dorkbot-sea

PRESS RELEASE:
GRASSROOTS ART COLLECTIVE dorkbot OPENS MONTH-LONG EXHIBIT AT CoCA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2003

(Seattle) GRASSROOTS ART COLLECTIVE dorkbot OPENS MONTH-LONG EXHIBIT AT CENTER ON CONTEMPORARY ART AUGUST 6TH

CoCA (http://www.cocaseattle.org) presents “People Doing Strange Things With Electricity”, a month-long show featuring works created by Seattle’s dorkbot community (http://dorkbot.org/dorkbotsea) that use technology (electricity in particular) as an integral and essential component of their creation and display. The exhibition begins on Wednesday, August 6th at 8.00 pm with an opening party and continues throughout the month of August until September 3rd. The works shown range from kinetic, interactive, multi-media sculpture to 2D printed images created by autonomous computer graphics software that requires no human input, and a wide spectrum of creativity in between.

The first dorkbot (http://dorkbot.org) meeting was held four years ago at the Columbia University Computer Music Center in New York City by Douglas Irving Repetto, and “people doing strange things with electricity” has been the tagline for this informal, international group ever since. dorkbot has no fees, no dues, no official membership roster – but on the first Wednesday of every month or thereabouts, in nine cities around the world, artists (sound, image, movement, whatever), engineers, designers, students and other interested parties involved in the creation of electronic art meet to discuss new work or technologies, share ideas, establish collaborative relationships and see the cool things that everyone else is up to. This exhibit aims to represent the diversity of this community, the diversity of the work that the community generates, and, in the spirit of dorkbot, have an excellent time to boot. “People Doing Strange Things With Electricity” at CoCA gives 29 local artists whose biographies range from emerging to established, and CoCA’s wide, local audience, the chance to do exactly that.

Exhibiting artists include:

* MARIBETH BACK, “Listen, Reader”, an experiment in the future of reading
* JOHN BAIN, “Autocaster”, an interactive sound installation
* WILLIAM J. BEATY, “Pond Machine II”, a vertical ‘liquid’ surface
* CANTON BECKER, “Udderthump 2000”, a portable sound transducing platform that
   lets you feel – as well as hear – music created by Carlos da Silva
* CARLOS DA SILVA, an original musical composition designed to provide a sonic
   backdrop for the entire exhibition
* DAVIS FREEMAN, two digitally-manipulated photographs created using Davis’s
   Illustratype Polaroid process
* LYN GOERINGER, “Application #2”, an interactive sound installation
* MANDY GREER AND DAVE RUBIN, “That’s Not A Toy”, a kinetic sculpture
* LAURA MACCARY AND LAWRENCE MACCARY, “Dialectric: The Space Between Us”,
   woven electronics
* PAUL MCCALL AND PAUL BRADY, “”Ay, Tu Apestas” (Oh, You Stink)”, a kinetic    sculpture
* CHRIS MCMULLEN, “INDUSTRY”, a large-scale kinetic sculpture
* PETER J. MUNDWEILER, “Xerox Drawing No. 4”, a flashlight powered by photocopies
   seen via flashlight
* PATRICK O’DOWD AND CHRISTOPHER O’DOWD, “Solar Music Box” and “Snake
   Robot”, sound and kinetic sculptures
* PETER REIQUAM, “Shark-O-Matic Maneating Machine” and “Ring of Fire”; coin-
   operated kinetic sculptures
* STEPHEN ROCK, three digitally-manipulated images using scanned 3D source
   material
* MARS SAXMAN, three images created with no human input by Starfish, an
   autonomous computer graphics program
* SID, INC., a cabal of feisty, interactive kinetic sculptures
* MARK TAYLOR-CANFIELD, a video kiosk showing three video works
* W. SCOTT TRIMBLE, “Conveyorscape” and “Landscape Dispenser”, coin-operated
   kinetic sculptures
* TRIMPIN AND ERIC HUNGERFORD, interactive kinetic sculpture with a mission
* JEREMY WINTERS, “The Mood Channel”, an interactive sound installation
* MARK ZIRPEL, “Swimulator” and “Circuit”, kinetic and/or interactive sculptures

Performers at the opening party:

* DJ ARIO
* CANTON BECKER
* dj gLoRy B
* MORPHEME (formerly known as Eclectolounge)
* RAZREZ
* Additional lighting by THE LIGHT MAN

Party details:

WHERE: Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA);
see http://www.cocaseattle.org for directions

WHEN: 8.00 pm on Wednesday, August 6th til late

WHAT: Opening party for the dorkbot-sea “People Doing Strange Things With Electricity” show; opportunity to preview the work and talk with exhibiting artists

DRESS: Informal – spinning, glowing wearables or clothing that talks back encouraged

ADMISSION: FREE; voluntary donation to CoCA suggested

Press packs will be available at the opening party or by mail on request; images and CDs will be available on request.

Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA) serves the Pacific Northwest as a catalyst and forum for the advancement, development, and understanding of contemporary art. CoCA provides opportunities for the art audience in this region to view new and experimental artwork firsthand in exhibitions which show the work of international, national and local artists. CoCA is committed to exploring issues, media, and concepts relevant to the world and times in which we live. Site-specific installations, performance art, multi-media and multi-disciplinary programs, and gallery exhibitions of visual art are all within the focus of the organization. CoCA is committed to commissioning new work and providing exposure for emerging artists in a variety of media. CoCA's galleries serve as an artistic proving ground resulting in programming that is experimental in nature--an important distinction between CoCA and other visual arts institutions and organizations in this region.