Franklin Furnace’s Goings On
May 24, 2005
CONTENTS:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1. Adrianne Wortzel, FF Fundwinner 2003-04 announces June 8 launch of Eliza Redux, and more
2. Elizabeth Cohen, FF Alumn, at Koffler Gallery, Toronto, thru June 26
3. Dahn Hiuni, FF Alumn, new research supporting Performance Art education
4. David Medalla, FF Alumn, at Peckham Public Library, So. London, May 29, and more
5. Heidi Arneson, FF Alumn, at Bryant Lake Bowl, Minneapolis, July 2,9,16,23
6. Annie Sprinkle, FF Alumn, at Museum of Sex, NY, June 6, and more
7. Deborah Garwood, FF Alumn, reviews Marc-Antoine Dupont, online
8. Jaime Davidovich, FF Alumn, at VanGuardia Gallery, Bilbao Spain, June 05
9. Phillip Warnell, FF Alumn, launches nine-meter web object, now online
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1.Adrianne Wortzel, FF Fundwinner 2003-04 announces June 8 launch of Eliza Redux, and more
ADRIANNE WORTZEL
Adrianne Wortzel, FF Alumn, and StudioBlue at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, announce the June 8 launch of Eliza Redux. Eliza Redux features a physical robot, which, having passed the Turing test with flying colors, thinks it is a human psychoanalyst and persists in offering online pseudo- psychoanalytic sessions. Please help us to bring this robot to its sensors. Peer consultation is available in the Reception Area as well as archived sessions and other reference materials. http://www.elizaredux.org
ELIZA REDUX: THE VEILS OF TRANSFERENCE
Description and Navigation:
Eliza Redux is an interactive telerobotic web site providing a space for text-to-speech and oral discourse, acting out, and playfulness in the virtual environment of a psychoanalyst’s waiting room and inner office. Video of a physical robot will be streamed to the web reactive to visitor input. The robot is sequestered in the inner office conducting interactive sessions with visitors as an authority figure. In truth, however, the robot is really qualified only as a patient; having been programmed to suffer delusions and conflicts interfering with its functions. For example, it sincerely believes it is a human psychoanalyst, and that the creatures it encounters via the web, as “humans” are really biological robots in need of its expertise to find their psychoanalytic cure.
Visitors enter a virtual waiting room (depicted below) where they participate in chat with others who have come to liberate the robot from its delusional state and perhaps extricate it from the inner office. While waiting, visitors sign up for a session, can enter into chat with each other and can also open the virtual file cabinet to study prior sessions and other materials, archived as text. Once summoned to a session in the inner office, the visitor will experience streaming real-time visual and oral responses from the robot reactive to the visitor’s text-to-speech input. At the time of this launch we have all of the above in place
Eliza Redux is a project in perpetual process; we plan to also develop the ability for visitors to control the studio video cameras telerobotically, becoming Directors of their session and hopefully revealing objects in the inner session room, which provide even more psychoanalytic enlightenment. In addition there will be development in the psychoanalyst/robot a form of “memory” so it can recognize patients in subsequent sessions and bring up their material so that sessions evidence a form of continuity.
This human-robot interaction project is inspired by Joseph Weizenbaum’s 1966 M.I.T. computer program ELIZA, which allowed for text-based human conversation with a computer playing the role of a psychotherapist. Weizenbaum’s program was not meant to demonstrate intelligence, but to engage the user emotionally and intellectually in a simulation of artificial intelligence. In spite of the transparency of the program’s lack of intelligence, lab personnel were unable, or unwilling, to distinguish the machine from a human psychotherapist and became so dependent upon ELIZA for “therapeutic sessions” that eventually Weizenbaum had to withdraw its use.
FUNDING:
National Science Foundation grant (DUE 9980873) and support from the NSF Gateway Engineering Education Coalition
Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art 2003-04, supported in part by the Jerome Foundation in celebration of the Jerome Hill Centennial and in recognition of the valuable cultural contributions of artists to society.
PSC CUNY Award 2003 –Research Foundation of the City University of New York awards
CREDITS:
Adrianne Wortzel – Artist, Author, Producer, Director
Marcin Balicki, robot communications and robot function programming.
James Cruickshanks – software development
Dawn Chan: Programming Consulation, I innovation Development.
Ami Wolf; Programming
Mohammed Yusuf: Masters Candidate at Cooper Union for reconstruction of StudioBlue. Configuring the new space for StudioBlue with Hyun Soo Ko and Richard Verret
Dr. Bob Schneider of Lehman College of the City University of New York. Flash communications server and Flash communications.
