2008 / 2009 Call for Submissions

Video Pool Media Arts Centre
2008 / 2009 Call for Submissions

Theme: Resistance
Deadline: Friday, March 21, 2008

Resistance is a movement, a position, an attitude, and a measure. It is an individual or collective response. It can be political, or it can relate to physical properties of the known universe. It concerns citizens. It concerns artists. It concerns that which is local as well as that which is global. It is about forces, agency, strategy, play, and subversion. It is an argument. It seeks change, or it fights to stay the same. It mobilizes. It is unconscious. It is a side effect. It is intentional and affirmative.

Video Pool invites submissions pertaining to the theme Resistance for the 2008/09 programming season. We encourage projects involving:

• New media
• Experimental electronics
• Installation (with media components)
• Audio art
• Curatorial packages (with media components)

Video Pool is particularly interested in projects that intervene in public space or otherwise make use of non-traditional exhibition settings.

Video Pool’s 2008/09 programming season will include two programs specifically focused on new media performance and single channel film and video that resist conventional thinking and/or assumptions about what constitute video and new media art practices, and possibly the environs within which they take are expected to place.


Submission Requirements:

Please note that due to funding requirements, primary consideration will be given to Canadian citizens.

All Submissions Must Include:

1. Artist/curator CV including current contact information (mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address)
2. A short description of the proposed project or video(s), including an outline of the critical and/or curatorial objectives of the work submitted
3. Names of all participating artists
4. Titles of all proposed projects/videos, as well as year of completion and city of origin
5. Exhibition history of each project, including a description of contexts within which the work will be presented in the coming year
6. A statement indicating if the artist(s)/curator(s) plan to be in attendance with the work and, if so, in what capacity they would expect to participate in the screening/exhibition
7. Support material: Please do not send originals as Video Pool will not accept responsibility for the loss of, or damage to, any support material
   - Still images should be submitted on CD (maximum 20 images, .jpg preferred, please do not exceed 72 dpi or a resolution of 1024 X 768 pixels)
   - Video support material should be NTSC and submitted on VHS, DVD, or Mini DV
   - Audio support material should be submitted on CD
8. Complete list of all audio, video, and images submitted
9. Please include a SASE if you would like your support material returned

Video Pool is committed to reflecting cultural diversity in it’s programming and thereby encourages applications from artists and curators from all communities.

Video Pool encourages the submissions of projects that are already complete or near completion.

Fees are paid in accordance with the CARFAC rate scale.


Please Direct Enquiries to:

Milena Placentile, Programming Coordinator
vpprogramming at videopool dot org
204.949.9134 ext.1


Please Send Submissions to:

Programming Committee
c/o Video Pool Media Arts Centre
#300 – 100 Arthur St.
Winnipeg, MB R3B 1H3 Canada


All submissions must be received by the deadline: March 21, 2008

Pool Cue III

Thank you to everyone who joined us for a wonderful time at our Winter Member’s Screening, Pool Cue III! The program offered a truly diverse selection of work by local video makers and gave all in attendance a chance to discover what friends and colleagues have been up to this past year. The energy and enthusiasm evident throughout the evening was fantastic!

Special thanks are due to the King’s Head Pub, not only for providing us with great space within which to hold our event, but for treating us to gigantic trays of awesome appetizers, too!

Here are some pics from the night... If anyone has more, please do pass ‘em along!!































PS: As a reminder to anyone who shared a video: if you would like to have your work distributed by VP, please contact vpdist@videopool.org.

More Photos from the Rockstars & Wannabes Launch Party

All pics courtesy of Scott Stephens...

More Info About Art's Birthday...

Hot off the interwebs, we've got some more info for you about the stellar performances lined up to take place at Art's Birthday 2008...

Wikipedia offers a wealth of information about Venetian Snares, namely that he is from Winnipeg and is known for making experimental electronic music often in odd numbered time signatures. He is an unusually prolific artist, having released records on the History of the Future, Isolate/DySLeXiC ResPonSe, Addict, Zod, Distort, Sublight, Low-Res, Planet Mu and Hymen record labels.

Read more at http://www.venetiansnares.com. Take a listen at http://www.myspace.com/venetiansnares. That's where the pics came from. Click on 'em for the full effect!

