Robert Hengeveld's "Staging the Gap"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Video Pool Media Arts Centre presents
Robert Hengeveld's "Staging the Gap"

Robert Hengeveld's exhibition Staging the Gap will no longer be presented at Unit 3 - 300 Main Street. Instead the exhibition will presented at Video Pool's studio (3rd Floor, 100 Arthur Street).

Winnipeg, MB (July 2, 2008) – Video Pool Media Arts Centre is very pleased to present Staging the Gap, a provocative media installation by Toronto-based artist, Robert Hengeveld.

Staging the Gap is a miniature model of a concert stage with silently animated lights and smoke. The work explores the relationship of fact and fiction in a technologically mediated world. Hengeveld critically reflects on the mechanisms used to deliver popular culture by focusing on how visual effects – stage lights, pyrotechnics, and dry ice – are used at concerts to shape our understanding of what we hear. Ignoring society’s desire for the spectacle of performance, the stage created by the artist remains empty while a precisely orchestrated light show plays out.

Accompanying the miniature stage is a series of headphone each playing a different audio track specifically composed in response to the orchestrated light show. This inverts the traditional relationship of audio and visual experience in concert settings and addresses the role of audio in shaping our understanding of the world.

Hengeveld's model stage measures 2.5m2 to establish a scale at which viewers are encompassed by the work, yet still feel slightly detached. Next, he coaxes audiences from their suspended disbelief into his alternate reality by offering a familiar space and encouraging them to relate in a familiar manner. This subtle slip from the norm creates a situation that challenges preconceptions while fostering a reevaluation of our spatial environments and our positions within them.

This exhibition runs from July 29 – August 21, 2008 and will be available weekdays from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Video Pool's Studio (100 Arthur Street, 3rd Floor).

Exhibition Launch: Friday, July 25
Artist talk begins at 6:00 p.m. in Winnipeg Film Group's Studio; Reception will follow at Video Pool – both venues are on the 3rd floor at 100 Arthur Street.

ARTIST BIO -- Robert Hengeveld completed his MFA at the University of Victoria in 2005 and received a Fine Arts Diploma and Certificate from Georgian College, and an AOCAD from the Ontario College of Art and Design. He has exhibited his work across Canada and internationally, and has participated in artist residencies in both Canada and Scotland. He is currently living and working in Toronto.

These exhibition is presented thanks to generous financial support from:



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
Video Pool Media Arts Centre
#300-100 Arthur St., Winnipeg MB R3B 1H3
http://www.videopool.org
http://videopool.blogspot.com
204.949.9134 x 1

The "Official" Art's Bday Press Release ;-)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Join Video Pool Media Arts Centre in Celebrating
Art’s 1,000,045th Birthday on January 17, 2008
– The party starts at 8:00 p.m. at Club Desire (441 Main St.) –

Winnipeg, MB (January 2, 2008) – At Video Pool, we love art, and we love parties. It is in this spirit that we are thrilled to continue our tradition of bringing international Art's Birthday celebrations to Winnipeg!

In 1963, French Fluxus artist Robert Filliou declared that on January 17, one million years ago, art was born when someone dropped a dry sponge into a bucket of water. A deliberate yet playful act left open to chance… who knew art would evolve to become something so culturally significant?

To recognize the worldwide appreciation of art, Video Pool is pleased to host an evening of performances, contests, interactive fun, and other goodies. We’ll begin the night with a VJ-style new media performance by Ryan Stec (Winnipeg/Ottawa). This will be followed by an experimental electronic music set by internationally renowned Venetian Snares (Budapest/Winnipeg). Local favourite, Mama Cutsworth, will take over the stage next, and she’ll keep the party going by spinning funky vinyl into the wee hours.

Art’s Birthday is also a chance to get involved!

• COSTUMES: Everyone is welcome to be creative and party in costume. The theme selected by the International Art’s Birthday Committee for 2008 is “Forever Young”… unique interpretations of this are encouraged!
• CAKE: What is a party without cake? Bring your real or surreal cake to the party and enter it to be judged by our panel of “experts”. Please click here for more information.
• MEDIA GIFT EXCHANGE: Bring a wrapped gift such as a video clip on DVD, an old 8-track cassette, or a sequence of ambient sounds on a CD and take another mystery media gift home with you at the end of the night. Please click here for more information.
  
• RAFFLES: Try your luck at our draws for great items from fantastic local merchants!

Art’s Birthday is a chance for one and all to come together and have a wonderful time in the name of Art. It is an event that gets bigger and bigger each year, and it is not to be missed, so join us and be a part of the action!

