from The World Tree exhibition page on undergowth.org :

Protestors gather under the tree of life as bulldozers approach. Televisions vomit endless waterfalls of information. A disembodied totem of animal, vegetable and mineral world stares at you in profile. The city speaks in confusing angles where we lose perspective. The world tree is burning while man meditates under its shade.

"The World Tree" is an exhibition of new paintings by Melbourne artist Tim Parish, co-founder and art director of Undergrowth.org at Open Studio

The opening night will include music from Kafka and performance artist Si on Sunday the 15th of June at 7pm.

Details:

Opening Night:

7pm Sunday the 15th of June
with music by KAFKA
and spoken word performances by Si and Verbatim

Exhibition Dates:

15th - 29th June 2008

Address:

OPEN STUDIO (review)
204 High St, Northcote
(86 Tram Line opposite Northcote Town Hall)

visit http://undergrowth.org/theworldtree & http://undergrowth.org/user/verb for more details or to see samples of Tim Parish's work

or add the exhibition's event to your facebook event list : http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=14691799635

Fresh from North American tour and LOAD records showcase at SXSW Lucas Abela is launching his new JUSTICE YELDHAM LP; BIRTHDAYS. The record consists of two live sets by the maverick amplified-glass player recorded during his & Keg's recent tour of Europe.

Side A was captured in Marseille on the eve of Justice's 35th birthday while side B was recorded on Kegs birthday in Porto, and to top off the birthday cheer Keg also drew the cover illustration as a gift for Justice's Birthday. The record has been collaboratively released in an edition of 600 copies across the world by Anarchymoon Recordings (North America), Turgid Animal (Europe) & All Thumbs Press (Australia). Of which only 25 or so are in the country as All Thumbs copies practically sold out during the aforementioned tour and will only be available at the show.

His sets have been described as "a trumpet player trapped in a two dimensional universe". By pressing his face and lips against the glass whist employing various vocal techniques ranging from throat singing to raspberries, he turns disguarded household windows into crude musical instruments. Resulting in a wide variety of cacophonous noises that are strangely controlled and oddly musical.

Justice Yeldham is the latest alter-ego of Australian sound performer Lucas Abela, whose past sonic experiments were conducted under monikers like A Kombi, Dj Smallcock & Peeled Hearts Paste. Initially classed as an experimental turntablist, although his early work rarely resembled anything in the field. Early feats, saw him stab vinyl with Kruger style stylus gloves, bound on electro acoustic trampolines, drag race the popemobile across Sydney Harbour Bridge, perform deaf defying duet duels with amplified samurai swords, hospitalised by high powered turntables constructed from sewing machine motors, record chance John Peel sessions with the Flaming Lips, & be Otomo Yoshihides' favourite entry into his Ground Zero remix competition; 'Consummation' even though instead of sampling the CD he destroyed it using amplified skewers!

He also founded and runs dualpLOVER (recording label, cd/dvd replicators, distributor and promoter of gigs and tours). Principally a live audio artist he's been performing professionally for the past 14 years, ever since Oren Ambarchi and Robbie Avenaim stumbled across his late night radio performances in 1994 and asked him to play their 2nd What is Music? Festival. Since he's toured the world extensively, performing in 35 coutries.

also appearing are MC PURPLE DUCK, Curse Ov Dialect with an all new show and the always entertaining Hi-God people + dj hate.

read more for details & set times

** NEW THURSDAY CLUBS: CHANGES and UPDATES **

Supported by the Goldsmiths DIGITAL STUDIOS and the Goldsmiths GRADUATE
SCHOOL

6pm until 8pm, Seminar Rooms at Ben Pimlott Building (Ground Floor,
right), Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, SE14 6NW

FREE, ALL ARE WELCOME

** PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DATE FOR ELENA COLOGNI'S CLUB SESSION HAS BEEN
CHANGED FROM THE 28th of FEBRUARY TO THE 6th of MARCH **

--

*28 FEBRUARY with RAYMOND HARMON
:
Painting in Light: Experimental Film and the Advent of Improvisational
Cinema*

The traditional model for cinematic expression is as a controlled
environment moving forward in a linear direction. From its inception the
art of filmmaking has been dominated by a single form of chronological
development. Each film exists as a series of frames that are static at the
start of the film.

Improvisation, a language largely defined within the practice of music, is

Please be advised that on Friday 22nd + Saturday 23rd February, 2008, there will be three Cardboard Planetariums installed throughout the Sydney CBD, rain, hail or shine. You are very much invited. Details of exact locations will be advised on THE JUNE FOX website on Thursday 21st Feb.

The splendor of the night sky has been a source of wonder, discovery and agitation for our species throughout human history. The observation of the heavens has defined religions, revolutionized scientific thought, guided navigators, and inspired countless mythologies. It has been said that 'they who cannot see the night sky, cannot see...'

