Handheld Magazine (Winter/Spring 2011)

handheld winter/spring 2011

board of directors

PRESIDENT LON A. PARKER • VICE PRESIDENT ANNE MARIE NAKAGAWA directors Ramin Eshraghi-Yazdi • Sigrid Mahr • Lia rogers • cori stent • Brad struble

staff

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Peter Curtis Morgan emadmin@emmedia.ca ProgramS & Outreach Coordinator Vicki Chau programming@emmedia.ca Production Coordinator KYLE WHITEHEAD production@emmedia.ca outgoing ProgramS & Outreach Coordinator Tomas jonsson outgoing Production Coordinator Eric becker

production committee

HEAD OF COMMITTEE Ramin Eshrashi-Yazdi Eric becker • NOEL BÉGIN • Philip bowen • Carl spencer • Adam tindalE

programming committee

HEAD OF COMMITTEE LIA ROGERS NOel BÉGIN • Joshua fraser • Jennifer McVeigh • GRANT POIER HANDHELD Media Arts MAGAZINE IS DESIGNED AND COMPILED BY Vicki chau EDITOR tomas jonsson + Grant poier PRINTED IN CANADA BY burntdog communications Cover Photo sean esopenko • On set of “Uni-farm” by Alex moon HANDHELD MEDIA ARTS MAGAZINE WELCOMES submissions of ARTICLES ON MEDIA ARTS RELATED SUBJECTS. AN HONORARIUM IS PAID. EMMEDIA RESERVES THE RIGHT TO EDIT OR OMIT ANY SUBMITTED ITEMS. HANDHELD MEDIA ARTS MAGAZINE ISSN 1925-6280 SUBSCRIPTION RATEs INDIVIDUALS $10 / YR • INSTITUTIONS $15 / YR NEXT DEADLINES AUG 1 2011 + FEB 1 2012 • NEXT RELEASE DATES SEPT 2011 + MAR 2012

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table of contents EMMEDIA News

Member News

Meet the new coordinators of EMMEDIA!

A Short Message from the President

• by Lon Parker

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EMMEDIA PROGRAMMING

Farewell from the EManimenteur

If a video is shot in the forest....

• by Shelley Ouellet

• by David Garneau

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EMMEDIA PROduction access program

Fresh Crop

The UNI-FARM Revolution

• by Shelley Ouellet • by Lia Rogers

CANOLA OIL COMPRESSION CAMP CALL

EMMEDIA IS SUPPORTED THROUGH ASSISTANCE FROM THE CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS, THE ALBERTA FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS, CALGARY ARTS DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, THE NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA, WEBCORE LABS, PRIVATE AND CORPORATE DONATIONS, OUR MEMBERS, ARTISTS and PRODUCERS, VOLUNTEERS, AND THE CALGARY COMMUNITY.

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Emmedia News EMMEDIA is pleased to welcome our new neighbours, Fairy Tales Festival Society! If you haven’t yet had the opportunity, do check out their newly renovated space and impressive library of videos, available for free rental to Fairy Tales members.

Shelley Ouellet’s term as EM’s inaugural EManimenteur has sadly come to a close! It's been a fantastic and invigorating experience to work with Shelley, and she will be missed!

EMMEDIA also bids farewell to Eric Becker and Tomas Jonsson, who are both moving on to pursue their interests in Academia.

EMMEDIA president Lon Parker will be presenting an award on behalf of EM at the Gala awards evening of the 2011 Picture This... Film Festival on February 12 at the Blackfoot Inn. The festival features films that are about disability and/or films on any subject that were produced, directed and/or written by people with disabilities. For more details, visit their website at www.ptff.org

(L-R) Shelley, Eric and Tom, you will be missed!

MEMBER NEWS Wildurban, a multichannel soundscape installation by Founding EM Member Charlie Fox is being presented at the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts Plus 15 walkway. It launched in September 2010 and runs until July 2011.

While at the centre, also check out the Gallery of Alberta Media Art (GAMA), an exciting new microcinema programming partnership between the Alberta Media Arts Alliance (AMAAS) and the Epcor Centre's Visual and Media Arts Programming.

year, with her crafty performance at the Glenbow, which was part of the M:ST 5 Performative Art Festival in October, and a new video for the POPSEX! exhibition at the Illingworth Kerr Gallery in January.

Keep an eye out for new exciting projects that are currently in development for 2011 and 2012.

POPSEX! also featured a new work by Mr & Mrs. Keith Murray and Anthea Black, made as a tribute to Calgary artist Jasmin Valentina, who was tragically taken from us last year.

Crap Days, a video by Calgary's favorite ex- Mr & Mrs. Murray recently returned to pat Kenny Doren, now based in Botswana, Calgary following a stay in New York at the was recently included in the exhibition Union Theological Seminary Residency.

Hero Anti-Hero at Trinity Square Video, in The residency was part of AA Bronson's Toronto, and it will be screened in January "School for Young Shamans" offered by as part of Hors Pistes film festival at the the new "Institute for Art Religion and George Pomidou Centre in Paris.

