Callers take part in art

Maev Kennedy
Friday June 8, 2007
The Guardian

A unique work of art, unveiled today, invites viewers to phone a glacier in Iceland - and listen to its death throes, live, through a microphone submerged deep in the bitterly cold lagoon which relays the splashes, creaks and groans as great masses of melting ice sheer off and crash into the water.
The dying glacier sounds clearer than the snuffly artist, Katie Paterson, who has been camping out in torrential rain and bitter cold installing the piece.

The visible tip of the project in Britain is her neon sign in the Slade gallery, London, part of her degree show, which gives the mobile number 07758 225698, from which anyone can call and make direct contact with the polar icecap, and Vatnajokull, the largest though rapidly eroding glacier in Europe.
"This lagoon is a graveyard of glaciers," Paterson said yesterday, from her tent by the water. "In a way there is something heartbreaking about this, knowing that you are listening to something magnificent being destroyed - but it is also very beautiful, a celebration of nature."

She became obsessed with glaciers when she became ill on a previous visit to Iceland. Hallucinating with fever, she imagined that the litres of water she drank were making her part of the nearby glacier which supplied the water. Her previous work includes recording the sound of melting icebergs on a long playing disc, then using water from the glaciers to make a frozen cast - which did actually play and reproduce the sound until it began to melt.

She won sponsorship and technical help from Virgin Mobile to produce this more complicated piece, which invoved sinking a waterproof microphone into the lagoon, linked to a phone on land. Only one caller at a time can get through: Paterson recommends the small hours of the morning.

EUROPEAN COURSE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART CURATORS

Promoted by Provincia di Milano, Fondazione Antonio Ratti, European
Commission – Rappresentanza a Milano
Curated by Roberto Pinto and Gabi Scardi
Visiting Professor Zdenka Badovinac
Dates 27 September - 6 October 2007, Milan

Provincia di Milano, Fondazione Antonio Ratti and the European
Commission - Rappresentanza a Milano, promote the first edition of
the European Course for Contemporary Art Curators in Milan, September
2007, in collaboration with Accademia d’Ungheria, Consolato Generale
dei Paesi Bassi, Consolato Generale della Repubblica di Polonia, Dena
Foundation, Forum Austriaco di Cultura, Goethe-Institut Mailand,
Istituto Camões, Instituto Cervantes, Istituto Culturale Ceco and
Curating Contemporary Art - Royal College of Art, London. The Course
gives the opportunity to 11 young European curators to work side by
side with an internationally renowned curator, approaching a critical
analysis of theoretical and practical aspects of curatorship, and
investigating the contemporary art scene.

Structure
The Course is a 10 day seminar, with an intensive schedule of
lessons held by the Visiting Professor, plus presentations of the
participants’ projects, and visits to artists, exhibition spaces and
institutions of the territory. Classes are full time, attendance
compulsory. A catalogue will be published following the Course. The
Course objectives are:
--promote reflections questioning the role of the curator, and
research projects on contemporary art
--set up a working platform that may enable participants to develop
further curatorial works
--support contacts between young operators of the European
contemporary art scene and encourage international circulation of
cultural projects

Contents
Zdenka Badovinac is the Visiting Professor of the first edition of
the Course. Themes investigated during the lessons will be: concepts
of “identity”, “culture”, “territory”, and the relations between
countries of Eastern and Western Europe; the role of museums and new
expositive solutions; the question of history and its redefinition;
relations between art and society.

Visiting Professor
Zdenka Badovinac directs the Moderna galerija / Museum of Modern Art
in Ljubljana since 1993. Badovinac has systematically worked on the
process of redefinition of history and on the traditions of artistic
avant-gardes. Among her exhibitions focusing on these issues:
Form-Specific, 2003; 7 Sins: Moscow – Ljubljana, (co-curated with
Victor Misiano and Igor Zabel), 2004; Arteast Collection 2000+23,
2006. Among her recent exhibitions: Marjetica Potrc – Next Stop,
Kiosk, Moderna galerija, (2003); ev+a 2004, Imagine Limerick, Open &
Invited, in various exhibition spaces, Limerick (2004); Democracies –
the Tirana Biennale, Tirana (2005). Zdenka Badovinac was Commissioner
of the Slovene pavilion at Venice Biennale (1993–1997, 2005) and
Commissioner of the Austrian pavilion at Sao Paulo Biennale (2002).

