Director's Diary – Summer 2009
“Your
work is
to discover your work
and then with all of your heart to give yourself
to it” – Buddha
First, my thanks to the fabulous Studio XX Team and Board, our members,
teachers, contributors and collaborators, Partners and volunteers for
their very hard work and dedication to Studio XX this season.
If you are reading these lines, it's probably because of the powerful contribution you made to this organization. Please accept the POV project and the 15th edition of .dpi as fruits of our labour and tokens of thanks.
Action and inspiration were in abundance at XX -- the
challenges included balancing precious time against the velocity of our
evolving art form, satisfying our love of learning, knowing when and
when not to cap the limitless possibilities of many of this season's
projects, updates, travels and translations, simultaneous grants and
budgets due and, being put to the ultimate test of having our server
hacked at the worst possible time!
Never underestimate the importance of a deep breath, a good laugh and
your truly essential narrative, the Universe seemed to say! And so, our
story goes...
Next season is a thing of beauty and we look forward to
kicking it off with you at the first edition Citizen
Media Rendezvous on August 26th at the SAT, followed by a new
presentation by the From China to
Quebec Collective and Christine
Brault for the Journées
de la culture.
Our Programming and Editorial Committees have chosen to focus
on the theme of Resistance
in 09/10. Resistance
will be approached as a position that finds its place within an
activist sphere. Resistance is a state of mind, a form of action, a
political position and a critique that is based on a certain set of
ideals. It can be practiced at any moment: it is a part of daily life
and relies on small actions. Janna
Graham, Jessica MacCormack and Audrey Samson will
be our Artists in Residence, the wholly original Digital
Ludology
projects will be launched to the public and last but not least, details
about applications to the 2010
HTMlles Festival follow soon.
Have a magical summer with a truly essential narrative!
Paulina Abarca-Cantin
Workshops at Studio XX this Fall
Registrations will be
accepted as of September 2nd, 2009
For information: 514.845.0289 or via email: ateliers at studioxx.org
-- Please note that you must be or
become a member of
Studio XX in
order to enroll in our workshops.
Workshop with Senior Animator VIRPI KETTU
The workshop will be given in English
ANIMATION refers to multiple techniques used to create moving
images. Animation is the art of creating illusions and characters on
paper, film and with digital media. Making something talk and move to a
sound; there are many possibilities to achieve this goal, this, from
manual camera techniques to using computer software.
This workshop introduces ways to use a still camera with capture
programs, as well as with animation software. This workshop is an easy
and fun way to understand movement in frames while learning about the
infinite possibilities using different techniques to fulfill a “live”
artistic point of view.
OBJECTIVE: To offer a basic understanding of animation, its functions and techniques. To offer tools allowing participants to create animations independently.
Virpi Kettu was born in Finland
and grew up with Russian and Eastern European animations. She has a
Graphic Arts degree from The Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Poland,
and studied animation at The Visby Animation School, Sweden. She
subsequently worked for six years with Aardman Animation (Wallace
&Gromit, Creature Comforts), the BBC and Bolex Brothers in
Bristol, England. Her work on animated TV series includes Rick and Steve-The Happiest Gay
Couple, (Nerdland-pilot) and Virpi most recently made and
animated puppets appearing in the Québec-made feature film Dédé : à travers les brumes.
Virpi Kettu loves animating music videos: Radiohead’s “There There”, The
Knife’s “Marbel House”,
Turbo Negro’s “City of
Satan”, Pierre Lapointe’s “2X2” ...and more.
Virpi Kettu is an all-around Animator.
www.youtube.com/virpikettu
* Dates: Tuesday evenings from 6:00 – 9:00 PM // September 17th - October 8, 2009
* Cost: $225.00 (includes GST and TVQ)
Five Professional Development Training Workshops for Artists and Cultural Workers
Studio XX will offer five professional development workshops to be given by experts in the field of art and multimedia, intended for artists and cultural workers from Montréal. 1
These professional workshops offered at Studio XX are generously sponsored by Emploi Québec and are offered at a 10th of their market price.
1. Digital Ludology: Artistic Exploration of Creativity in Video Games
with Blender 3D and its Open Source Game Engine
This workshop offers participants the opportunity to broaden their understanding of digital art by developing the interactive components of their work. Participants will explore specialized tools from the world of video gaming.
