ok, it’s not my personal bday, but today is the 1 year anniversary of me starting this newsletter! we’ve grown from a handful of friends to hundreds of people who (according to Substack at least) actually open & read this every week. I can’t believe it! in honor of that, I’m excited to announce a new project!
in honor of the 1 year anniversary of ?? an artist’s guide to computation ?? : the newsperience, I’ve decided to devote a lil space on my server to hosting works I love, from the people who make this newsletter my favorite part of my weekly work. a lot of my motivation to move off of Facebook onto Substack a year ago came from a similar spirit – I just wanted to share things I like with people who appreciate it, not contribute to Facebook’s control of the culture.
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first, a lil interview with White Page Gallery creator & friend-of-the-newsletter Domenico Barra:
q: what inspired you to start this project, and what makes it different from things like Instagram takeovers or other “virtual residencies”?
a: The idea about the White Page Gallery has been developing gradually across a long period of time. The White Page Gallery is strongly inspired to the need for space, autonomy, freedom, inclusive participation in the making of alternative scenes where the participants are more aware, flexible, adaptive and fond of the different needs and identities of the people involved and wishing to work in the realm of art. So, it consequently is very much influenced by the necessities of overcoming the rigid structures and configurations of systems such as the art world and social media. The action of opening a White Page Gallery is itself a performative statement about the above mentioned conditions we wish to enrich, re-think and amplify. The White Page Gallery is about art but especially about the processes it will inspire, suggest and make happen.
q: why is it important that creators share space outside of social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram? I already retweet things I like, why should I make space on my server?
a: I believe we must understand if it is really worth to trade the nature of our work and the time we spend making it with the opportunities and vantages promised by social media. Also, the security, rights and care they predicate to guarantee for their users through a set of rules that can change every time some events happen or new investors and sponsors cheap in. It is our work, our time, our life. This is why I believe it is important to create alternatives to social media. We can not totally depend on and trust them because they have priorities and too often their choices come at our expenses.
q: who can host a White Page Gallery? do I need to have curatorial experience to be part of the community? I’m a creator, not a curator.
a: The White Page Gallery was a concept thought for artists and curators but then I realized that it would be a limit against other possibilities just involving those categories. It will surely be more interesting to extend the call to more cultural operators, individuals, collectives and organizations, coming from different fields of art.
q: can I make up my own rules? like, can I have a theme or a type of work that I choose?
a: Every White Page Gallery’s host is free to run their online gallery as they prefer and wish. We care for freedom of choice and autonomy. If a host receives a proposal by a possible guest it is not mandatory to accept it but the host is very welcome to advice the guest to contact another WPG’s host who might be interested in their/her/his project. To be a guest on the White Page Gallery/s you do not have to be a host, but it would be great if you joined our network. Freedom is essential because everyone has their very particular attitude, style and creativity, to have fixed rules could spoil that. To be part of the White Page Gallery we do not ask but we do expect people to respect some rules and those are the basic Net-etiquette for a peaceful and not stressful online life.
q: what do I need to do to be included in the list on whitepagegallery.network?
a: People need a website where they can open a web page as online gallery, their White Page Gallery, and send the url to our email youarewelcome@whitepagegallery.network. We will ask people to compile some info that will be included on the website there where their WPG is listed. We ask for info like name of the host, so people know who they are getting in touch with, aiming to establish empathy via a friendly approach. Of course, if some hosts do not want to state their name we are ok with it. We also include info about what the host does and what kind of art and project is interested to host and also what show is available at the moment for viewing. We are thinking about introducing the “next show on view” info too. In this way we also kind of carry on a selection, but it is more a way to introduce each others and establish a first contact which will then develop into a better acquaintance through the whole collaboration.
q: What is your wildest fantasy for White Page Gallery? Do you worry about scale?
a: I do think about the risks of scale, risks concerning interactions among people, of course, but we are not a bulletin board or a social media where people come to discuss all sorts of topics. We are here to support each others in doing what we all love doing the most, art, and hopefully many will reach important goals through the White Page Gallery. I have some ideas about taking the project to a next step but it is important to establish a strong network and community first based on inclusiveness, transparency and trust and then propose and discuss possible options and progresses. I believe that people who will join the White Page Gallery will have a positive and healthy approach to the project and to the people part of it and I hope we are all going to be moved by the same values and respect each others, it would be a shame if it would happen otherwise. I hope in the future everyone will have a White Page Gallery on their website.
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h’okay so, for the 1 year anniversary, I am now hosting a White Page Gallery on my own server! have you been trying out the tutorials, have you been learning something new, are you making something exciting? do you have a janky work-in-progress, but still want some feedback? did you get part-way through an idea and feel a little stuck, but want to meet some people who can help? send in it!
starting in January 2020, I hope to feature 1 project per month on my White Page Gallery as the ?? artist’s guide to computation artist-in-residence ??. this also includes a feature & interview with you in the newsletter. I want to see what you are making, and share that with our circle!
this open call is literally for everyone, with a special preference for anyone going out of their comfort zone. are you primarily a video artist, but used some 3D models in your latest work? are you a backend dev by day, but have been learning to paint? have you spent the last year working on a new ML library, and want everyone to fork it on Github and make it into something new? this residency is a safe space for you to share the things you are excited about learning and making with other people who want to learn from you. the format is totally open, so long as the work can be shared online, and I’ll provide development support to get your work up on the site in a way that makes you proud.
to be considered, please email me at info@marthahipley.com with your name, a short description of the work you’d like to share, and any relevant links (website, social, etc.). please put “white page gallery” in the subject line so that your message doesn’t get lost! this is a rolling open call, but don’t let that be an excuse to hesitate!
ok on to the rest of the show….
resource roundup!
here’s a treasure trove of tutorials around procedural generation in Unity. I haven’t had time to dig into these yet myself, but I’ve bookmarked them for future use. the series is aimed at beginners, and while the techniques are those used in roguelike gaming, I can imagine all kinds of creative uses for them.
this twitter thread is an interesting rabbit hole where you get to see one creator’s series of nearly 40 prototypes! always interesting to see how someone’s work has progressed:
speaking of progression, this article by Tee has a ton of great resources and learning that are shared via the writer’s own 25 day exploration of animation in CSS. the results are super cute and inspiring! CSS is such an accessible and fun way to explore animation, check it out!