Social Justice" founded by AA Bronson and Kathryn Reklis.

Congratulations to Wednesday Lupypciw, who won the Enbridge Award for Emerging Artist at the 2010 Mayors Luncheon for the Arts. Lupypciw has had a productive 2

meet the new coordinators of emmedia!

EMMEDIA Gallery & Production Society is excited to introduce to our membership and to the arts community, the two new additions to our staff. In February 2011, Vicki Chau took over as EMMEDIA’s Programs & Outreach Coordinator and Kyle Whitehead took over the position of Production Coordinator. Both are involved with media and visual arts in Calgary and look forward to working with our media arts community.

Vicki chau

kyle whitehead

Vicki Chau is a media artist based in Calgary, working mainly with photography and video. She graduated from the Alberta College of Art + Design, earning a BFA with distinction in Media Arts + Digital Technologies. She has sat on the board of Untitled Art Society, the programming committee of The New Gallery, and is a member of the ARTiCAL Collective. She is also an independent organizer and curator of shows featuring emerging and established artists, exhibiting in different venues throughout the city. She has worked at EMMEDIA since 2008 in various roles, from Production Assistant to Communications Coordinator, and is now the Programs & Outreach Coordinator.

Kyle Whitehead is an emerging multidisciplinary artist working primarily with Super 8 film, photographic process and low-tech electronics. A graduate of the Alberta College of Art and Design and active community member, Kyle has worked in various capacities with several local artist-run groups and initiatives, including Stride Gallery, CSIF, Untitled Art Society and now EMMEDIA. Kyle also maintains an active studio and exhibition practice and prefers a careful and considered approach to image making.

He currently resides in Calgary, Alberta where he spends most of his time in the dark.

Programs & Outreach Coordinator

Production Coordinator

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a short message from the president It has been ten years -or maybe almost eleven- since I took on the mantle of EMMEDIA president. It was the year 2000, I was a newly minted board member and had been named vice-president one month earlier at the previous board meeting. At the next meeting circumstances required a new president, so at what was my second meeting serving on the EMMEDIA board, I became president, initially with the condition I was to be forever referred to as El Presidente.

This meteoric rise to power was so sudden I didn’t really give much thought to the responsibilities of the position, or that I had limited experience as a board member for an arts organization. EM needed a president and I figured I would have to sign some cheques, shake a few hands and maybe kiss some babies. How much could it hurt, right? Of course things are never that simple. There were committees to steer and reports to write and those monthly board meetings had to occur every month!

The learning curve was pretty steep as I realized the position of president was not purely cosmetic, at least not all the time.

While the crazy world of an artist-run centre sometimes had me check my sanity and look for the nearest exit, those occasions have been rare. Overall, it continues to be an exciting and wonderful challenge.

The responsibility of stewardship is an exceptional experience, particularly within the arts; and I highly recommend it. I have had the pleasure to meet so many talented individuals from more diverse backgrounds than can be imagined. I was wondering how one could list them all or provide a “from A to Z” or a “from this to that”. Impossible. The one constant, I guess, is the seemingly boundless energy to be creative with little thought about boundaries, always with an optimism that anything is possible.

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That might help to define the role of a president of an artist-run organization; that is, to maintain stability so the doors stay open so those that can, do. Sign cheques, shake some hands and keep out of the way.

Haven’t really kissed any babies but every once in a while a diaper needs changing and hurt feelings need a Band-Aid. I have been extremely fortunate these many years to be surrounded by an incredibly supportive board of directors. That also means that EM has indeed benefitted from a dedicated and inspired group of volunteers who over this time have, each month, sat at the board table and helped steer this great ship.

So yes, ten years have gone by and certainly not in a f lash. It has been, simply put, an education and I have gained as much as I have hopefully put back into EM. Thanks.

- Lon Parker, President. president@emmedia.ca

Farewell from the

In the summer of 2010, EMMEDIA introduced the EManimenteur position and I was lucky enough to get the job. As a pilot project, the EManimenteur is an in-house contract consultant who interacts with staff, members, and artist-producers working on site. The role is a nurturing and inspiring one, offering critical analysis and an aid in increasing the feedback and support offered in Production Access Programs that support the creation of new works. The project also offers the Board and management insights into better achieving EMMEDIA’s mandate, whether in terms of visioning, or more practical suggestions regarding operations, programming and production activity.

and committee meetings and observed day-to-day operations of EMMEDIA, offering feedback and insights on related activities. That means we talked a lot!

Through our discussions we devised some new ways to approach the “tried and true” and Vicki Chau and Peter Morgan are reorganizing workshops as I write. Beyond Robert’s Rules, I got to see how EMMEDIA functions, starting with the Board of many dedicated professionals contributing expertise, creating history and imaging possibilities. They are committed to the organization’s constant evolution and the discussions were an interesting parallel to what I’ve experienced with Artist-Run exhibition spaces.

