Heike Wiermann, Holger Mader and Alexander Stublic focus on video art installations, media facades and art in the public sphere. Their latest projects cover for example the spectacular media facade design (”twists and turns”) of the Uniqua tower in Vienna, where they have managed to transform the structure of the architecture into an ever-changing, fluid state of transition. Furthermore, they co-initiated OSRAM’s new light platform Seven Screens, which they launched with their LED-piece Reprojected. This installation focuses on the shadows of computer-simulated people. The group engages in a site-specific and medium-specific way with visual perception.

Upgrade! Berlin is currently also involved in the development of the Media Facades Festival Berlin and is thus taking the opportunity to invite Alexander Stublic and Holger Mader for a public talk about their media facades and other collaborative works in the public sphere.

More infos on Mader | Stublic | Wiermann. More infos on the Media Facades Festival.

Born in 1964 in Plock. Studies: 1986 1988 at PWSSP in L dz; 1988 1993 at the Faculty of Sculpture of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Graduated under professor Grzegorz Kowalski. Since 1992 he run a.r.t. Gallery in Plock. Urodzil sie w 1964 r. w Plocku. Studia: 1986 1988 w PWSSP w Lodzi; 1988 1993 na Wydziale Rzezby Akademii Sztuk Pieknych w Warszawie. Dyplom w pracowni prof. Grzegorza Kowalskiego. Od 1992 prowadzi w Plocku galerie a.r.t.

Selected individual exhibitions / wybrane wystawy indywidualne: The Suggestion of a New Space / Sugestia nowej przestrzeni , PWSSP, L dz 1988; A Prayer / Modlitwa , Teatr Dramatyczny, Plock 1989, Galeria a.r.t. Plock, Galeria Dziekanka Warszawa 1992; Aneta II, Centrum Sztuki Wsp lczesnej Zamek Ujazdowski, Warszawa, Galeria a.r.t. Plock 2000 audio-video installation / instalacja audio-wideo , Warszawski Aktyw Artyst w, Warszawa 2005

Selected group exhibition / wybrane wystawy zbiorowe: Muzeum Akademii Sztuk Pieknych, Warszawa 1991; Mystical Perseveration and a Rose / Perseweracja mistyczna i r za, Panstwowa Galeria Sztuki, Sopot 1992; Places, Non-Places / Miejsca nie miejsca, Centrum Rzezby Polskiej, Oronsko 1992; A Dialogue of Works and Positions / Dialogi dziel i postaw, Centrum Rzezby Polskiej, Oronsko 1992; bergange, Galeria Medium, Bratyslawa, Muzeum Sztuki Wsp lczesnej, Passau 1993; Galeria Budapeszt, Budapeszt 1995; Transhumacja, Galeria Obraz w, Kowno, Litwa 1995; Me and AIDS / Ja i AIDS, kino Stolica, Warszawa, Galeria a.r.t. Plock, Stowarzyszenie Artystyczne Wieza cisnien , Bydgoszcz, Galeria Wyspa, Gdansk, 1996; Photography 97 / Fotografia 97, Palac Sztuki, Krak w 1997; Parteitag, Galeria a.r.t. Plock 1998, gallery BWA, Katowice 1999; A Forum of Galleries and OtherArt Places in Poland / Forum Galerii i Innych Miejsc Sztuki w Polsce , Centrum Sztuki Wsp lczesnej Laznia, Gdansk 2000; Performer Shows and Video / Pokazy performer w i wideo, Olsztyn 2000 Sexxx, Teatr Academia, Warszawa, Galeria a.r.t., Plock 2001; Plastyka Plocka, Panstwowa Galeria Sztuki, Plock 2001; Cold War / Zimna wojna, Stowarzyszenie Teatralne Laznia , Krak w 2001; Irreligion / Irreligia , Atelier 340 Muzeum, Bruksela 2001 2002; What Does the Corpse s Glassy Eye See / Co widzi trupa wyszklona zrenica , Teatr Academia, Warszawa 2000, Zacheta, Warszawa 2002, Muzeum Okregowe, Bydgoszcz 2003; Poland / Polska, Teatr Akademia, Warszawa 2002; What Do Artists Live On / Z czego zyja artysci, Centrum Sztuki Wsp lczesnej Laznia, Gdansk 2003; Inc. Art Towards the Corporate Appropriation of the Place of Public Expression in Poland / Inc. Sztuka wobec korporacyjnego przejmowania miejsc publicznej ekspresji w Polsce, Galeria XX1, Galeria Program, Warszawa 2004, BWA Zielona G ra, Galeria Bielska BWA, BWA Awangarda, Wroclaw, Fundacja Wyspa Progress, Gdansk, Galeria Sztuki Piekary w Legnicy; The Visual Art sof Plock / Plastyka Plocka, Plocka Galeria Sztuki, Plock 2004; Sculptors take photographs / Rzezbiarze fotografuja, Muzeum X. Dunikowskiego, Warszawa 2004; Egocentric, Immoral, Outmoded Contemporary Image of Artists / Egocentryczne, niemoralne, przestarzale wsp lczesne wizerunki artyst w, Zacheta, Warszawa 2005; At a Very Center of Attention Part 1 / W samym centrum uwagi czesc 1; Centrum Sztuki Wsp lczesnej 2005. Demos kratos wladza ludu, Galeria Klimy Bochenskiej, Centrum Artystyczne Fabryka Trzciny, 2006 Warszawa, 2007 Galeria Bielska BWA, Bielsko-Biala, Prawdziwe zycie, wola art, Warszawa