Tiler is a tool for creating images with tiles in Python. it’s not limited to uniform square tiles, so it has some interesting applications! why on earth would you need a slice of cake made with paperclips? idk u do u, it’s ur life! check out the Github repo here.
the Raspberry Pi Foundation has just released a bunch of new free machine learning projects for Scratch. these are aimed at kids, but look pretty cute nonetheless! you can check them out here.
? upcoming events!
Oct 22 – 23! Spectacle Theater! Brooklyn, NY USA: Spectacle is hosting some films this week as part of the Imagine Science Film Festival. I’ve never seen something at Spectacle that wasn’t worth my time, so this is worth checking out if you can. learn more and get tickets here.
Oct 23 – Dec 23! Centre Georges Pompidou! Paris, France: Cosmopolis is back with it’s second edition of residencies, exhibitions, discursive programs, and publications. there’s a full calendar of events running through the end of the year that you can check out here!
Wednesday, Oct 23! Merz Akademie! Stuttgart, Germany: Olia Lialina, net artist, vernacular web researcher, and keeper of the GeoCities Research Institute archive, will be giving a workshop. you can learn more about the workshop and how to apply to attend here. there are also 3 additional dates across Europe.
Oct 24-27! Lincoln, UK: Frequency International Festival of Digital Culture is back for its 5th edition this week! this includes exhibitions, talks, workshops, and live performances designed to generate conversation about how digital culture affects us all. you can read more about the program highlights here.
Saturday, Oct 26! co.up coworking! Berlin, Germany: Creative Code Berlin is hosting their first special Spatial Computing Jam this Saturday! if you’re interested in VR or AR, they’re hoping to gather people interested in coding & designing for these technologies. no prizes, no stress, just an opportunity to make new friends and tinker. this looks like a very chill way to focus some time on that side project you’ve been neglecting, so check it out here!
Nov 1 – 2! Victoria and Albert Museum! London, UK: the V&A is hosting a hands-on workshop for beginners in AR, guided by Above&Below. over 2 days, you’ll design and create your own AR experience inspired by the museum’s collection. sounds rad! you can learn more and buy tickets here.
Saturday, Nov 9! ITP NYU! NYC, NY USA: the computer mouse conference centers around the idea of re-imagine the mouse as an object. the conference will feature 8 artists, 6 speakers, and 3 panelists presenting work on this theme- looks rad and unique! you can learn more and RSVP here!
opportunities!
Electrofringe is looking to fill 3 positions in their Directorial Team: an Artistic Director, a General Manager, and a Marketing/Communications Manager. you’re welcome to apply for multiple roles, and applications are due by November 24. the team will work together on all Electrofringe programming, initiatives, and financing in 2020 and beyond. you can learn more here.
UC San Diego has an opening for an assistant professor with a computational and 3D visualization research-based practice. this is to teach in the Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts and Speculative Design undergraduate majors and the MFA program. you can learn more and apply ASAP here.
AI Lab has an open call for an experiential AI artist residency on the theme of “Entanglements – fair, moral and transparent AI.” this is a fully funded opportunity to produce work for the Ars Electronica Festival in Edinburgh in 2020. this one closes on October 29, so hurry over here to learn more and apply!
the Vorspiel 2020 open call invites project spaces, platforms, curators, and artists in Berlin to submit their proposal for the pre-festival program of transmediale and CTM Festival. they’re looking to create a program with exhibitions, performances, concerts, presentations, and other formats that unfold throughout the city in spaces dedicated to digital art and culture as well as experimental sound and music. you can learn more and apply here by November 4.
FEM TEK has an open call for 3 virtual residencies with an endowment of 500 euros each: one centering on the idea of “tutorial,” one for a theoretical investigation in progress, and one for a process of investigation via artistic practice. the open call ends on October 27, so get cracking! you can learn more here.
the Internet Yami-Ichi is back, this time as part of the TENTACULAR Festival 2019 in Madrid. participation is free of charge, and you can apply to sell your internet-like things here by November 3.
Arts Catalyst has an open call for artists based in Yorkshire for 2020. you can learn more and apply here by November 1!
Olin College of Engineering is seeking applicants for its creative residency program, an initiative that’s part of Sketch Model. you can learn more and apply by November 15 here.
the European Media Art Platform has an open call for media artists in the fields of digital media with applications due by December 2. you can learn more here.
Rhizome has a rolling open call for their 2019-2020 microgrants! you can learn more & apply here!
just for lulz!
it’s not a bday without Muppets
*~housekeeping~*
if you have anything in the works that you are excited about (an event, a workshop, a new project), please send me all the details. the next newsletter will cover the week of October 28 – November 3, but I’m happy to promote events further in the future as well and keep them on the calendar.