Parsons School of Design, Graduate Design & Technology Collaboration Studio
Faculty: Zhang Ga; for Interface Design: Ann Talley; Programming by: Ann Talley, Mark Forscher, Diana Berkovitch, Becky Ha, Ellen Chi
Special Thanks to:
Professor Stan Wei, Chair, Mechanical Engineering Department, Cooper Union
Dean Eleanor Baum, Dean, School of Engineering, Cooper Union
AND
Adrianne Wortzel, FF Alum, subject of National Science Foundation “Discoveries” article online at
http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=103059&org=NSF
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2. Elizabeth Cohen, FF Alumn, at Koffler Gallery, Toronto, thru June 26
Elizabeth Cohen, FF Alumn, at Koffler Gallery, Toronto, Ontario Canada
includes work by Elizabeth Cohen, Emile Devereaux, Scott McCarney, Cheryl Sourkes.
The Koffler Gallery
thru June 26, 2005
Guest Curator: Cyril Reade
This exhibition brings together diverse works in a variety of media-digital prints, animation, book works, sculpture and photography-by four artists from the state of New York and Toronto, issuing from the concept of the palimpsest. A palimpsest denotes a rigid surface or parchment that has been inscribed, imperfectly erased and re-inscribed numerous times.
For more info see www.kofflercentre.com
Thanks!
Elizabeth Cohen
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3. Dahn Hiuni, FF Alumn, new research supporting Performance Art education
PROVOCATIVE NEW RESEARCH SUPPORTS PERFORMANCE ART EDUCATION
Performance artist, art educator and FF Alumn Dahn Hiuni has completed new research in a doctoral dissertation titled PERFORMING IDENTITY: THE POLITICS AND PEDAGOGY OF WITNESSING THE SELF.
The dissertation, earned from Penn State University’s School of Visual Arts, deals with the performance of identity and its unique pedagogy. An abstract is included below. Dahn Hiuni may be reached at dahnhiuni@aol.com
ABSTRACT
Within the heritage of Western art, an historical shift has occurred with respect to representations that address the self. The traditional self-portrait, dominant in the modernist era, has in recent years given way to the postmodern practice of performance art.
This study examines performance art as a means of exploring identity. In particular, it investigates the unique strategies that performance artists utilize to interrogate the social, cultural and political forces that construct identity and thus bear upon subjectivity. At the same time, of equal interest to this inquiry is a discrepancy that seems to exist between such contemporary practices and the field of art education. For an exploration of the latter reveals that current pedagogies remain largely faithful to earlier traditions.
Drawing on the work of postmodern and poststructuralist theorists, developmental psychologists, critical educators, contemporary performance artists and age-appropriate students, the study formulates a three-pronged theoretical hypothesis in order to explain this historical shift. The conjecture consists of the following: first, identity may be viewed more accurately as performative; second, giving and witnessing testimony has political and pedagogical implications, and; third, such practices generates criticality,
which in turn cultivate personal agency. Central to the verification of this hypothesis, the author presents an original work of performance, analyzing the ways in which it corroborates it.
Through this combination of methodologies, the study finds that, because of its unique use of the body as a site of discourse, and due to its ability to pose rhetorical metaphors that elicit greater criticality, performance art may yield a richer art of identity. Because of these uniquenesses, the study further finds that performance art may bear particular relevance for adolescents and young adults. As this population is known to grapple with specific issues surrounding identity formation-including race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and other forms of difference-an emphasis on performance art may constitutes particularly valuable pedagogy. For through it, students examine, verbalize, critique and renegotiate their perceived discordances within their respective socio-political realities, and thus are likely to cultivate a greater sense of agency. The study concludes that such findings expand the possibilities of an art of identity, beyond those afforded by traditional strategies. As such, it recommends that these findings be incorporated into current art education studio pedagogy.
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4. David Medalla, FF Alumn, at Peckham Public Library, So. London, May 29, and more
David Medalla, FF alumnus, will read a selection of his poetry inside Peckham Public Library, in Peckham, South London, on May 29, 2005, from 2 to 4 p.m. The event is in conjunction with a duo-show by Maria Chavska and Simon Morley in the Projects Room of the Museum of Contemporary Art in London, directed by Michael Petry. Among the poems David Medalla will read are texts written specially for his performance art works, including a beautiful elegy inspired by memorable impromptus which Medalla performed recently with Australian artist Adam Nankervis (direction of Museum Man of Liverpool) in homage to Albert Einstein at Humbodlt University in Berlin (where Einstein lectured in the 20s) and at the Einstein Turm, the observatory built by Felix Mendelsohn in Potsdam, Germany. The elegy is part of a fable by David Medalla entitled “The Ghost of Albert Einstein at Pfauen Insel ( Peacock Island) in Berlin”.