Fulfilling the roles and responsibilities outlined in my contract with EMMEDIA has had a tremendous impact on me. In addition to interacting one-on-one with member-artists as the EManimenteur, I worked with Programming, Production and Operations Coordinators in a collaborative capacity to develop complementary mentorship and animation activities. I took part in regularly scheduled staff, board

I have been available to meet with EMMEDIA members, presenting artists and Scholarship and Production Access Participants specifically about artistic / conceptual development and mentorship.

As complicated as that sounds, this was the greatest part of my job. Over my term, I’ve seen so much fabulous work produced at EMMEDIA. Artists who I’ve just met and those who I’ve known forever have 5

sat down and shared their work with me.

What a pleasurable task. Working with the Production Access artists (see other article) was the most formalized part of this new position. I was to assist the Production Coordinator in working with/ advising participants, particularly in group discussions and critiques. This was easy because I absolutely loved working with all the Fresh Crop artists from proposal to final presentation. Eric Becker did a fabulous job of organizing meetings, deadlines and everything else for the fall screening. I envied, as I admitted to the group, the opportunity to have work critiqued face to face with co-exhibitors.

This is why EMMEDIA’s production programs are so crucial to developing new voices in media art.

As EManimenteur, I attended public program events, assisted in animating critical conversation, and have written pieces for EM publications. It has been great to be more actively engaged in EMMEDIA’s myriad events. I was also an unofficial member of the Programming Committee, and program/selection juries.

Programming specifically in video, audio and new media is out of my comfort zone, but I know what this group put together has been exceptional. Tomas Jonsson and the Programming Committee have delivered button-pushing, contemplative and downright fun works since my term started. Tom has also dug out articles, books, videos and Double Rainbows for my own six-month crash course in media arts. I look forward to exercising my membership and wish Tomas success in whatever the future holds.

EMMEDIA’s 30-year history. Thanks to many volunteers, the resources are organized to match the collection database and the developing Magnetic Mine archive is off to an impressive start.

I was also asked to present workshops or artist talks, and I have developed a couple of new artworks with EMMEDIA. The first project, SOUP, was a series of luncheons I prepared for the administrative staff of local visual and media arts organizations.

The project provided an opportunity for people working in different areas of Calgary’s cultural sector to meet face to face in an informal setting. The second project, Tea for Tarts, was created for Art’s Birthday and again uses hostessing for social intervention. I have enjoyed absolute freedom and support from EMMEDIA and hope to continue developing such projects in the future.

When I began my term, I wondered how a production centre like EMMEDIA remains relevant these days given that a lot of production can be handled on our laptops. What I quickly discovered was that EMMEDIA is an important hub for borrowing and sharing and the people involved keep it relevant. Being the first EManimentuer has been such an amazing opportunity to learn from people I’ve long respected in the community. It was a treat to work with so many new people, too. I hope I nurtured and inspired. It is the very least I can do after such a good time!

Thanks, Shelley Ouellet

I have looked at ways to animate library and archive holdings. And when I realized how much work was involved I panicked.

Luckily Tomas picked up the gauntlet and initiated some research into funding and more importantly, into shelving. The library, while housing some fragile gems that need attention, has work spanning 6

If a video is shot in the forest....

This short essay is my plea to you to consider writing about the media arts. Yes, I do mean you! How do I know you are a suitable candidate for this mission? Well, by reading this obscure essay in this specialist journal you have already signaled your participation in the art world and an interest in its discourse.

And readers are half-way to being writers.

They just need a gentle nudge, a map and some support.

no forest and there is no video, but the text made them so in your imagination. That is the power of writing and reading. Our art texts make representations in the minds of those who may never see the works we refer to. Art reviews extend the reach of works of art and create an archive that shows that the works existed as well as how they were received.

If a video is made in Calgary and a curator reads about it in Berlin….

Nudge.

Map. While appearing still and mute to the outside gaze, in the space of reading and watching video art you are already engaged in dialogue.

In reading and viewing you only partially surrender consciousness to the mind of another. You also talk back, free-associate, and make comparisons to your own experience.

You converse with the text and moving image and your selves. Reading and viewing are noisy internal affairs. Since you are already talking back, why not carry those thoughts into public? Why not think out loud?

We read art writing for the pleasures of the text and the worlds they open to us, but we also read in order to be competent and vital members of the art world. We read to learn art’s special and f luid languages and how we are in relation to that mutable realm. You read in the hopes of a small transformation: to gain knowledge, to hear an opinion about something you care deeply about, and to weigh your thoughts, feelings, sensations, intuitions against those of another. Reading deepens our experience of art and the worlds that are represented and considered. While it seems a daunting step to carry this engagement into writing, in order to experience the incomparable pleasures of full participation in the discourse of art, you have to speak up.

