Into the interzone
RealTime 71 celebrates the publication of Darren Tofts’ long-awaited Interzone—media arts in Australia with a review and author interview (p22-23). An opponent of the label ‘new media arts’, Darren proposed ‘intermedia art’ as a more apt term on these pages long ago. Now he argues for ‘media arts’ (right in some ways, perhaps too broad in others) and by bringing out what looks like it could be the definitive book, for some time to come, on Australian media arts (from inception to the near present) he just might make the term stick. But I’m pleased to see the ‘inter’ in Interzone given the extensive hybridising of forms and practices that keeps on emerging from the evolution of media arts. Congratulations to Darren on writing a wonderful book.
Robotics
The approaching singularity where humans and machines merge is anticipated and queried in dance works in the 2006 Adelaide Festival: ADT’s Devolution (p2) and Random’s Nemesis (p4). Choreographers Garry Stewart and Wayne McGregor discuss their respective works, the issues and the science that informs them. We also have a disturbing report from Perth on MEART (p25) in which robotic arms driven by rat neurons create artworks that do away with the need for the human artist. Reports on conferences and workshops on performance and interactivity are also to be found on pages 24 and 35. The world grows stranger, the body something else altogether.
Live art: UK, New York, Bangkok
This edition also features coverage of live art/performance art/visual art performance (the choice of label is yours) in the first and very big biennale of such work in New York in the form of Performa 05 directed by RoseLee Goldberg (p34), a long time champion of contemporary performance. A report from Bangkok describes a substantial and ongoing gathering of South-East Asian artists performing and debating their practice (p8). In February the RealTime editors will be experiencing plenty of live art at the InBetween Time Festival in Bristol, the National Review of Live Art in Glasgow and elsewhere.
Live Art is enjoying growing prominence in the UK, Europe, Asia and in the USA (and outside of New York). After seeing the work in the UK and talking with practitioners, curators and agencies, in coming editions we’ll be looking closely at how live art has developed and what it means in the Australian context.
For our responses to the InBetween Time Festival
go to our features page.
RealTime issue #71 Feb-March 2006 pg.
© RealTime ; for permission to reproduce apply to [email protected]