PRESS PLAY July 14, 2006

14. PRESS PLAY opens at InterAccess, Friday July 14 at 8-11pm
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///PRESS PLAY////

The 6th Annual InterAccess Emerging Artists Exhibition
July 14 ­ August 12, 2006

Curated by Tatiana Mellema

Opening Reception Friday July 14, 8 pm ­ 11 pm

Exhibition runs July 14 ­ August 12, 2006.
InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre, 9 Ossington Avenue, Toronto

InterAccess is pleased to present Press Play, an energetic showcase of
dynamic new works in electronic media. The exhibit features six emerging
artists who playfully intervene both old and new technologies in order to
expose the cultural conditions that shape modern life. Exploring the
sometimes humourous, sometimes dystopic theatre of the everyday, these
artists investigate how our values and perceptions are infused not only in
our behaviours but also in the technologies that we create. Using technology
as a costume that allows us to role-play prescribed behaviours, these works
provide a performative examination of who we are and why we do what we do.

Please join us for the opening reception on July 14 from 8-11 pm, where Kurt
Buckingham will be head of the class in live beats. Refreshments will be
served and the artists of the exhibition will be attendance.

More about the works in the exhibition:

In Alison S. M. Kobayashi¹s video installation Dan Carter, the artist
performs as a series of characters based on a found answering machine tape
that once belonged to a person named Dan Carter. Using a found scrap of
analog technology to reflect on the human condition, Kobayashi draws viewers
into the humourous and disjointed lives of somehow dystopic characters. In
Paula Jean Cowan¹s stick/twirl, the artist video taped herself performing
two vignettes, which she then roto-scoped to create simplified line-drawing
animations. By translating her performances into a two channel video
installation, the artist reclaims her body as a site for personal
negotiation.

Works in the exhibition that invite the audience to become part of the
performance include Darsha Hewitt and Stephanie Brodéur¹s Magnetic Identity
Liberation Front (MILF), an interactive installation that invites people to
swipe any magnetic strip card (such as a credit card, bank card, gift card
etc.) through the MILF machine. Once activated the machine generates a
personalized musical sequence that the artists claim can liberate a
consumer¹s ³true identity.² In John Smith¹s pixels+pitches (p+p), the artist
invites the viewer to navigate through animated sequences reminiscent of
early video game sounds and low-budget Sci-fi imagery. In this ³virtual
sandbox² the audience is given a set amount of tools with an unlimited
number of outcomes.

In Lorena Salomé¹s untitled work, two hacked model trains are bound to a
circular track, each moving different speeds and directions continually,
creating a repetitive and mundane dance. Multiple options exist for both
trains: they can hit each other, follow each other, go in opposite
directions, stop at any moment and change speeds. In this work Salomé deals
with ideas of control and submission within closed systems. In Simone
Charles¹ work Merry-Go-Round the viewer is enticed by an interactive
sculpture of a merry-go-round with an accompanying plaque. The
merry-go-round is only activated when the viewer turns their back to read
its text plate. Simone¹s work teases the viewer, denying them the pleasure
of joining in the fun.

Through works that explore the playful potentials of technology, Press Play
may just find and press your buttons!

Press Play is curated by Tatiana Mellema, for the 6th Annual InterAccess
Emerging Artists Exhibition. Each year, an emerging curator is selected to
intern with InterAccess and be mentored through the curatorial process,
resulting in a high-profile exhibition of recent graduates in new and
electronic media arts. Contact InterAccess for more information on the
annual curatorial internship.

InterAccess gratefully thanks the Toronto Arts Council, the Ontario Arts
Council, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Trillium
Foundation. InterAccess would also like to thank Creemore Springs Brewery
for their generous support.

Contact: Tatiana Mellema, Curatorial Intern (416) 599-7206 or e-mail
tatiana@interaccess.org

InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre
9 Ossington Avenue
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M6J 2Y8
Telephone 416-599-7206
Facsimile 416-599-7015

Website
General inquiries:
Gallery hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 12-5 pm
closed August 4-7 for the long weekend.

InterAccess is a not-for-profit, artist-run centre that enables artists and
the general public to explore the intersections of art and technology. Our
mission is to expand the cultural space of technology.

Official Website: http://www.interaccess.org