If you are persuaded that writing about art is both intellectually satisfying and can have a direct effect on the art world, you are ready for a map. There is not enough space to condense the workshops I gave at EMMEDIA,* A Thousand Words, Exactly: Writing about Art Film and Video for Publication—especially to consider the practical aspects of getting published—but there is just enough room to map some characteristics of a good art review that might keep your efforts on track.

A critical art review is a type of essay.

It persuades and delights. A review has an argument the author wishes to persuade the reader to accept. It may be as limited as liking or disliking a film, but more typically it attempts to convince the reader of a larger world-view (or aesthetic preference) that is exemplified or betrayed by the film. If the thoughts are formed in delightful prose, we are more likely to enjoy the experience and allow ourselves to be convinced by the argument.

If a video is shot in the forest and no one sees it, it does not exist.

The Hook is the engaging first sentence or even first paragraph that hooks the reader in.

It is a thesis, a compelling image from the film, an interesting claim or juxtaposition.

Occasionally, it is a reference that, initially, seems to have nothing to do with the film, but interesting connections are made.

I wrote this and you read it. In reading it, you pictured the forest and the video. There is

The Thesis is a short account of the essay’s argument. It announces the reason for the

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review. It is compact (even enigmatic) and in need of unpacking (hence, the remainder of the essay). All the major threads that run through the review should be tied to the thesis.

The thesis propels the f low of the text. By the end of the review, the reader should feel convinced by your initial claim.

Description. A substantial space of reviews of time-base art is devoted to description. The reader is likely to read your text before seeing the work or may never even see the work at all. The viewer needs to grasp the content and appearance of the work in order to understand what you are saying about its meanings.

They should not, however, be confused by information that is not considered by your argument. A partial exception is in a longer review where, as part of the “delight” aspect, the author lingers, for example, on a scene to unpack its poetry, poignancy, mood, and how the maker achieved it. This may even lead to a subjective meditation that, if well crafted, may linger longer in the mind than the best argument. This sort of prose is the real ‘art’ of review writing. It should advance the argument but not be constrained by it.

Subject, Form and Content Works of art have three aspects: Subject, Form and Content. Critical reviews usually consider each aspect but do so artfully rather than mechanically. Subject refers to what the film represents. This includes its genre (science fiction, drama, comedy, etc.) and other conventions (story arcs, narrative, stereotypes, etc.). Subject is concerned with how this film fits into or challenges the history of similar representations. Form refers to all non-content aspects of film—lighting, sound, colour, tone, motion, transitions, shots, editing, etc.— apart from their meaning. While a film’s formal aspects contribute to the meaning of the images, a formal analysis is primarily concerned with teasing out the effects from meaning. Writers often provide sections of this sort of analysis in order to advance later meaning, but short sections of formal reading can greatly enhance a less conventional

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reading of a film. Formal readings are, of course, essential to appreciating formalist films. A consideration of a Stan Brakhage film, for example, that did not analyze his use of editing, rhythm and f low, would be seriously incomplete. Content refers to the meaning of a work. Denotative meanings are the huge range of conventional or agreed meanings a society shares. Connotative readings refer to meanings that are convincing but less conventional. They require an argument, a chain of observations and reasons, to persuade.

The artful review combines all the above into a unique blend. Reviews are informed by these ‘mechanics’ but rarely use these terms, or divide the review into sections devoted to ‘subject’, ‘form’ and ‘content’. A skillful critical writer considers these aspects in order to advance the argument but is not weighed down by the theory. A good critical review uses the right tools for the specific film.

What sets great reviews apart is an engaging voice that speaks to the reader directly. Good reviews assume an intelligent and informed reader but can also explain obscure ideas and references without being condescending.

Most importantly, a good review offers psychological or philosophical insights that arise from a serious consideration of the film but also go beyond it.

Support.

You are reading this essay in EMMEDIA’s Handheld Magazine. This and other local publications are fine ways to get started.

There are also many on-line sites that publish first time arts writers. The best way to get started, however, is to work with a patient editor who can walk with you through the evolution of your early texts. I have made a life-long commitment to encouraging critical art writing. If you are ready to write, I am willing to help: david.garneau@uregina.ca

- David Garneau, January 2011 * There is video documentation for perusal.

IMPACT STATEMENTS Impact Statements is an anthology of essays that explored the CRASH! theme in the 2009/2010 programming year. Texts were developed through the critical writing workshop, A Thousand Words Exactly, facilitated by celebrated artist, writer and curator David Garneau, where the writers were mentored for 10 months before finally completing their texts for the anthology.

We would like to apologize for the error found in the first edition of Impact Statments, where Cheryl L' Hirondelle's M'Girl was misappropriately credited. A revised edition of Impact Statements will be available shortly.

Introducing calgary's first critical writing collective:

ARTiCAL

ARTiCAL is a group of writers at various stages in their careers who are dedicated to increasing critical dialogue about the arts in Calgary. Our city has a thriving arts community, but there is very little dialogue between audiences and artists about the work that is being programmed and created here, and there is even less dialogue about Calgary's arts scene on a national level. This collective aims to increase the amount of talking we do about art in our city and raise our profile on a local and national level.

