Addressing the need for the cultural production and consumption of new media and emerging artforms
Virogenesis_Rehersal
to occur within a sharply critical context The Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT) managed a month cultural exchange project, Virogenesis. The project was the curatorial initiative of Francesca da Rimini.
This viral collision of four irreverent and erudite cultural practitioners from the United Kingdom and Italy with Australian artists and art audiences manifested around Australia in 1995 – 1996. Presentations included readings; workshops; radio, television and press interviews; gigs; public interventions and performances. Outside of the public presentations much deep networking occurred, and indeed continues to flourish, with further plans for residencies (in Australia, London and Milan), and joint projects and collaborations between the Virogenenesis artists and interested Australian artists in the pipeline.
An extensive 26 day national itinerary for viral agents Scanner, Matthew Fuller and Gomma was planned. The artists presented together in some cities, and separately in others, to achieve the project’s aim of provoking dialogue, broadly disseminating ideas and information, establishing networks and human hyperlinks, and challenging existing preconceptions of what constitutes ‘art’ in the information age.
Agent Gomma inspired mutatation of existing cultural forms via community workshops and video enhanced talks drawing upon the experiences of the Shake/Decoder projects and affiliated events on the European social body.
Agent Fuller transmitted his viral ideas of cultural sovereignty/autonomy via the vectors: readings : street interventions: multimedia interface convention destruction workshop
Agent Scanner infiltrated the cultural body via the vectors: radio transmissions: club subliminals : surveillence technologies workshop
Funding for Virogenesis 2, the tour of Gomma, Matt Fuller and Scanner, was sourced from the Community Cultural Development Board (for Gomma) and the Hybrid Arts Fund (for Fuller and Scanner) of the Australia Council.
http://virogenesis.anat.org.au/
Tags: cultural consumption, emerging artforms, urban interventions
