Video Pool Media Arts Centre is pleased to host Freestyle SoundHack, a performance / workshop led by Toronto-based artist, Jessica Thompson :: September 13, 2008; 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. :: at Video Pool, 300-100 Arthur Street, Winnipeg, MB.

Jessica Thompson will present Freestyle SoundHack, a collaborative performance in the form of a workshop. The performance / workshop involves building Freestyle SoundKits – wearable sound pieces prototyped by the artist – that generate and broadcast electronic beats as users move through the urban environment. During the performance, the artist will give her project to the public by teaching workshop participants how to make their own Freestyle SoundKits, which they can distribute as they wish, using whatever sounds they choose.

The workshop begins at Video Pool with a Freestyle SoundKits building session, followed by live sonic and movement-based interventions in the public spaces of the Exchange District. Thompson regards her transmission of open-source technological skill as the core component of the performance. She is interested in sharing technological knowledge so that the sonic transformation of public space becomes less of a specialized artistic activity and more of an ordinary occurrence.

The workshop/performance is open to anyone aged 14 years and older. No previous electronics, hacking, coding or performance experience is needed – just a desire to experiment and play.

Enrollment is limited to 10 participants and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The fee for the workshop is $40, which will cover the cost of workshop materials. Participants should bring their own snacks/ lunch to the workshop.

This workshop is presented by Video Pool Media Arts Centre as part of the performance festival, (in)visible Cities, which is a co-presentation of aceartinc., Urban Shman Gallery, and Plug In ICA. For more information, visit invisiblecitiesperformance.blogspot.com.

ADDITIONAL EVENT – Please join us on Friday, September 12 at 300-100 Arthur Street from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. for an artist talk presented by Jessica Thompson during which time she’ll talk about her past work, current projects, and future ideas.

ARTIST BIO — Jessica Thompson is a new media artist whose practice encompasses sound, performance, and mobile technologies. Her projects enable audience members to create user-defined spaces and situations within urban environments. Her projects have been shown in exhibitions and festivals such as New Territories (ARCO 2005, Madrid), MACO (Mexico City), dp003 (Dundee, Scotland), ISEA 2006 (San Jose, CA), the 2006 Conflux Festival (New York), Kunsthallen Brænderigården (Denmark), and InterAccess Artist Run Centre (Toronto). Her project, SOUNDBIKE, was featured at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2005 and, more recently, she was one of five international artists invited to participate in Reinventing the Wheel, a residency held at *.artlabs in Sibiu, Romania. For more information, please visit: www.jessicathompson.ca.

These exhibition is presented thanks to generous financial support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Manitoba Arts Council, and the Winnipeg Arts Council.

VIDEO POOL MEDIA ARTS CENTRE is a non-profit artist run centre dedicated to advancing the discipline of media art by providing media artists, non-profit organizations and community groups with access to professional video and media equipment, training, distribution, and programming. Video Pool strives to be a national leader fostering innovation, experimentation, critical dialogue, and advocacy in media arts.

Contact:
Cam Woykin, Education Coordinator
300-100 Arthur Street, Winnipeg MB R3B 1H3
videopool.org // videopool.blogspot.com