Ryan Stec is a Winnipeg born/Ottawa based media artist and curator working in documentary and experimental forms. As a curator Stec has produced five editions of the media art commissioning program Remix (2002-2006), presented by SAW Video, the Available Light Screening Collective, and Art Star, Galerie SAW Gallery's Video Art Biennial.

Work from his very broad practice, ranging from live performance to traditional documentary, has been presented at a variety of venues from The New Forms Festival in Vancouver to Platform Gallery in Vaasa, Finland and the Canadian Film Institute in Ottawa. He is currently the Artistic Director of Artengine, and can be seen performing regularly as a VJ at both art and club venues in Ottawa.

Using strictly vinyl, Mama Cutsworth is no stranger to making folks flip on the old school funk, soul, hip hop and latin music.

Voted Winnipeg's #3 DJ in Uptown Magazine (after the impermeable DJ duo Hunnicutt and Co-op), Mama C. has played at music festivals and art galleries, roller rinks and warehouses... anywhere there's enough space to dance. Over the years, she's thrown her own dance parties, won the title at the Clash of Titans DJ battle, has hosted CKUW's Stylus Radio for over
6 years, and recently performed at the St. John's International Women's Film Festival in Newfoundland.

With the dusty funk staying permanently in her record crates, you can bet your neighbour's kid that by the end of the night you'll be freaking out to the hot horn sections, flute solos and slammin' percussion.

PLUS there is more information on its way concerning the art cake contest, costumes, and the silent auction, so stay tuned!

Join us at Pool Cue Three... Tomorrow Night!

Just a quick reminder...

It’s Pool Cue III!



This year’s screening will feature work by:

Thor Aitkenhead, Gwen Armstrong, Jake Chénier, Lancelot Coar and Paul Lukeman, Karen Cornelius, John Coutanche, Clint Enns, Elvira Finnegan, Rick Fisher and Don Rice, Susan P. Gibson, Val Klassen, Sandee Moore, Carole O’Brien, Heidi Phillips, Quidam, Lansing Bruce Roberston, Rachel Wells, and Cameron Woykin

We look forward to treating you to your first refreshment of the evening. Plus, extra treats will be served courtesy of the King's Head Pub!

We hope you’ll be able to join us!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007
King’s Head Pub, 120 King Street, Winnipeg
Beginning at 8:00 p.m.

Art's Birthday 2008 is just one month and a little wee bit away!

Support Balanced Copyright Reform... important news and action alerts below

Media artists are likely to be the hardest hit of all...

From Online Rights Canada:

During the last Parliament, Bill C-60 provided some sensible approaches to copyright reform in Canada, but it also left room for improvement. Tell your MP that any new legislation should be an improvement on Bill C-60, not the retreat being urged by big copyright holders.

From Appropriation Art, A Coalition of Arts Professionals:

The Canadian minority Conservative Government made it clear in their Throne speech earlier this fall that Copyright Reform was a priority. Recent media reports indicate that a Copyright Reform bill will be tabled within the next couple of weeks and people close to the process have revealed that this bill will go beyond way beyond the US counterpart’s DMCA law. It appears that this new legislation will come with very stringent anti-circumvention provisions that prohibit the use of tools or techniques that open files with digital locks, even when the files in question belong to you.

Here are some suggestions for those involved in the Arts.

Members of CARFAC / RAAV: Demand that CARFAC / RAAV publicly support artists who use appropriation. They are mandated to support all artists. Demand that CARFAC / RAAV publicly denounce DMCA style legislation.

Media Artists: Media artists are likely to be the hardest hit of all. The new legislation will all but eliminate media arts which use appropriation. Media artists have both the skill and technology to produce films and audio work. Make a protest piece and get on youtube, myspace etc.

Educators: Get your students involved. Students are the future of Canadian Culture and have in many ways the most to lose from this legislation.

Links: Here are links to sites with action templates, information and further links. Most of these are repeats of the other posts on this page but here they are anyway.

Cory Doctorow - Prentice open house
Copyright for Canadians
Console Source - Action Page
CBC Search Engine - 250 questions for Jim Prentice
Michael Geist - 10 questions for Jim Prentice
Michael Geist - 30 Things You Can Do
Digital Copyright Canada - Send a Letter to Your MP

Here are two petitions to print and sign...

http://www.digital-copyright.ca/petition/petition_en.pdf
http://www.digital-copyright.ca/petition/ict/ict_owners_en.pdf

VP's 25th Anniversary: Call for Anecdotes

It's Video Pool Media Art Centre's 25th Anniversary, and we're thinking back on the great times we've had together...

