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New media artists from
Finland exhibit in Brussels
THE PROJECT:
F2F New Media Art from Finland, an international arts event
with venues in major North American cities throughout 2000-03.
The tour is making its last stop in Brussels, Belgium Oct
24th- Dec 5th, 2003. F2F [internet acronym for face to face
communication] consists of screenings, exhibitions and media
art events, collaborations through the Internet; lectures,
discussion forums and workshops, as well as artist-in-residence
exchanges.
The focal point of F2F is a touring exhibition presenting
works by contemporary media artists. All participating artists
are from Finland, a pioneer nation in digital and wireless
communications with a rich heritage in design and the arts.
The interactive installations of F2F combine the most innovative
uses of new technology with a sincere, yet playful consideration
for human sensitivities in the age of technology. The artists
have experimented with such advanced technical solutions as
movement sensors and custom made computers. The exhibition
explores three specific themes the border between
digital and analog expression, social interaction in the digital
era, and new digital worlds.
F2F blurs the boundaries of technology and artistic content,
as well as the line between means of expression and audience
input. The interactive and experimental installations are
out of the box and off the screen. Organic, textural, and
minimalist in their approach, they encourage the audience
to interact with the artwork.
ARTISTS:
The following artists and their work participated in the original
North American F2F Tour: Aquarium by Teijo Pellinen &
Co.: Hame [a dress] by Laura Beloff & Maex Decker; mirror++
by Juha Huuskonen; Mother, Child by Heidi Tikka; SOB by Marita
Liulia; hit2Morrow by Kristian Simolin; Need by Tuomo Tammenpää;
and Battle over Indifferent Minds by Hanna Haaslahti. F2F
Bruxel has been updated, presenting two entirely new works:
Hanna Haaslahti s White Square
and Tuomo Tammenpää s Brandbody.
Huuskonen s mirror++, Pellinen s Aquarium, Simolin s
hit2Morrow, and Tikka s Mother, Child are also presented
in Brussels.
CATALOGUE:
The F2F catalogue, published in September 2002, contains,
F2F was asked to exhibit also in Brussels.
ORGANIZERS:
The F2F exhibition has been curated by Marko Tandefelt in
collaboration with Bryn Jayes; The production was coordinated
by Juulia Kauste. The exhibition architecture andcommentaries
by North American and Finnish media scholars and critics.
The writers reflect on the challenges and potentials of the
contemporary information society, and ponder the role of new
media art in it. The F2F catalogue is a large up-to-date presentation
of the contemporary Finnish new media arts.
EXHIBITION TOUR:
The official opening of the exhibition took place in Los Angeles
in September 2000. The exhibition tour also included Washington
DC in February 2001, Toronto in October 2001, Montreal in
April-June 2002 and New York in October-November 2002. Due
its success in North America F2F visual look is by designer
Ilkka Suppanen. F2F Bruxel: New Media Art from Finland exhibition
is organized and produced by Finnish Foundation for the Visual
Arts (FFVA) in New York and Interactive Media Art Lab (iMal)
in Brussels. F2F Bruxel is based on FFVA's initial North American
touring exhibition originally realized in partnership with
the Embassy of Finland, Washington DC.
SUPPORT:
F2F Bruxel has been generously supported by AVEK, CGRI, City
of Brussels, Communauté français, Ministry of
Education in Finland and organized in cooperation with City
of Brussels as part of festival MaïS and Finnish Cultural
Institute for Benelux.
The original North American tour of F2F: New Media Art from
Finland was made possible by Sonera, Unisys and William and
Gloria Jackson. Additional funding was provided by Apple Finland,
the Arts Council of Finland, DPS Inc. and Ministry for Foreign
Affairs in Finland.
INFORMATION:
For more information about F2F Bruxel, please contact Yves
Bernard, Director, iMAL, tel: +32 2 213 37 10, yb@imal.org
Irma Hjelt, Director, Finnish Cultural Institute for Benelux,
tel: +32 3 23 18 75, irma.hjelt@finncult.be
or Juulia Kauste, Executive Director, Finnish Foundation for
the Visual Arts, tel. +1-212-674 5570, ffvanyc@aol.com
Visit also the exhibition website at www.f2fmedia.net
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