Collective Art Practice - Performative and Networked Approaches to Challenging Power - Public Lecture Series, as part of VIS198 Directed Study Group; a series of talks looking at the how groups are using collective practice and online public space to confront social issues embodied in the San Diego / Tijuana border region. All lectures will be held at Calit2, Atkinson Hall, 2nd Floor, Wednesday nights from 6-7 pm.

Week 1 - April 2: A Class Without A Teacher? Critical Pedagogy and Intro to Collective Practice - Presenters: Members of the Groundwork Books Collective :: Week 2 - April 9: A Rich Legacy of Collective Practice - Presenters: Brett Stalbaum, Ricardo Dominguez speaking on Electronic Disturbance Theater and particle group. Continue reading

“The performance-, theatre- and radio-art group LIGNA (formed 1997) consists of the media theorists and radio artists Ole Frahm, Michael Hüners and Torsten Michaelsen, who work in the FSK (Free Broadcaster Combine), a non-commercial, local radio in Hamburg. LIGNA repeatedly design experimental situations which aim for the transgression of the conventional application of radio technology and the re-actualisation of its inherent, but forgotten or ignored potentials.The action Radioballet took place in the main station of Hamburg and one year later in Leipzig. Both spaces had been recently privatised and subject to control by surveillance cameras and security guards. Continue reading

Anytime, Anyplace: Art Collectives in the 21st Century - A Symposium :: March 13-14, 2008 :: Pasadena City College, Pasadena, CA :: All events are free and open to the public. Register here.

Artists’ groups representing some of the finest examples of 21st century collaborative art practice will participate in a two-day symposium. The symposium will examine artists’ collectives that focus on social, political and environmental issues and those groups’ strategies for engaging individuals and communities. “The artist groups in ‘Anytime, Anyplace’ work to challenge systems of power and accepted strategies typically adopted by young artists,” said Claude Willey, organizer of the symposium (and co-founder of the collective MOISTURE). Continue reading

ART WIKIMARATHON :: Location: ANYWHERE :: January 26, 2008; noon - 8 pm EST.

There’s a lack of art / artist information on Wikipedia, and we’re often too busy to find the time to contribute. In response, we’re setting aside one day when a crew of people collectively drop serious knowledge into Wikipedia about art: from your favorite notable artwork, artist or exhibition, to our soon-to-be-famous peers. We’ll also add structural links to alumni, schools and categories like collective art groups, non profit orgs, etc. Continue reading

Ars Virtua artist Thomas Asmuth is spearheading the creation of a Temporary Autonomous Zone (TAZ) in the online realm of World of Warcraft; December 3, 2007 at 7:00 pm PST (details below).

“Performance art in WoW is not really that big a stretch if you consider the social arena that is already in place in-world. We are interested in experiments of self governance that go beyond the Guild Structure. Is it possible to maintain a small mobile ‘geo’-political faction in WoW? As an experiment in governance … we are proposing Temporary Autonomous Zones (TAZ). We will band together with a nod toward the feudal structure that WoW quotes so often. Can we hold our ‘fiefdom’? Can we protect it from poachers and those who wish not to align with our mobile zone of autonomy? Continue reading

Pedestrian Service Exquisite: A Day of Encountered Experience at the Transmodern Festival ‘08 :: April 3- 6, 2008 :: Submission Deadline: January 7, 2008.

We are seeking projects to be included in a walking tour of a small area of Baltimore. Pedestrian Service Exquisite is a day of encountered performances, interventions, site specific installations, mini tours, and surreal moments. The tour will explore the immediate area surrounding Baltimore’s Load of Fun. Please consult our map of the area before sending in a submission. Please note that there is no available gallery space for this show. Continue reading

Bendati / Blindfolded - an open, collective performance :: November 18, 2007; 10 am (check your local time here) :: SculptureCenter, New York, 44-19 Purves Street, Long Island City, NY.

Everyone, all over the world, is invited to take part in the action Bendati/Blindfolded from wherever they happen to be, at the same time. Participants are asked to remain blindfolded for one hour. This is to identify with the state of mind of Luigi, who, for over a year now, has had trouble with his eyesight. He must remain in complete darkness, or keep his eyes closed for long periods of time. Those contributing are free to stay still or move, do something or not, work or rest. Participants are also invited to identify with Luigi’s condition and simply experience the loss of sight for an hour. Continue reading

“Twine is a website where people can dump information that’s important to them, from strings of e-mails to YouTube videos. Or, if a user prefers, Twine can automatically collect all the Web pages she visited, e-mails she sent and received, and so on. Once Twine has some information, it starts to analyze it and automatically sort it into categories that include the people involved, concepts discussed, and places, organizations, and companies. This way, when a user is searching for something, she can have quick access to related information about it. Twine also uses elements of social networking so that a user has access to information collected by others in her network. All this creates a sort of “collective intelligence,” says Nova Spivack, CEO and founder of Radar Networks.” From The Semantic Web Goes Mainstream by Kate Greene, Technology Review.

Usman Haque has been commissioned to create Evoke for the Illuminating York festival. You can see the work from Fri 26 Oct until Sat 3 Nov, from 6-11pm. From the website…

“Evoke is a massive animated 80,000 lumen projection, which will light up the facade of York Minster. The facade is brought to life by members of the public, who use their own voices to “evoke” colourful light patterns that emerge at the building’s foundations and soar up towards the sky, giving the surface a magical feeling as it melts with colour. The cathedral, built to link conceptually earth to the heavens, has been a site for the conveyance of words, dreams and aspirations for hundreds of years. Continue reading

Turbulence Commission: Bonding Energy by Douglas Repetto and LoVid - Bonding Energy consists of a set of Sunsmile devices [image below] that collect and measure solar energy from seven geographically distributed sites around New York State: Columbia University, NYC; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy; University of Buffalo; Colgate University, Hamilton; free103point9’s Wave Farm, Acra; Experimental Television Center, Owego; and The Redhouse Arts Center, Syracuse. The light energy reaching the Sunsmiles’ solar panels fuels a collaborative real-time data visualization on Turbulence.org [Image above right: Screenshot of visualization]. Continue reading