02 Apr 2010

ZER01 presents Contemporary Arts Biennial in Silicon Valley

Question:
What do Rockwell Group, video memento mori, artist Rigo23, multimedia opera, collector Dennis Scholl, robotic sculpture, Adobe Systems Inc., inter-species food, the sound of climate change, DIY practice, cellist Zoë Keating, complex biological systems, tomato-based audio emissions, interactive architectural systems, and Blast Theory all have in common?

Answer:
They're Building New Worlds of Experience at the 01SJ Biennial

March 2010 - San Jose, CA – ZER01: The Art and Technology Network announces the 01SJ Biennial–'Build Your Own World', which will take place from September 16-19, 2010, in San Jose, CA., the heart of Silicon Valley. The 3rd 01SJ Biennial is a multi-disciplinary, medium agnostic contemporary art festival that focuses on the nexus of art, technology and digital culture. Curated by Artistic Director Steve Dietz, the 01SJ Biennial brings together a selection of artwork that not only changes the way a city looks, but changes how it responds to the behavior of a city's inhabitants.

ZER01's 2010 01SJ Biennial programming is geared around the notion that artists can, and do, act as change-agents through the use of technologies in their artwork. Whether these technologies are natural resources, simple or advanced tools, they all have the capability to challenge the norm, raise public awareness, encourage curiosity, and influence societal actions and perceptions. At its core, the 01SJ Biennial is about what artists can do at the intersection of art, technology and digital culture to build a better world.

Comprised of contemporary artists, designers, engineers, filmmakers, data miners, architects, non-profit organizations and corporations, the 01SJ Biennial will unveil projects throughout Silicon Valley and San Francisco during this 4 day Biennial. Turning San Jose, the heart of Silicon Valley and the 01SJ Biennial, into an art and technology playground, 01SJ will include nearly 50 new art commissions, exhibitions, public art, street celebrations, music, film, performances, symposiums, panels, and parallel programs at partner institutions.

This year's 01SJBiennial will feature work by such renowned artists as David Rockwell and Rockwell Group, Rigo23, Blast Theory, Futurefarmers, Teddy Cruz, Natalie Jeremijenko, Chico MacMurtrie, Luke Jerram, Tim Hawkinson, Grahame Weinbren, and many others. Together, their participation will express how individuals and communities have the power to build our own world and change everyone's in the process.

01SJ BIENNIAL HISTORY
Launched in 2006 in conjunction with the 13th International Symposium of Electronic Art (ISEA2006), the 01SJ Biennial, led by Executive Director, Joel Slayton and Artistic Director, Steve Dietz, is the largest art and technology biennial in North America and –– with over 45,000 attendees at the 2nd Biennial in 2008 — it is emerging as one of the most significant events of its kind worldwide.

2010 01SJ BIENNIAL THEME:
The theme of the 2010 01SJ Biennial is 'Build Your Own World.' The 2010 01SJ Biennial is predicated on the notion that as artists, designers, engineers, architects, corporations and citizens we have the tools to (re)build the world—in both large and small ways. Notes Biennial Artistic Director Dietz, 'This year's Biennial is about how powerful ideas and innovative individuals from around the world can make a difference and come together to build a unique, citywide platform for creative solutions and public engagement. It is about imagination feeding the inspiration needed to build a world we want to live in and are able to live with.'

Among 2010 01SJ Biennial projects that endeavor to build new worlds and thus lend credence to the concept of art as useful change-agent, are Rockwell Group, which examines what public space means in a hybrid age, to Luke Jerram's North American debut of Play Me I'm Yours, which strategically places dozens of pianos throughout the city for participatory play, to the City of San Jose's Public Art Program project ColoniaTechne by the BIO Design Collective that explores the qualities shared between complex biological systems like coral, to collaborative distribution networks found in digital culture.

HOW IT ALL COMES TOGETHER: 01SJ BIENNIAL
Theme: 'Build Your Own World'
01SJ Biennial Opens: September 16, 2010 in San Jose, California
Opening Ceremony: September 16, 2010 at San Jose City Hall
Closes: September 19, 2010
Total Expected Attendance: 50,000

In the art biennial tradition, the 01SJ Biennial, with 'Build Your Own World' as the Biennial's central curatorial theme, will take place in a variety of locations that extend beyond the classic gallery, museum, and cultural spaces, to public and private venues that permeate the landscapes of Silicon Valley. The focal point of these activities will be housed in the San Jose Convention Center's South Hall. Featuring nationally and internationally recognized contemporary artists, designers, architects, and engineers, 01SJ Biennial Artistic Director, Dietz notes, 'The 2010 01SJ Biennial is slated to be the most provocative and relevant Biennial that ZER01 has produced. Beyond the fact that we'll be presenting new commissions from some of the world's most creative artists, the Biennial theme will shape a fascinating and revealing exploration of how we as individuals can chose to use technology, as both producers and consumers, in creative ways that make a difference about the future of our society as a whole. And of course, the collaborative curatorial model and extensive partnerships for the 2010 Biennial make it a true community partnership with global impact.'