The collective consists of a shifting group of writers that meet on a monthly basis. The meetings allow writers to talk about their work, receive peer review and also learn from mentors about how to strengthen their writing and how to pitch their work to editors. The end goal of this project is to stimulate the local writing community by encouraging ongoing publication initiatives. Our strategy is to build ties

between publications and writers so that more critical writing about art gets seen by the public.

The agenda of the ARTiCAL collective is driven by its participants. The writers discuss what would help them cultivate and publish their writing and the group works towards providing the required support.

If you are interested in critical writing, or already writing but looking for a community with which to discuss opportunities and/or your writing, please contact Melanie Wilmink at the Calgary Society of Independent filmmakers at programming@csif.org or Tammy McGrath at EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts at tmcgrath@epcorcentre.org.

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1 Constructing the base of "Bin 15" by Mark Lowe for the M:ST festival 2 Putting up the wall of "Bin 15" 3 Getting ready for the EMMEDIA Xmas Party 4 Eric Becker introducing the "Fresh Crop" screening at the Plaza Theatre 5 Alex Moon and Tomas Jonsson sporting their festive sweaters at the Xmas party 6 Cori Stent and Vicki Chau show off their patterns at the Xmas party 7 Art administrators converse during Shelley Ouellet's "Soup" 8 Lia Rogers sets up a chocolate fountain for the Xmas party

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9 Peter Morgan and Keith Murray hang out at the Xmas party 10 Paul Woodrow chats with Joshua Fraser before his talk at Art's Birthday 2011 11 Tomas Jonsson introduces Paul Woodrow's talk on Fluxus 12 A drawing robot spins during Dorkbot's workshop at Art's Birthday 13 Shelley Ouellet being a wonderful hostess at Art's Birthday 14 Grant Poier plays with a light sensor as he manipulates the image on the screen for Carl Spencer's interactive installation at Art's Birthday 15 People attending Animated Zine Night at Quickdraw as part of Art's Birthday 16 Yummy cupcakes and snacks for Art's Birthday

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By SHELLEY OUELLET

Scholarship Program Participants: marbella anne carlos, Josh Fraser, and Yvonne Kustec.

Bars ‘n’ Tone Program Participants: Andrea Mann, Alex Moon, and Murray Smith.

Beginning life as an artist and leaving the cocoon of art school can be a lonely transition. As in any other profession, you need experience to get work and work to get experience.

The EMMEDIA Production Access Scholarship Program has been offered since 1984 to tackle this very problem.

EMMEDIA offers support to emerging artists/producers undertaking their first productions in audio, video or new media.

Scholarship Recipients receive extensive training in all of EMMEDIA’s production and post-production equipment, as well as creative and artistic development, enabling them to produce engaging and sophisticated work. The Bars ‘n’ Tone Program is intended to support artists who have previously produced work and wish to continue their creative and technical development. The focus of Bars ‘n’ Tone is on refining and enhancing existing 12

skills. EMMEDIA supports the proposals of up to six artists annually. This year EMMEDIA implemented a new residency position to help with creative and artistic development. From the newly formed post of EManimenteur, it was my privilege to work with the Fresh Crop artists as they developed their projects last summer.

Selected by the Programming Committee, Murray Smith, Josh Fraser, marbella anne carlos, Andrea Mann, Yvonne Kustec and Alex Moon worked from proposal to presentation on a tight schedule. Their work premiered at a public screening Sept. 16 at the Plaza Theatre. I have the pleasure, here, to introduce these artists and encourage you to view the Fresh Crop program which is available to members in EMMEDIA’s archive.

When Murray Smith isn’t studying film at the University of Calgary, he is making films. Using online distribution through his own site and f lipping through genres and inf luences, he’s developed an eye for the shot and a head full of theories. 6Qin2C is a complex experimental project. Behind the scenes a mad scientist is in charge of feeding his new obsession: Isadora (software designed for live mixing of digital audio and video). Six conversations about

time unfold. Rigging up a wheel chair to act as a dolly for the two-headed camera, Murray’s crew shoots each scene twice – the point of view only inches apart. Murray allows us a few "omnipresent" minutes in the scene before Isadora moves us along.

Edited footage is categorized and the software determines which clip is played with what effect for how long. Referencing quantum theory in content and production, the six scenes run in random sequence.

While the dialogue in each of the six scenes could use refinement, 6Qin2C is our first peek into Murray’s cine-techno laboratory and I doubt it will be our last.

and white, this mash-up pulls us, like poltergeists into the screen's fuzzy abyss.

Fresh experimentation with yesterday’s technology is his process and he has created the loudest silent video you will ever see.