Dear Members,

2008 marks 25 years since Video Pool Media Arts Centre came into being. As part of a month-long celebration that involves the commission of six intriguing new media art projects, we are creating a commemorative poster, and we invite all of you to contribute.

In point form, tell us something you remember about Video Pool that stands out in your mind as being an important part of it's history or your history as a member.

• Did Video Pool resources help make it possible for you to finish work for a significant screening or exhibition?
• Do you remember the day an exciting new piece of equipment was taken out of its box and plugged in?
• Do you have fond memories about a particular exhibition, screening, lecture, or party?

Your contributions will be assembled into a creative, organic, unofficial, speculative, events-oriented, and of course, anecdotal picture of Video Pool's quarter century.

Please send in your memories and ideas to Milena Placentile, Programming Coordinator via e-mail: vpprogramming [at] videopool [dot] org.

The deadline for participation is January 11, 2008.

We appreciate the time taken to submit an anecdote, story, or interesting fact and we will aim to include as many as possible. Please note that it may be necessary for us to edit submissions for length.

Thank you in advance; we look forward to your contributions!

It's Pool Cue III!

As another great year draws to a close, Video Pool is eager to gather with friends and neighbors to share in a good time and to look back on an exciting year of video productions by our members.



We welcome you to join us for our Winter Member’s Screening,
Pool Cue Three!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007
King’s Head Pub, 120 King Street, Winnipeg
Beginning at 8:00 p.m.

This year’s screening will feature work by:

Thor Aitkenhead, Gwen Armstrong, Jake Chénier, Lancelot Coar and Paul Lukeman, Karen Cornelius, John Coutanche, Clint Enns, Elvira Finnegan, Rick Fisher and Don Rice, Susan P. Gibson, Val Klassen, Sandee Moore, Carole O’Brien, Heidi Phillips, Quidam, Lansing Bruce Roberston, Rachel Wells, and Cameron Woykin

We hope you’ll be able to join us and we look forward to treating you to your first refreshment of the evening!

All the best,
Milena

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

Speaking of birthdays...

Did you know that Video Pool will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2008?

Yes! It's true! Video Pool has been supporting artists, stimulating audiences, and cheerleading for media arts for a whole quarter century!

To acknowledge this collective achievement, Video Pool has commissioned six new works by Winnipeg artists, each of whom have been involved with Video Pool at various points over the years.

Thanks to support from various other arts organizations in the city, we will be presenting these projects in a festival-like format in April/May. It’s going to be a bustling schedule of exhibitions, talks, performance, and openings. Naturally, we're all very excited about this, and so we wanted to start sharing the news. Stay tuned for more details!

Save the Date! Art is going to be 1,000,045 on January 17, 2008!

At Video Pool, we love art. And we love parties, so it makes sense that we'd wanna keep up our fantastic tradition of joining international celebrations in honour of Art's Birthday!

Art is going to be one million and forty-four years old this year, and we have all kinds of awesome things brewing to mark this very special occasion!

So far, we've lined up a VJ-style new media performance by Ryan Stec (Winnipeg/Ottawa) and an experimental electronic performance by Venetian Snares (Budapest/Winnipeg). We're also on the look out for the perfect DJ... someone highly capable of making you wanna shake your booty! Sounds like fun, huh?

But that's not all... we're gonna have a costume contest, and an art cake contest, and a new media gift exchange, and colouring stations, irrational quantities of candy, and then some!

It’s going to be a blast, and we want YOU to join us!!

So, save the date: Thursday, January 17 2008 beginning around 8:00 p.m. @ Club Desire (441 Main St)

Be prepared to get creative, get crazy, enjoy performances, and maybe even perform a little yourself ;-)

Art’s Birthday is a chance for everyone to come together and have a great time in the name of Art. We’re looking forward to this event we and hope to see you there!

UPDATE: Are you looking for the latest info? Check out our "official" Art's Birthday 2008 press release =-)

Thanks for singing along!

Last week Wednesday we had the pleasure of hosting Cathy Matte's fabulous curators' talk about her fabulous exhibition, Rockstars & Wannabes.