Participants will have the chance to explore the different
components of an interactive game project. Theoretical aspects of
design relating to the construction, content and interactive concept
development will be explored to optimize the game structure in the
artist's works. Those who wish to broaden their proficiency with moving
images using Open Source software will be thrilled by the versatility
of Blender 3D and its game engine.
The workshop is ideally suited for artists who have practical
experience in media arts (web, video, audio and installation) wishing
to develop interactive components and expressive content for their work
through game play structure.
Topical presentations by professionals from the industry will be
scheduled to coincide on appropriate dates during the course.
Presentations by artists like Heather
Kelley and Cindy
Poremba from Kokoromi.com, Marc Roberge from
INIS, Gregory Chatonsky
artist and teacher at le Fresnois, and Isabelle Arvers game
art curator, will address interactive scriptwriting, critical and
theoretical issues.
*Format: Artists will acquire a solid foundation in animation, 3D
character modeling, texture environments and an initiation to the "Open
Source" play generator of Blender 3D.
Participants will learn the key technical components required for a 3D production:
- Modeling : Lighting, texture, materials and colours.
- Animation: Armature and animation techniques
- Real-time workflow incorporated into the game engine for Blender 3D and Proce55ing
* Prerequisite: Basic computer knowledge and the desire to have fun!
* Dates: Wednesday evenings from 6PM to 9PM // from September 30th to December 16th, 2009 and from January 6th to March 24th, 2010
* Cost: $225 per session (includes GST and TVQ)
2. Autonomy and Activism: Multimedia authoring with Linux and Open
Source Software.
The workshop
will give artists
the opportunity to discover and develop the creative potential of
multimedia design on the Linux platform. Participating
artists will conceive and create a project and become proficient with
the latest and most popular multimedia Open Source applications
(freeware with Open Source code). Participants will work in a quickly
evolving and dynamic creative space adapting the tools that are
appropriate for them. Workshop sessions will feature talks,
demonstrations and directed work.
Introduction to image
processing with The Gimp (12h) : An introduction to image
processing and image manipulation with GIMP freeware.
Linux Training and
UbuntuStudio “Install fest” (12h) : This introductory
course aims to demystify the Linux operating system as well as other
Freeware. By the end of this course, participants will be able to
configure and adapt their operating system and be able to acquire and
install the freeware that corresponds to their needs. The aim of this
course is to make Linux more accessible to artists by giving them the
opportunity to immediately put into practice what they have learned.
Participants will also learn how to obtain a « Live » operating system
like UBUNTU and UBUNTUSTUDIO which runs from a CD.
Initiation to creating
Web pages with WordPress (30h) : Introduction to creating
Web sites with WordPress, the system for dynamic content management.
Participants will produce a Web site to showcase a portfolio of their
work such as: digital images, animations, video and sound.
* Prerequisite: The desire to work with free software.
* Dates:
Thursday evenings from 6:00 – 9:00 PM // October
22nd to December 18th,
2009 and from January 7th to February 19th, 2010
* Cost: $200 each session (includes GST + TVQ)
3. Media Space: Instruction on MAX-MSP and Micro-controllers
This workshop will give artists the chance to
realize a multi-media artwork wile learning theoretical and practical
knowledge of the multiple components in a multi-media work: sound,
video, interactivity, Internet, programming software (MAX/MSP Jitter)
and physical programming (electronic circuit, ARDUINO
micro-controller). Instructor and media artist Patrice Coulombe
will guide participants through the process of learning the
software. Emphasis will be on the essential
techniques and notions of MAX/MSP and participants will learn and
master elements including: sound options, video manipulation, and
physical interactivity. Any formatting or practical creative questions
that arise during the workshops will be discussed. Artists will have
free time access in the laboratory to fully develop the media
components of their works. By the end of the workshop, artists will
have mastered the necessary tools and skills to fully develop all the
media components of their work.
Format: * Courses have
a supervised workshop component. 2 sessions of 10 classes are offered.
The first session will focus on learning MAX/MSP and Jitter through
projects that implement sound and video. The second session will
primarily focus on learning programming and concentrate on the
technical aspects (sensors and electronic circuits) at an intermediate
level of MAX/MSP.
