Version>05
NFO EXPO
Zhou B. Center
1029 W. 35th St.
noon - 8pm
admission $10 ($5 for students)
The last weekend of Version>05 features a series of programs that includes
the Version>05 Kunsthalle exhibition, the NFO EXPO trade show for experimental
art and radical communication and a conference program. During the weekend,
video works will be screened and broadcast in the media lounge, installation
by Steven Eichhorn. Presentations and talks will take place during the conference
and workshop programs. Artists will present work, conduct demonstrations
and workshops and give tours. A summit for creating an alternative art space
and
artist collective network for North America will be held as well as the third
and final program of the Terry Plumming summit.
Version>05 has invited spaces and projects that straddle definitions and
are pushing experimental formats seeing culture as art + social + political
practice. The NFO EXPO is a trade show for experimental artists, info agitators
and organizers of cultural interference and part of the final program thread
for Version>05. Members of artist-run spaces, alternative institutions,
galleries, cultural and social spaces, co-ops, and individual artists and
activists will present their work and mission within a booth, installation
or on a table
at this two day event. Over 50 organizations and individual projects will
be participating. The NFO EXPO is open from noon to 8pm Saturday April 30
and
noon to 8pm May 1, 2005.
LIST OF EXHBITORS AND PARTICIPANTS
16 Beaver Group
AlterSpace
Anti
Gravity Surprise
Art Prostitute
Artists and Children Create Together
Avangard
Basekamp
The Birdhouse Museum
Booster and Seven
Caballito Colectivo
Chicago Culture Jammers
Chicago
Art Department
Conglomeratemap.org by Adrienne
Eaton
Co-Op Image
CCRED
DEPART-ment
Die
Käse
Hause
Foundation
Gallery
Gallery
Chicago Artist Collective
Heaven Gallery
Hideous Beast
The
House of Payne
Junk Shop
The
Lobby Gallery
Lunar Rover Anniversary Manual Carriage (LRAMC)
Lumpen Mobile Library System
MN
Gallery
The Ministry of Truth
Neighborhood
Public Radio (NPR)
open-end
Opensource
Polvo
Pilot TV: Experimental Media for Feminist Trespass
Pink Nun
Post-Mobile
Potential
Energy
red76
The
Soap Factory
The Stockyard
Institute
Terry Plumming Magazine
The Taskforce Against Animal Insurrection Movements (TAAIM)
Topless Humans Organized for Natural Genetics (T.H.O.N.G.)
ThreeWalls
Urban Permacultures
The United States Sadomasochistic Ethical Advisory Commission
(USSMEAC)
Volatile Works
Volatile
Vox Pop / video documentation booth
Walking Tour of Bridgeport
West Town Food Co-Op
Young Archer
___illustration by Emily Foreman
EXHIBITORS AND PARTICIPANTS
16 Beaver Group
16Beaver is the address of a space initiated/run by artists to create and maintain an ongoing platform for the presentation, production, and discussion of a variety of artistic/cultural/economic/political projects. It is the point of many departures/arrivals.
AlterSpace
An alternative gallery/workshop/critique space hosted in a Logan Square (Chicago) apartment. AlterSpace aims to provide a venue for emerging artists to share their work and ideas in a supportive environment that exists outside of the commercial sphere. At Version>05 AlterSpace will launch a video project on the alt.spaces of this city to be distributed as a DVD zine at the end of summer.
Anti Gravity Surprise
Anti Gravity Surprise (AGS) is a public art collaborative that performs cultural research. Each year the Chicago group collaborates around one social issue, creating and exhibiting multimedia artowork. By using art a a vehicle to promote critical thinking, the general public become co-creators of AGS projects.
Art Prostitute
Art Prostitute debuted in April of 2003 and was created by Brian Gibb and Mark Searcy. The Texas based publication's sole purpose is to seek out and feature artists who depend on their creativity to survive. The inclusion of prints from each of the artists featured in an issue is an attempt to further proliferate their imagery in the best way possible, to have it exist outside of the publication. Collaborative projects open to our readers give those who support the project a chance to shape the face of it. At Art Prostitute you decide your own level of involvement. The purpose of our gallery is the same as our publication, to proliferate artists and their work by bringing it to the people. Within the first year of operation Art Prostitute has had exhibitions with Richard Colman, Rich Jacobs, Kozyndan, Dalek, Mike Giant, Evan Hecox, Bask, Tom Thewes, Tes One, Cody Hudson, Jay Ryan and Pars only to name
a few. In addition to art on the walls our space is home to a boutique that offers books, magazines, prints, apparel and other matters of an artistic nature.
Artists and Children Create Together
A+CCT’s mission is to enrich the lives of children in the Humboldt Park community by fostering self-expression and creative exploration. A+CCT creates an approachable environment for artists and youth to develop a unique relationship based on mutual respect as artistic partners.
