XX Director's Diary 02_2008
How do long does it takes you to transition from the rush of love at first sight to strength of true love? If indeed, that is a transition you strive to make...There are all the joyous moments, but for me, greater truth is revealed after that first fight, after meeting each other's friends and families, after confessing how much is in our bank accounts and in the end, when we can articulate and decipher the dreams that guide our lives and what we have -- or have not done - all along, to make them a reality. The details can be worked on, but that deeper bond that waltzes you into the future is pure instinct.
It's all happened since I began working at Studio XX in November. I look forward to meeting more of the formidable 'Muses at Large' that have contributed to the Studio over the years, just as I look forward to seeing more of today's Muses knocking on our door with great work in tow. Studio XX is an amazing place, through and through. The integrity runs deep and the possibilities are as limitless as female creativity itself. The danger is clear when those infinite possibilities exceed human resources. Do less: achieve more, is our mantra for 2008.
Modern technology offers women brilliant avenues for self-expression and communication. The danger is clear when human interaction is replaced by virtual addiction. Using technology and imagery for evasion or facile seduction, is not difficult, in my view. Using those tools to connect with an audience in genuine, meaningful way - as an artist must - is a far trickier art. That's the gold we are after in 2008.
Studio XX is a place for discourse, connection and creation. Call us, visit the Lab, propose a project, take a class, bring in your gold. This Newsletter is the best place to determine how best to channel your longtime or embryonic dreams.
So, what is_was my dream? To produce an international Showcase of the best short films directed by women around the globe. Great shorts from all genres, any technique. Films with a great story and a true Director's eye. Why short films? Because it's that exciting arena where cutting-edge technology meets eternal narrative, where every frame must be essential. Particularly if it's 3D animation (Time/$). Last but not least, because statistically, the number of projects directed by women, around the globe, is still so shockingly small. Was that a measure of quantity or quality? I needed to know.
I put that dream into motion in 2005. In 2008, it has grown into The 3rd Annual WIFTI Short Film Showcase (www.wifti.org/2008sfs) featuring 9 stunning short films by today's top international women directors -- culled from 5 leading Festivals -- which will screen simultaneously in 20 cities worldwide, on International Women's Day. It is produced in collaboration with women with hearts as big as the world, and this year, with the added strategic support of the XX Team. You are cordially invited to the Montreal screening on Saturday, March 8 at 7 pm - one night only! We'll celebrate worldwide watching these magnificent works by and about women with Directors Geneviève Poulette (Montréal) and Denie Pentecost (Australia) as our Special Guests. Quite sincerely: may we waltz into the future...!
Seating is limited, so do reserve soon:
http://www.wifti.org/2008sfs/Email/newsletter_march8.html
Best,
Paulina Abarca-Cantin
International Women's Day: March 8
Metropolitan Montreal’s women’s centers will be marking International
Women’s Day at a large feminist event focusing around the theme Strong,
Proud, Influential and Versatile.
47 organizations will be gathered at UQAM on this Day.
Come and meet the Studio XX Team at Stand RMK08 from noon to 5PM. You will find information about the Studio’s activities, workshops and training sessions, programming initiatives, a presentation of the Matricules archival project, the xxxBoite book/DVD artifact marking the Studio’s 10 years as well as the launch of .dpi #11, Studio XX’s electronic publication, at 2 pm.
Saturday, March 8 from Noon to 5 pm
at Agora. Pavillon Judith-Jasmin at UQÀM — Stand RMK08
Entrance : Corner de Maisonneuve and St-Denis
Berri-UQÀM Metro
dpi Launch, issue no. 11
Image Streams, Memory Networks, signs of presence ?
Saturday, March 8th @2pm
at Agora. Pavillon Judith-Jasmin. UQÀM — Stand RMK08
Entrance : Corner de Maisonneuve and St-Denis
Metro Berri-UQÀM
The 11th edition of .dpi, Studio XX’s Electronic Magazine will focus on the constant flow of images which drive our societies and our lives (television, publicity, web). This new issue seeks to identify the new visual frontiers, questioning the new spaces created by the images which people our collective memory palaces, and also create Internet networks. Parallel articles will question the act of representation itself, as well as the signs and symbols around us. When other articles finally attach themselves to women’s images, women hiding like icons we don't truly want to see, hidden women are revealed in images.
Tribute
to Hélène Prévost
On Thursday, February 7th, Studio XX Board Vice-President Hélène Prévost was honored with a Lifetime Tribute. Montreal’s musical and radio phonic community gathered at the Society for Art and Technology (SAT) to pay homage and celebrate.
The event underscored the exceptional lifelong contribution of this Radio-Canada radio director and her inexhaustible passion and curiosity for new music in all its forms.
Photo : Mario Paquet and Hélène Prévost.
You will find an excerpt of Navire Night at this address :
http://www.radio-canada.ca/radio/navire/ and
more information about the event follows shortly.
