Len Lye at ACMI

Discover the art of Len Lye (1901 – 1980), one of the most radical creative minds of the modern age. This unforgettably exuberant exhibition surveys his work across film, sculpture, painting, poetry and more. Exploding with kaleidoscopic colour and pulsing with rhythmic beats, the exhibition is the largest survey of Len Lye’s work ever presented.

New Zealand-born Len Lye is a seminal figure in the history of the moving image. In his early twenties, Lye travelled throughout the South Pacific, and lived for extended periods in Australia and Samoa. Moving to London in the twenties, and then New York in the forties, Len Lye’s career unfolded amidst avant garde modernism on the international stage.

Drawing from the Len Lye Foundation Collection and Archive, the exhibition combines artworks with rarely-seen biographical ephemera, concept drawings and other working materials, many on public display for the first time.

Beginning in the 1930s, Len Lye made films without a camera, applying hand-painted imagery directly to the film strip. Combining these vibrant abstractions with rhythmic Cuban jazz, works such as A Colour Box (1935) and Rainbow Dance (1936) have become touchstones for the medium of film as an artistic expression.

Exhibition runs until Sunday 11 October 2009
Open daily 10am – 6pm
Free admission

ACMI has created a workshop called Scratch it, which demonstrates how Len Lye created abstract films – called ‘direct films’ – by scratching patterns and marks directly onto celluloid.

With about 15 seconds of film stock, you’ll create a short sequence in this workshop that, when spliced together with sections created by other participants, will form a large collaborative and abstract film.

SCRATCH IT (workshop)
Sun 23 Aug 2009, 1pm-4pm
location: Studio 1, ACMI, Fed Square, Melbourne, Australia
admission: Free

Rock Paper Lasers digital laser technology to create paper artworks and sculptures

Don’t F with Lasers!

Trinh Vu, Troy Innocent, Jeff Janet and Joel Zika. Exhibiting amazing paper based artworks.

Opening night Friday July 31st – exhibition runs until the 15th of August, 2009

Check:
www.rockpaperlasers.blogspot.com
www.kickgallery.com

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The four artists in Rock, Paper, Lasers – Troy Innocent, Jeff Janet, Trinh Vu & Joel Zika – have used the latest digital laser technology to create paper artworks and sculptures; some of the works mimic industrial design objects while others are representative of mere folly and experimentation.

One of the intentions of the artists in this exhibition is to deride the mass production of iconography, such as that which is so often seen in ‘home wares’ or ‘lifestyle’ shops, to make a series of more unique works. Other works in the show are intended to exemplify the possibilities of these tools for the creation of contemporary art works. While these artists cast a light on the facelessness of the prefabricated object, at the same time, they choose to revel in the machine’s benefits for more unique creative purposes rather than running from them.

Each of the artists in Rock, Paper, Lasers lecture in Art and Design at Monash University and as a part of their own on-going practice set themselves the task to create this exhibition of two and three dimensional artworks collaboratively.

Troy Innocent is represented by Tolarno Galleries, Boutwell Draper Gallery, and Hugo Michell Gallery. Trinh Vu is represented by Christine Abrahams Gallery (Melbourne), ArtsBank and Chika Gallery (Tokyo). Joel Zika first exhibited at Kick Gallery in 2004 and has regularly exhibited at Kick Gallery in various group exhibitions. Rock, Paper, Lasers has been supported by the Monash University Art & Design Faculty.

Host: Kick Gallery
Opening Night: Friday, July 31, 2009
7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location:  Kick Gallery, 239 High St , Northcote, Melbourne, Australia

Email: info@kickgallery.com

Crowd Sourcing free Melbourne seminar for designers

What will changing innovation processes mean for design practitioners?
Wednesday 5 August, 6-7.30pm | Sensis Theatrette, Melbourne

Presented by AIMIA Victoria in partnership with Swinburne University.

Throughout the creativity sector we are seeing more and more calls to ‘the crowd’ for their design ideas. From Smith’s Crisps offering 1% of sales for new flavour ideas to Dorito’s offering $20,000 to the most innovative and crowd-pleasing advertisement, we are seeing clients seek solutions from the crowd rather than the designer.

This shift in the innovation process can be characterised as either user-driven (where the crowd is asked to respond) or open innovation (where clients are creating new partnerships with their ‘problem solvers’). Exciting as this may be for creatives everywhere, what does it mean for design practitioners? What are the implications of user driven and open innovation of interactive media and digital design practices in particular? This session brings together practitioners and academics to explore what the future of innovation will mean to design practice.

Speakers:
99Designs – Adam Schilling
iSpyStyle – Kate Vandermeer
Professor Lyndon Anderson – Swinburne University

Chair:
Angelina Russo – Swinburne University

Venue:
Sensis Theatrette (Level 3, QV Centre), Cnr Swanston St and Lonsdale St, Melbourne, Australia

The seminar will be followed by networking drinks at Three Degrees.

This is a FREE event
More info from AIMIA

Augmentology project Social Tesseracting Part 3

A working manual discussing the formation and evolution of synthetic environments.

Social tesseracting is a three part series of link-rich blog entries that functionally describe how synthetics – people who explore within and create augmented/cross-reality platforms – operate in emergent social areas. These entries expand upon earlier concepts as outlined in _Augmentology 1[L]0[L]1_, which explores concepts that shape and are shaped by networked encounters:

“These concepts are formed through principles generated internally within specific online environments. The aim of this Augmentology project is to construct a new discipline. This discipline is to be formulated and documented appropriately online. This discipline is not intended for traditional academic ratification. Augmentology does not adhere to canonised standards of referencing and/or validation. All materials linked are accessible online. References are presented in order to encourage link-based – rather than directional – information accumulation. These references include a mixture of verifiable and speculative sources.