The Naggar School of Photography, Media and New Music is a creative institute that allows students to achieve skills artistically, creatively and professionally in the fields of photography, digital media, video and new music, with an emphasis on inter-disciplinary work. The Naggar School is located within the Morasha (Musrara) neighborhood in Jerusalem, Israel. visit http://www.naggarschool.com for more details

The Digital Artists Handbook is an up to date, reliable and accessible source of information that introduces you to different tools, resources and ways of working related to digital art. The goal of the Handbook is to be a signpost, a source of practical information and content that bridges the gap between new users and the platforms and resources that are available, but not always very accessible. The Handbook will be slowly filled with articles written by invited artists and specialists, talking about their tools and ways of working. Some articles are introductions to tools, others are descriptions of methodologies, concepts and technologies. When discussing software, the focus of this Handbook is on Free/Libre Open Source Software. The Handbook aims to give artists information about the available tools but also about the practicalities related to Free Software and Open Content, such as collaborative development and licenses. All this to facilitate exchange between artists, to take away some of the fears when it comes to open content licenses, sharing code, and to give a perspective on various ways of working and collaborating. -- info via the DAH index page

Exclusive to Brisbane, Australia's first major Andy Warhol retrospective brings together more than 300 works spanning all areas of his practice from the 1950s until his death in 1987 — paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, photographs, films, videos and installations.

One of the most influential and important artists of the late twentieth century and the figurehead of Pop art, Andy Warhol created some of the most recognisable images of modern culture. The exhibition includes his important 'Death in America' works; iconic images of Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Onassis, Mao Zedong and Elvis Presley; and his Campbell's soup cans. The exhibition will show for the first time in Australia Warhol's early commercial work, Interview magazine as well as his late monumental paintings. 'Andy Warhol' will also investigate how the artist represented himself through his art practice, including his Self-Portrait paintings, Time Capsules, drawings, films and videos.

In addition to works from The Andy Warhol Museum, the exhibition includes loans from the National Gallery of Australia; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; the National Gallery of Victoria; and private collections.

The Australian Cinémathèque will present one of the largest and most complete surveys of Andy Warhol's film work to date. This major program of 53 films and 279 Screen Tests from the Museum of Modern Art, New York, includes many never before seen in Australia. Programs of documentaries, American independent cinema, and films for children will also be screened. Selected film and video works will also be shown within the exhibition. Screening details to be announced.

http://www.qag.qld.gov.au/exhibitions/coming_soon/andy_warhol for more details
(info via QAG website)

for more information on Andy Warhol, visit the http://www.warholstars.org/ website

I came across a couple of interesting articles in the UK Telegraph paper today - about the history of art and discovery of 11000 year old paintings that seem to be painted in a modern geometric style.

'Oldest' wall painting looks like modern art
"French archaeologists have discovered an 11,000-year-old work of art in northern Syria which is the oldest known wall painting, even though it looks like a work by a modernist.

The two square-metre painting, in red, black and white, was found at the Neolithic settlement of Djade al-Mughara on the Euphrates, northeast of the city of Aleppo.

"It looks like a modernist painting," said Eric Coqueugniot, the team leader. "Some of those who saw it have likened it to work by (Paul) Klee. Through carbon dating we established it is from around 9,000 BC."

...

The dating makes the designs at least 1500 years older than wall paintings at Çatalhöyük, the famous 9500-year-old Turkish village, among one of the first towns. Cave art dates back much further but it was not until the so-called Neolithic Revolution that people began marking up human-made surfaces.

Scientists are fascinated by the birth of art because it marked a decisive point in our story, when man took a critical step beyond the limitations of his hairy ancestors and began to use symbols. The modern mind was born."

related articles :

The birth of our modern minds ...

Two pieces of ochre engraved with geometrical patterns more than 70,000 years ago, were recently found at Blombos Cave, 180 miles east of Cape Town. If the current dogma is accepted, this means people were able to think abstractly and behave as modern humans much earlier than previously thought.

Lord Renfrew would argue that art, like genetics, does not tell the whole story of our origins. For him, the real revolution occurred 10,000 years ago with the first permanent villages. That is when the effects of new software kicked in, allowing our ancestors to work together in a more settled way. That is when plants and animals were domesticated and agriculture born.

...

Lord Renfrew puts his faith in "cognitive archaeology". This is not "thinking prehistoric thoughts" but has a more modest aim of revealing how ancient minds worked by studying what they did - how they counted, made flint tools or used measures.

Intriguingly, he argues, in his book Figuring it Out, that contemporary art also provides insights into how proto-societies grappled with the material world.

Cave find dates dawn of creativity

TWO pieces of ochre - a form of iron ore - engraved with geometrical patterns more than 70,000 years ago reveal that people were able to think abstractly and behave as modern humans much earlier than previously thought.

The discovery in a South African cave suggests that humans have created art for twice as long as suggested by previous discoveries, notably by cave paintings from France that have been dated to less than 35,000 years ago.

...

While genetic and fossil evidence suggests that humans were anatomically modern in Africa before 100,000 years ago, scholars are not yet able to agree on whether human behaviour and physique developed in tandem.

Some believe that modern behaviour arose relatively late and rapidly, 40,000 to 50,000 years ago, while others believe that it evolved earlier and more gradually.

The diversity of views reflects the lack of agreement among scientists on what behaviour best defines the difference between modern humans and their earlier ancestors.