The Upgrade! Warsaw monthly gathering of media artist that fosters dialogue and creates opportunities for collaboration. Events are informal. Entrance is free.

The artists will introduce themselves and their projects related to the discourse between art and technology. To get things clear, we want to discuss the notion of ‘art VS science’. Is art hacking technology? or is technology hacking creativity? Where do we stand as artists, curators? And what do technologists, academics say about this?

Mateusz Herczka “has a diverse project history, the common denominator being an interest in bioscience and artificial intelligence research, exploring ways to connect those with realities of human existence and perception. His works appear internationally in artspaces and museums as well as new media contexts. He also collaborates in dance projects with some of Swedens main choreographers, designing and exploring new systems for generating movement.”(from his own website). He participated in the series of workshops, lab-sessions and brainstorms of the first stage of the Ambient Art Experience Warp. This project of MAD has resulted now in the projects TAOS (Gijs van Bon, Mander liefting and others) first presented at STRP festival 2007; and Prototope (Mirjam van Overbeek and Michiel van Overbeek) first presented january 2008 during the opening of Digitale Werkplaats CBK ’s Hertogenbosch. He also presented his installation 44\13 at STRP 2006. He studied at the KABK Den Haag with a.o. Horst Rickels. He is an invited artist for Image Radio 2008 in Eindhoven.

Frederico Bonelli “was born in Rome in 1969. Computer hobbyist in the 1980s, in the beginning he was a ’smanettone’ (Italian slang for lesser form of hacker). He graduated in philosophy and history of science at the University of Rome. After a period of research within the department of Mathematics working with prof. Lucio Russo as a mentor he decided to practice philosophy as an independent researcher. Bonelli moved to Amsterdam in 2002 to pursue personal evolution and survival as an independent worker. He has developed a large “Protocuadro Installation” with Philips Research Labs that was presented in Eindhoven in November 2007, and is currently working on a documentary project on the Futurists.” (from Transmediale website) He worked together with Philips Research Evert van Loenen in developing Protoquadro in relation to interactive shopwindows. He presented and showed this project during the Image Radio 2007 conference ‘Urban screens prelude of virtual reality in public space?’ in the Van Abbemuseum. The Enhanced Protoquadro (EPQ) Junglescape was first presented in the Philips Research Experience Lab on November 30, 2007.

This meeting of minds about art & technology is organised by MAD emergent art center (René Paré / Carmin Karasic).