Each entry is constructed to reflect how participants absorb information within attention economies and synthetic environments. The entries are designed to function within a system dependent on embedded information streams. Concepts are condensed to reflect this.”

http://arsvirtuafoundation.org/research/

Sydney INK wants clean skin

Sydney Ink is after people with clean skin willing to be tattooed for the TV show..

If that’s you or someone you know.

Please email them on production@plumpfilms.com.au

Urban Art Agenda Number 3 opens in Ballarat

Urban Art Agenda #3 is an international stencil art exhibition, which has opened at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.  Inspired by New York graffiti of the 1970s, stencil art is a form of street art, or urban art as it is often called, which has sprung up all over the globe in the last two decades. The Ballarat exhibition (coinciding with a Hans Heysen exhibition) is presented by FamousWhenDead and PinXit Arts & Events and brings together some of the most prolific stencil artists from around the world, including A1one (Tehran), David Soukup (Chicago), ELK (Canberra), El Moocho (Melbourne), HaHa (Melbourne), Jana and JS (Salzburg), Jef Aerosol (Lille), Kenji Nakayama (Boston), Mandarina Brausewetter (Vienna), Orticanoodles (Milan), Ozi (São Paulo), Penny (London).

Exhibition dates: Ballarat, 18 July – 23 August. The exhibition will be presented with additional artists in Melbourne in September, Sydney and Brisbane in October and November.

www.urbanartagenda.com.au

Revolution on paper Mexican prints 1910–1960

Diego Rivera, Emiliano Zapata and his horse 1932

The exhibition is the first in Europe to focus on the great age of Mexican printmaking in the first half of the 20th century. It features 130 works by over 40 artists including prints by Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros.

Highlight objects on display in the exhibition

Between 1910 and 1920, Mexico was convulsed by a socialist revolution that aimed to topple the elite ruling class and improve conditions for society at large. The left-wing government which emerged laid great emphasis on art as a vehicle to promote the values of the revolution. Walls of public buildings were covered with vast murals, and workshops made prints for mass distribution.

Some of the finest prints from the period were produced by the ‘three greats’ of Mexican art: Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros.

The exhibition includes Rivera’s famous Emiliano Zapata and his horse which has achieved iconic status in 20th-century art. It also features works by artists that rose to prominence after the founding of the Taller del Gráfica Popular (the national print workshop) in 1937, and earlier works by José Guadalupe Posada, who was posthumously recognised by the revolutionaries as the father of printmaking in Mexico.

More from the British Museum

Stealing space in South Yarra

Inside an empty shop space close to South Yarra station (Melbourne) a giant amorphic blob expands and contracts in response to subsonic frequencies and generative patterns of white light. People watch and listen into the conversation between form, sound and light. It continues, oblivious and autonomous.

Audiovisible daily between 7am—10.30pm.

SRG: Darragh O’Brien and …
CEMA: Troy Innocent, Joel Collins, Indae Hwang

Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 7:00am til Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 10:30pm
9-19 Claremont Street
South Yarra, Melbourne, Australia

State of Design Festival 2009 ::: Convergence @ Yarra Lane http://www.stateofdesign.com.au/events/convergence

Suzanne Grae & The Katies plus Film Premiere of M.C.G.F.C at Headquarters

A nite of b-girl-grade fabulous femcee film, shitcore sleazerock & souvenirs from the end of the world – Melbourne, July 18th.

COME TO THE PREMIERE SCREENING of “M.C. G.F.C.” (4 mins) directed by Anna Helme.

A high-camp allegorical tale about an angel who must use her magical and lyrical talents to help solve the global fashion crisis. Divinely inspired by the Pope of Trash, it features a hot soundtrack by Suzanne Grae and the Katies, and stars various members of the band and other ladies of lame and lycra, including the variously femcee fabulous, gorgeously genderqueer, and bitchingly b-(girl)-grade talents of Arlene Textaqueen, Kelli-Jean Drinkwater, Eva Destruction, Katie G and Regrette.

When I say hip-hop, you say op-shop!

Followed by a performance by Suzanne Grae and the Katies and art happening “Famous Last Words” by Hit and Miss. This event opens “THE END OF THE WORLD SOUVENIR SHOP” exhibition and symposium at Headquarters for the State of Design Festival 2009.

Come early for the film screening at 6.30, followed by a show by Suzanne Grae & The Katies. Stick around for Hit and Miss, and to browse souvenirs from the end of the world exhibition!

Free!!!!!

Date: Saturday, July 18, 2009
Time: 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Location: Head Quarters is located behind the red roller door at Rear 55 High St Northcote (Melbourne) behind Lupa store.
Street: 55 High St, Northcote, Australia

TRAIN: Hurstbridge Line – Westgarth station

TRAM: No.86 from Bourke St via Smith St stop no. 27 at Westgarth St.

GeekMyRide

Open-Source Automotive Hacking

GeekMyRide is a collaborative effort to develop and use open-source software and cutting edge computer hardware to take automotive computer technology to the next level. Our goals include understanding, reverse-engineering, documenting and modifying existing automotive hardware & software, along with the development and installation of new technology.

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