8th festival garage 23rd July - 14th August 2004 in Stralsund / Germany



black box: something whose internal structure and internal functioning are unknown or not considered to be important
Only the external behavior of the black box is of interest. The term is typically used to express the idea that "the inside is not interesting (right now)," though it can also be used as "it’s unknown to us (anyhow)." The conscious omission of detailed information (in-depth information) is also referred to as "information hiding."

white cube: an ostensibly neutral space, wholly geared toward the presentation of "the artwork" and thus never unproblematic
A neutral, uniformly illuminated cell that avoids anything that could bring the perception of art into contact with the perception of reality. The ideal gallery space is empty, just like a blank screen, and protected from the outside world.



Assertion, perception, illusion. black box and white cube can be defined in terms of the interface concept. Interfaces form transitions and enable communication between various systems. Contact points, surfaces, transmitters. Unknown factor? The interface as translator and mediator between medium and message.
Itís easy to extend the digital analogy to a more general level: user and content, individual and society, public and artist. What demands are thereby placed on interfaces; how consciously do we deal with interfaces; how easily do we let ourselves be manipulated by surfaces. . . ?
How should interfaces be created in order to generate communication and interaction? How attractive do surfaces need to be in order to be perceived? To what extent do interfaces impose desires upon us; how quickly do surfaces become statements?

garage 04 will address various aspects of art in public space, as well as questions of the contextualization and mediability of art. How great is the distance between producers and recipients? How can one manage to facilitate exchange and collaboration? How many or how few concessions is one prepared to make? Who or what is thereby served? And where is the public in all this?

A functionality-oriented approach to design is largely responsible for the increasing trend in technical interface development toward user-friendliness, wish-fulfillment and perfection. The danger, however, is that the slickness and efficiency of the technology may have a retroactive effect on the content. Art as product design? Public space as level playing field? What are the consequences of this sort of surface culture? Is perception controlled via on-screen menus? How is the interface concept being further developed?
black box : white cube is concerned with all aspects of the interface principle, between surface and source of friction, claim and actual function.

garage 04 is seeking positions in the artistic debate on this subject. This applies both to interesting technical interfaces for entering the black box and to the practice of communicating, presenting and producing art, as well as the conditions under which it is received, oriented equally toward artists, producers/curators and the public.


The festival will focus on following topics:

1. use me (public interfaces)
The public space as opposed to the private or institutionalized space seems to be especially made as a room for interaction. Can artistic intervention work as a communication catalyst? Which forms of artistic occupation of the public space exist? How do we deal with the tight net of rules and conventions? use me is looking for positions that understand the public space as interface and will present projects which discuss the public on a formal, social and communicative level.

2. re-use me (instruction manual)
re-use me deals with the critical question of the further development of original artistic inventions and ideas.
Interfaces, instruments, machines, installations, software – quite a few interesting artistic concepts and projects stay behind their potential power when being realised. What would be possible if a project would be further developed, focussed or the relevant topic be followed with greater consequence? What could happen if an idea, a project would be passed on? re-use me deals with the upcoming questions and problems, presents concrete projects in this realm and initiates collaborations.

3. play me (interface music)
One focus of the festival programme lies on the presentation of acoustic art forms. The social quality of music – especially its function as carrier and mediator of content – is unquestioned.
Artists and projects are invited to discuss furthermore concepts of interaction and interfaces in music in various ways. Performative intermediations, ways of communication between artist and audience will be questioned as well as forms of interaction of musicians in performances, but also production processes, unusual and special (software) interfaces, the presentation of different listening habits, the construction of sound environments and factors of perception.

4. tune me (radio as interface)
tune me is the continuation of an ongoing engagement of the festival with the topic radio and its artistic and social implications.
Starting from the in 2003 initiated closed meeting "radio art today? radio art perspectives" the discussion between the positions of a classical ars acoustica, as represented by the public radio, and the subcultural approaches stamped by the use of new technology and the network idea of exchange and interaction, will be continued and expanded by a presentation and performance section.




Submissions/entries will no longer be taken into account. 