Luisa’s present research reflects about mobile technologies and several objects / gadgets, particularly the wearable systems, that explore other orders / configurations of the body in the space, as they introduce a digital context that overlaps / creates the physical domain and that bring not only social consequences but also other spatial and temporal dynamics of perception and action. In order to contextualize this research, it will presented project of several artists and personal experiences that discuss the understanding of body-space as a process cultural and technologically elaborated.

Luisa is PhD in Multimedia and MA from the Arts Institute of the University of Campinas (UNICAMP). Professor at the UNISC (University of Sorocaba) in the postgraduate program of Communication and Culture and also in the graduation courses. Reviewer of Leonardo Digital Review. Invited researcher at CAiiA-STAR, Plymouth, England, where she researched wearable computers. Artist and researcher in the field of art and technology, participating of several international exhibitions and conferences.

“One man, vocals, maracas and a stripped pulsating showcase of obscure sounds and visuals.”

Major B cuts up analogue, obscure audio samples from all over the world and merges them in his own audio visual recordings or found footage. This shuffle results in rhythmic, surreal pieces that tell about people, animals and their bizarre encounters. These sounds and visuals form basis and background for his vocals and maraca on stage, where the projection works alternately as a spotlight or camouflage kit.

Seth Riskin is an artist, researcher and teacher of light. A former U. S. national champion gymnast, Riskin brings his physical ability to his Light Dance art. In silent, space-defining performances, Riskin’s precise movements articulate light effects that extend from his body. He “sculpts” space, shaping fluid architectures of light around viewers who find themselves within the “dance.” The work has been presented widely, at venues such as the São Paulo Bienal, The Kitchen in New York City and India’s National Centre for the Performing Arts in Bombay.

Riskin’s research is described as “anthropology” of light. For example, in 1993, with support of a Fulbright Scholarship, he studied concepts and practices of light in Hindu India, with particular focus on fire dancing. Riskin’s teaching concerns light as an expressive medium, worked through the wealth of possibilities afforded by emerging technologies. His curriculum and educational philosophy of light reflect his interdisciplinary approach to the subject/medium. Courses such as The Culture of Light, Light Art Studio and The Architecture of Light engage the senses, new technologies and historical and cultural perspective. Currently, Riskin directs the Emerging Technologies Initiative at the MIT Museum, where he brings cutting-edge technology research to public understanding through exhibitions and events.

Upgrade! Boston is curated by Jo-Anne Green for Turbulence.org in partnership with the Studio for Interrelated Media at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. It is one of 27 nodes currently active in Upgrade! International, an emerging network of autonomous nodes united by art, technology, and a commitment to bridging cultural divides. If you would like to present your work or get involved, please email jo at turbulence dot org.

“The first main focus of the project is framed by the contextual emergence of diverse positions in multimedia works, and consequently, by the intended positioning of each artistic point of view within the aimed grain of characters, attitudes and statements. On this note, there is no topical preset or a certain thematic field to be outlined. It is much more about the confrontation of the participating artists with the self-chosen issues and fields of activity, the dialogue among them, and the intensive preoccupation with the different venues, contexts and working processes.

A second main focus is, on a realistic and mental scale, the reflection of each environment, where the project is to be done in the course of time. The first two places of interest are Sibiu (Hermannstadt) and Munich. In Sibiu, the exhibition will take place in October 2008 in ArtLabs and in the former slaughterhouse, a place which differs completely from the first station, the Rathausgalerie in Munich. From April to June 2008, four to six of the Romanian participants will be invited for a three month residence in the Villa Waldberta near Munich, the exhibition will follow at the end of July and last until September. In both cases, we want to trace the in-situ emerging and at the same time the changing ‘anatomy‘ of cohabitance, starting from little stories hidden behind the facades and buried in the socio-cultural memory of both cities.”

“transreport” will open in July in Munich’s Rathausgalerie (City Hall Gallery.) Participating artists from Romania have however already arrived! They are in residency at Munich’s Villa Waldberta and we are especially delighted that they will be present this evening at the Upgrade! Munich.