Thursday, January 17, 2008
Club Desire - 441 Main St., Winnipeg



Admission is $15 or $5 for those arriving in costume
Doors open at 8:00 p.m.

* * *

Art’s Birthday is also a time to say thank you to organizations that help make art possible. Video Pool Media Arts Centre is grateful for ongoing support from:



Video Pool is also thrilled to have the support of local merchants including Pastry Castle, which has generously donated a birthday cake for us to share!



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
Video Pool Media Arts Centre
#300-100 Arthur St., Winnipeg MB R3B 1H3
http://www.videopool.org
http://videopool.blogspot.com
204.949.9134 x 1

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!

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

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? ;-)

We're all stars...

Video Pool and Urban Shaman Gallery are delighted to announce an evening of intimate conversation and rock shenanigans.

Curator Cathy Mattes will deliver a talk about her latest exhibition, Rockstars & Wannabes, in a venue certain to pull even the shyest of art lovers out of their shells and onto the stage! The significance of rock music on the construction of personal identity, and as a creative form of escapism, are just two of the relevant themes that Mattes will discuss. The capacity for rock to help us tap into our inner rock star personas is another. To draw attention to the energizing nature of such experiences, Mattes offers her talk with a night of karaoke, and all are welcome to participate.

So please join us!

Wednesday, November 7, 2007 beginning at 7:30 p.m. sharp
Club 200 (120 Garry Street, just South of St. Mary Ave)

No cover! We're going late!

Rockstars & Wannabes launched on September 29 with all the appropriate fanfare. This exhibition, which features work by Warren Arcand, Kevin Ei-Ichi deForest, Skawennati Fragnito, and Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay, is on now and is available for viewing until Saturday, November 10 at Urban Shaman Gallery (203-290 McDermot Ave). For more information, please visit: http://www.urbanshaman.org or http://www.videopool.org

Remember! Saturday, September 29 is the night to party like a rock star!

Dear people on the internets, especially those in Winnipeg on Saturday night...

The hype is building and we can hardly contain ourselves!

On Saturday, September 29, beginning at 8:00 p.m., Video Pool and Urban Shaman are proud to unleash the hot new exhibition Rockstars and Wannabes!

Get in the mood by dressing like an 80s rock star and join us at Urban Shaman Gallery (203-290 McDermot Ave) for a night of video, performance, music, and fun. Costumes aren't mandatory, but you'll feel more like a star with one on as you strut the red carpet and schmooze with the other luminaries ;-)

This exhibition is curated by Cathy Mattes and features work by Warren Arcand, Kevin Ei-Ichi deForest, Skawennati Fragnito, and Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay. You're going to love it!

Volunteers are invited to participate in a new performance video by Warren Arcand

Can't wait for Hallowe'en? A bloody exciting opportunity has just presented itself!

Volunteers are invited to participate in a new performance video by Warren Arcand. Warren promises that the video shoot will be an "sticky, orgiastic activity!" So bring your towel and wear clothes that can get dirty.

The resulting video work will be featured in the forthcoming exhibition, Rockstars &Wannabes (Sept 29 - Nov 10 @ Urban Shaman Gallery)

When: Sunday, September 23, 2007 from 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm.
Place: Video Pool's 3rd floor studio.
Where: Volunteers are requested to wallow in some fake blood and act out a very straight-forward scenario as directed by Warren.

Please wait in the Artspace Lobby for someone to escort you to the third floor; if you have a swipe card, feel free to come on up.

Bring some friends and enjoy a blood and beverage-filled day with Warren. You'll love it, and we'll love you!

RSVP by e-mail or just show up.

Rockstars & Wannabes

For Immediate Release…
September 20, 2007

Urban Shaman Contemporary Aboriginal Art Gallery and Video Pool Media Arts Centre are proud to present the exhibition

Rockstars & Wannabes

Curated by Cathy Mattes, this exhibition features: Warren Arcand, Kevin Ei-Ichi deForest, Skawennati Fragnito, and Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay.

Dates: September 29 – November 10, 2007
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 29, 2007 @ 8 PM
Location: Urban Shaman Gallery – 203-290 McDermot Ave
Mediums: Video and Installation

With the emergence of MTV and Much Music in the early 1980s, a new form of escapism, and role play surfaced for young people. How youth connected with popular singers and bands changed drastically thanks to vee-jays spinning flashy music videos that provided visual narratives to follow along with popular music. In basements and bedrooms across the land, youth held brushes as microphones, envisioned themselves in music videos, and mimicked the music stars they admired…

Rockstars & Wannabes locates artists who examine the impact of the music industry on identity, using music videos, karaoke, and popular TV talent searches as catalysts. Music as an aid in escaping cross-cultural boundaries, the longing for validation or substance in one’s life, and the lengths some will go to locate and express their inner rock star is investigated.