Avangard
Pro glam group Avangard is the duo of Sandra Jgeva and Margus Tamm, who are both members of the larger collective PinkPunk.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=18&ObjectID=10116670
Basekamp
Established 1998 in Philadelphia basekamp is a non-commercial studio and exhibition space whose primary focus is to participate in the creation, facilitation and promotion of large scale collaborative projects by contemporary artists.
The Birdhouse Museum
An artists’ workspace in Bridgeport for collaborations in the realm of cardboard. Inspired by mail art, during Version>05 the Birdhouse will exhibit 288 pieces by 22 artists from around Chicago and the world, each working with 6"x8" pieces of salvaged cardboard.
Randall Kober will be installing a large carboard house to display the Birdhouse museum work.
Booster and Seven
An alternative space run out of a storefront loft, Booster and Seven aims to foster a sense of community by providing an open venue for creativity. Writers, musicians, and artists of all mediums are invited to propose ideas for short and long-term projects grounded by this semi-public space on the border between Wicker Park & Ukrainian Village in Chicago.
Caballito Colectivo
Caballito Colectivo is an interdisciplinary, cross-cultural collective concerned with cultural activism (production, representation and contraband). The collective will share information about thier programming and work, featuring a laptop & jukebox.
Chicago Culture Jammers
Chicago Culture Jammers is a group of misfit culture jammers looking to re-contextualize the media and public ad space.
Chicago Art Department
The Chicago Art Department (CAD) exists to address the question of how digital practices fit into the larger context of art making. At the core of CAD lies the idea of intermedia art. For CAD this term refers to the ongoing discussions around digital and analog art, and the ability to move freely between the two. While traditional art learning separates areas of concentration, CAD aims to bring them together by actively investigating an intermedia practice.
Conglomeratemap.org by Adrienne Eaton
An online index of the holdings, brands, imprints and tv and radio stations of the world's major media conglomerates, including Viacom, Disney, Time Warner, News Corporation and NBC Universal (GE), compiled in an attempt to bring some transparency to the murky structures of
these entertainment behemoths.
Co-Op Image
In Co-op Urban Gardens, apprentices learn sustainable agriculture, culinary arts, and media production while providing a valuable resource to Chicago’s Humboldt Park community. Within the basic guidelines of an independent farming business and of producing a cooking show, apprentices gain valuable insight into processes and concepts ranging from commercial artisan agriculture to media production to community building.
CCRED
C.CRED is a collective structure in a continuous process of becoming. Although
maintained by a small group of people, it operates only through participation
and through its relations to a wider, continuously changing collective structure.
In fact, it takes as its object, as the material of its practice, the relations
that constitute collectivity, community, networks, etc.; the diagnosis of
existing relations and the constitution of new relations of artistic and
aesthetic production. It is intended as a mobile platform for the discussion
of various existing forms of practice, action and intervention, for dialogue
and for experimentation, and for the development of new modes of collaborative
practice.
DEPART-ment
DEPART-ment is a concept; a temporary autonomous zone for
the shopper and the seller alike, a place for people to meet and exchange
anything and everything.
No limitation is placed on the goods and services offered through this
organization; the only requirement is that items are handmade and unique.
Die Käse Hause
Founded in 1994, this 7-member Chicago/NYC/California/Ohio
collective pursues a better art community. For Version>05 they will create a 7’x15’ collage/mural,
display their Secret Handshake t-shirts, and possibly enlist the project
support of a paranoid conspiracy trailer dweller from Ohio.
Foundation Gallery
Foundation Gallery was established to give exposure to art marking within
social environments that are often overlooked by the mainstream art community.
Foundation appreciates and is inspired by artists emerging from street
culture: skateboarding, graffiti, punk rock, hip-hop and other DIY
cultures. Together,
Elizabeth Cline and Michael Coleman decided to create Foundation as a
venue in Chicago to support local, national and international artists from
underground
and independent subcultures.
Fraction Workspace
Gallery
Chicago Artist Collective
Working artists from Gallery Chicago will show and discuss their work.
Includes work from Ken Hirte, Allan Pocius, Mike Pocius, Steve Levitt,
gary Stockl
and Jeff Foley.
Heaven Gallery
A not-for-profit Wicker Park art gallery, Heaven is devoted
to exhibiting the work of new and emerging artists in all media via
monthly openings
and a video/film program. For Version>05, heaven will be showcasing
large-scale and hi-res photographs by Scott Nedrelow. created in a
unique process involving
the combination of hundreds of digital images into one with great detail
and low depth-of-field.
Hideous Beast
This is a manual for hosting a fest of mini-movies, short, unedited,
low quality videos made with a digital still camera or video phone. Hideous
Beast will include an introduction to the form, how to organize a screening,
find
a space, use presentation equipment, solicit participants, and promote
the event. Accompanying the instructions will be an essay situating the
mini
movie within the history of visual culture.
The House of Payne
House of Payne is a multi-faceted arts group working within
Chicago, organizing events at their southside location in Pilsen. Bringing
grass
roots art
activism and formal origination together with hard work and long hours,
nothing is
impossible. All shows are treated with the greatest respect down to
the finest details: video, lights, décor, etc. are all taken
into account with every new concept. No talent goes unused and no resource
goes untapped.