01SJ BIENNIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The upcoming 2010 01SJ Biennial includes extensive programming taking place during the core dates of the festival—September 16th-19th. Prior to the festival and, in the case of some exhibitions, programming continues through the fall of 2010. The focal point of the Biennial is the 80,000 square foot South Hall exhibition space. Additional Biennial programming and events will take place throughout public and private spaces of Silicon Valley, as well as neighboring San Francisco.

All of the Biennial's commissioned art works utilize some form of technology, be it experimental, advanced or seemingly simple tools, and address—from a variety of vantage points—the ways and means with which we can build our own worlds, including through the utilization of technologically-enhanced capabilities ranging from amorphic robotics, ecological locomotion, bio-music, locative storytelling and interactive signage, to more futuristic visions of life through a multimedia opera, and radically re-imagined architecture.

The Biennial consists of 4 basic sections:

1) Exhibitions: Features Out of the Garage Into the World, presented in San Jose Convention Center's South Hall, an 80,000 square foot space serving as the 01SJ Biennial's main exhibition venue. Out of the Garage Into the World includes commissioned Biennial art projects and a series of public workshops; Future Films, featuring a drive-in theater of salvaged cars for screenings; plus 01SJ Biennial partner exhibitions and parallel programming in galleries and other cultural venues throughout Silicon Valley and San Francisco
2) Interactive City: 01SJ Biennial projects are located in multiple places throughout the city, and in one manner or another all of the artworks interact with the environs within which the artists have installed them, including dramatic large-scale art commissions by Rockwell Group and by artist Ken Gregory at San Jose's City Hall; Participatory Play, think gaming on a city-wide scale permeating the streets, and Biennial and City of San Jose commissioned Public Art Projects in both traditional and unexpected locations
3) Events: Throughout the Biennial, programmed events will include music & performance, AbsoluteZER0 the Biennial's DIY evening street festival, Green Prix a ZER01 curated eco-conscious transportation rally, as well as ticketed events
4) Ideas Track: Featuring a keynote, symposium, artist talks, a collector's panel, and lectures.

In summary the 01SJ Biennial will present:

• Over 20 exhibitions, with works by more than 100 artists, including nearly 50 new art commissions by art, design and music luminaries Rockwell Group, Blast Theory, Natalie Jeremijenko, MTAA, Randall Packer, Rigo23, and many others, as well as the North American debut of Luke Jerram's Play Me project and Chico MacMurtrie's Amorphic Robots
• A virtual interactive city of more than 20 commissioned projects from cascading waterfalls and interactive city plazas, to outdoor 'piano bars' and Still Life with Banquet an epicurean dinner and video memento mori
• Dozens of performances and events by nearly 100 artists, including Future Films in the DIY Empire Drive-In, a SoFA district AbsoluteZER0 evening event, and an all-day eco-locomotion Green Prix with projects that include a mobile park and electric Porsche
• Keynote speaker, a 2-day symposium, a collector's panel, and dozens of artist talks in the Speak Hard lounge located in South Hall

For more detailed information on the 01SJ Biennial, including a Festival schedule and a list of participating artists, history, Biennial partners, and leadership bios
go to zero1.org/2010/press-release/byow.


ART, TECHNOLOGY, DIGITAL CULTURE, AND THE 01SJ BIENNIAL
Central to ZER01's mission is the belief that the technological innovations emerging from Silicon Valley will not only expand our notions of the boundaries of art, but also illuminate how to become more socially and culturally responsible. Working with some of the most fertile and creative minds from the worlds of art, design, architecture and technology, the 01SJ Biennial provides a forum for transcending traditional boundaries and disciplines, provoking a critical understanding of contemporary culture, and inspiring new ways of looking at—even operating in—the world.

'ZER01 is a 21st century arts non-profit and a catalyst for global cultural relevancy for Silicon Valley,' states Joel Slayton, ZER01's Executive Director. 'ZER01 mirrors the region's reputation as a world-class center for creativity and innovation, and is the platform in Silicon Valley for artistic experimentation that engages the world.'

Punctuated by the real and conceptual landscapes of San Jose and Silicon Valley—and the premium it puts on talent, creative thinking, intellectual risk taking and unbridled innovation—ZER01 and the Biennial are both humbled and proud to be part of a tradition capable of making such enormous contributions to the cause that is modernity.