Warren Arcand’s contribution to Rockstars & Wannabes is a video installation that explores “how youth turn to Rock music as a form of magical thinking, or who alternatively may be used by Rock to refresh and revitalize its own iconography. Within this exchange there are many hazards and casualties, not the least of which is boundary control.” – Warren Arcand.

Kevin Ei-Ichi deForest uses Karaoke to out existing stereotypes within popular music and explores the struggle to culturally fit in for those of mixed ancestry. By presenting imagery of Japanese music icons, cityscapes, and the impact of American pop-culture on Japanese youth, his video works expose how cultural perceptions are internalized, while simultaneously reminding viewers about the potential of music to bridge existing gaps.

Skawennati Fragnito locates like-minded adults who grew up in the '80s, and dreamt of being in music videos like those seen on Much Music and MTV. Her video work 80 Minutes,80 Movies, 80s Music, is an ongoing digital-video project which invites Generation X-ers from diverse cultural backgrounds, professions, and locations to live out their 80s rock star dreams in 80 second music videos created by Fragnito. New additions to 80 Minutes, 80 Movies, 80s Music will be featured in the exhibition.

Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay’s video and installation work provide a glimpse of his intimate relationship with certain pop music icons. History, sexuality and identity collide in Audition Tape, a musical monologue inspired by outtakes from American idol competitions. In Jimmy, a heraldic flag and documentation of a performative marathon honours Scottish gay pop hero Jimmy Somerville. Referencing a fan's obsessive sensibility, Jimmy explores the rewriting of narratives about who gets canonized and honoured in popular culture.

Rockstars & Wannabes Highlights:

* Join us at the free public opening reception on Saturday, September 29, 2007, which will include an '80s dance party after 10pm.
* Come to the curatorial talk/karaoke night at Urban Shaman – date TBA

With special thanks to our generous funders:













We wish to express additional gratitude to our friends, volunteers, community, and All Our Relations.

For more information please contact Milena Placentile at Video Pool @ (204) 949-9134 ext.1

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Sample Images - Click for larger versions. More coming soon!

Warren Arcand. Flamingo Killers.














Kevin Ei-ichi deForest. Foxy Lady, 2006.

Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay. Audition Tape.









Biographies

Warren Arcand lives and works in Vancouver, where his artistic output includes performance art, film and video, theatre and text based work. His past performance pieces include “Six Gun Sufi” (cowboy ballads and sexdeath mysticism); “Surgery” (hermaphrodism as a metaphor for Abo identity); and most recently “Superchannel” (audience members received wireless headsets giving them access to 7 channels of selectable audio with which they could mix their own ‘soundtrack’ for Warren’s simple performance task of ‘making eye contact’). He is currently teaching performance art at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design.

Kevin Ei-ichi deForest is an internationally recognized visual artist whose practice focuses on the representation of cultural hybridity, specifically with reference to his Eurasian background. Born in Winnipeg, he was part of the fledgling punk rock scene there in the late 70s. In the spirit of his hybrid outlook, his multimedia practice includes painting, installation, video, sound art, and critical writing. He has exhibited nationally as well as in USA, Mexico, Holland, Germany, Italy and Japan. He recently returned to Manitoba as Assistant Professor in the Department of Visual and Aboriginal Art at Brandon University, Brandon Manitoba.

Skawennati Fragnito is an artist, independent curator, and occasional writer. In 1994, Skawennati co-founded Nation to Nation, a First Nations artist collective, whose exhibitions have included TattoNation and the very popular Native Love, which toured Canada. From 1996 to 2005, Skawennati was the director and primary curator for CyberPowWow, the pioneering Aboriginally-determined on-line gallery and chat space. Her most recent curatorial project is an on-line exhibition entitled Grrls, Chicks, Sisters & Squaws: Les citoyennes du cyberspace.

Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay is a Montréal-born artist working predominantly in video, text and sound. Since 2000 his work has brought together song, self-reflexive performance and lyrics from pop music as vehicles for examining the singing voice, the untranslatability of emotions into language and the ways in which emotional expression changes shape when mediated by technology and popular culture. Nemerofsky Ramsay's work has screened in festivals and galleries across Canada, Europe and East Asia and has won prizes at the Hamburg Short Film Festival, the Kasseler Dokumentarfilm- und Videofest and the Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen (all in Germany), the Toronto Inside Out Film and Video Festival as well as First Prize at the Globalica Media Arts Biennale in Wroclaw, Poland. He currently divides his time between Canada and Europe.