European Media Art Festival kicks off

For the 17th time, one of the greatest European multimedia events will be taking place in Osnabrueck, from 21 to 25 April: over a period of five days, the EUROPEAN MEDIA ART FESTIVAL (EMAF) will present current trends and the latest developments in international media art.

As an international forum for experimental films and videos, performances, multimedia installations, CD-ROM, DVD and Internet projects, the EMAF will introduce both creative newcomers and renowned artists.

In its exhibition (being shown until 23 May) at the Kunsthalle Dominikanerkirche, the EMAF will focus on one of the most exciting aspects of media art - that of interactivity. Under the festival's leitmotif "Transmitter" the EMAF will project the latest multimedia oeuvres that make use of state-of-the-art information and transmission technologies:

- Steina Vasulka (USA) - Bent Scans
- Agnes Meyer-Brandis (D) - Earth Core Laboratory and Elf Scan
- Vincent Boureau (F) - Huis Clos
- Ken Feingolds (USA) - Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, (Virtual)
- Staalplaat (Geert-Jan Hobijn (NL) / Carsten Stabenow (D) / Olaf
Matthes (D)) - Sale Away
- Christoph Hildebrand (D) - Words
- Joel Baumanns (GB) - IVG (Instant Video Grid)
- tomato (Tom Poope / Anthony Rogers / Tota Hasegawa / Joel Baumann
(GB)) - Cube
- Christa Sommerer (A) / Laurent Mignonneau (F) - Mobile Feelings
- Bas van Koolwijk / Derek Holzer (NL) - Ozone
- Niels Bonde (DK) - I never had hair on my body or head
- Ian Haig (AUS) - Brain Tumour Helmet and Microwaves, Excelsior 3000

Demo-versions by:
- Blast Theory (GB) - Can you see me now
- David Rokebys (CDN) - Sorting Demon
- Chaos Computer Club (Berlin) - Blinkenlights


CINEMA
The selection board of the EUROPEAN MEDIA ART FESTIVAL (EMAF) has taken a total of 18 days to work through the flood of oeuvres submitted from throughout the world. Around 1,100 films and videos from over 50 countries had to be evaluated – and now the results are definite. The international five-member board has selected 80 works to be shown within 17 programmes during the festival (21 - 25 April 2004) at Osnabrück Lagerhalle and the Cinema Arthouse.

The majority of these experimental films and videos were made in Germany, the USA, Great Britain and the Netherlands. Some of the other artists, however, come from Australia, Russia, China and Japan.

This year the board, made up of Thorsten Alich (video designer, D), Jan Schuijren (free-lance curator, NL), Barbara Pichler (free-lance curator, A), Mecki Barth (cinematic artist, D) and Ralf Sausmikat (programme curator of the EMAF), will be presenting a tight selection, giving longer films more space than in previous years.
These include Ema Kugler's (Slovenia) digital 90-minute epic "Phantom" about the visionary symbolism of life and death. Or Shelly Silver (USA/Japan), who in the 78-minute "Suicide" sends her alter ego Amanda on a trip around the world to find herself.



RETROSPECTIVE
In a homage, the EMAF honours the filmmaker, poet and writer Christopher Maclaine, who has fallen into oblivion. Together with a reading, Peter Kubelka will introduce his very first film "Mosaik im Vertrauen" and his latest production "Dichtung und Wahrheit" (German premiere!).

The German Film Critique Award for the best German film or video will be presented at the festival, as well as the € 5,000 EMAF Award, which will be given for the first time for pioneering work in media art.


PERFORMANCE
"Out of Area", the sound realisation by Werner Cee (D), links sound, music and vocal fragments with texts from the German federal army's Centre for Internal Management to a dense collage of sounds. Complicated projection - simple story: In "Demi-Pas", Julien Maire tells about the every-day life of a man using a home-made projector and tiny mechanisms. Weird - charming - live: Daniel Massow hits out at the latest casting shows.


CONGRESS

Part I - Transmitter
Speakers are :
Katja Kwastek (LMU Muenchen)- Introduction
Ken Feingold (USA) - Live Art
Tim Pritlove- Chaos Computer Club (Berlin) - Blinkenlights Padeluun (D) - Transmitter, Transponder, RFID Enric Ruiz Geli (E) - The Media House Rob La Fresnais - Artists in Space/Makrolab

Part II - Welcome to the Club!
Six curators from the new EU Member States introduce visitors to the media and cultural scenes in their respective countries.
- Slovenia: Peter Tomaz Dobrila - "Culture and New Media from
Slovenia"
- Hungary: Miklos Peternak - "Before and After - Transition as Intermedia"
- Czech Republik: Michael Bielicky - "Prague - A Place of
Illusionists"
- Slovakia: Anetta Mona Chisa - "Locate/restate"
- Poland: Piotr Krajewski - "From Zbig to Gameboyzz Orchestra"
- Latvia: Raits Smits - "Networks and interfaces"

Part III - Media Academies
International institutions of higher education present their degree programmes in Media Art and Art.
- IAMAS Okagi (Japan) - Christa Sommerer (A/JP)
- Academy of Fine Arts Prague - Anetta Mona Chiesa (SK/CZ)
- HfG Offenbach - Rotraut Pape (D)
- AKI Enschede - Bill Spinhoven (NL)
- KHM Koeln - Katrin Peters (D)
- Academies and media art in South America - Andreas Burbano (CO)

STUDENT FORUM
The student forum presents an international selection of student video works and 35 installations. This year's co-operative partners are the Kunsthochschule für Medien Koeln (KHM) and the Academie voor Beeldende Kunst & Vormgeving (AKI) from Enschede (NL).