On May 31, 2005, David Medalla will perform as the Ghost of Chief Crazy Horse, the great Native American hero, in an event which is being organised by Indo-Pakistani artist Shez Dawood at Leeds in Yorkshire, England. Paradoxically, while preparing for his Leeds performance, David Medalla came across a photograph of Albert Einstein dressed in the chief´s bonnet of eagles´feathers of a Native American, surrounded with Native Americans who Einstein met and befriended during the great scientist´s sojourn and travels throughout the United States.
An American Native Chief´s bonnet of eagles´feathers was used by Adam Nankervis when he transformed himself into a living flower during a performance that he and Medalla, together with Mona Wehr, Andrew Reyner and Mike Carney, gave at Galerie Kai Hilgemann in Berlin early this Spring on the opening night of a solo exhibition of David Medalla´s latest paintings.
As Chairman of Artists for Democracy in London, in the mid-70s, David Medalla gave performances and talks in support of Native Americans, during the celebrations of the American Bicentennial of Independence. As a boy in New York in the 50s, David Medalla made friends with members of various American tribes. Medalla´s coming impromptu in Leeds will take place in different parts of that city and will be another of his homages to Native American heroes and heroines.
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5. Heidi Arneson, FF Alumn, at Bryant Lake Bowl, Minneapolis, July 2,9,16,23
Heidi Arneson’s
TEN BEDROOM HEART
A comic valentine to the secret world of girlhood and the complex beauty of female sexuality. One woman, twenty characters: kleenex kisses, kindergarten weddings, sleep-over parties, middle-aged love-shoppers and hot blues on guitar from Neil Pederson and Jess Snively.
“MAGIC!” – Cleveland Free Times
Saturdays, July 2, 9, 16 and 23
7:30 pm
Bryant-Lake Bowl
810 West Lake Street , Minneapolis
Tickets $12
612.825.8949
If you wish to preview Ten Bedroom Heart. contact Heidi Arneson at 612.333.6816 or heidihouse1@yahoo.com
To reserve a press comp, call 612.825.8949
I look forward to seeing you at the Ten Bedroom Heart!
Best wishes,
Heidi Arneson
Heidi Arneson is a theater artist renowned for one-woman plays about American archetypes. She has performed as featured artist for Franklin Furnace and Dixon Place in NYC, N.A.M.E. in Chicago, Cleveland Performance Art Festival, and nearly every venue in Minneapolis, including the Walker, the Weisman, the Jungle, Red Eye and the Southern. She is a recipient of the Bush Artist Fellowship, Franklin Furnace Emerging Artist Award, and Core Alumni of the Playwrights’ Center, and 2005 nominee for the prestigious Alpert Award in the Arts.
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6. Annie Sprinkle, FF Alumn, at Museum of Sex, NY, June 6, and more
FEEL FREE TO FORWARD AND POST THIS LETTER
Dear Beautiful, Kind, and Sexy Friend,
Greetings. Here’s a wee newsletter to keep you abreast of my life and work.
Well, I did it! I wrote a spectacular new book– if I do say so myself. It’s been two years in the making, and its coming MAY 26h, to a bookstore near you. I’m so excited! The title is “DR. SPRINKLE’S SPECTACULAR SEX—MAKE OVER YOUR LOVE LIFE”. It’s a fun, mainstream sex manual, and the culmination of three decades of personal sex research. It’s got great information, and I’m told it’s an inspiring and sexy read. The design is so beautiful and glamorous, with a color photo section of before and after transformation photos, and even glitter on the cover. Yahooo. (The Tarcher/Pengiun team has been my dream publisher.) Some people in the know have read the book and gave it rave reviews.
It’s my hunch and desire that all kinds of people will enjoy this book, and benefit from it, from the blue states to the red states, beginners to advanced, vanilla to chocolate sexual preferences, and even celibates. I’d be VERY pleased if you ordered a copy of my book. (Early sales can make or break a title.) Find it in your bookstore, or ask them to get it. Cover price is $19.95, but you can get it from Amazon for only $13.97. The best way to order is to go to my new website (it just had a great make over) and order it from Amazon via my site– http://www.anniesprinkle.org It’s super easy. Also on my site are some reviews, sample pages, and details about the book. Your early purchase will really help me out. And if you aren’t fully satisfied with the book (pun intended), I’ll eat my garter belt.