Chantal Dumas. The event's artistic team and organizers, Monique Savoie, Chantal Dumas, Marie Marais and Micheline Richard.
Salon
Femmes br@nchées #67
Tara Rodgers + Magali Babin @ B-312
Thursday March 20th 2008, 8:00 PM,
Entrance Fee: 5$,
Galerie B-312, 372 Ste-Catherine Ouest, Suite 403
tara rodgers :: butterfly effects,
multichannel sound performance
magali babin :: onion router,
audio interactive performance with projection
beginning with a conversation with the artists
A Studio XX and Galerie B-312 Co-production.
Call for Proposals : Residency and Co-Production Programs at Studio XX
Studio XX accepts on-going submissions for its residency and co-production programs.
Deadline for 2008-2009 : March 31.
Projects selection is announced at the end of April of each year.
Studio XX has redefined its Residency and Co-Production Program in keeping with the diversity of approaches that have been brought about by new and multiple methodologies and processes being practiced by artists working with new media and the Web as creative platforms. Residencies are offered each year through three major axes identified below. We've done it in order to offer an improved context within which Québecois and Canadian women artists may conceptualize and create, and to better accommodate the evolving realities of contemporary networked practices.
Residency Program
This year, the residences are theme-free. All themes are eligible for consideration. That said, we favour projects taking into account the Studio's orientation and commitment to open source software.
*NEW*
The Matricules Project Residency
This new category of residency is centered around the use of the Studio XX archives as source material for a proposal. Last year, Studio XX embarked on a major archival project called Matricules which will allow the Studio to post all of its archival material to date online. It is at once an image bank and a depository of all of the Studio's writings and documentary footage to date.
Despite the fact that online access to these archives will only be available as of April 1, this should not prevent you from conceptualizing a proposal. All of the original source material is also available at the Studio. The Matricules Project is comprised of more than 3400 images files, sounds, videos, written critical texts and press releases documenting all our artistic streams: The Femmes Br@nchées Salons, The Artist Residencies, Co-productions and Collaborations, Projects and Special Events, training workshops, the HTMlles Festival, XX Files radio interviews and .dpi articles. The Matricules Project data base allows the user to cross-reference individual artists, events and documents, switching from one event to another. Matricules' main interface offers an image table of contents by event type and by month, providing historical trajectory of the Studio's activities.
This innovative prototype was developed with assistance from Koumbit's Drupal Content Management System (CMS): an open source tool for web site creation. From the beginning, the Matricules project was conceived as an interactive archive allowing users to modify or correct the Studio's written history, where necessary. When the site is completed, it will ultimately be a very powerful archival, presentation and interpretation tool for Studio XX's members.
Virtual Residency
In response to a growing demand by women artists working outside of the Montreal region wishing to explore the different possibilities of on-line and/or networked collaborations, Studio XX is in the process of elaborating the mechanics of Virtual Residencies in order to facilitate the creation of works via other networks.
Open Residency
Open and self-directed, these residencies offer access to women artists wishing to deepen the experimentation phase of projects they are currently developing.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION:
Studio XX favours interdisciplinary approaches and welcomes projects created or directed by women artists or collectives working in collaboration with other professionals. This axis responds to the growing number of trans-disciplinary projects and their inherent technological challenges and complexities. Selected projects must be undertaken using Studio's available resources (equipment, technical knowledge, financial resources).
All submissions are reviewed by a Selection Committee. Selection of applicants is also based on at least two out of the three following criteria:
- Offering significant support and at an important point of the artist's development
- Resonant with Studio XX's priorities in terms of technical experimentation
- Relevant, captivating expression of theoretical, political and/or social engagement
Residencies are eight weeks in length. For accepted proposals, Studio XX offers:
_A $750 artist's fee
_45 hours of technical support ($1125 value)
_Access to the Studio's equipment ($3335 rental value)
_Possibility to participate in certain group workshops ($200-300 value)
_Distinct working space for the artist and her instructor
Studio XX will disseminate the artist's project on its web site, with an artist's presentation to be given within its Femmes br@nchées Salon Series in the year following completion of the project. For participants working from afar, the presentation will take place on-line via streaming or chat. Residencies do not include travel costs and per diem, and the artist is responsible for her living arrangements while in Montreal.
To submit a residency proposal - Online registration :
http://www.studioxx.org/calls/residences_form_e.php
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Co-Production Program
All year long, Studio XX accepts co-production proposals from artists as well as from collectives and artist-organizations. Emerging and experienced artists working with new technologies and curators are invited to submit project ideas including technical specifications.
The Studio provides a Linux lab and Macs, video an digital audio resources. Projects are selected based on quality, the availability of the lab and technical requirements. Co-productions carried out at Studio XX demand full autonomy from the artists on both a conceptual and technical level. These residencies require autonomy on the conceptual and technical level but if necessary, the Studio can provide personalized technical support at the hourly rate of $25. The projects can stretch over a three-month period.