* Prerequisite: A basic
knowledge of computers and multimedia applications is recommended.
Programming experience is an advantage. Participants should have a
simple project they will work on during the workshop.
* Dates: Sunday
afternoons from 1:00 – 4:00 PM // from
October 4th - December 6th, 2009
and from January 10th to February 14th, 2010.
* Cost: $225 per session (includes GST + TVQ)
4. Digital Audio Workshop: Open Source with Ardour2
During this workshop participants will discover and develop the creative potential of Ardour2, the Linux-based Open Source software for digital audio processing. Participants will create and design a sound project using free tools they will learn to use.
Each aspect of the program's functionalities will be covered: Editing, mixing, recording, audio mastering and synchronization with other software as well the use of free plug-ins. The filters and plug-ins included in Ardour2 are written by hundreds of programmers around the world in the freeware community and offer users a much wider and original range of effects than with the substantially more expensive proprietary software. Participants will learn how to configure all the audio tools to use Ardour and be introduced to reliable peripherals supported by Linux for studio work with Ardour2. Audio cards, MIDI keyboards and surface controls will be presented during this workshop geared for participants familiar with digital audio creation and wishing to upgrade their skills.
* Format: Instruction will be in a workshop setting, where each participant will create audio edits using the techniques taught by the instructor. All stages involved in the production of a complete audio work will be covered.
* Pre-requisite: Basic computer skills, notions of digital audio are a plus.
* Dates: Friday
evenings from 6:00 - 9:00 PM // from
November 6th to December 18th, 2009
and from January 7th to February 19th, 2010.
* Cost: $155 per session (includes GST + TVQ)
5. Dynamic Website Conception (Web 2.0) with the Drupal Content
Management System.
Why make a static website that requires expensive tools when you can make a dynamic one using online Open Source software? In this workshop dynamic websites made with web-based applications called content-management systems (CMS) will be introduced and explained. Participants will learn to install, customize and style an easy-to-update and maintain website using Drupal, a well-known Open Source software.
* Pre-requisite: Basic knowledge of computers and the Internet
* Dates: Tuesday evenings from 6:00 – 9:00 PM //
from October 6th to December 8th, 2009
* Cost: 225$ (includes GST and TVQ)
+++
A selection of the works created in the context of these 4 workshops will be presented over the course of the upcoming year during Salons Femmes br@nchées and/or the international Biennale HTMlles at Studio XX.
For information: 514.845.0289 or via email : ateliers at studioxx.org
1 Men are welcome on a space-available basis.
Presentation of Digital Ludology Projects
The Studio XX Team congratulates artists Myriam Bizer, Ginger Coons, Stéphanie Lagueux, Sandra Lavoie, Jonathan L'Écuyer and Allison Moore on the completion of their interactive projects, realized over the course of the 08-09 season as part of the Digital Ludology commissioned artworks workshop. We look forward to presenting these works to our members and the general public in the Fall!
Launch: 15th issue of Studio XX's Electronic Journal .dpi
The fifteenth issue of .dpi, the third in a trilogy on the theme of archiving, explores the paradoxical question of personal archives. Focusing on virtual characters seems to be an ideal way to address this question. How are artistic and literary creation extended through the medium of a virtual character? What are the effects of personal archives on the person who keeps this character alive? How do Web 2.0 tools affect, to a very large extent, our identities? And what is the role of an art curator in the virtual world?
In this issue:
Editorial Virtual
Characters: Artistic Creations and Personal Archives on the Web 2.0.
:: By Paule Mackrous
Features
- Spectator of Despair (there’s nothing I can do).
