press release

A survey of seminal works by Woody and Steina Vasulka, both internationally acclaimed for their pioneering contributions to creatve practice and technology. The exhibition includes video and digital works for screen, alongside the first UK presentations of installations from Machine Vision and The Brotherhood Series..

The Vasulkas' body of work is unique; spanning the entire range of formats and configurations of electronic media; single and multiple screen video, live performance, installation and interactive technology. As artists, coming from formal backgrounds in film (Woody Vasulka) and classical music (Steina Vasulka), their practice is significant for questioning the boundaries between disciplines and methodologies. Their reputation was set in 1992, when they were invited by Peter Weibel to curate Eigenwelt der Apparate Welt (Pioneers of Electronic Art) for Ars Electronica, an overview of the audio and visual devices developed through media art in which they demonstrated the interdependence of the artist and the engineer.

Since the late 80s, both artists have set out in different ways to explore the interface between human and automated space. Woody Vasulka has turned from the screen image to the development of The Brotherhood Series; a cycle of interactive media installations (Translocations, Automata, Friendly Fire, Stealth, Scribe, and The Maiden) constructed partially from scrapped military hardware. These works analyse the digital domain, engaging the spectator in a domain that incorporates robotics and automatic behaviours, architectural and virtual space. The hardware construction makes further, explicit historical reference to violence and technology.

With the Machine Vision series, Steina Vasulka explores the interrelationship between the camera and space. The works can be considered part of an ongoing 'dialoguing' process between the artist and the machine. The camera is distanced from human intervention, and the spectator’s relationship to that space reconfigured in a 'freeing of the eye'; an exploration that draws out the performative potential of the machine.

Vasulka Lab is curated by Yasmeen Baig-Clifford. The exhibition is presented in association with VIVID and LUX.

Pressetext

only in german

Vasulka Lab 1969-2005
Woody Vasulka & Steina
Exhibitions, New Media
Kurator: Yasmeen Baig-Clifford