Les Marswalkers font des images et se demandent pourquoi ils font des images. Ils archivent de l’information numérique, comme tout le monde, et se demandent pourquoi le vivant tend à disparaître tandis que son archivage ne cesse de croître. Ils sont polyvalents, polyglotes, poly-pluridisciplinaires, sans prétention de sauver le monde. Le dimanche ils ont loisirs à photographier, numériser, programmer, googliser, percer-scier-visser, brainstormer… est composé de Karl-Otto von Oertzen & Alexandre Berthier.

Anne Laforet is writing a dissertation on netart conservation. She contributes to poptronics.fr & arte.tv. Sadaki Kajiwara is a chef.

Model of Influence by Tal Ben Zvi / Jack Faber: Tal Ben Zvi: from the various constructions of meaning that artworks can create to influence other structures of society, the recent and relevant work to the Model of Influence investigation is to my opinion ‘Watchmen’ - an ongoing 3 years project ranging from guerrilla filmmaking, through gallery installations, to an innovating international precedent court verdict in the field of art, human rights and the freedom of expression.

Jack Faber: Watchmen was originally a short guerrilla film shot trough the CCTV system of the Tel Aviv museum of art - the most influential and strongest institution is Israels art field - without the approval or knowledge of the museum administration. It features a masked character wandering through the empty spaces of the museum’s contemporary art galleries. Under the watchful eye of the security camera, the figure interacts with the art works on display, in ways which are far from being acceptable, in what is normally a highly regulated space: caressing the works, affectionately hugging the statues, running around in a wild amok. To be sure, no physical damage was done to any of the works. And despite the associations evoked by all too familiar look of the CCTV monitor, this video is by no means recorded evidence of an act of vandalism, neither it is the footage of a crime - but rather a visible violation of a museum’s internal rules of behavior. the museum merely acts as an experimental field for this investigation in transgression of cultural capital, and represents larger scale power institutions in contemporary culture that dominates social perspectives and behavioral patterns under the garments of conduct and manners.

The film, entitled Watchmen (following the known saying ‘Who watches the watchmen?’ that encapsulates it’s core), was censured by a court order to the Museum’s request a day before it’s first public screening - Despite the fact that this work was never seen by the museum, nor by the court judge. This act lead to 3 years of legal procedure (during which the museum continually refused any sort of mediation suggested by the filmmaker), as well as to a local media storm, with newspapers headlines and television discussions following the questions raised by the forbidden film. constructions of meaning examining the role of museums and art, the human right for free speech and expression in a centralist pro-censorship society, the expansive growing usage of surveillance and control mechanisms were among the main topics delivered to the center of the public arena, creating discussion space in places where such issues usually avoided and dismissed as irrelevant and their broader social sense is ignored, to the best parts, or miss guided by political and conservative preceptions.
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JF: The strategies used to create the film ‘Watchmen’ - infiltration, interference and intervening guerrilla textbook tactics to a wider context of cultural struggle - proved matching precisely to implement at art institutions in the magnitude of the Tel Aviv Museum. the narrow minded, closed attitude and the deliberated separation from current social and cultural affairs (which is forced by it’s construction and cultivated by it’s management), caused to the wildfire spread of the censorship story and led a widen struggle criticizing it’s destructive actions (including a lawsuit for 30,000$ damaging compensation from the filmmaker) against an artwork which never been seen by anyone.

By showing the so-called “crime” from the perspective of its own closed circuit system, the museum becomes exposed, revealing itself as part of a system of supervision and regulation. The surveillance camera’s point of view emphasizes the fact that while in the gallery observing art, we are in fact being observed, our behavior monitored and controlled into a specific mode. We are directed to an attitude that actually affects the way we experience art. In the context of a museum, a physical distance is enforced by the security system (using guards and cameras). But this physical distance is more than an affirmation of the traditional, established understanding that art should be observed from a “distance”. It is primarily a reminder of the art object’s monetary value, its financial worth.

It seems that by symbolically shattering this distance, we in fact pose a very real threat to the museum. Watchmen, it seems, undermined the museum’s precious image as the guardian of this distance. Moreover , by using the same tools with which the museum usually enforces its authority to show a contrasting picture of disobedience, we revealed in a harsh and uncompromising way the museum’s main function – to act as a guard, as a protector of valuable objects, as a safe keeper of commodities.