In her short video Sully, marbella anne carlos marches us through very private rituals, filming the intimacies of body maintenance, from the mundane to the squirm-inducing. Testing the line between public and private, marbella has performed in food courts -- spontaneously taking yoga poses amid the diners, and has filmed the private confessions of her peers for Josh Fraser, recent graduate of the public viewing. Sully, more whimsical than University of Calgary's Fine Art earlier works, ref lects the fact that everyday Department, spent the summer haunting activities are being recorded and made the halls of EMMEDIA. He was on a public all the time. She takes her camera nocturnal search for abandoned, obsolete into the bathroom and then edits together and dying old gear for his laboratory. He a chorus of the cutting, wiping and poking worked up a Frankenstein recording that goes on in these tiled little spaces. process to create a silent video. Pulsating, She helps us whistle our way through TMI and at times, jaw-clenching rhythms fill (too much information) scenes, making the screen and for a moment something it all palatable enough for an after-school is recognizable and then it is gone under special. She plays on the titillation of the splat of fuzzy white noise. It feels like “burp at the dinner table” humour, leaving the classic experimental video. Recording the audiences caught between feelings and rerecording from tape to reel and of amusement and disgust. And through back again, it is as if Fraser is attempting this divide, marbella asks again and again to wire together a Charlie Chaplan, where we draw the line on what is private.

Metallica, Robert Motherwell hybrid.

With a formalist eye, he orchestrates Adopting a more traditional documentary visual noise and choreographes black format, Andrea Mann’s project also delves

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into personal terrain. Motherland follows her husband, Marco, a global citizen with Vietnamese - New Zealander heritage and a Canadian passport. Filtered through his wife’s expectant gaze, Marco travels to his mother’s homeland Viet Nam for the very first time. With the documentary outlined, Andrea has the camera ready as they pack their bags, but the complications of being both the documentarian and the wife of her subject shift the narrative. In earlier works Andrea, a very capable producer, could direct the narrative through her characters, but in Motherland the relationships explored were her own. Without the veil of fiction, her relationship (to Marco) is exposed but they trust each other enough to tell the story within the story. Their honesty and vulnerability creates an interesting look at family dynamics and notions of national identity for a new generation.

Yvonne Kustec, an emerging artist from the sculpture department at ACAD, uses the faux documentary format for her first video, Insider Outsider. Yvonne has been making a series of works looking at "the body", and multi-breasted Venuses have given way to a character with its insides out. Originally designed for ACAD’s 2010 ArtAWEARness, her creature -- all pink and exposed -- was destined to live beyond the catwalk. Insider Outsider takes us through the daily grind of trying to be happy when there is no (protective) skin to be uncomfortable in.

Prescribed chores and self-help rituals are a drag and our grotesque hero wanders the city barely noticed. I like to imagine that the story evolved as the artist spent meditative hours sewing together the wearable sculpture. I was first introduced to the character through an ambitious storyboard of drawings. Yvonne directs friends, whose bodies occupy and animate the sculpture, to bring her everyman standin to life. Yvonne downplayed first-time-out technical problems with a lot of editing, a good soundtrack and a character anyone could empathize with. I hope she brings more sculptures to life again soon.

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Alex Moon is another young artist using the video format to animate his sculptural works. For several years Alex has been presenting UNI-FARM as a series of objects and installations that explore the erosion of the family farm, and the insistent development of genetically modified food through conglomerate-controlled Frankenseeds. Using the format of a serial, Alex introduces us to the small farmer who is just trying to keep the family business going -- trying to survive. Running up against the finger-tenting masters of evil, our reluctant hero is first taken in and then taken down. The serial format suggests that we are joining a saga already in progress and he ends the work with a teaser for the next chapter. Slyly mixing humour and suspense with prairie skies and familiar vistas, Alex draws in the audience. We see increasingly, in the news, suspicious activity in food production and it is hitting very close to home. But it is a rare topic for artistic exploration and I, for one, cannot wait for the next episode.

Fresh Crop -- it was a good year. Watch for these artists in the future and check out the program in EMMEDIA’s resource centre.

We also look forward to the next season of new works produced through EMMEDIA's Production Access Programs.

Visit www.emmedia.ca for more details.

EMMEDIA presents

Expanded Standard Time LINE Artists and Electronic Media in Calgary | EMMEDIA 1980 through 2005...

EDITED BY | Grant Poier Essays + Contributions by

Tom Andriuk | Kay Burns | Brigitte Dajczer | Nelson Henricks Vern Hume | Karen Knights | Valerie LeBlanc | Robert Milthorp Sarah Murphy | Grant Poier | Leila Sujir | Sheila Urbanoski Sandra Vida | Andrea Williamson

A story about artists creating an electronic media access and production centre: a place to make art and community.

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EMMEDIA Gallery & production SOciety #203, 351 – 11th Avenue SW. Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2R 0C7 Phone: 403.263.2833 Fax: 403.232.8372 programming@emmedia.ca www.emmedia.ca

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Oil. It fuels our cars, it furnishes our homes, it feeds our debates, our wars. Oil, almost magic, which can be transformed into a multitude of products, toys, fertilizers, carpets, shampoo, insulation, golf balls, credit cards, lipsticks, plastic bags, bottles. A strange philosophers' stone giving immortality to pop bottles and plastic forks.