Even though this new book was an enormous amount of work, I really enjoyed the process and would love to do another. But first I have to do lots of publicity and promotion of this one. If you have any ideas or leads for reviewers, press, bookstore events, TV, radio, etc. I’d really appreciate them. I’ll be doing book launch events in Seattle, NYC, LA and SF, and some other cities at later dates. I’d love to see you there. See my calendar on my web site for explicit details. http://www.anniesprinkle.org/html/about/calendar.html
Living with Beth has been nothing short of divine. I’m grateful every day for this beautiful relationship and for being so perfectly in love. We had a unique wedding on the east coast in December, where we committed our love to each other, and to doing 7 years of art projects about love together. If you weren’t invited, don’t worry, we will be having six more weddings, one each year. Take a gander at the virtual home of our Love Art Laboratory, http://www.loveartlab.org/ You will see great wedding photos and a video and more. Artist Sheila Pepe described our wedding perfectly as “Fluxus meets Broadway in a whorehouse.”
Beth and I have been doing projects such as CUDDLE, where art patrons can cuddle between us, with our black Labrador retriever Bob on top, for 14 minutes each in a bed in an art gallery. Then there’s our “X-TREME KISS”, where we do a three hour kiss performance. We’ve also been developing a full-on two-woman theater show, which we are performing as a work in progress. As I’ve done many projects about sex for three decades, it’s nice to make a slight shift and explore the subject of love.
Hope you enjoy my book, Spectacular Sex—Make Over Your Love Life. Let me know if you decide on the mini-make over, or the XXX-treme make over, and how goes your big reveal.
Blessings,
Annie
CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS
For more information about these events you can go to my site here:
http://www.anniesprinkle.org/html/about/calendar.html
May 26
SEATTLE, WA. — TOYS IN BABELAND
May 27-30
SEATTLE, WA. — FEMME CONFERENCE
http://www.femmeconference.org/
June 2
NEW YORK, NY — THE LEARNING ANNEX
http://www.learningannex.com/default.taf?newcity=NY
June 3-5
NEW YORK, NY — AMERICAN BOOK EXPO — TRADE SHOW
June 4.
A PRIVATE BOOK LAUNCH PARTY AND PRESS EVENT
June 6
NEW YORK, NY — POST-PORN LOVE. Performance evening staring myself and Beth Stephens. Please come to our two woman show work in progress.
http://www.mosex.com/
June 7
NEW YORK, NY — FREE SIDEWALK SEX CLINIC, MUSEUM OF SEX,
http://www.mosex.com/
June 8
NEW YORK, NY — BLUE STOCKINGS BOOK STORE
June 15
LOS ANGELES, CA — HUSTLER HOLLYWOOD
June 16
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — THE LEARNING ANNEX
http://www.learningannex.com/default.taf?newcity=LA
June 17 and 18
SANTA MONICA, CA — HIGHWAYS PERFORMANCE SPACE
Performances: An evening about Capturing the Orgasm on Film. And a collaborative evening about Love as Art.
highwaysperformance.org
June 21
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA — A DIFFERENT LIGHT BOOKSTORE
June 22
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – CENTER SEX AND CULTURE BOOK LAUNCH PARTY AND ART MAKING EVENT. Everyone is invited.
June 23
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA — LEARNING ANNEX
http://www.learningannex.com/default.taf?newcity=SF
June 25
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA — GOOD VIBRATIONS
FREE SIDEWALK SEX CLINIC: http://www.goodvibes.com
July through August–I’ll be working from my home office in San Francisco with no traveling. Whew.
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7. Deborah Garwood, FF Alumn, reviews Marc-Antoine Dupont, online
Greetings!
Please follow the link below to read my review of Marc-Antoine Dupont’s color photographs at Patricia Laligant Gallery ( 24 W. 57th St., above Marian Goodman Gallery):
http://www.gaycitynews.com/gcn_420/agoodhandforcolor.html
Comments welcome,
Best Regards,
Deborah
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8. Jaime Davidovich, FF Alumn, at VanGuardia Gallery, Bilbao Spain, June 05
VanGuardia Gallery, Bilbao Spain, will present work by video pioneer Jaime Davidovich.This show, his first in Spain, will feature works from “Tapes on art and art on tape” project from the early 70’s to the current video paintings. It will run the whole month of June 2005.
For more information check the gallery site
vanguardia.com.es/
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9. Phillip Warnell, FF Alumn, launches nine-meter web object, now online
Hello
My nine metre web object is now online at
www.guestplushostequalsghost.com
Phillip Warnell
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~~end~~
Goings On are compiled weekly by Harley Spiller
Click http://www.franklinfurnace.org/goings_on.html
to visit ‘This Month’s World Wide Events’.
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