By Albertine Bouquet - Diary of an Art Critic in the era of Web 2.0. Public meeting with the Artist. By Margherita Balzerani
- The Hell of Other “Selves:” Personal Identity and
Digital Archives
By Fanny Georges
Chronicles
- Le partage sur le Web : personnages virtuels et
Web 2.0 selon Martine Neddam
Par Paule Mackrous - La Chrysalide Humaine
Par Jeanne Landry-Belleau - Chronique « Dans l’atelier » avec Manon de Pauw
Par Tania Perlini
+ Call for Papers: .dpi
#16. Theme: "Resistance & Time"
Deadline for
submissions: September 18, 2009
Final texts must be submitted (about 2250 words) by: October 19, 2009
Public launch: End of
October 2009
There’s never enough time, or so we’re told. However, all we really have is time. The impression that time’s a-wastin’ comes from our stressful and time-obsessed environments. To resist time is to transcend it. Time can be transcended by an immediate resistance to the structure of society: only then can we understand that our day-to-day lives are only one form of time. Time can be transcended by resisting the spatial, because we know that time and space are two parts of the same force. Artists have always wanted to create the effect of playing with gravity and thereby giving their audience a sense of time that is beyond our perception normally. Time can be transcended in maintaining inertia. By putting the body to the test of patience, we can experience time in another way. Paradoxically, we live at a time where speed and slowness are equally popularized. The ideas expressed in the Resistance & Time issue will also include the principle of Obstinate Memory (film by Patricio Guzman on the Chilean dictatorship), meaning that we can’t just let time pass. We must resist those that forbid memory; that force us to forget. To resist time is to create a collective memory that resists oblivion.
We encourage artists and theorists inspired by this theme to send a short summary of a proposed article (300 words) accompanied by a short biographical paragraph (100 words). All types of textes will be accepted (essay, critique interview)
Please send your proposals to: programmation at dpi.studioxx.org
Call for Proposals: Compagnie F - 2009-2010
Corrid’Art Sylviane Poirier de Compagnie F invite les femmes artistes œuvrant dans les domaines de l’art visuel (peinture, dessin, photographie, vidéo, installation, sculpture, architecture) à soumettre des projets d’expositions pour l’année 2009-2010.
Votre dossier doit comprendre :
- texte décrivant votre intention de recherche et vos motivations (250 mots maximum)
- démarche artistique
- curriculum vitae (3 pages maximum)
- documentation visuelle de votre travail avec description (10-15 images numériques, sur cd-rom ou 1 bande audio/vidéo DVD.
Corrid’Art offre :
- exposition d’une durée de 5-7 semaines
- vernissage
- carton d’invitation et affiches
Seront retenues des propositions qui font preuve
d’originalité,
qu’elles proviennent de créatrices chevronnées ou en début de
carrière. 
Corrid’Art Sylviane Poirier de Compagnie F a été créé pour promouvoir l’art au féminin: mettre en valeur le travail des femmes artistes et leur permettre d’être vues et reconnues au sein des milieux culturels montréalais.
Créé en 1997, Compagnie
F est un organisme à but non lucratif qui a
pour mission d’accompagner les femmes dans leur démarche
entrepreneuriale, en offrant des programmes de formation,
d’accompagnement individuel, de promotion et des activités de
réseautage. Compagnie F offre une formation dédiée exclusivement aux
artistes et artisanes. La formation Art-Affaires, accompagne les
artistes et leur donne des outils pour mieux gérer leur carrière et
vivre de leur art. www.compagnie-f.org
Corrid’Art Sylviane Poirier de Compagnie F
6323, Saint-Hubert
Montréal (Qc) H2S 2L9
tkvintradze at compagnie-f.org
Tamara Kvintradzé T.514.381.7333 # 203
Become an XX member !
Membership fees are:
Regular Membership $40,00
Community Membership* $60,00
Supporting Member $100,00 or more
* Reserved for non-profit organizations.
All community memberships
include 3 regular registrations.
** Includes GST + TVQ
Your membership will allow Studio XX to pursue pertinent and innovative projects and respond more adequately to the needs of people such as yourself. Members enjoy privileges such as:
- Small workshops in a friendly and supportive environment
- Technical assistance
- Customized courses
- Open Access to The XX Computer Lab
- Private and personalized workspace on our local server
- Free or reduced admission to all Femmes Br@nchées Salons, mini conferences and the HTMlles Festival
- Newsletter informing you of all of our other activities and preferred information regarding equipment sales.
- Right to vote at our Annual General Assembly
To become a member of Studio XX : Download (PDF file), print and fill out the registration form and send it along with your cheque made to the order of Studio XX. You will receive a membership card and become a part of a great community.
