Thursday, October 21, 2010

ISEA - The view from the window

The university in Dortmund, where most of the ISEA conference is taking place, offers another fascinating view from the window. I come across this view more or less by accident, when I walk from one conference room to the other. It is a black bird sitting on the roof.

I quickly take a photo. But something is strange. The bird has only one leg, which is connected to a bucket. The bucket is standing on the roof of the buildings inbetween the university buildings. The bird is made from metal or maybe plastic. It cannot move, it just sits there. It seems to be fine, confident, sitting where it is.

Maybe it's looking at the plastic bag which is lying on another part of the roof, lying on a part of the composition of which it is not clear if it is a horizontal or vertical area.

I take another photo to zoom out. The composition remains strange as it is. One detail which adds to the composition, but which is invisible on the photo, is a big german flag which is painted on the wall, right next to the bird. I take another photo.

Who has painted the flag? Why? Who has placed the bird on the roof? Is this meant as an art work? Did someone make this composition on purpose? Did anyone here notice the bird?

Without an answer I continue to the room where the next session is taking place, a session about 'New Art Theory'.


Tuesday, October 5, 2010

ISEA - African Digital Art

There is one panel that I manage to see in Dortmund after the morning session and just before my own presentation. It is a panel about digital art in Africa. Several lecturers from different countries show their projects. It is a pity that the african artists are not more present throughout the whole conference, because some of the works are really interesting.

There is an artist from Cameroon, with a very short, but very interesting presentation. I would like to ask him a little more about his work after the presentations, but I am forced to leave the room before the session is over, because my own lecture is starting in the other room. So all I do is ask him for a contact address. Instead he gives me a dvd, which has ended up in my pile of ISEA2010 materials. As soon as I will find time to watch it, I will post a link here on the blog.

One link that I  can post here now, is a project by a woman from Kenya, who also has a presentation in this panel. She has started a website with links to many different projects: http://www.africandigitalart.com/ I can recommend this website to get to know more about african digital art.

The photo below is also from the session about african digital art. It is my view from the window, while listening to the talks. I was fascinated by the window composition and had to take a photo of it...