geert lovink on Mon, 16 Jul 2001 02:14:31 +0200 (CEST) |
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[Nettime-nl] Rafael Lozano Hemmer: Body Movies |
From: "Rafael Lozano-Hemmer" <rafael@csi.com> > (( hi, here is the press release for my latest piece, taking place in > Rotterdam, cultural capital of europe. the opening is on the 31st of > august and will be in the building of the film festival, which has a > nice view of the plaza, --we will offer opaque music and cocktails. i > will be in holland until the 3rd of september. Gracias and hugs, > --rafael )) > > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 14 July 2001. > > GIANT SHADOW PLAY WILL TRANSFORM PUBLIC SQUARE IN ROTTERDAM, CULTURAL > CAPITAL OF EUROPE 2001. PASSERS-BY WILL BE ABLE TO INTERACT WITH > 1,200 SQUARE METRES OF PROJECTIONS. > > "Body Movies, Relational Architecture No. 6" > Installation in public space by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. > Produced by V2_Organisatie, a part of Las Palmas International Centre > for Art, Image and Media Technology. > > DATES: Friday 31 August to Sunday 23 September 2001 > OPENING: Friday 21 August, at dusk > PLACE: Schouwburgplein square in the centre of Rotterdam, The Netherlands > OPENING HOURS: every night from dusk until midnight > ENTRANCE: free > > Body Movies will be the sixth in the series of installations in > public space that Rafael Lozano-Hemmer (CDN/MEX) has designed for > cities in Europe and America. These interactive interventions in > Madrid, Linz, Graz, Mexico City and Havana have been exploring the > intersection between new technologies, urban space, active > participation and "alien memory". > > As part of its 2001 program "Grounding", V2_Organisation presents > Body Movies, in collaboration with Las Palmas International Centre > for Art, Image and Media Technology. From the 31st of August until > the 23rd of September the Schouwburgplein square will be transformed > by the projection of huge interactive portraits on the facade of the > Pathe Cinema building. Thousands of portraits taken on the streets of > Rotterdam, Madrid, Mexico and Montreal will be shown, using > robotically controlled projectors located around the square. However, > the portraits will only appear inside the projected shadows of local > passers-by, whose silhouettes will measure between 2 to 22 metres > high, depending on how far people are from the powerful light sources > placed on the floor of the square. > > When the Schouwburgplein is empty the portraits cannot be seen, since > the light sources on the floor completely wash them off with strong > white light. As soon as people walk on the square, their shadows are > projected and the portraits are revealed within them. A camera-based > tracking system will monitor the location of the shadows in real > time, and when the shadows match all the portraits in a given scene, > the control computer will issue an automatic command to change the > scene to the next set of portraits. This way the people on the square > will be invited to embody different representational narratives. Up > to 80 people can take part at any given time, controlling 1,200 > square metres of projections and creating a collective experience > that nonetheless allows discreet individual participation. > > The shadow interface is a direct reference to Samuel van > Hoogstraten's engraving "The Shadow Dance", made in Rotterdam in > 1675, which shows the shadows of actors taking on demonic or angelic > characteristics depending on their size. Simulation techniques > deployed by Dutch masters, like Trompe l'Oeil, anamorphosis and > shadow plays, constitute the starting point for a piece interested in > investigating the crisis of urban self-representation. Body Movies > will transform the building of a cinema to study the distance between > people and re-presentation in public space. > > Production in Rotterdam: V2_Organisation, part of Las Palmas > International Centre for Art, Image and Media Technology, in > co-operation with the Production house of the City Theatre Rotterdam. > Co-financed by: Rotterdam 2001 Cultural Capital of Europe, The Canada > Council for the Arts, the Canadian Embassy, Centre Visual Arts > Rotterdam. > Sponsors: BvH Communicatie-adviesbureau b.v., ETC Audiovisuel, APR inc > Special thanks to: Pathe Cinema Rotterdam, September in Rotterdam > (Rotterdam Festivals), Zapnation. > > Project page > http://www.v2.nl/Projects/2001/lozano.html > > Rafael's site > http://www.lozano-hemmer.com > > For images, interviews and information: > V2_Organisatie > Marije Stijkel > Eendrachtsstraat 10 > 3012 XL Rotterdam > +31 (0)10 206 72 72 > marije@v2.nl ______________________________________________________ * Verspreid via nettime-nl. Commercieel gebruik niet * toegestaan zonder toestemming. <nettime-nl> is een * open en ongemodereerde mailinglist over net-kritiek. * Meer info, archief & anderstalige edities: * http://www.nettime.org/. * Contact: Menno Grootveld (rabotnik@xs4all.nl).