[spectre] Open call for SEAFair 2002

[Misko]

SEAFair 2002 Cultural Transformation - Consciousness and New Technologies
Project investigating the transformation of culture, through the prism of c=
onsciousness, and new technologies.

Duration and dates: November 29 -  December 04. 2002

Location (full address): Museum of Contemporary Art Skopje, Samoilova bb, 1=
000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, phone/fax : 389 2 117.734

Organizer (organization and contact person) and basic information about it:
Contemporary Art Center Skopje
Orce Nikolov 109, 1000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, Tel/Fax: +389.2.133.5=
41
e-mail: scca@scca.org.mk		http://www.scca.org.mk
 =20
2.	PROJECT DESCRIPTION:=20
SEAFair (Skopje Electronic Arts Fair), which was initiated in 1997, is the =
first media art manifestation in the Balkans, bringing together Internation=
al multimedia artists, artists, critics, and theorists dealing in Internet,=
 bio-technology, nano-technology, as well as the interested regional audien=
ce. SEAFair serves as an international and intercultural meeting point for =
arts and technologies. SEAFair urges discussions about the artistic, philos=
ophic, educational and other aspects of the new processes in culture.=20
The project SEAFair 2002 Cultural Transformation - Consciousness and New Te=
chnologies is envisioned to bring together culture theoreticians, practitio=
ners of new media, philosophers, consciousness experts, neuroscientists, ar=
tists and sociologists, in a constructive dialogue. We expect the project t=
o produce an open atmosphere for critical discourse, and an on-going debate=
 regarding the raised issues.=20
The idea of this sixth edition of SEAFair is to investigate the cultural tr=
ansformation in the beginning of the 21st century by critically examining i=
n an overall platform the evolution of consciousness, society, networks, an=
d new media. The study of consciousness is now considered to be one of the =
top themes in artistic and cultural circles especially because current rese=
arch of broad fields in a cultural and a social sense may assist us in the =
visualizing of our future. =20
We expect participants from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, En=
gland, Germany, France, and the United States. The candidates will have to =
apply on the open call for the event, after which the Curator and the Board=
 of CAC will decide upon the participants. =20

Structure: The project in itself has 8 phases:
=B7
=B7	Media Campaign and Coverage The media campaign and coverage will take p=
art during the whole duration of the project, starting from the announcemen=
t, following all phases until the publishing, and producing of art works re=
lated to the phenomena of consciousness. The following media houses (radio,=
 TV, Internet will provide the media campaign Radio Ravel, NO-MA Radio, Cha=
nnel 77, Antena 5 Radio, Jazz FM, Mega Radio, Channel 103, Radio UNO, A1 TV=
, TV Skopje, Channel Lisica, SKYNET.

=B7	Selection of participants 	October 25, 2002.

=B7	The On-Line Debate will feature an on-going discussion for a period of =
3 weeks before the event regarding ideological, social and ethical discours=
es that the issues of consciousness, new technologies and media are raising=
=2E The discussion will take into account the current studies of consciousn=
ess as well as future cultural scenarios that are appearing.

=B7	The exhibition will feature between 15-20 artworks by leading contempor=
ary international and domestic artists. The artworks are in fact a collabor=
ation of artists with scientists in the fields of: Culture, Consciousness, =
and New Technologies. The artworks will be displayed in the Skopje Museum o=
f Contemporary Arts in the period November 29 - December 20, 2002.

=B7	The workshop will be aimed at participants from Macedonia and the Balka=
n countries including some artists from Central&Eastern Europe who will tak=
e part in it. The artists will be provided lodging and food. The workshop w=
ill be divided in several venues: The CIX Gallery, The Museum of Contempora=
ry Arts, the Macedonian Academy of Arts and Sciences. The workshop will con=
centrate on practical work and demonstration of individual concepts, as wel=
l as on assistance in the realization of their works and bringing the artis=
ts to a level from which the artists can continue to develop the projects o=
n their own.=20
The goals of the workshop are:=09
=B7	To enhance the knowledge of artists in the workshop about envisioning, =
preparation, and implementation of projects in the 21st century.
=B7	To enable the artists to disseminate information and experiences gather=
ed in this workshop to colleagues in their own surrounding.
=B7	To produce the improved version of their projects.=20
=B7	To test their ideas.=20
=B7	To prepare their future work.

	The workshop participants will have a public presentation on the end of th=
e workshop, in the framework of the EXHIBITION.=20
The Contemporary Art Center will attempt to produce the initiated projects =
on the workshop. The aim of the new produced conceptual=20
artwork is for it to be a part of major international art events and flows.

=B7	Symposium. A two-day Symposium, by leading theoreticians in the field i=
s planned. Around 10 international and domestic theoreticians will be invit=
ed to participate. The Key speaker will be Professor Roy Ascott, a leading =
expert in the theme of Consciousness. The main theme of the Symposium will =
be CULTURE AND CONSCIOUSNESS. Themes sush as the influence of techno-scient=
ific change upon society, the study of consciousness, the study of the mind=
, etc. will be examined.
The artists taking part in the exhibition and workshop will be invited to p=
articipate in the Symposium.=20

=B7	Publishing. The main goal of publishing the proceedings in a form of a =
catalogue and book is to make available to the general audience of readers,=
 sociologists, cultural theoreticians and practitioners, as well as special=
ists in the field of consciousness, and new technologies. The catalogue wil=
l be printed in English and Macedonian, with a possible translation to othe=
r East European languages. 500 copies are planned. Part of the catalogues w=
ill be disseminated to the audience, as well as to the artists, the remaini=
ng part will be sent to our partners in Europe or interested institutions o=
r individuals. We believe that this will encourage a spontaneous cross-bord=
er exchange of ideas.

3.	LIST OF PARTICIPANTS:=20
	All artists, theorists, curators, who feel that they would like to explore=
 the idea of connecting cultural transformation, consciousness, and new tec=
hnologies are invited to participate in the event. The criteria artists hav=
e to fulfill in order to become participants in the workshop are:=20
	o The proposed art work, text, concept, or idea, must contain as a theme t=
he issue of cultural transformation, consciousness, and new technologies, o=
r contain in it issues concerning social, aesthetic, or ethic questions whi=
ch these themes pose on today's society or contemporary art practice. All t=
he proposals should include a short explanation about the proposed project =
and the development they would like to make while on the workshop.
o The idea of the proposals for art works, or for the Conference must have =
a content wise potential for further development in artistic way

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Melentie Pandilovski
Director
Contemporary Arts Center  - Skopje
Orce Nikolov 109, 1000 Skopje
Republic of Macedonia
Tel/Fax: +389.2.133.541
Tel/Fax: +389.2.214.495
Mobile: +389.70.217.075
http://www.scca.org.mk
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