How are we going to negotiate our dependency and oil addiction with our environmental concerns? Who defines the Industry practices? How can the individual contribute to the emergence of solutions? What is the role of the artist, writer, poet?

OIL is looking for slick short videos to fuel the discussion! Daniel Dugas will curate the program, through a call of submissions that is open to local, national and international artists. We are looking for videos, up to 5 minutes in length, that address and explore the issues and relationships we have with oil, either politically and/or poetically. The program will be screened on July 12, 2011, which is the one-year anniversary of the capping of the BP well in the Gulf of New Mexico. Screening fees will be paid for those selected.

All submissions must be received by EMMEDIA on Wednesday, June 1, 2011 @ 4:30PM. Postmarked or late submissions will not be accepted.

For more information on how to submit, please check out our website at: www.emmedia.ca or contact Vicki Chau, Programs & Outreach Coordinator, at: programming@emmedia.ca | 1.403.263.2833

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By Lia rogers

Alex Moon takes umbrage with agribusiness in Uni-Farm (17:20 minutes, 2010). Moon's live-action video concentrates on the impact of genetic engineering and patenting on small farmers rather than on the ethics behind creating Frankenfoods.

The plot centers around Edgar Farmer, who entered into a contract with the Uni-Farm company to help save his farm. Now he is an employee of a corporation and must use his Uni-Farm ID badge to open the gate to the fields -- into His fields. When he saves some seeds the company reacts, and he finds himself in an uncomfortable situation. Moon depicts the titular company, Uni-Farm, as an organization that is only out for profits. A company that purports to help farmers while at the same time treating them like criminals.

and the commodification of thought and knowledge. These issues are being debated, resolved and debated again in the marketplace, with no clear resolutions.

The video is ostensibly about food and food production but it is really about revolution.

This is an allegory of the struggles faced in the information revolution. By using farming instead of picking an industry more obviously linked to the information revolution Moon references the comparable upheaval caused in the past by the agricultural revolution, where smaller feudal farms were joined together and mechanized to increase food production, causing massive changes in technology, society and the economy. Similarly, the information revolution is challenging perceptions and defining attitudes towards intellectual property, authorship

Uni-Farm depicts the bending of nature and laws to a corporate end. In the Uni-Farm conference room, CEO Ron Farmer reveals that the company is lobbying government to change the laws to protect patented seeds. He is concerned because these actions might be noticed by the media or the government. Via the dialogue, Moon suggests that the company is only worried because the media or government have the power to inf luence the actions and ethics of large corporations, and by extension, individuals do not. The inhumanity of the company is reinforced by the CEO being unable and unwilling to pronounce his receptionist's name.

Close inspection of the Uni-Farm advertisement featured in the video reveals clips lifted from YouTube. Moon reveals his disdain for ownership of intellectual property by appropriating this footage. Like the real world company Monsanto, UniFarm takes a similar litigious approach to farmers. Trying to own and patent DNA sequences or ideas may well turn out to be a parallel to child labour during the industrial revolution, or be as assuredly durable as crop rotation. Only time will tell if issues of the information revolution are enduring or not.

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As Edgar reads the ominous looking letter from Uni-Farm the soundtrack is marked by metallic spring noises and grinding gears. This is the corporate machinery cranking into place around him. These sounds intensify as the plot progresses in the next few scenes. Uni-Farm goes after Edgar because somehow he has a handful of saved seeds. The jar of collected seeds seems like a small infraction but it is taken very seriously by Uni-Farm. Moon's contempt for corporations and industry shows. The video depicts corporations as places where small infractions are punished severely and there is no room for individuality or differences. No one, including Edgar, seems to think that it is odd that a corporation can hold someone against their will. No one protests or suggests calling the police or a lawyer.

In the f lashback sequence the images are blurred, the colours altered and the timecode is distorted to give the action a feeling of unhinged reality. The soundtrack is sparse banjo with white noise, making the dialog sound far away. Edgar obviously did not read the fine print on his contract with Uni-Farm as his seed saving habits got him into trouble. Video and audio effects give the f lashbacks a feeling of emptiness, like the promises of the corporation.

There is a lot going on in this video in terms of plot and storyline. In addition to the main A-plot about the conf lict between Ron and Edgar, who are brothers, there is something going on between UniFarm and the Real Food Alliance. Moon also hints at a B-plot about the scientists

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employed at Uni-Farm. This is a very oblique reference to the uncomfortable marriage between science and business; another issue raised by the information revolution. If watched in isolation, it seems like Moon tries to cover too much ground in this video. However, the video does not sit by itself; it is one component of a larger ongoing work. Moon engages Uni-Farm in other media like sculpture, performance and printmaking.

