Pacific Sea Nettle, Chrysaora Melanaster, Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, California, August 9, 2005
“What does the jellyfish want? This question was raised by artist Christopher Williams during an interview in which he explained why he finds this sea-creature so fascinating: without shape, without a skeleton, and without a sex, a jellyfish is a creature without properties.”
Christopher Williams
Eva and Franco Mattes (a.k.a. 0100101110101101.ORG) reenacting Joseph Beuys’ “7000 Oaks” in a synthetic world
Beuys’ project begun on March the 16th 1982, at Documenta 7, in Kassel. His plan called for the planting of seven thousand trees, each paired with a columnar basalt stone. Beuys intended the Kassel project to be the first stage in an ongoing scheme of tree planting to be extended throughout the world as part of a global mission to effect environmental and social change.
The Mattes are reenacting Beuys’ work “7000 Oaks”, staging the new performance in the synthetic world of Second Life. The first virtual tree and stone were planted on March the 16th 2007, exactly 25 years after the original oak was planted.
The 7000 basalt stones have been stacked on Mattes’ island in Second Life: Cosmos Island. The diminishing pile of virtual stones will indicate the progress of the project, which will go on until all 7000 oaks and stones will be placed. Second Life inhabitants will have the chance to take part to the performance, placing stones and trees in their lands.
This work is part of Eva and Franco Mattes series of “Synthetic Performances”: reenactment of historical performances inside synthetic worlds where body, space and time can be completely reinvented. The series started at the beginning of 2007 and will feature works by artists like Vito Acconci and Marina Abramovic.
“Joseph Beuys’ 7000 Oaks” is commissioned by Centro de Arte Juan Ismael, Fuerteventura (Canary Islands, Spain), for the exhibition “Deambulatorios de una jornada, en el principio y el proyecto Tindaya”, curated by Nilo Casares.
More information and contacts: www.0100101110101101.org
“pop music for the year 4000.”
“Formed in Vienna in the mid-1990’s, the farmersmanual collective represents media art at its most anarchistic. While being best-known for their recordings, in recent years the group have shifted their emphasis towards extensive live performances, in which imaginative computer animation, synchronized with ‘chaos-particle-accelerating’ music, and the overall ambience of uncontrollable technology form a seamless whole. This globe-trotting group with a fluctuating line-up of four to five members hail from the same Mego label roster as last year’s Avanto visitors Fennesz, Pita and Hecker. […] ‘Our performance at Gloria will not be open to remote interaction. Our presentations at Aula will discuss a lot of these issues and demonstrate some, but the main issue here is a human interface: a more intensive contact with us for a smaller group of people. Our project is a work in progress and at Aula we want to reveal the process behind it that drives us and could possibly also drive other people. Honestly, it’s also a process of understanding our own contributions to a project that has no clear definition/target. No decision, no corporation.” (Hiaz via e-mail, 19.9.2001).’” [Anton Nikkila]
farmersmanual (1), farmersmanual (2), farmersmanual wiki, Mego 777
“Cats collect quantum facts from multiple realities. I think cats are Universal Reporters.” […] “Tomorrow we will start with the following: ‘Alas! There isn’t a cat here today to record the facts! And still, everything seems normal.’”
