LABORATORY 01: Social Intervention
2008.11.15[Sat] – 12.10[Sun]
<Laboratory> is a multidisciplinary festival with exhibition, workshop, performance and seminar, which cultivates locally under appreciated genre of contemporary art. The gallery space transforms into a studio that international and local creative artists lead workshop and performance. Audience becomes an active participant and play a central role in exploring the topic.
The first topic 'Social Intervention' focus on tactical intervention in social situations, especially artistic approach into new media environment. While avoiding to be completely immersed by the technology and the new media, artists invite audience to become critically aware and humorously creative. <Laboratory 01: Social Intervention> is open for artists and practitioners who are interested in activist works in the new media environment.
[ Exhibition ]
|
11.15[Sat]-12.10[Wed] |
Dotplay Telecom(KR), Graffiti Research Lab(US), Jaewoo Oh(KR), Julius Von Bismarck(DE), Nanna Hyunjoo Choi(KR), Sangtae Jin(KR), The Yes Man(US), Yangachi(KR) |
[ Workshop ]
|
11.21[Fri] - 23[Sun] |
Tech as in Freedom | Chris Csikszentmihályi |
|
11.27[Thu]-29[Sat] |
Scrapyard Challenge Workshop | Jonah Brucker-Cohen & Katherine Moriwaki |
|
12.2[Thu] - 6[Sat] |
Urban Programming 201 | Taeyoon Choi |
|
12.7 [Sun] |
ccRealMixter | CC Salon in Seoul |
[ Performance ]
|
11. 15 [Sat] 6:30 pm |
Surveillance Opera: 007 | Yangachi |
|
11.17[Mon]-22[Sat] |
Image Fulgurator | Julius Von Bismarck |
|
12.7 [Sun] 8 pm |
ccRealMixter | CC Salon in Seoul |
[Artist Talk]
|
11.16 [Sun] 5 pm |
Julius Von Bismarck |
|
11.20 [Thu] 7 pm |
Chris Csikszentmihályi |
|
11.27 [Thu] 7 pm |
Jonah Brucker-Cohen & Katherine Moriwaki |
|
10.30 [Sun] 5 pm |
Taeyoon Choi |
[Round Talk]
|
every [Wed] 7 pm |
Various artists and engineers |
Organizer: Gallery SangSangMaDang
Venue: KT&G SangSangMaDang 2F, Gallery
Information: 02-330-6223 | gallery@ssmadang.com
From 2008.11.15 to 12.10, Gallery Sangsangmadang will operate as a laboratory for artists and audiences to think about a specific issue. The exhibition transforms the space into a temporary studio, workshop, and archive. We ask audiences not to remain as passive viewers. Audience members are invited to discuss the topic, dive into critical thinking, start conversations, provoke new ideas, and find issues of their own. Laboratory will be an open platform for like-minded participants who would like to continue sharing information in the future.
<Social Intervention>, the laboratory's first topic, focus on the methods of artistic practice as an 'intervention' to the social situations. New Media and technology environment, experienced mostly by the young people, will be closely explored through various topics. If we get used to the convenience created the Techonology, we take it for granted and become obedient. We give up rational attempt to discover phenomenon behind the surface of technology. We happily settled down as a passive receiver of sensation.
The power of social change brought by the advancement of technology is greater than our imagination. Although we are often deeply immersed in the comfort of the familiar, change brings unexpected shock. Through dramatic events, such as the FIFA World Cup masses cheering, the South Korean Presidential Election in 2002, and candlelight protests in 2008, we have experienced culture shock based on media. Consequently, the ruling class' attempt to control the situation using the same media and technology has been violently prosecuted. Technology and media is deeply embedded in our thoughts, life, and culture. It is threatening to discover that most media technology is strategically designed to control the individual. In light of the given context, Laboratory: Social Intervention focuses on the individuals who are not obedient in this situation, the culture of Open Source where users play the central role, and the philosophy of hacking; reversing meaning and changing context through creative practices.
Laboratory is not about teaching the young people about a political ideology. It rather aims to open up a critical mind about changing technology and media and to deal with a special 'attitude' with a sense of humorous imagination. We hope these happenings reach beyond the inner community of artists. This event is open to artists and a wide variety of practitioners interested in media environment and active participation within it.
Lastly, Laboratory: Social Intervention proposes a variety of open ended questions. Can social intervention as an artistic practice appeal to the general public and become a catalyst to deliver critical and free thinking? How much does the general public of South Korea understand and have interest in Open Culture and Open Source? Does sharing and free distribution of artistic mediums and work bring positive or negative influence? Are media and technology changing our life and environment in an urban experience? Is it possible and necessary to distinguish between UCC-generated entertainment and Open Art work? We will continue to deliver more questions and explore the diverse happenings and stories which artists and practitioners are currently creating.