Moon’s other projects and efforts are used to full effect in this video. Not only the full sized Uni-Farm conference table, but the various prints on the wall and even the tractor were all components of previous projects. To make the tractor, Moon repurposed a computer to construct the electronic vehicle. In its presence, the table is impressive and effective; it feels solid and corporate. This is no farmhouse table, it is serious and heavy. The inlay of the Uni-Farm logo makes the table a stand-in for the corporation itself. With all these projects Moon is creating a detailed world, the Uni-Farm universe. Disappointingly, the URL on the Alliance f lyer does not actually work.

Moon built up the Uni-Farm brand with the logo, the hat and the posters but the company still feels one-dimensional and transparent. The portrayal of Ron Farmer is a caricature of an evil CEO. He is not convincing. He would not be able to sway or inf luence a board of directors or upper management. The actor, the lines and the delivery do not persuade me that this man has the wherewithal to run a company with

the resources that Uni-Farm would have.

He is sporting a beard to link him to his brother Edgar visually, but it and his long pony-tailed hair take away from his stature.

This caricature is a misstep on Moon’s part because it makes the company appear comical, not bullying.

Moon uses two settings to represent the two sides: outdoors (the farm) and indoors (the corporation). Outside, Moon uses panning shots of the vast open sky, a lingering shot of the long country road and shots showing the wind in the grass. Everything is in bright sunshine. Normally, the outside is a public place, but the shots used show Edgar isolated and alone and somehow these outdoor shots are intimate and private.

Edgar continues to farm because of his love of the land. Moon uses tighter shots for the inside, with more close-ups, less panning and lots of cuts. These are static shots of interiors and even though these are inside, these private places counterintuitively seem open, exposed and public.

Moon misses the opportunity to fully compare and contrast these two environments. The tension and differences between these two places could have been pushed more. The bright sunshine and implied happiness of the farm contrasted with the conference room and the cage Edgar finds himself in could have driven home the point that these are two different, even conf licting, worlds. But the office and even the cage are well-lit with natural, not artificial, light. Despite his work clothes, Edgar does not seem out of place in the conference room because of the textural informality of the exposed brick and concrete of the architecture. The corporate environment is not his world; it

is strange how he looks so at home there.

The casualness of this setting means that the impact and presence of the conference table is sacrificed and wasted.

In some ways, the portrayal of Edgar Farmer as righteous seems as quaintly outdated as the concept of the noble savage.

But the idea that real people are being steamrolled by industry also leaves a sour taste. The CEO believes that seeds are being saved with malicious intent. Edgar may have done so to be subversive but it could just be that Edgar is an unconscious luddite, resisting the change to his habits.

Countless individuals are left stranded by revolutions and Edgar may just be one of them.

Edgar does not speak a single line in the video. Moon is trying to show how the common man has no voice in the changes happening. Edgar is passive in his own situation, unable to either affect change or direct his own future. Is Moon showing condescension for employees, people who are working for someone else, highlighting the superiority of being your own boss?

As he sits in his cell Edgar Farmer understands that what he thought was his saviour is not. The video does not resolve Edgar's plight but leaves him locked up and helpless. This video raises more questions than it answers and it ends with a cliffhanger, never clarifying what happens to Edgar and his wife.

Alex Moon’s Uni-Farm is a live action video produced as part of the 2010 Production Access Program at EMMEDIA.

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CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS: An Open Access Intensive Production Camp!

May 9 – 14, 2011 @ 5 – 10PM DEADLINE for proposals: May 2, 2011 A tradition since 2002, EMMEDIA Compression Camps offer artists and independents the freedom to translate ideas and concepts into short videos that are compressed and uploaded for webstreaming on-line at compressioncamp.com.

Works can be experimental, performative, dramatic, reportage, documentary, even After Effects or Flash pieces, but can only have a maximum duration of five minutes, and is able to be completed in one or two sessions. All equipment and edit suites are provided free of charge for projects dedicated to this program. EMMEDIA staff and an artist will be on hand to provide creative and technical assistance and support.

To participate: - Propose a short video project that addresses the concept of “CANOLA OIL”, which is a cross-pollination of this year’s thematic, “GRAIN”, and the upcoming program, “OIL”, curated by Daniel Dugas. Your proposal should provide a brief summary of your project, the connection with the theme, and shows that it can be completed in a day or two.

- Feel free to include pre-recorded material that you are hoping to edit during the camp.

- Provide a list of equipment that you will be using during the camp so we can make sure it is booked for you. Please see our equipment list on our website for more details.

Submit proposals to:

For more information, please contact:

EMMEDIA Gallery & Production Society #203, 351- 11 Ave. SW Calgary, AB T2R 0C7

Vicki Chau Programs & Outreach Coordinator 403-263-2833 programming@emmedia.ca

or programming@emmedia.ca

To view previous completed works during Compression Camp, visit: http://www.compressioncamp.com

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$ 3.50 ISSN 1925-6280 CALGARY, ALBERTA