Syndicate: IO_DENCIES

[Alex Adriaansens <alex@v2.nl>]

September 3, 1997   Canon Inc.

ARTLAB holds its 7th Original Exhibition, "I0_DENCIES--questioning urbanity"


Canon's ARTLAB *1) will hold the ARTLAB7 exhibition,
"I0_DENCIES---questioning urbanity" *2) at Hillside Plaza in Daikanyama,
Tokyo, October 4 through 12, 1997.

The work created in collaboration with Knowbotic Research (KR+cF), an art
group based in Cologne, Germany, will be presented. KR+cF always draw
attention in the international media art scene for their innovative
concepts. This is the first time for KR+cF to release new work in Japan.

In ARTLAB7 "IO_DENCIES---questioning urbanity," the vision of a new
dialogue with the city is questioned from a viewpoint of informatics based
on the digital network. The group approaches the work with an inquiry about
how to act and intervene in the invisible and latent potential of the
contemporary city.

In the contemporary mega cities, complex information networks are multi-
layered and interconnected with the physical spaces. Urban flows are
formulated by grasping the overall image of such cities as a body of
information movements, rather than a collective of buildings. For the
IO-DENCIES project, Tokyo's Shimbashi area was selected as a model-site for
reading the specific urban dynamics of a local part of a city. Tokyo as an
information city with global qualities will be created in realtime by
modifying  data-flows by unspecified but engaging individuals. Knowbotic
Research have developed a connective online environment that can be
experienced and manipulated by participants in segments. Each user in the
exhibition or in the Internet will simultaneously affect the activities of
the other users and will also  dynamically transform the information
environment.

The IO_dencies-environment is located in the Internet as well as in an
installation site. The exhibition space which is formed by 3D sound events
and stroboscopic light events will be activated from the visualized
networked space. Distributed sensor fields will record the relational
dynamics of the exhibition visitors and send them into the network space.
There will arise a complex, unsurveyable system between individual and
urban activities, between dataspace and realspace, between urban reality
and urban concepts. IO-dencies is an experiment which offers a tool to
negotiate both inside hybrid systems and in a public field.

Beginning in Tokyo, this project will be later developed further in Berlin
and Sao Paulo.

This exhibition is conducted in cooperation with the Ministry of Research
and Higher Education of North Rhine Westfalia, Germany, and the Academy of
Media Arts, Cologne, Germany. This is an innovative way of international
cooperation through cultural activities.




*1  ARTLAB was conceived by Canon Inc. for its non-profit, cultural support
activities. ARTLAB is an experimental laboratory applying, to art, digital
technology promoted by Canon, and it strives to create a new horizon of art
through integration of science and art. ARTLAB's original exhibition
invites media artists at the forefront of international media art scene.
Media artworks are created through collaborations between the artists and
the ARTLAB's engineers.

*2  The title "I0_DENCIES" is made up of the words "density" and
"tendency." It signifies the tendencies of the user activities in dealing
with the different densities which are current in the dynamic processes and
relations of information flows.



<Knowbotic Research (KR+cF)>
KR+cF consists of Christian Huebler, Yvonne Wilhelm and Alexander Tuchacek,
all graduates of Academy of Media Arts, Cologne. The art group regularly
invites people from other fields to participate in their projects, such as
scientists, philosophers and engineers, depending on the concept of each
project. Their original term "knowbot" is based on cognitive
engineering(made up of words: knowledge and robot) and it means
"information agent." The group intends to construct and develop a new,
flexible information environment distributed in electronic networks,
through conducting research and (artistic) practice. Besides exhibiting and
lecturing at the invitation of many museums and art centers in Europe and
beyond, Knowbotic Research has been awarded a number of media art prizes.
In partnership with the Academy of Media Arts Cologne, KR+cF has founded
Mem_brane, a laboratory for media strategies, in 1995.




<exhibition data>


Title:  ARTLAB7 "IO_DENCIES--questioning urbanity"

Artist:  Knowbotic Research (KR+cF)

Realistion: KR+cF
                    Detlev Schwabe (Academy of Media Arts Cologne),
                    ARTLAB Factory

City Research Collaborator: Sota Ichikawa(Architect)

                              *                   *                   *

Duration: October 4(sat) through 12(sun), 1997   11:00-20:00

Venue:  Hillside Plaza
              Daikanyama Hillside Terrace, 29-10, Sarugaku-cho, Shibuya-ku,

               Tokyo(3 min. from Daikanyama station of Tokyu Toyoko line)

*admission free

URL: http://www.canon.co.jp/cast/
(information available now; the Internet project starts at the end of
September).


Organized by Canon ARTLAB, Tokyo
Supported by: Ministry for Research and Higher Education
                            of North Rhine Westfalia, Germany
Special cooperation: Academy of Media Arts, Cologne
Cooperation: Goethe-Institut Tokyo
                         Hillside Plaza
Sponsored by: Nihon SiliconGraphics-Cray K.K.
                            harman international
                            Fast Net Inc.


                                *                   *                   *


-For general inquiry, please contact;
 ARTLAB, Canon Inc.
 DK Bldg. 5F, 7-18-23 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106
 Tel: +81-3-5410-3611 Fax: 5410-3615
 email: artlab@crpg.canon.co.jp

-To request a press interview:
 Public Relations Division
 Canon Inc.
 3-30-2 Shimo-maruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo 146
 Tel: +81-3-3758-2111(key number) Fax: 5482-5130








Yukiko Shikata@Canon ARTLAB DK Bldg.5F, 7-18-23 Roppongi
Minato-ku Tokyo 106 Japan Tel: +81-3-5410-3611 Fax: 3615
<NEW "CAST" URL checkit!  http://www.canon.co.jp/cast/
<ARTLAB7 "IO_DENCIES"(Knowbotic Research) starting soon!

V2_Organisation
Alex Adriaansens
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3012 XL Rotterdam
Netherlands
tel: +31.10.4046427
fax: +31.10.4128562
email: alex@v2.nl
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