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Medi@terra 2002

4th International Art and Technology Festival

New Platforms of Spectacle, Communication and Resistance

6-15 December 2002

Call for projects

If "the medium was the message", the platform is the message of the message and the weakening of the message.

"Platform" is the combination of technology, a new way of thinking about meeting needs, and the vision of a group of people who are preparing a "space" in which to invite interested persons to develop their own ideas.

If the late 20th century was characterized by McLuhan’s maxim "the medium is the message", the beginning of the next one can be characterized as follows: "We are preparing new platforms for new messages".

With these thoughts in mind, and with all possibilities open, we are exploring and challenging new platforms by touching (or clicking on) all matters of interest, from growing new pop art (SMS) to the entertainment field (feature-length video art, interactive theatre) and technological development (smart agents).

And finally, in this new situation, given the chance to talk about the past, we pay homage to individuals or even machines that have already marked the history of the digital culture.

We believe that a new idea cannot exist unless it is preceded by a new platform to host it and this is essentially what determines the way a society evolves.

There are times when evolution is characterized by the destruction of the platform, but not the ideas; and others when even though the platforms have been torn down, and ideas are homeless, new platforms are nevertheless created and new ideas generated.

The period that our culture is now passing through belongs to the second instance. Therefore, acts of renewal or resistance can be primarily described as the creation or testing of new platforms and not dispute of a system that is already as empty as a discarded snake skin.

Nor is it accidental, that the word "platform" in the industrial world describes the space between where you are and the means of transportation (train, boat) you are about to board to go elsewhere. To board a plane or boat you must first cross the platform…

The new platforms then are the landing-stages for the long journey humanity is embarking on... The question is who will be boarding and who will stay behind and watch the ship pull out…

Manthos Santorineos Artistic Director of Medi@terra Festival

Feature Length Digital Video

Streaming Video

The advent of DV technology offers new tools to film and video makers. These tools are making it possible to produce high quality films cheaply and independently of the industry monoliths that currently determine what we can see. The new lightweight cameras, streaming technology, and DV technology have brought a new lightness of touch to all aspects of the moving image from production through to distribution. And a new relationship has been created between creativity, technology and the digital industry, in the search for a new aesthetic and financial basis for film and video makers.

Conditions for entry

The work must have been produced within the past two years.

Works shall be in English or with English subtitles

Just one work per candidate can be accepted in each category

The works may have been presented in other festivals.

Each work should be accompanied by a. the entry form, b. a synopsis, c. a short CV of the artist, d. Some stills, images in TIFF or JPEG mode, submitted in digital format, saved on a floppy, on a CD ROM, or as email attachments (please note: texts should be in Word for Windows)

Pre-selection will be made by the programming committee for Medi@terra 02.

No originals must be submitted, as materials will not be returned. The works will become part of the Fournos Archive. Artists reserve all artistic and commercial rights to their works, and for any future use or presentation of the works, their permission is needed.

Fournos and Medi@terra festival reserve the right to publish the submitted material for the promotion needs of the festival.

Please also note the following

The feature-length digital video should

be a minimum of 50 min. be sent in DV or DVD format. For the preliminary selection VHS tapes are also accepted. not be a made-for-TV production. Co-production is accepted.

The streaming videos should be

a maximum of 5-10 min. sent in DV or DVD format, but also the exact URL location should be indicated.

Artificial Entities

Since the early nineties, the interdisciplinary fields of art, science and technology have created a different platform for research, collaboration and creation. This generates works that encourage audience participation, continuous change and evolution. These could be interactive artificial intelligence environments, autonomous and advanced robotics and intelligent agents. The features we are looking for are innovation, autonomy, interactivity, as well as the subjective adjustment and interpretation they suggest to the user/viewer allowing him to become a user/ co-creator. The aim of creating autonomous virtual characters that pose and realize goals, develop actions, are influenced by the changes in the environment and then adjust it, gives a new dimension in the space of art.

Conditions for entry

Each work shall be submitted in one of the following forms:

1. video documentation (DV, VHS tape in Pal or Secam). The maximum length shall be 15 minutes and it should have an English-language description, either in voice-over narration or accompanying text.

2. of an executable (.exe) file saved in a CD ROM, accompanied by a description and the instructions for use in English

3. any type of software that can be run on a "standard" PC, accompanied by a description and the instructions for use in English.

Only one work per candidate is accepted in each category.

The works may have been presented in other festivals.

Each work should be accompanied by a. the entry form, b. a synopsis, c. a short CV of the artist, d. Some stills, images in TIFF or JPEG mode and e. a technical description of the work, with a reference to all the technical requirements that should be met by the steering committee.

Preselection of works will be made by the programming committee of the festival, representing Medi@terra 02.

Fournos and Medi@terra festival reserve the right to publish the works submitted for the promotion needs of the festival.

Awards One prize of 9.000 Euros for the best Feature Length Digital Video One prize of 4.000 Euros for the best project from the Artificial Entities One prize of 1.500 Euros for the best Streaming Video

A call for SMS will also follow soon!

Deadline 20 October 2002

How to participate Please print attached file or download and print the entry form from http://www.mediaterra.org and send it along with the material required for its category to:

FOURNOS Center for the Art and the New Technologies Mavromichali 168 114 72 Athens Greece

For more information Please contact Eleni Kouvari, In Charge of Communication by telephone on +3010 6460748, +3010 6420451 or via email at info@fournos-culture.gr

Medi@terrra 2002, International Art and Technology Festival is organized by Fournos, Center for the Art and the New Technologies and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture.

Medi@terra 2002 - Steering Committee

Dodo Santorineos, Director of Fournos & Medi@terra Festival Manthos Santorineos, Artistic Director of Fournos & Medi@terra Festival Maria X, Curator of Fournos Dimos Dimitriou, Artist John Kontos, Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the Department of Methodology, History and Theory of Science, U. of Athens Maria Roussou, Head of the Virtual Reality Department, Foundation of the Hellenic World Maria Bouligaraki, Researcher in Information Science, University of Athens Daphne Dragona, Coordinator for Fournos & Medi@terra Festival

Special Advisors Zoe Kazazaki, Head of the International Organizations Department, Hellenic Ministry of Culture Maria Maragou, Director of Rethimnon Contemporary Art Center