While the court procedure escalated as the public interest faded, in the long duration of the trial and extended intermissions between court hearings, those strategies were soon employed and advanced in different contexts. another guerrilla film, Seeing Art, was created in the museum space, featuring a fictitious group of blind art lovers who try to find meaning within the crowded gallaries during the yearly ‘Opening of the exhibition seasone’ public funded event.

Several more unorthodox art actions, such as public bonfire protest performances of in central urban locations, critique site specific instalations, free lectures in various forums and a large solo exhibition (in the non-commercial Minshar gallery, Tel Aviv) dealing with Watchmen implications and meanings, were created during the ongoing project. the outcome effect of those strategeis was the faded public discussion was arroused again. expended and intensified, this discussion now rexamined hierarchical power structures in contemporary society from new perspectives, revealing the important role of art in deeper collective meanings, it’s function as a process to understand and oppose assimilated social conditioning, and as an abillity to addres the wide public and create an open dialogue with whomever wishes to participate in it.

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JF: Institutional critique still exist, although mostly in the margins of the field, and therefor have rare opportunities to receive any attention or serious consideration by large crowd or the institutions themselves. adding the cynical approach toward such critique and complete lack of support it usually gets, those margins are getting thinner and further away from reaching the critical mass needed to influence on the state of affairs. but sometime it happens.

In december 31, 2007, a final verdict was given is the Tel Aviv municipal court and set an international precedent. This innovative verdict states clearly that there is no reason or cause to censorship a work of art, even if creates in transgressive or unlawful means.

The Judge Ruth Ronen stated that she refuses to accept the claims or attitude of Museum’s director, Professor Omer - “To stand in front of a statue and talk to him it’s humiliating, and so is to stand in front of the museum’s cameras and talk to them’ (page 9, lines 3-7 in the protocol) - and that the film is not manipulating but representing reality. the film and it’s materials are the exclusive property of the filmmaker, and not the museum’s by accepting the fact that ‘the filmmaker never set out to target the Tel Aviv museum specifically, The film is a critique of the function of a museum as such. although the film was made while committing law breaking acts, those are not sufficient to prevent it’s public screening. more than that - freedom of expression is a basic right given not only to the individual, but also to it’s public. when a spokesman is deprived from his right of expression - his potential audience is being deprived as well from it’s rights to listen, know, form it’s own opinion and create dialog that discuss such issues. rights that are fundamental to the democratic regime. Exposure to works of art is also an important fundamental of the democratic regime. watching the film could lead to important and inspiring discussions - dealing with the borders of art, the legitimacy of breaking the law to create an artwork, among other issues - and screening it will allow the mass public to be expose to such vital questions. therefor screening the film is the not only the right of the artist, it’s the right of the public.’ ( from the verdict, 31.12.07)

Since this verdict is indeed an precedent, being no similar cases no verdicts in this field, it present with great acuteness that institutional critique is not only important but also essential in the present context. it is a necessity for the existence of contemporary culture and to the development of any society.

The Picture attached to this text is Framed (2007, newspaper scan of original CCTV frame from the film Watchmen) which was the only frame available from the work in the last 3 years, due to the censorship of the film and all relevant material. the frame shows the watchmen kneeling in a prisoner of war gesture to the feet of Manager’, a sculpture by Kerry Stuart’.

MA: Soliton is a typological inquiry about Solitonism, commissioned by Ministère de l’Architecture. In this research, Ministère de l’Architecture has demanded to continue the work of some eminent physicists about non-linear waves, by proposing to extend the analysis of Solitons to the field of the politics of space, and more precisely for reading activities like design or the erection of buildings. MA: Soliton has been produced for Multitudes Icones (http://multitudes-icones.samizdat.net), a collective website contributing to the Documenta 12 Magazine project.

Société Réaliste is a Paris-based cooperative manages the development of several research and economical structures in fields such as territorial ergonomy, experimental economy, political design or counter-strategy.