But there is a general consensus that a clear marker of modern behaviour are the cognitive abilities that would be used, for example, to create abstract or depictional images.

"Archaeological evidence of abstract or depictional images indicates modern behaviour," Prof Henshilwood said. "The Blombos Cave engravings are intentional images."

Stone Age masterpieces shed new light on the origins of art

EUROPE'S oldest cave paintings - a menagerie of lions, rhinos, bears and panthers drawn at least 30,000 years ago - are so sophisticated that they may force scientists to think again about the origins of art.

New radiocarbon datings of the Chauvet cavern paintings in Ardeche, France, have confirmed that their Stone Age creators were as skilled as painters 15,000 years later.

...

"Prehistorians, who have traditionally interpreted the evolution of prehistoric art as a steady progression from simple to more complex representations, may have to reconsider existing theories of the origins of art."

The caves have challenged the conventional theory of the evolution of art which states that it had crude beginnings in the Aurignacian period followed by gradual progress over thousands of years.

Super Massive headlines the launch of The Mess - a new art-meets-art night for Sydney - this Thursday 16th August at Candy's Apartment.

I've been trying out some processing apps - Substrate is one of my favourites. written by j.tarbell from complexification.net. it creates a generative image from colours in a specified source image using a simple algorithm.

I used this photo of Auckland countryside as the source image. here's the results:

http://complexification.net/gallery/machines/substrate/ for j.tarbell's amazing works.

I can't stop buying books. I really need to but just haven't been able to manage it. I forgot to bring my library card to Auckland and Parsons Books was having a sale so I couldn't resist. last time I bought a book there it cost $150 - this time I bought 4 books for less than $150 so, at least I'm getting better value for money now. I'll probably be hit with excess baggage costs though...

Nam June Paik: Global Groove 2004
- this is a great collection of Nam June Paik's works and writings and includes some letters to John Cage.

did I mention that Brisbane's new GOMA - Gallery of Modern Art, has one of his video pieces "TV Cello" on display.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aliak_com/tags/namjunepaik/

---

Relational Aesthetics by Nicolas Bourriaud

- I haven't started this one properly yet, but it looks like it'll be an interesting essay. it's based on a collection of editorial entries from "Documents sur l'Art" magazine that were first published in 1992.

amazon.com book page

---

"How to look at a painting" by Justin Paton

- Justin Paton is speaking at the upcoming Auckland Writers and Readers Festival, and he's a NZ author so I thought I'd give it a try. I haven't started it yet though.

amazon.com page

---

Dark Fiber: Tracking Critical Internet Culture (Electronic Culture: History, Theory, and Practice) by Geert Lovink
- I've read many of Geert Lovink's writings on various maillists and website publications such as Sarai Reader so I thought I'd take a read of his book on Internet Culture.

amazon.com book page

---

The Bone People by Keri Hume
- this wasn't from Parsons but I bought it last time I left Auckland and read most on the plane back to Sydney then finished it whilst I was there. amazing characters - they haunt you for a while afterwards. I still think of them now and then. a really simple story, about the lives of a couple of families in NZ. Keri Hume won the Booker Prize for this book in the early 90s and since I tend to enjoy reading Booker Prize winning books I thought I'd try an earlier one as I've mostly only read more recent winning titles. well worth the read!

amazon.com book page (though my copy has a different cover image so is probably a different edition)

---

this one's a magazine, but it was priced like a book and has been capturing my attention as much as a book, so..

Archis VOLUME magazine - Issue 2006 # 4
- it's an architecture magazine but includes articles about projects & urban issues from around the world as well as upcoming conferences and calls for works / request for comments about certain global issues.

http://www.archis.org/

http://www.c-lab.columbia.edu/

amazon page

1st International Congress Art Tech Media @ www.artechmedia.net
8-11th may . Madrid. Spain

The First International Art Tech Media Congress has been set up in order to reflect upon and analyse questions currently being raised about art and new technological media within an international context.

artechmedia.net is calling on all creatives of the world to participate. Submissions will be accepted from the following categories:

A
- Video art
- Net-art
- 2D & 3D Computer Animation
- Blog, videoblog
- Creation for mobile platforms
- Digital Music
- Videodance

B
- Digital Communities
- Geospatial storytelling
- Artificial Life, Software art, Transgenic art, Generative art

read more for more information or visit www.artechmedia.net

The second edition of the Streaming Festival ended on the 28th of October 2007.

The festival broadcasted four programs; documentary, fiction, animation and art plus three special programs.
Composed by the KAN festival was a special program presenting a select number of films including films from Agnieszka Smoczynska, Anna Maszczynska and Anna Pankiewicz.

CultureTV brought a special program with selected international video art works. Including works from Pipilotti Rist, Grimanesa Amoros, Gaelle Denis and Bathtime in Clerkenwell by Alex Budovsky.
Visit : www.culturetv.tv

Isfth broadcasted in a special program films from James Harvey, The City of Photographers by Sebastian Moreno and four recent works from Dré Didderiëns www dredidderiens nl. This program was curated by Mak Kapetanovic.

We screened 18 hours of independent films from more than 100 filmmakers from over 20 different countries. The Festival was proud to present these films and their makers to you.