Act/React is in full swing and a huge success! We’ve had some really great programs to accompany the exhibit, including two lectures by some highly regarded citizens of the art community.

Our first lecture on Oct. 16 was The Reactive City by Steve Dietz, the artistic director of the Biennial 01SJ Global Festival of Art on the Edge. It was very exciting to have Steve here to share some projects commissioned by his organization ZERO1. He gave a great presentation of public interactive artworks and how they activate citizens of a city. He kept us on the edge of our seats by showing so many different examples of this work, including Body Movies by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. Here is a link to the video: http://www.bitforms.com/rafael-lozano-hemmer.html#id=27&num=17

Note: Lozano-Hemmer also completed a project entitled, Pulse Park, Oct 24 – Nov 17, 2008, which was on display in Madison Square Park in New York City. Here is a link: http://www.bitforms.com/rafael-lozano-hemmer.html#id=27&num=1

Steve’s lecture got me interested in the topic. So, after doing some digging, I found The Emergent City, a website run by the artist Stanza that gives examples of surveillance works, sound walks and other city-based artworks: http://www.stanza.co.uk/emergentcity/

If you click “About The Emergent City”, he gives many examples of his work.

We also had a program with Amy Granat on November 13. After an impromptu guitar intro, she and I had a conversation on stage about New Media works. She then showed one of her scratch films on a 16mm projector – quite a technological change from the works in Act/React! Everyone should come see her new installation, entitled Gugenschein (for the Milwaukee Art Museum), in Sensory Overload. She has done an amazing job transforming the black box space with photo and film-based materials.

Thanks again for everyone that came out to hear these two fantastic lectures, and for all the support that Act/React has received so far.

John

While I do not have an answer to Scott Snibbe’s post, I would also like to point out an article written by Carrie Antlfinger that is being circulated by the Associated Press:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27179037/

This article has circulated nationally and I have heard from many people because of it. But, reading about the show does not give you the full appreciation of the works. Come experience it yourself if you haven’t already!

John