How to Apply
European Union citizens over 18, of the following countries may send
their application: Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy,
Poland, Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, Uk, Hungary. No study
certificate required. English essential. A committee will select from
the applications one student for every country. The applications must
be posted by 7 July 2007 to the following address: European Course
Contemporary Art Curators, Ufficio Arti Visive – Settore Beni
Culturali Arti Visive e Musei - Provincia di Milano, Via Vittorio
Veneto 2, 20124 Milan, Italy.
The applications must include:
- Curriculum Vitae (with name, surname, nationality, age, postal
address, email, phone) illustrating studies, work experiences.
- a copy of the most relevant published texts and reports of
realized projects.
- a motivational statement illustrating the applicant’s interests
and explaining the reason for the application (max 4.000 characters).
The selected applicants will be contacted via email by 23 July 2007.
Attendance, travel from place of residence to Milan and back, lunches
and accommodation during the Course are free. The material sent for
the application will not be returned. According to art. 13 del d.l.
196/03, personal data of the applicants is exclusively used for the
Course selection procedures and not communicated to others.

The application terms are also on-line on
http://www.fondazioneratti.org ,
http://www.provincia.milano.it/cultura
Info: Fondazione Antonio Ratti + 39 031 233111 / Provincia di Milano
+39 02 77406341

CALLING ALL CURATORS: The Most Curatorial Biennial of the Universe

June 27 - August 4, 2007
Curators* are invited to send one work each by two different
artists to the "Most Curatorial Biennial of the Universe."

All works must be received between June 16-23.

Works must measure 8 inches x 10 inches with a maximum depth/height
of 4 inches, including any framing. Works can be vertical,
horizontal, or lay flat. If a work goes on the wall, it must have a
hole or a hook for hanging; if it sits on a flat surface it will be
shown at table height, next to others; it cannot be toxic, or wet
(although we will fill any "lakes or indents" with clear water if
requested).

On the back of each piece include the artist's and curator's names
and email addresses. Drop off during gallery hours or mail to:
apexart
attn: First Curatorial Biennial
291 Church Street
New York, NY 10013


Works will not be returned or insured and pieces larger or smaller
than 8x10 will not be accepted.. No COD's will be accepted. All
works must be received between June 16-23.

All works will be shown on our site if you send a 72 dpi jpeg image
of 300 x 240 pixels. Thanks for doing this.


During the show all works will be available by anonymous bidding,
starting with a $10 donation and going up in $10 increments. All
proceeds will go directly to the Robin Hood Foundation of NYC.
Absolutely no funds will go to apexart.

Submissions must be by the curator in one package. They may be
dropped off or mailed.

All submissions are accepted, nothing (legal) will be censored.

Everyone is invited to attend the opening June 27 from 6 to 8pm at
apexart either in person or via Internet camera feed, login to be
made available via email prior to opening.

Up to 1000 works will be accepted, but phone calls will not. Email
all inquiries to info@apexart.org, we'll get right back to you.

FAQ's:
Q: Can I submit more than two artists for the exhibition?
A: No.

Q: When will the works be available for pick up/distribution?
A: August 4 - (the final day of exhibition)

Q. Can really famous curators and/or artists participate?
A: You bet. apexart treats everyone the same

Q: Why should I bother? This sounds like another situation that
takes advantage of artists.
A: Depending what else is on your resume it looks good, funds go to
a really good cause and its an opportunity to have fun making
something that you wouldn't otherwise make. Participation won't make
you a famous artist if you aren't one already. Have fun, don't spend
too much time or money. Limited postage funds available on an as
needed basis.

*curators can be artists, writers, or anyone so inclined.

Thank you for your participation!

All works must be received between June 16-23.

MA Curating Welcome

Hi,

Welcome to the MA Curating blog, set up for students at Sunderland University’s programme. Please feel free to blog about Curatorial issues and Art.

Michael