[spectre] Third Space seminar, Bergen 19. April - final programme

[Jeremy Welsh]

THIRD SPACE  http://www.khib.no/3dspace/


a seminar on digital technologies and visual culture:
Kunsthøgskolen i Bergen / 19. April / Bergen College of Art & Design
Bergen, Norway

Open for all interested. No registration fees.

PLEASE SEE THE KHIB WEBSITE FOR DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

AND THE SPEAKERS.  www.khib.no/3dspace/



Friday 19. April

09.30 - 10.00 Registration, Kunsthøgskolen i Bergen, Marken
10.00 - 15.00 Den Røde Salen, Kunsthøgskolen i Bergen, Marken
15.15 - 17.00 Cafe Landmark, Bergen Kunsthall.




Introduction.

The term ‘Third Space’ has been in use for some years in a number of
different contexts. Popularised by the advertising campaign for Sony’s
Playstation 2 in 2002-2001, the idea of virtual reality or cyberspace as

third space had been around for a number of years in academic
discussions of phenomena such as MUDs and MOOs. Another important
interpretation of the term relates to the discussion in contemporary
culture of globalization, the multicultural character of contemporary
urban societies and the increasing internationalisation of the art
world. A seminar in connection with the Ars 2001 exhibition in Helsinki,

September 2001, used the term ‘Third Space’ extensively in discussions
of the individual’s (artist’s) role within a globalised information
economy. It could be defined in many ways - one of these being provided
by Antti Leppänen in the book ‘Unfolding Perspectives’ published after
the seminar; here, ‘Third Space’ is that which arises when a meeting and

a communication occurs between two individuals/cultures. This may simply

sound like a new way of describing old-fashioned dialectics, and it
could be said that it fails to take into account the malleability of the

term. However, it is simply one of the propositions put forward in a
series of texts that contain many useful pointers toward discussions of
possible definitions of a third space. Indeed, the title of the book,
Unfolding Perspectives, could easily be applied to many of the ideas
that will be presented in this seminar. The perspective that will unfold

during the course of Third Space provides us with a vista of a cultural
field that is characterised by interdisciplinarity, an engagement with
the possibilities afforded by digital technologies, as well as an
appraisal of their limitations, and a critical dialogue that recasts our

discussion of contemporary art and notions of the avant garde within
terms that must take account of a contemporary reality shaped by global
information systems and macro economics.


Jeremy Welsh
Bergen, April 2002



THIRD SPACE www.khib.no/3dspace/

Programme.
All presentations will be in English.

Part One: Den Røde Salen, Marken: 10.00 - 15.00
(Lunch will be available in the canteen at Marken)


Jeremy Welsh (KHIB, Department of Fine Art):  "Third Space - A Guided
Tour": an introduction to themes and topics that will be explored in the

seminar.

Eric Kluitenberg (Amsterdam)  "Transfiguration of the Avant Garde: The
Negative Dialectics of The Net", a discussion of the transformation of
avant garde practices in terms of the internet. Eric Kluitenberg is a
critic and theorist based at De Balie centre for culture and politics in

Amsterdam.

Jane Prophet (London) will talk about her recent project "Decoy", a
series of "digital paintings" in which fractally grown trees are morphed

into pictures of idealised English landscapes from country estates
designed by landscape architects such as Capability Brown. For several
years Jane Prophet has worked in collaboration with computer scientists
engaged in research into artificial life and the simulation of 3d
landscapes.

Mika Tuomola (University of Art & Design, Helsinki): "A Third Space:
Close Encounters with Digital Media" on what digital technologies have
and have NOT yet learned from the visual staging of narrative in theatre

and film.

Ivar Kjellmo (Oslo) on VR and realtime 3d worlds based on the new MP4
technology. Ivar Kjellmo works with the Oslo based firm Octaga, which
has its background in the Telenor Research Centre and is specialised in
research and development work in realtime 3d systems.




Part Two: Cafe Landmark, Bergen Kunsthall, 15.15 - 17.00
http://www.lmark.no/

artist presentations.


Trond Lossius (Bergen) a musician and programmer and manager of Bergen
Centre for Electronic Arts will describe his collaborative work with
visual and theatre artists, creating computer controlled scenography and

interactive installations.

Dan Mihaltianu (Bucharest/Berlin) from the photography department at
KHIB will present an installation combining an apparatus for distilling
liquids with live video on the walls and on the web, on show at Cafe
Landmark on Friday and Saturday.  See webcast at ( http://www.lmark.no/
)

Grethe Melby (Oslo) is responsible for the online gallery at Artnet
Norway. Her presentation will focus on artists’ internet projects and
will be illustrated by examples from Artnet Norway’s gallery and
archive. ( http://kunst.no )

Johan Sandborg (Bergen) from the photography department at KHIB on his
work with 3d visualisation/simulation in relation to photographic
practices.