More informations soon!

at this years festival you will have the chance to see/ hear works by:


98eins (D) radio
Gunter Adler (D) 08.08.2004
agf (D) installation
Augsburger Tafelconfect (D) 08.08.2004
Automaten e.V. (D) installation
Akuvido (UKR/D) installation
Black to Comm (D) 25.07.2004
Alexei Borisov (RUS)
Boutique Vizique (B) installation
brsma (D) installation
Jonah Brucker-Cohen (USA/IR) installation
Richard Chartier (USA) 01.08.2004
cod.act (CH) 31.07.2004
Coolhaven (NL) 30.07.2004
Yannick Dauby (F) installation
deadbeat (CAN) 11.08.2004
Vladislav Delay (FL) installation
Discom (F) 08.08.2004
Peter Duimelinks (NL) 31.07.2004
efzeg (A) 01.08.2004
Errorsmith (D) 30.07.2004
Evel Moisture (F) 08.08.2004
Familiy Filter (IRL) [23.07.2004]
Feedbacksociety (NL) 05.08.2004
Jason Forrest / Donna Summer (USA) 24.07.2004
Karmen Franinovic (B) installation
Simon Garreis (D) 05.08.2004
Goodipal (DK) 24.07.2004
Heidi Grundmann (A) radio
Adad Hanah (CA) installation
Honor Harger (LET) radio
Carl Michael von Hausswolff (S) 01.08.2004 tbc
Edwin van der Heide (NL) installation
John Heymans (NL) theorie
Geert-Jan Hobijn (NL) installation
Marc Hoffman (D) 05.08.2004
Derek Holzer (USA/NL) installation
Enrike Hurtado (DK) 31.07.2004
Adam Hyde (LET) radio
Intertecsupabrainbeatzroomboyz (F) 08.08.2004
IXI Software (DK) 31.07.2004
Jab Mich Och El (DK) 24.07.2004
Kapital Band 1 (A/D) 07.08.2004 tbc
Kapotte Muziek (NL) 31.07.2004
Jacob Kirkegaard (DK) 31.07.2004
Sara Kolster (NL) installation
Bas van Koolwijk (NL) 05.08.2004
Horst Konietzny (D) radio
Andres Franz Krause (D) 08.08.2004
Kunstradio, ORF (A) radio
Mark Lee (CH) installation
Hendrik Leper (B) installation
Lokai (A) 07.08.2004
Brennan McGaffey (USA) installation
Olaf Matthes (D) installation
Thor Magnusson (DK) 31.07.2004
Aldje Van Meer (NL) installation
Roel Meelkop (NL) 31.07.2004
Radboud Mens (NL) installation
Duncan Murphy (IRL) 23.07.2004
NeuroTransmitter (USA) radio
Anton Nikkilä (FIN) 06.08.2004
Ed Osborne (USA) installation
Orchestre Vide (D) 08.08.2004
Owl Project (GB) 31.07.2004
Ping FM (D) radio
Lynn Pook (D) installation
Dr P(r)axil (CA) 06.08.2004
Radian (A) 07.08.2004
Radioriff / Ausland (D) radio
Radioqualia (LET) radio
Reboot FM (D) radio
Tim Redfern (IRL) 23.07.2004
Resonance FM (GB) radio
Stefan Roigk (D) installation
Niklas Roy (D) installation
Sasker Scheerder (NL) installation
Stijn Schiffeleers (B) installation
Ralf Schreiber (D) installation
Skoltz_Kolgen (CA) 06.08.2004
Staalplaat Soundsystem (NL/D) installation
Tamas Szakal (U) installation
Temporary Services (USA) installation
Christian Took (NL) 05.08.2004
triPhaze (D) 31.07.2004
Un Caddie Renversé Dans L’herbe (E) 25.07.2004
Underwater Agents (D) radio
Umatic (NL) installation
visomat inc. (D) 30.07.2004
Voks (DK) 25.07.2004
Frans de Waard (NL) 31.07.2004
Elisabeth Zimmermann (A) radio

98% of the artist will be in stralsund in person.

website is comming soon!




Festival garage
Kastanienallee 73
10435 Berlin
Germany

questions?
+49 (0) 30 441 20 15
info (at) garage-g.de



Attention!
g-niale short film festival has a separate call for entries!
Deadline for the short film festival section is 2nd 2004