Nina Czegledy on Thu, 2 Apr 1998 02:23:40 +0100 |
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Syndicate: SUGAR in Toronto |
Dear Syndicalists, At the end of March, Janos Sugar (Syndicalist, Nettimer, artist, teacher, writer,filmmaker) and his wife Agi, brought this winter's biggest snowstorm to Toronto. The arrival was dramatic: flights were delayed, traffic came to a halt and power failures plagued the city. The visit was the result of collaborative efforts between four local institutions (McLuhan Center, York and Ryerson Universities and InterAccess) and was coordinated by the writer of this dispatch. The whirlwind Sugar lecture tour included artist talks, university lectures, gallery visits and a special dinner on the top of the CN tower - rumoured to be the tallest in the world. "When I was confronted with the superb view from the top of the building with all those lights shimmering in a comfortable distance - I suddenly realized this is how I imagined cyberspace "- said Janos. Janos delivered his first Toronto public lecture at the McLuhan Centre, University of Toronto. ("I was most impressed by the colorful seventies decor -he said afterwards- all those funky swivel chairs...") Rather than discussing specific media concepts or theories, he evoked through personal anecdotes the intricate complexities of the Budapest art scene in the eighties and nineties. Through these stories, the cultural politics of those years, the development of media art and all those involved with these events - came to life. "I feel that telling anecdotes conveys different experiences easier and translates better notions between "East" and "West", than formal lectures."-said Janos. Indeed, his talk was well received by the audience ranging from media artists, through McLuhanites to curious Hungarians. The discussions continued next day (on the frozen shores of Lake Ontario) with Felix Stalder of the McLuhan Center. Later Janos visited the galleries and artists collectives of 401 Richmond St. This newly renovated, huge industrial building is the home of editorial offices, cooperatives,independent festival bureaus and four art galleries. InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Center (one of the four co-sponsors of Janos' visit)-showing currently the Spaceprobe robotics exhibit- is also located in this building. The York University lecture necessitated a special excursion to the suburbs. "It reminded me of one of those huge East German housing developments"- remarked Janos of his expedition to the mammooth educational facility. Joking aside, the art students (and there is a large number of them at York), were impressed by his talk and he was asked back for studio visits the next day. These studio visits entailed critical discussions and informal evaluations of the post-graduate students work. Ryerson Polytechnical University was the fourth sponsor of this invitation and posited the last lecture on the Toronto schedule. Here at Ryerson, Janos presented excerpts of his films and discussed at length topics related to film and media art. Further than the slides and films shown, the informal style of these presentations provided an unique personal glimpse of European media activities for the Toronto students The Sugar Tour ended appropriately in a violently shaking pub. After the last talk, Janos and the four local media activists: Ger Zielinsky (Ryerson), Nell Teenhaf (York) Felix Stalder (McLuhan Center) and myself, repaired to celebrate. Whether the rambling of the walls was due to the Sugar Effect or the nearby subway - nobody knows for sure. nina czegledy the initiator