"Call" and "Relay" Launch on October 16!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Video Pool Media Arts Centre
in conjunction with Artspace is proud to present

Call and Relay

two projects by internationally renowned Canadian artist Germaine Koh

Winnipeg, MB (October 4, 2007) – Video Pool welcomes residents of Winnipeg to talk to strangers via two intriguing new media projects by Germaine Koh.

Call is an interactive installation involving a hacked vintage rotary-dial telephone that connects immediately to one of several volunteers as soon as the receiver is lifted. Participants are invited to experience the unique opportunity of striking up a conversation about anything or everything with an anonymous individual at the other end of the line. Interpersonal exchange with other inhabitants of our city has never been easier, and when was the last time any of us took the time to hold a random and potentially meaningful conversation with someone new?

To connect with someone through Call, just visit the Artspace lobby. You don’t even have to dial!

Relay is a subtle intervention that combines the lonely signal of a flashing navigation beacon, city electrical systems, and the invisible communications networks that surround us. A utilitarian light fixture enigmatically flashes – in Morse code – short text messages (SMS) received on a designated mobile phone number. Locally, the light will operate as a sort of bulletin board conveying news from near and far, and providing opportunities for sociability and local messaging in the immediate area and across the city. The beacon merges early technologies for communication and navigation with some of the more contemporary methods by which information and desire flow today.

Share an exciting scoop, or just say hello, by sending a text message to 204.951.1929. From the roof of Artspace, your message will be conveyed to all.

Call and Relay will be available at Artspace, 100 Arthur Street, Winnipeg, from October 16 – November 16, 2007.


Related events – All welcome

Artist talk on Tuesday, October 16 at 6:00 pm, followed by an opening reception from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Platform Gallery, 1st floor, 100 Arthur Street.

Call and Relay are presented thanks to generous support provided by:





VIDEO POOL MEDIA ARTS CENTRE is a non-profit artist run centre dedicated to advancing the discipline of media art by providing media artists, non-profit organizations and community groups with access to professional video and media equipment, training, distribution and programming. Video Pool strives to be a national leader fostering innovation, experimentation, critical dialogue and advocacy in media arts.


Contact: Milena Placentile, Programming Coordinator
204.949.9134 ext 1
vpprogramming@videopool.org
videopool.org // videopool.blogspot.org

Great news! Now you can "Call" and "Relay" for a little longer ;-)

*Ha ha* Sounds a little like an ad for telecom services ;-)

But really, this is great news!

Thanks to the generosity of artist Germaine Koh, volunteers participating in Call, and Artspace, Video Pool is happy to announce that Call and Relay will now be available until Tuesday, November 27, 2007. So, if you've not yet had a chance to chat with a stranger, or to send an SMS message to the whole city via roof-top lights flashing Morse code, now is your chance =-).

To participate in Call, visit the Artspace lobby and pick up the telephone receiver. To participate in Relay, send a text message to 204.951.1929.

Details for Germaine Koh's Artist Talk Announced

Hi everyone!

We now have all the details you need to plan on attending Germaine Koh's artist talk.

Thanks to the awesomeness of Platform Gallery, we are very happy to announce that Germaine will give a presentation about her work on Tuesday, October 16 from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

The talk will be followed by an reception to launch Call and Relay, which will continue until 9:00 p.m.

Platform Gallery is located on the first floor of Artspace @ 100 Arthur Street. This event is free of charge and open to everyone so we really hope to see you there!

PS. If you haven't already had a chance to take in Platform's current exhibition, Soft Ground curated by Lisa Stinner and featuring work by Elaine Stocki and Sarah Small, then you're in for a bonus because it will still be up =-)

More great local media coverage

In the latest issue of Uptown Magazine, local arts reporter, Stacey Abramson, shares her impressions of Germaine Koh's interactive new-media interventions, Call and Relay. It appears that Stacey enjoyed these projects as much as we did, and it appears that we've both noticed how popular they have been with the many, many participants who helped make the projects come alive.

For the whole story, please visit: http://www.uptownmag.com/2007-11-22/page1263.aspx

We were also very pleased to discover Sean Manson's coverage of Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay's two projects, Jimmy and Audition Tape in Outwordsinc. These works were both part of the exhibition Rockstars & Wannabes, which Video Pool co-presented with Urban Shaman Gallery from Sept 29 - Nov 10, 2007.

To download the issue containing this story, please visit: http://www.outwords.ca/issues/OutWordsOnline146.pdf

Germaine Koh’s Exhibition Launch and Artist Talk

Last night, beginning at 6:00 p.m., Germaine Koh delivered a fantastic talk about her work, which surveyed her dynamic and varied conceptual practice encompassing performance, intervention, installation, new media, painting, and even knitting.

Following a lively Q & A session, attendees proceeded to try Call. The unique and satisfying experience of participating encouraged at least three more individuals came forward to join the list of volunteers. Owing to sudden unexpected technical difficulties, Relay was unavailable for use during the opening reception, but we anticipate that it will be up and running again very soon.

Thank you to Platform Gallery for welcoming Video Pool to host this event in its space, and thank you to everyone who attended!

Join us for Germaine Koh's Artist Talk Tomorrow @ Platform Gallery

Hi everyone!!

Video Pool here, writing to remind you about a two great events we’ve planned for you, both of which will take place tomorrow evening, Tuesday, October 16...

To launch her latest exhibition at Artspace, Germaine Koh will deliver a talk about her work beginning at 6:00 p.m. at Platform Gallery (1st floor, 100 Arthur Street). This will precede a reception beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Join us tomorrow and be the first group of lucky people to talk to strangers through Call, and to broadcast messages via Relay!

We look forward to seeing you!!