Aiming to shake up the conventions of traditionally-formatted talks, Mattes' presentation was inter-textual, multi-disciplinary, performative, and participatory. Furthermore, it functioned in the spirit of a happening. Mattes opened and closed the talk with a selection of karaoke songs, and they were performed enthusiastically (and creatively) by members of the audience. The talk also involved clips of video work presented in the exhibition.

We're thrilled that so many people were able to attend this event, and we are especially grateful to professors from the University of Manitoba for bringing their students down. It's not every day undergrads get to hold class in a bar!

On that note, thank you once again to Club 200 for hosting us... it was a blast!

Ps. Below are some snapshots taken during the talk. If you, or someone you know, happened to take photos during the karaoke party afterwards, please do pass 'em on... we'd love to post them here!









And now for a little "behind the scene stuff"... troubleshooting tech compatibility in the VP office just before heading down to Club 200. Because, well, this stuff is just fascinating, isn't it? ;-)

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.

Goldenshit is da shit! ;-)

Now that VP's blog has a hit counter, we can stalk our visitors ;-)

I noticed a few people "surfing" in from http://blog.goo.ne.jp/goldenshit, so I went to check it out, and what d'ya know, it's Katsuyuki's blog!

Check out the great pic of him and Yusuke in the Winnipeg Film Group studio...

Naturally, his blog is written in Japanese, but if you can read it, or if you can find a decent online translator, be sure to visit for his thoughts on his VP International AIR experience!

Call for Submissions: Video Pool’s Winter 2007 Members’ Screening

It's Pool Cue III!

Deadline: December 1, 2007

Video Pool is seeking submissions of new single-channel videos produced by Video Pool members to be included in a members’ screening at the King's Head Pub on December 12, 2007.

Submissions will not be juried; however the screening will be limited to 90 mins, and places will be reserved for Video Pool fund recipients from the past year. Works that are not included in this screening, will be bumped to the top of the list for Video Pool’s next members’ screening in August 2008.

As a non-juried members’ screening, artist fees will not be paid. Video Pool reserves the right to not screen work deemed to be offensive (i.e.: overtly racist, sexist, homophobic or hateful).

Submission requirements:
***** Works must have been completed after January 1, 2007
***** Videos submitted should be no longer than 10 minutes
***** Videos must be submitted on MiniDV or BetaSP
***** Submissions must be produced by Video Pool members
***** One submission per member


Inquiries may be directed to:
Milena Placentile, Programming Coordinator
Video Pool Media Arts Centre
204.949.9134 x 1 /// vpprogramming@videopool.org


Please submit your videos to:
Winter 2007 Members’ Screening
Video Pool Media Arts Centre
c/o Technical Department Office
#300 – 100 Arthur St.
Winnipeg MB R3B 1H3

Exchange: A lecture by Reva Stone

Video Pool's current Artist in Residence, Reva Stone

COST: Free to Video Pool members
# PARTICIPANTS: limited to 20
PRE-REQUISITE: none
DATE: Tuesday, November 13 from 7pm to 8:30pm

For most of her art practice, Reva Stone has been developing computer-assisted installations that explore the ways in which biotechnology, genetic engineering and autonomous robots are radically altering the ways in which we imagine living matter.

In her Artist Residency at Video Pool, she has been working on Exchange, an interactive entity whose consciousness appears to reside in a computer. The work uses still images, video, video capture, text, recorded audio, voice recognition and face recognition. They function together as a window into the entity’s mind and read as memory and presence. She will be talking about the ideas she is working with, presenting the work in progress, and looking for feedback.

Jeff Erbach
Education and Outreach Coordinator - Video Pool Media Art Centre
(204) 949-9134 ext. 4
www.videopool.org

More images of the spectacular audio visual performances headlined by Katsuyuki Hattori

Local photographer Charles Romero Venzon attended the audio visual performances headlined by VP's International Artist in Residence, Katsuyuki Hattori, back in October. He had a really awesome camera with him, and when we noticed him taking photos, we couldn't help but ask to see them. Charles was very generous to share these fantastic images with us, and now we'd like to share them with you. Enjoy! =-)























We video recorded both performances and are in the process of compressing the files to a web-friendly format. That, together with an interview with Katsuyuki, will be available online soon. Stay tuned!