Toward a Definition of New Media Art
Cross-Canadian and International Encounters
Montreal, Canada
Complex Ex-Centris
12-14 October 1999
The recent conference organized by ISEA/Inter-Society for the Electronic Arts entitled
Cartographies attempted to define the territories of new media art both in its physical and philosophical incarnations. Grouping together 34 speakers from all over the world and taking place over the course of 3 days, the conference was a heroic attempt at making disparate new media worlds meet in real time and space. The event took place in the recently built Ex-Centris complex housing the Daniel Langlois Foundation as well as the headquarters of ISEA and the Festival du nouveau cinéma et des nouveaux médias.
Cartographies was divided into three "zones" articulated around different concerns, approaches and participants.
DAY I
... landmarks .. survey .. traces .. traps .. paths .. manifestos ..artists.. presence.. dispatches .. trajectories .. inventory .. cartography
The first day, ZONE ZERO New Media - Before and Beyond, featured presentations from representatives of some of the most influential individuals and institutions within the field of new media arts organizations from across the world as well as Canada. Some of the individuals featured in this section included Alain Mongeau, ISEA / FCMM (Québec); Sara Diamond, Banff Multimedia Institute (Canada); Pierre Lévy, Université du Québec à Trois Rivières (France/Québec); and Gerfried Stocker, Ars Electronica (Austria). The particular models of diffusion and production outlined by these presenters pointed out current trends in media arts practices (interdisciplinarity, global interactive projects) as well as strategies for arts funding and development (private funding). Gerfried Stocker proposed that media arts organizations privilege the "event" and distanced themselves from new media’s historical role of "document". Sara Diamond, on the other hand, encouraged a return to the body and to interactive and technology-based performance, thus minimizing the impact of recent Web-based and virtual reality developments in Canada. The important influence of private funding in the European organizations was immediately recognized to be in sharp contrast to the Canadian models of media art presentation which are still heavily funded by the government and only now in the process of developing partnerships within the private sector.
The afternoon panel, International models and centers, featured: Alex Adriaansens, V2 (Netherlands); Nils Aziosmanoff, Art3000 (France); Tiina Erkintalo, AV-arkki - MuuMedia Festival (Finland); Claudia Giannetti, Media Centre of Art and Design (Spain); Peter Ride, DA2 (UK); and was moderated by Nina Czegledy (Canada/Hungary). It was dedicated to presenting the Euro-specific centers’ approaches to promoting, distributing, and developing new media arts. This European panel distinguished itself from the Canadian one (the next day) with it’s strong history of financial and social support within the arts community and community in general. Strong outreach and collaborative initiatives integrated into their local communities as well nation and Europe wide, showed how their lobbying potential for funding as well as developing partnerships with other similar organizations in Europe had been strengthened.
DAY II
....... terminology .. histories .. dead data .. dead media .. conundrums.. policies .. manifestos .. inventories .. pionners ..alternatives ..landmines ......
The second day’s presentations, TACTICAL ZONES : The State of Media Art - Québécois and Canadian Experiences was curated by Francine Dagenais and Sylvie Parent. The morning round-table, New territories to confront and redefine the field of new media art, was the only one in Cartographies geared towards artists and offering a platform for media artists to outline their approaches, needs, modes of working, promotion and development within the field of new media. The artists featured in this panel were: Thecla Shiphorst (Vancouver); Valérie Lamontagne (Montréal); Catherine Richards (Ottawa); Luc Courchesne (Montréal); Sheila Urbanowski (Wishart, SK); and Sheryl Kootenhayoo (Calgary). In sharp contrast to some of the more utopian descriptions of the "new media territory" presented on the previous day with the European centers, the works presented in this panel were predominantly computer-based and down to earth in their approach to technology. All of the presentations emphasized the role of the public and its interaction with the work as a catalyst in the choices of technology as an art medium. The emphasis was on content, context, and the artist’s control in the creation and distribution of his/her work. The artists’ approaches were thus characterized by concerns spilling out of the field of technology and into the socio-political, be it in issues of beauty (Courchesne) Native artists’ networks (Kootenhayoo) or feminist subversion on the Web (Urbanowski).
The afternoon panel, Interfacing present structures to confront and redefine the field of new media featured: Brenda Cleniuk, Neutral Ground (Regina); Marc Fournel, Daimon (Hull); Tom Leonhardt InterAccess (Toronto); Jocelyn Robert, Avatar (Quebec); Monique Savoie (Montréal); Gisèle Trudel, TechnOboro (Montréal); and was moderated by Francine Dagenais (Montréal). This panel had as it’s main concern the Canadian institutions and their roles within media arts. A brief history of Canadian media networks included those of organizations such as Interacess, a center dedicated to developing and distributing media works for over a decade. Artist-run centers, such as TechOboro and Neutral Ground showed how they had developed Web and digital media facilities/presentations parallel to their gallery mandate. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, this panel discussion was dominated with issues of lack of funding. Jocelyn Robert, in a most memorable presentation, stepped down from the podium to personally address organizers and representatives of government finding bodies. Clearly, Canadian organizations demonstrated a need for better representation on the government level as well as in the private sector. Certain initiatives did result from this discussion, mainly the desire to form a nation-wide media arts lobbying organization.
DAY III
........ circulation.. networks .. projects .. institutions .. conservation.. archiving .. industry .. links .. ghettos .. convergence .........
The third and final day, ZONES MOBILES: The Challenge of New Networks, was divided into two panel discussions which occurred simultaneously. The first, Conserving and Archiving Digital Work featured as speakers: Steve Dietz, Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, USA); Alain Depocas, Fondation Daniel Langlois (Montréal); Robbin Murphy, artnetweb.com (New York); Virginie Pringuet, collectif D.A.T.A. (Montréal); and was moderated by Petra Mueller. Of particular concern in this panel was the concervation and curating of new media art work in our ever changing and evolving technological environment. The second panel, Reasearch and Innovation, featured: Charles Halary, UQAM (Montréal); Ron Wakkary, Technical University of British Colombia (Vancouver); Francine Lecours, Heritage Canada (Ottawa/Hull); Bill Vorn, Concordia University (Montréal); Kathy Rae Huffman, ISEA/Renssaeler Polytechnic Institute’s Department of Art (Troy, U.S.) and was moderated by Michael Century, McGill University (Montréal). It probed alternative forms of development and funding partnerships for the production of media arts.
The predominant themes of Cartographies focused on the one hand on a movement away from computer-based art practices towards interactive projects done in collaboration with the scientific and artistic community, and, on the other hand, on projects being done in an independent fashion which no longer necessitated "centers" and "distributors". A dichotomy was formed between a populist approach to technology and more expensive and institution-driven media arts production. It should be noted that the public present for this conference was limited to those working in the field of media art, especially organizations having a stake in developing the uses and promotion of new media. Unfortunately, a cross section of artists who are independently developing new media practices through the uses of their personal computers (doing Web art, digital video editing, sound editing etc…) were inadequately present or represented.
Also, the reoccurring problematic of funding for artists and media organizations in regards to diffusion and production articulated in many of the presentations over the three days. The conclusion to be draw from such statements would be that limitations in funding for both organizers and producers are shaping what is and is not being currently produced in the field of new media.
The European models of partnership were surely serve as examples in defining our own Canadian media network of institutions.
Yet, the foremost question "What is the field of new media art?" escapes definition as individuals all over the world are making technology theirs. Media arts still remains an art practice fraught with contradictions in practice and philosophy.
... landmarks .. survey .. traces .. traps .. paths .. manifestos ..
artists.. presence.. dispatches .. trajectories .. inventory .. cartography
Valérie Lamontagne