During the residency, the artists will have access to Studio XX's computer, video and digital audio equipment. They will also have access to available space on one of the large bandwidth servers - ideal for network experiments and webcasting - and to a dispatcher for wireless Internet connections. It will be necessary to provide a fixed schedule and to book time in the lab.
It is possible for the Studio to cover certain expenses for co-productions, such as training fees. The productions and co-productions are not housed on our web site but we do direct the artists towards servers that can accommodate their work. Studio XX actively seeks to program artworks produced within the co-productions at events as the Femmes br@nchées Salon series.
To submit a co-production proposal - Online registration :
http://www.studioxx.org/calls/coprods_form_e.php
Workshops
beginning in March 2008 at Studio XX:
3D MODELLING WITH BLENDER
Wednesday, March 12 until April 16, from 6pm - 9pm, 18 hours $ 275
Blender has its unconditional fans, because you can do almost anything with Blender: 3D modelling, rendering, montage, animation. This Open Source multi-platform software is now recognized by the videogame industry and on-going training is abundant online. Why deprive yourself for any longer? Come and continue to improve on what you have started learning online with our experienced teacher at the Studio.
Html, CSS and Design for Web 2.0
Thursday, March 13 until April 3, from 6pm - 9pm, 12 hours/ 200$
Html basics and and a good understanding of cascading style sheets will allow you to master the art of graphic design for the Web to create interesting layouts for your websites.
AUDIODIGITAL PRODUCTION WITH ARDOUR
Friday, March 14 until April 18 from 6pm - 9pm, 18 hours / $275
“You can use Ardour to record, edit and mix multitrack audio, produce your own CDs, mix sound tracks for video, experiment and work on multi-broadcasting installations, in short, have a good time. Ardour consists of: multitrack non-linear recording, non-destructive editing, total automation, a mixing console equipped like hardware equipment, numerous plug-ins that can be controlled by hardware. It carries out functions similar to ProTools, Nuendo, Cubase SX, Digital Performer, Samplitude or Sequoia (Mac Music) Except that Ardour is free!
To register for a workshop, please contact us via e-mail (ateliers@studioxx.org) mentioning the name of the workshop you would like to attend. Contact us at : ateliers @studioxx.org T. 514.845-0289
Matricules Project News
Our achival project is progressing smoothly: the team recently delivered a second phase report including our Beta site demo. The completion of the project is slated for the end of March. The Matricules Project was created with the support of Heritage Canada's Canadian Culture Online Program and in partnership with Koumbit (www.koumbit.org).
We have just received our newly printed edition of xxxboîte! It is available for purchase at the cost of $20.00 from the Studio. Online purchase are also available for our International members. Contact us for more information or consult the Press Release.
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A huge thank you to Sara Mandana Tizhouch, technician in charge of the digitalization of audio and video, for her detailed work on this project.
Sara completed the digitalization of several hundred video and audio clips from multiple formats.
Matricules Project Director and Studio XX Webmistress Stéphanie Lagueux and Annie Bonsaint will continue to work with koumbit to complete the storage of the Studio's content for this dynamic Web site.
In the photo : Sara Mandana Tizhouch, Stéphanie Lagueux and Annie Bonsaint
Listen to the XX Files!
The XX Files is the Studio’s weekly radio show exploring all aspects of the digital world from the perspective of the women living it. Tune in to CKUT Radio McGill 90.3 FM, and at www.ckut.ca, every Wednesdays from 11:30am to 12:00 pm, for the scoop on women and technology. The show is produced and hosted by Anita Cotic, beewoo and Valerie Walker.
The next show will present the second half of an interview produced by beewoo in New York with artist Ayah Bdeir (http://www.ayahbdeir.com).
Become an XX member !
Regular Membership $30,00
Community Membership* $50,00
Supporting Member $100,00 or more
* Reserved for non-profit organizations. All community memberships include 3
regular memberships.
Membership has many advantages:
- Small workshops in a friendly and supportive
environment
- Technical assistance
- Customized courses
- Open access to the computer lab
- Free admission to all Femmes Br@nchées Salons and to the HTMlles
Festival
- Newsletter informing you of all of our other activities and preferred information regarding equipment sales.
- Right to vote at our General Assembly
To become a Studio XX member : Download (PDF file), print and fill out the registration form and send it along with your check made to the order of Studio XX. You will receive a membership card and become a part of a great community.
www.48thparallelproject.com
This vibrant new website is a politically motivated, artistically driven network for feminists interested in challenging the status quo. Committed to showcasing female artists and their work, the 48th Parallel Project invites filmmakers, artists and writers to the site. The network's name was inspired by the fact that in a world-wide survey of women in elected governments, Canada ranked in the disappointing position of number 48!
http://www.48thparallelproject.com
