Aram Bartholl – Blog

Good friend Christoph Meierhans shows a piece called: “Remarks by Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft Corporation, and Bill Clinton, Former President of the United States. Microsoft Government Leaders Forum Africa 2006 Cape Town, South Africa July 11, 2006″ at UPDATE II, biennal for digital art Gent, Belgium.

Wow, what a long title. But probably just the name of the file he is ripping with this nice installation. If you are around Brussels just take a look at this by machines reenacted conference before the exhibititon is closing.

UPDATE II, biennal for digital art
kunstenplatform zebrastraat
zebrastraat 32/001, 9000 Gent, Belgium

exhibition: 20/04/2008 until 06/07/2008
opening hours: wed-sun 14:00-18:00

“Remarks by…” is a re-enactment by computers of a conference on the evolution of computer technology and itʼs assumed benefits for the african continent. Originally taking place in Cape Town, south Africa, on July 11 2006, the conference features Mr. Bill Gates, Mr. Bill Clinton, Mr. Cheik Diarra, Chairman of Microsoft Africa and moderator of the talk, Ms. the Minister of Education of South Africa, a minister from Kenya, as well as three audience members asking questions.
The installation includes eight computers of different brands, generations and types, all comfortably placed on the chairs of a conference room. Each computer plays the role of one of the lecturers or audience members, speaking their respective lines with their generic synthetic voice. The words are heard through the integrated loudspeakers of the computers.
As a computer talks, itʼs screen flashes according to the rhythm of the voice, from black to white, respectively from white to black, depending on the skin color of the person speaking.
Throughout the 80 minutes loop of the re-enacted conference, the visitors may enter the conference room and take place on one of the free seats in order to listen to the speakers, next to the computers playing the roles of their fellow audience members.
As is usual in long lectures, some listeners ocasionally get sleepy. When computers get sleepy, their screensaver turns on. When this occurs for a longer period of time, soft snoring sounds might be heard.

(original transcript of the conference available at: www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/speeches/2006/07-11GLFAfrica.mspx)

Pure Evil Solo Show
4th July-2nd August 2008
at INK_D

Ink_d
96 North Road
Brighton
BN1 1YE
Gallery/Studio – 01273 645299

Among a couple of openings on busy Brunnenstrasse Berlin I liked the show “Species of Spaces” at Pitrowski gallery last friday. Kym Ward among six Chelsea Art College graduates acted as a/is the curator observing the show on a set of surveillance screens. Nice performance!

In the first moment I had to think of the art robbery which happend at ATM gallery lately. Pure Evil got his piece “You can’t buy happiness-steal it” stolen during the opening. For that reason surveillance cams and an observer panel in the gallery window would make perfect sense!
;-)

“Species of Spaces”
Line Ellegaard, Tom Fleming, Edwin Pennicott, Julia Prezewowsky, Kym Ward, James Whittingham
27. Juni bis 26. Juli 2008

Pitrowski Berlin
Brunnenstrasse 5
10119 Berlin

NYC has some waterfalls now. But who are these two funny guys on the boat? ;-)
Thx to Jerry for pointing out the event! (Berlin has just Olaf’s factory but doesn’t show his art.)

More spiritual streetart. Seams to become popular.
( Again on Auguststrasse Berlin, Artist?)

The Image Fulgurator by Julius von Bismarck I recently posted about made it through the whole blogosphere: from Make ( thx Jonah!) , to BoingBoing and finally to Wired. No doubt, the project is just brilliant ( a milestone in my opinion). Charlie Sorrel from wired explains the piece very detailed and brings in some context in his article. For example the ” Enjalbert Photo Revolver de Poche, a French gun-cam from 1883…” (on the left) and other camera gun projects. Nice article!

As you might know Germany is quite crazy about soccer right now. On Sunday there will be the European championship final game Germany-Spain.

Of course the neighbour kids are playing soccer in the backyard all day long. One of them created these beautiful pair of bark shin guards. Nice!
:-)

I recently dropped in at Gitte Weise gallery
on Tucholskystrasse Berlin and saw the current solo show of Ingo Gerken (who is also running “West Germany” among others). I like his very simple and clever way of day to day life like comments in his photograph series and installations a lot.

Some more pictures and text on the gallery website.

Ingo Gerken
“Short Moments of Inner Calmness”
16.05. – 28.06.2008
Tucholskystrasse 47
10117 Berlin

picture:
“Tower Upside Down” 2008 all rights by Ingo Gerken

SP38 turns Auguststr. Berlin inside out, into a gallery. Good proportions and nice rhythm. ;-)

This traffic light on Invalidenstrasse Berlin takes ages before it switches to green for pedestrians. Additionally it has an antenna sensing the aproaching tramway. In that case it takes even longer before you may cross the street. I want a jammer for that signal! Hmm…what frequency this tramway antenna might run on?

Ah, let’s get this going… http://www.ladyada.net/make/wavebubble/

(Yeh, I know. Just we germans would wait for a green light.)