Current issue
May 2010 to September 2010
Investigating the relationships and boundaries between media art and visual art, this special issue of the Dialogue webzine links directly with the art strand of FutureEverything, a festival of art, music & ideas that takes place in Manchester, UK, 12-15 May 2010.
Delve into the history of media art, explore the work of visual artists that use digital media, zoom into the future with high speed connectivity and open data, and journey through the art strand with our festival blogger.
Articles, blogs, twitter and podcasts will expand on and extrapolate the experience of being at the festival or allow you to get involved if you can not attend.
This webzine issue will be a place for you to investigate how technology and digital media are part of, and directly impact on, contemporary art.
Use it to ask questions of our writers and contributors to further examine this subject and what it means to you.
INFORM
ARCHIVE: FutureEverything art programmeThe FutureEverything 2010 art programme continues FutureEverything's pioneering approach to contemporary art and the digital world. It features inspirational approaches to visualising data, urban interventions by leading figures in visual culture, and light sculptures toying with architectural form.
PROFILE
Art and Digital Space: Fab Labs and Media CitiesContributed by:
Drew HemmentGo on a journey from cyberpunk fiction, through iPhone apps and into a world of 3-D printers. Drew Hemment discusses the impact of digital technologies on artistic practice, and asks what major developments in the digital space mean for artists.
Photographic truthContributed by:
Michael ConnorTwenty years on from the launch of Photoshop Michael Connor looks at the work of three visual artists, all of whom use digital imagery in their practice, but who do so in a way that brings to the fore fundamental questions about the media that they are using.
DEBATE
Arguing for artists: Axis responds to cuts in arts fundingContributed by:
Sheila McGregorAt Axis we are keen to hear how cuts are affecting you already or may affect you in the future. We would also welcome your views about how we, together with other visual arts agencies, can lobby on behalf of the many artists and art professionals whose livelihoods are at stake in the current funding crisis. Here, Sheila McGregor, Axis Chief Executive, sets out our concerns. Please use the 'add a comment' feature below to let us know your views.
PODCAST: Art and Media Conversation eventContributed by:
Sam MercerListen and watch podcasts of the Art and Media Conversation event that explored the relationships and boundaries between media art and visual art, and was part of the FutureEverything art strand.
REVIEW
FutureArt and FutureEverythingContributed by:
Claire WelsbyJoin our blogger as she experiences first hand the art strand and conference at FutureEverything. Hopefully she will have packed plenty of her favourite Caramacs to sustain her, as she attempts to take in all things art at this year's festival and opens the door for you to contribute too.
THE RANT
Every other week one of our Ranters will delve into pressing topics currently affecting the contemporary art world
Rant 42: Leipzig painting: empty gestures?Contributed by:
Rosemary HogarthThe New Leipzig School of Painting is the most prominent art movement in the East German city of Leipzig. But British artist Rosemary Hogarth, who lives and works in the city, has a different take on this movement. She isn't so sure about the hyped realist painting that takes a strong moralistic standpoint; rather she sees it as insipid and lacking in substance.
Rant 40: And so, it starts...Contributed by:
John RileyOn Monday 26 July the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced the closure of the UK Film Council. John Riley gives us an overview of the UKFC and what its abolition might mean to artists working in film and video.
Rant 39: Get Real - What Makes You an Artist?Contributed by:
Alison SharkeyWhat, or who, decides if an artist is 'professional' or not? If you have another income to support your practice, does that make you an amateur, or worse still, a hobbyist? Alison Sharkey questions where the boundaries lie.
Rant 38: Striving for successContributed by:
Joyce CroninAre art students too focused on business and professional practice, to the detriment of experimentation? Will this year's crop of new graduates have ambitions of success that cannot be attained? Joyce Cronin looks at the expectations of artists
Rant 37: No Pay To PlayContributed by:
Andy AbbottThe No Soul for Sale festival of independents at Tate Modern in May has raised a plethora of concerns over explotiation of artists and fair payment. Andy Abbott joins the fray, but suggests that focus on fair pay might be at the cost of a deeper critique of the institutional art world.
Rant 36: Scrap the Degree ShowContributed by:
Pete HindleAre Degree Shows outmoded, old hat and irrelevant? What would a viable alternative be? As we head into the Degree Show season Pete Hindle expresses his views on this long established art tradition
Rant 35: The Emancipated SignContributed by:
Zachary ColbertHas technology really changed the balance of power between artist and institution? Zachary Colbert investigates what advantages there are for artists that utilise online resources and social media.