* PRESS RELEASE * Street Level's

C y b e r C u l t u r e s Project @ C a s u l a Powerhouse A r t s Cent re

9 M a r c h - 6 A p r i l 1997

In the current climate of media hype about everything from the Internet to virtual reality and genetic engineering, Cyber Cultures provides a provocative and entertaining exploration of contemporary identity and human-technology interaction in the late twentieth century. The future is happening now! Dont miss it!

Cyber Cultures is a major exhibition project including interactive multimedia installations, performance, screenings and seminars and featuring the work of some of Australia's leading and best known new media and electronic artists. Many of the artists and their works have been acclaimed internationally and this exhibition provides an opportunity for local audiences to experience these works first hand.

New works include a world premiere of Stelarc's collaboration with Merlin Integrated Media, MetaBody in which a 3D virtual Stelarc can be manipulated by users at wi l l . This work is accompanied by a documentary of Stelarc's 25 career Stelarc Psycho Cyber by Mic Gruchy.

Cyberfeminist collective V N S Matrix's new computer game prototype B A D C O D E is unleashed in its first public exhibition. This not too futuristic quest game revolves around A l l New Gen, a subversive and omnipresent intelligence whose mission is to sabotage the

- databanks of the insidious B i g Daddy Mainframe. Al l New Gen is assisted by theJDNA Sluts, a band of sexy renegade sheroes along with ferals, data deviants, cortex crones and code warriors. B A D C O D E treads a fine line between artwork and commercial prototype, aiming to inject alternative narratives and characters dominated games market

Melbourne artist Troy Innocent's new work Untitled is a work in progress that generates a dynamic electrcMiic environment populated by artificial lifeforms. The sounds, events and actions are not predetermined but the results of relationships that emerge between the lifeforms, their world and the visitors to the installation.

GOGZI or Girls Own Girls Zone Interactive, is an interactive cultural anatomy of the female body where the user builds a body by entering different body part worlds. This work in progress is being developed by Moira Corby and Gillian Morrison in collaboration with installation designer Emma Myers. Together they have built a lavish interactive shrine to the female body.

The User Unfriendly Interface is an interactive computer game which goes out of its way to be rude to the user, designed to make you think twice about trusting computers. Using a combination of blunt personal questions, graphics and animation, references are made to personality testing, dating services and database abuse. It is a humorous locJc at power in the new information age created by Josephine Starrs and Leon Cmielewski.

Epileptograph: The Internal Journey by Isabelle Delmotte is a project based on the artist's personal experience with epilepsy. This 3D computer graphic euiimation explores audio-visually the awareness process leading to the regaining of consciousness following an epileptic seizure. Also with a medical theme is Lloyd Sharp's C D - R O M Invert which explores the interior landscape of the body made visible to us through new medical imaging technologies. These works provide new visions of the contemporary body.

The external body is a focus of John Tonkin's interactive works.Efecftve , ^ Physiognomies and Elastic Masculinities. These two works present pictures of a ' ^ man's face and body that can be digitally manipulated to produce various permutations. The user is invited to classify the faces according to the most and least trustworthy, intelligent, introverted and homosexual. The user can distort the size of the shoulders, chest, stomach - , . and jDcnis and these manipulated body parts can then be classified according to the user's , o-i criteria of sexual desirability, awkwardness, masculinity and virility.

The Cute Machine by Martine Corompt explores the concept of 'cuteness' where users , can progressively make cartoon character's eyes larger, the foreheads higher and the body to head ratio smaller. She parallels this 'cute' evolution with the weird but intriguing theory of neotony which speculates that through evolution humans are retaining more and more of their juvenile traits ... large eyes, bigger heads, smaller bodies ... Are we becoming cartoon characters? ' '

A highlight of the exhibition is a special installation of the latest version of the much acclaimed Mnemonic Notations by Phillip George and Ralph Wayment which wil l be housed in a huge disused tank adjacent to the Powerhouse. The tank creates a unique - , immersive environment where users can navigate through the work and view the results on a huge 6 metre x 3.5 metre screen a truly magical experience.

Also featured in C Y B E R C U L T U R E S is a continuous screening program in the Cyber Cultures video lounge including work by Maryella Hatfield,, Ian Haig, Laurens Tan, Troy Innocent, Elena Popa and Andrew Bonollo. ,

In Cyber Cultures, there's something for everyone so come along and check it out!

