CLOSING RECEPTION Saturday, August 27th 6-10PM
Manya Scheps will moderate a live, online discussion concentrating on the theoretical implications of both the little berlin exhibition and net art in general. The chat will be projected on one of the gallery’s walls as the conversation unfolds. It will occur during the closing reception for the exhibition, and will serve as an ambient framing of the pieces in the show before they are powered down.
Read Manya’s essay produced for the show titled ‘Net Art: Black Sun, White Halloween’ in the digital catalog found at distributedcollectives.net
Distributed Collectives is an exhibition of three web-based artist groups: Computers Club, Manifest.AR and F.A.T. The artists in these groups are located in cities all over the globe, including Berlin, New York, London, Phoenix, Boston, Amsterdam among others – many of them have been working together closely online for years but have never met in person. This show examines the history and structure of the groups and looks at the diverse processes and approach of the artist working on the interwebz.
Work in the show ranges from creative coding projects like browser extensions and spatial recognition, to augmented reality public art, to browser-based motion art and physical installations.
ARTISTS
Krist Wood, Robert Lorayn, Duncan Malashock, Travess Smalley, Petra Cortright, Elna Frederick, Maryann Norman, Will Pappenheimer, Mark Skwarek, Christopher Manzione, John Craig Freeman, Lalie S. Pascual, Caroline Bernard, Lily & Honglei, Sander Veenhof, Geoffrey Alan Rhodes , 4Gentlemen, Todd Margolis, Greg Leuch, Tobias Leingruber, Aram Bartholl, Golan Levin, Borna Sammak
View the Online Exhibit
Read the Digital Catalog
SEE THE SHOW
There will be a closing reception on Saturday, August 27th from 6-10PM. At 6PM a discussion group will convene to explore the ideas presented in the essay Net Art: Black Sun, White Halloween produced for the show by Philadelphia based writer Manya Scheps, editor of New Asshole. A beer and barbeque reception will follow from 7-10PM. Please join us at little berlin, located in the courtyard at the Viking Mill: 2430 Coral Street, Philadelphia 19125. Parking for bikes and cars is readily available.
Gallery hours are Saturdays from 12-5PM or by appointment. Please write to berlin.little [at] gmail [dot] com to schedule a time to see the exhibition.
Distributed Collectives is curated by little berlin member Kelani Nichole. An online exhibit and digital catalog is available at distributedcollectives.net.
The show runs from August 5th until August 27th, 2011.
“Being ‘materialistic’ does not mean sticking to the triteness of facts nor does it imply a narrow mindedness that consists in reading works in purely economic terms.”- Nicholas Bourriaud
Participating Artists:
Conor Backman, Matthew Brett, Alexandra Barao, Joanie Turbek, Masha Badinter, Sean Kuhnke and Bryan Jabs
Materialism of Encounter examines the transformation of objects and ideas as they become points of departure, reference and contact. We are able to investigate other’s relationships as well as our own relationships with elements of our landscapes and spaces by rendering them from their origins and into a state of encounter in a neutral setting.
Conor Backman re-creates pre-existing objects that are widely familiar with craft and humorist irony. Through the process of re-making and appropriating he creates a new, unfamiliar experience for these objects.
Matthew Brett creates a series of relationships between objects that are otherwise banal. Through replication, (casting, painting, carving, etc…) these recognizable, everyday objects have been frozen and rendered false. The result being physical memories in a mental landscape where the relationships between objects grow more complex and the importance of the individual artifacts fade.
Sean Kuhnke and Bryan Jabs examine the way people interact with printed material in a social experiment about the commodification of art and interactivity. Their work engages viewers through an uncommon form of distribution of printed media, investigating its role in both private and public space.
Alexandra Barao captures and appropriates elements of nature in a way that is rough and unedited resulting in a transitory and meditative video that reminds us of the comforting wonder of our immediate landscape. Her videos illustrate a time when, in a need to feel grounded, the artist begins to draw from what is directly around them for inspiration.
Joanie Turbek attempts to re-create the sensation of a rainstorm, particularly through it’s construction. The result is a setting that is soothing and familiar. Joanie approaches the re-appropriation of nature in a way that is minimal and humble, making the production and craft secondary to the actual experience that she has created, allowing the viewer to sit by the window and watch the rain.
Masha Badinter focuses on moments in her memory that she believes can be reconstructed as universal grounds for feeling. She uses elements of architecture and light to convey a past experience with an emphasis on the relationship between people and spaces. Although the narrative is from her own memory it is an open narrative that others can complete.
http://conorbackman.com/
http://www.alexandrabarao.com/
http://mattkayhoebrett.com/
http://www.bryanjabs.com/
http://www.seankuhnke.com/
http://joanieturbek.com/
Join us on Saturday, July 9th for an Opening Reception with a series of one-night only musical performances by Tom Viola (Navajo Land), Sgt. Quality (Andy Molholt) + other secret special performances TBA!!!!!
We at little berlin are proud to announce our first office residency due to take place starting Monday, June 27th through July 29th, 2011 at the art gallery in City Hall under the Department of Alternative Affairs. We will be sharing office space with Extra, Extra and FluxSpace. Visit the Department of Alternative Affairs online for more information. Office hours are Mon-Fri 10-4pm. Please come to visit. Many projects affiliated with the Department of Alternative Affairs are already in motion and will be cataloged online at the DAA’s website throughout the month. Opening Reception, Friday, June 24th 5-7pm, business casual attire recommended.
This exhibition is made possible by the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy.
Thursday, June 30th, 2011, little berlin will be hosting an exhibition from The Print Center’s Artists In Schools Program, No Vacancy. We are excited to show our support and view the artwork of these high school students, you should be too.
“The Print Center’s award winning Artists-in-Schools Program (AISP) will present an exhibition of student work from the 2010-2011 school year at Little Berlin. The exhibition will feature work by Philadelphia high school students made in collaboration with teaching-artists at Kensington Culinary Arts, Martin Luther King, Parkway School for Social Justice and South Philadelphia High Schools. NO/VACANCY investigates questions of environment, architecture and portraiture in Philadelphia neighborhoods affected by economic crisis, school privatization and other changes in the built environment of the city.”
- printcenter.org
