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