instruments'. While serious in its intent, Ujino's critique of the future of our society is tempered by his style and humour. Rebecca Belmore, Djambawa Marawili, Ujino Muneteru, Miroslaw Balka,Stella Brennan,Cao Fei, Chen Chieh-jen, Jose Damasceno, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Adrian Paci, Milica Tomic, music, freedigitalcontent, performance FreeDigitalContent.com no The Rotators, based on a the idea of gyre (a circular or spiral form, or a vortex), comprises familiar materials like electronic appliances, junk, building material and books. It's an aggressive work composed of chain saws, grinders, and turntables that continue to rotate while making screeching noise. The work is based on the fact that most electronically functioning as an interface, the artist uses devices such as an industrial drill, a juicer/mixer and other home appliances as 'musical instruments'. While serious in its intent, Ujino's critique of the future of our society is tempered by his style and humour. http://freedigitalcontent.com rpalmer@2gb.com http://freedigitalcontent.com Wed, 05 Jul 2006 15:38:30 +1000 The Rotators, based on a the idea of gyre (a circular or spiral form, or a vortex), comprises familiar materials like electronic appliances, junk, building material and books. The Rotators, based on a the idea of gyre (a circular or spiral form, or a vortex), comprises familiar materials like electronic appliances, junk, building material and books. It's an aggressive work composed of chain saws, grinders, and turntables that continue to rotate while making screeching noise. The work is based on the fact that most electronically functioning as an interface, the artist uses devices such as an industrial drill, a juicer/mixer and other home appliances as 'musical instruments'. While serious in its intent, Ujino's critique of the future of our society is tempered by his style and humour. Rebecca Belmore, Djambawa Marawili, Ujino Muneteru, Miroslaw Balka,Stella Brennan,Cao Fei, Chen Chieh-jen, Jose Damasceno, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Adrian Paci, Milica Tomic, music, freedigitalcontent, performance FreeDigitalContent.com no We have just been told by the Federal Court that they recognise our native title to sea. But they did not recognise that our law has always given us the right to protect and manage these places. Under their decision we can't stop any fisherman or tourist from entering sacred places or places that hold the resources we need to live. These others can just visit from a long way away without our permission. If we try to stop them it will be us that is breaking Balanda law. We are appealing to the Hight Court. I don't want to go to exhibitions and galleries and see people only looking at pretty pictures anymore. I want people to look at my paintings and recognise our law. It's all I can do. http://freedigitalcontent.com rpalmer@2gb.com http://freedigitalcontent.com Wed, 05 Jul 2006 15:38:30 +1000 We have just been told by the Federal Court that they recognise our native title to sea. But they did not recognise that our law has always given us the right to protect and manage these places. We have just been told by the Federal Court that they recognise our native title to sea. But they did not recognise that our law has always given us the right to protect and manage these places. Under their decision we can't stop any fisherman or tourist from entering sacred places or places that hold the resources we need to live. These others can just visit from a long way away without our permission. If we try to stop them it will be us that is breaking Balanda law. We are appealing to the Hight Court. I don't want to go to exhibitions and galleries and see people only looking at pretty pictures anymore. I want people to look at my paintings and recognise our law. It's all I can do. Rebecca Belmore, Djambawa Marawili, Ujino Muneteru, Miroslaw Balka,Stella Brennan,Cao Fei, Chen Chieh-jen, Jose Damasceno, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Adrian Paci, Milica Tomic, music, freedigitalcontent, performance FreeDigitalContent.com no When I was a young girl, our mother took us to a tiny island in Northern Ontario to show us where she was born. About ten years ago, long after out mother's death, my sister and I went on a canoe trip with the intent of revisiting this island. Navigating by childhood memory we could not find the place. But it was enough to be in the midst of a beautiful absence. I like to think that this entire experience illustrates how I work. I am aware of the elusive nature of memory. Creating in the presence of the absent makes me a witness. I believe I am just beginning to understand my role, particularly as an artist who has inherited an indigenous history. http://freedigitalcontent.com rpalmer@2gb.com http://freedigitalcontent.com Wed, 05 Jul 2006 12:20:49 +1000 When I was a young girl, our mother took us to a tiny island in Northern Ontario to show us where she was born. When I was a young girl, our mother took us to a tiny island in Northern Ontario to show us where she was born. About ten years ago, long after out mother's death, my sister and I went on a canoe trip with the intent of revisiting this island. Navigating by childhood memory we could not find the place. But it was enough to be in the midst of a beautiful absence. I like to think that this entire experience illustrates how I work. I am aware of the elusive nature of memory. Creating in the presence of the absent makes me a witness. I believe I am just beginning to understand my role, particularly as an artist who has inherited an indigenous history. Rebecca Belmore, Djambawa Marawili, Ujino Muneteru, Miroslaw Balka,Stella Brennan,Cao Fei, Chen Chieh-jen, Jose Damasceno, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Adrian Paci, Milica Tomic, music, freedigitalcontent, performance FreeDigitalContent.com no