There is Always a Machine Between Us September 6, 2007

There is always a machine between us
(September 6 November 17; Opening Reception Thursday, September 6 from 5 to 8 p.m.)

SF Cameraworks galleries become a global gathering place, a research lab and an ongoing experiment in visual communication this fall with There is always a machine between us, an interactive exhibit of work sourced from and inspired by the Internet.

In one gallery, visitors experience an evolving line up of artists projects that change every two weeks. Presenting artists include Lars Laumann, Mary Magsamen and Stephan Hillerbrand, Matt Wolf, Matthew Hughes Boyko, Ursula Biemann and more. Additionally, an installation by collaborators Jeanne C. Finley and John Muse entitled Flat Land will be on view for the duration of the show. Flat Land explores the visual culture of men and women at war by looking at publicly available images of Flat Daddies (life-size photographic cut outs of individual soldiers that families at home can use as a stand in at the dinner table and beyond) and Flat Stanleys (small cut outs of a cartoon boy, sent by American school children on adventures around the world and sometimes to war-zones). In their installation, Finley and Muse project a slow rotation of Daddies and Stanleys on opposite sides of the gallery, inviting viewers to meditate on the deployment of these flat characters into the world.

In another gallery, visitors are encouraged to browse, chat and participate in a virtual art happening that extends beyond the walls and around the world, constantly growing as cultural producers and the public add new material and explore the artistic process together. Visitors can sit down to watch an ever-changing program of artist-created online videos, interviews, performances, studio tours and more. They can also chat with cultural producers around the world in real time and browse a visual library of material found on the web that informs the work of participating artists. In the gallery or back at home, the public can go online to view artwork related to the exhibit and can even upload video responses to it.

Organized by curators Kate Fowle, Karla Milosevich, Chuck Mobley and Dan Orendorff, the show is designed to generate new material as it evolves. SF Camerawork will continually post notices of upcoming artist projects and chat opportunities taking place in the gallery on its website at www.sfcamerawork.org. Links will also be provided to the exhibits companion online pages. Visitors are encouraged to check the website frequently for updates and additions.

There is always a machine between us is supported by the San Francisco Arts Commission, the Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation and Alexander Lloyd.



Event submitted by Eventful.com on behalf of nina911.