The new Cyber Cultures Web site w i l l be launched from March 3 and can be found at httD;//www.cvbercultures-;^iqr! an _ _

Cai^ula Powerhouse ^ ' ' ' 1 Casula k d , Casula.

M e n - Sun lOam - 4pni i , , , i Admis s ion : F r e e ! ' '

For more information, phone project curators Kathy Cleland and David Cranswick on (02) 9314 5786 or mobile 0412 315 299 or Casula Powe;rhpuse on (02) 9824 1121 \

Crbgr httpy/www.cybercult'ures.asn.au i ,.„ , j - . . $ : . . , - ( di i » ' . v . ' ! ni •' : > i email: dc@cybercultures.asn.au ' , .' . „ ^ .,-'/,-,,< ^ \i

?OBox188Randwick2031 • ' • -̂ ' ^ ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '̂ ^ , . - . . ) l f v .

Cyber Gulturesl997- -y:^^:.. • --.^^^ an- r x . - . . v . n , - i c . ; v 7 v . . , -, | : . ' : . , I •. -.ni;(..-. • ' 'P- : i . ^ir d;. "-q :>:''•. ,T'j'P-;iT;;'OO';: 1--. •!)

• . ^ , - , - , ! - 1 ••• fi:.i!<. -̂1 . '-i )..•:;''n I ^ ' v n ; "i.

Exhibition Dates: March 8 - Apri l 6 " . H ..; (A > . - i . Venue: Casula Powerhouse

Curators " " '••<* % " "•'^n.-'r. ' r-: ^ne '..-uioijr:- vd •invV.vcvVv •>\nv'n; ,4x1:̂ u-n-f.'

Katnyc ie iana . .^ - i ; -.-li o) .•;-//• •. f t ; . u orailv; in:-r"\<'U .'n*̂ v . , : • wn. David Cranswick ,o t(i'in.',rp j u;'>r.> -it - •uT .;•.»•:•.'. vuofi, < / . t-' '».- K

Exhibition installation Artists i ) j n - " J : >5'il» / i; i . : vpt-snnn " '" ' ' ' ' , .

, o 7.';; J. ••'11. ; '•"-! h.v . •.. - -! : Troy Innocent - "Reality" demo version. " ' " • ' ' • ' / , , : Martine Corompt - "The Cute Machine". Josephine Starrs and Leon Cmielewski - "User Unfriendly Interface". ' i;'i ^ • v ! Moira Corby - " G O G Z I " (Girls Own Girls Zone Interactive) demo version. John Tonkin - "Elastic Masculinities"/"The Pursuit of Happiness" (working titles) ^ V N S Matrix - "Bad Code". Stelarc - MetaBodies C D - R O M (in collaboration with Merlin) + wall pieces Phil George -i- Ralph Wayment - "Mnenionic Notations,", ( ; i ^ ^ i ^ t i o n in a disused water tank adjacent to the Power Station) Isabelle Delmotte - "Epileptograph: The Internal Joupey" 'o^/ Lloyd Sharp - "Invert" ' . ; .-ijt^^.fu.^.

Screenings artists ( N B this list is incomplete, there wi l l be .additions). _ Ian Haig -i "Astroturf" I -J^^ U - « . - ; J i." ^ / i •-.a«fi-.i.:tj i.j,|«.^i<.. f'f<[ ! MaryellaHatfiefd- "Rangeof Ekperiehbe*.^: ' : '^.:^.^' '!^ i Elena Popa -"Robot Cycle" Troy Innocent - "Jawpan" ^t^^^^-^'i Troy Innocent -i- Elena Popa - "Nano " ' - - -Laurens Tan - "In the Day of the Comet" Andrew Bonollo - "Robots are Revolting"^ i '^ %' *

Performance artists ' ' ; V j ^ ^ " ' ^ K Anna Sabiel, Sarah Waterson and Shane Fahey - "Internalist^ .Cities" Stelarc v , ,w ^ ^. '>'"- .y"'

-- i j^v- ipr

f • : \

Cyber Cultures is a Street Level Project.

R I E I E I T I L I E I V I E COMMISSION 11 ̂ '̂'̂ ^

PO Box 6565 Blacktown 2148 Email: street@real.com.au http://www.culture.com.au/scan/streetlevel

ustraliallCfM