IRATIONAL.ORG
Tools, techniques and events 1996-2006
Daniel G. Andujar (Valencia/E), Rachel Baker (London/GB),
Kayle Brandon (Bristol/GB), Heath Bunting (Bristol/GB),
Minerva Cuevas (Mexico City/MEX), Marcus Valentine (Bristol/GB)
curated by Inke Arns and Jacob Lillemose
A project by Hartware MedienKunstVerein Dortmund
at CCA: The Centre for Contemporary Arts Glasgow
June 16 - July 21, 2007
Opening: Friday, June 15, 2007, 7-9pm
Have you ever taken part in International Tree
Climbing Day? Did you know that there is a
genetically modified "superweed" resistant to
current herbicides such as Roundup? How would you
react to the statement "Remember, language is not
free?" Have you ever heard of "Public Sculpture
Climbing" or the "Tour de Fence"? All of these
are projects that have taken form around the
server irational.org in recent years.
From June 16 - July 21, 2007, CCA: The Centre for
Contemporary Arts Glasgow shows “IRATIONAL.ORG
Techniques, Tools and Events 1996 - 2006". The
exhibition which was conceived in 2006 by
Hartware MedienKunstVerein and exhibited in the
2.200 sqm large PHOENIX Halle Dortmund unter the
title “The Wonderful World of irational. Tools,
Techniques and Events 1996-2006", has been
adapted to the exhibition spaces of the CCA
Glasgow. During the opening weekend from June
15-17, 2007, there will be various activities by
irational members in Glasgow.
irational
irational is a loose grouping of six
international net and media artists who came
together around the server irational.org, founded
by the British net artist Heath Bunting in 1996,
going on to make decisive contribution to early
net art from the mid-1990s onward. They include
Daniel Garcia Andújar / Technologies to the
People (E), Rachel Baker (GB), Kayle Brandon
(GB), Heath Bunting (GB), Minerva Cuevas / Mejor
Vida Corporation (MEX) and Marcus Valentine (GB).
With dry humor and minimal aesthetics, irational
commented the Internet hype of the mid-to-late
1990s, competing with the
commercialization-euphoria of the new market by
developing its own pseudo-ventures. Net art was
immediate during this period, neither needing nor
enjoying the safety of a mediating space or
instance. This is why irational often hit upon
humorless trademark attorneys, who wanted to keep
irational from using brand names such as 7-11,
American Express, Sainsbury's and Tesco. These
encounters, which the exhibition documents
extensively, were little more than a prelude to
more recent developments in the field of
copyright, intellectual property, and brand
protection. Heath Bunting was the first net
artist to retire in 1997, putting an end to his
exclusive work on the net and turning back to
more intensive work in public space, which the
Internet has become such an important part of
today. If the activities of irational during its
"net phase" were dedicated to calling virtual
boundaries into question, its members now
experiment with interrogating and overcoming
economic, political, and social boundaries in
real space, producing a great deal of comic
relief, among other things.
IRATIONAL.ORG in Glasgow
Never before have so many complex and relevant
artworks from around irational.org been shown in
such a comprehensive exhibition. The goal of the
exhibition is to use the media of a large-scale
showing, various activities in the urban space of
Glasgow, a panel discussion about “Sport Art",
and a comprehensive publication to make these
artistic-activist pieces more accessible to a
general public.
We would like to thank the Ministerpräsident des
Landes NRW for supporting the realisation of the
show in Glasgow. We are very happy about the fact
that with the CCA - Centre for Contemporary Arts
Glasgow an important art institution is taking
over the exhibition “Irational. Tools, Techniques
and Events 1996-2006" and would like to thank
Francis McKee and Kerri Moogan for their
enthusiasm.
Inke Arns, Jacob Lillemose
Susanne Ackers, Francis Hunger
* * *
IRATIONAL.ORG
Tools, techniques and events 1996-2006
Daniel G. Andujar (Valencia/E), Rachel Baker (London/GB),
Kayle Brandon (Bristol/GB), Heath Bunting (Bristol/GB),
Minerva Cuevas (Mexico City/MEX), Marcus Valentine (Bristol/GB)
u.a.
A project by Hartware MedienKunstVerein Dortmund
at CCA: The Centre for Contemporary Arts Glasgow
June 16 - July 21, 2007
Opening: Friday, June 15, 2007, 7-9pm
Exhibition
curated by Inke Arns, Jacob Lillemose
CCA: The Centre for Contemporary Arts Glasgow
Francis McKee, Artistic Director
Kerri Moogan, Programme Manager
Alan Kean, Gallery Manager
Kenny MacLeod, Production Manager
Louise Shelley, Office and Programme Assistance
Bec Carey-Grieve, General Manager
Catalogue
The second edition of “The Hartware Guide to
irational" is published on the occasion of the
taking over of the exhibition “irational. Tools,
Techniques and Events 1996-2006" by the CCA: The
Centre for Contemporary Arts Glasgow:
Susanne Ackers / Inke Arns / Francis Hunger /
Jacob Lillemose (eds.), The Hartware Guide to
irational.org, Revolver - Archiv fuer aktuelle
Kunst, Frankfurt am Main 2006, ISBN
3-86588-299-4, 18 Euro / 15 GBP
The exhibition at CCA Glasgow is supported by
The Scottish Arts Council
The Glasgow City Council
Der Ministerpraesident des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen
CCA: The Centre for Contemporary Arts Glasgow
350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3JD
http://www.cca-glasgow.com
Gallery Hours:
Tue - Sat: 11am - 6pm
Closed on Sun + Mon
--
Dr. Inke Arns
Künstlerische Leiterin / Artistic Director
Hartware MedienKunstVerein
Güntherstrasse 65 * D-44143 Dortmund
T ++49 (0) 231 - 823 106
F ++49 (0) 231 - 882 02 40
[log in to unmask]
www.inkearns.de
Don't miss these shows when travelling (to) Europe this summer:
/////// History Will Repeat Itself ////// Strategies of re-enactment
in contemporary (media) art and performance, HMKV at PHOENIX Halle
Dortmund/D, 9 June - 23 Sep 2007, www.hmkv.de
////// irational.org ////// Tools, Techniques and Events 1996-2006,
CCA Glasgow/GB, 16 June - 21 July 2007, www.cca-glasgow.com
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