Junk Shop
The Junkshop is a living-space/venue at 37th and Hoyne, across
from Chicago’s
beautiful McKinley Park. This former storefront was modified to facilitate
the inhabitants' artistic endeavors, which include music performance and
recording, comics, videos, and darkroom work. Due to financial and automotive
limitations, all of the loft's lumber and wall surfaces were salvaged from
nearby alleys, resulting in a giant visual anachronism: indoor and outdoor,
1930s/70s/90s/2000s, "First world" and "Third." Though
unintentional, the presence of these contradicting aesthetics wields
an influence on all events therein.
The Lobby Gallery
Committed to the exposure of emerging artists to new audiences, including
new and established collectors as well as the general public. Presenting
eight exhibitions annually and specializing in one and two person shows,
the River North gallery allows artists to engage viewers with the breadth
of an entire body of work.
Lunar Rover Anniversary Manual Carriage (LRAMC)
In commemoration of the recent 35th anniversary of The Great Apollo Mission,
this project celebrates invention and the integration of body and machine.
This is a functional, human powered vehicle based on a later addition
to the Apollo missions, the Lunar Rover Vehicle (LRV).
Lumpen Mobile Library System
An archive of Lumpen and Select Media projects will be encased
in a portable cabinet system created by Tim Wood. The back catalog
of Lumpen magazines
and cds, select dvds, and sister projects and publications will be
contained within the cabinet. Visitors will be able to view videos,
listen to music
and read back issues in the library’s transformed display.
MN Gallery
MN Gallery presents an installation by Judy Natal. American
Alphabet is a work in progress, the result of six months of continuous travel
around
the
United States, between February and August 2004, ending at the geographic
heart of the United States. Relishing photography's ability to create
all things equal, Natal explores ideas of democracy and equality pre
Kerry/Bush
Presidential elections of 2004.
The Ministry of Truth
A weekly news and public affairs program on WHPK 88.5 FM, Chicago. In
a radio environment of increasing consolidation and reduction in the
number
of original
content providers, The Ministry of Truth is one example of what one person,
with the right connections and modest resources, can do in creating a
healthy example of independent media.
Neighborhood Public Radio (NPR)
NPR has been operating nomadically throughout the San
Francisco Bay Area broadcasting reflections of the region’s diverse and distinct neighborhoods.
The process has taught a great deal about transmission methods, community
organizing, the myth of PUBLIC radio, and attempts of corporate media to
exclude localized voices. "DIY: The History and Future of Neighborhood
Public Radio" is a presentation drawing upon this experience, relayed
via conversation between a low power radio proponent and a low-level corporate
radio hack. Followed by a hands-on workshop describing how the NPR "studio" has
evolved and how others might duplicate their methods.
open-end
open-end is a four and a half year old free gallery. founded
with the idea of showing non-saleable artwork, it's evolved over the
years into
a community based multi-use space organizing art shows with a focus on installation,
a home for DEPART-ment (a project to help unify and make
accessible a full spectrum of independant producers of hand made goods),
music and film presentations, prose readings, listening rooms, indoor
badminton tournaments, dance theater shows, ho-downs and a variety of
art projects
whose ultimate intent is to present something uniquely local with a heavy
leaning towards crowd participation.
Opensource
An alternative art space accommodating a variety of non-traditional
community-oriented projects, workshops, exhibitions, and outreach events
within Champaign-Urbana,
Illinois. At Version>05 OpenSource will present Jeremy Beaudry’s
short film "Wish You Were Here."
Polvo
Polvo is both an alt.space and a collective which organizes exhibits
showcasing emerging and established artists working in installation,
new media, painting
and video. For the NFO XPO Polvo will promote the work of Harold Mendez,
Anna Mayer, and Jaime Mendoza – each creating experimental installations
with either a political or conceptual edge.
Pilot TV: Experimental Media for Feminist Trespass
A collective takeover/makeover of (capitalist) TV through skill-sharing
and community action, with a focus on (trans)feminism and queer politics.
At
the Pilot Conference in October 2004 over 100 artists, performers and
activists from around the country convened at the Young Archer compound
in Bridgeport,
Chicago. The various lectures, workshops and screenings included wrestling
techno-witches, musical performances, sexual health tips, screenprinting,
an exotic dancer documentary, double-dutch interventionists, tranny sailor
porn, a cooking show, revolutionary workout videos, and a giant interactive
inflatable TV - just to name a few. Currently in post-production, the
Pilot NFO XPO booth will feature videos from the conference as well as
zines,
CDs and other work.
Pink Nun
Post-Mobile
A 6-ft. high walk-in mailbox on wheels. Visitors on the street or in
a gallery walk up a small ramp into a semi-private space where Marianna
La
Rosa sits
behind a desk with a typewriter, ready to take dictation. The postage
and envelope necessary to complete the process of correspondence accompany
each finished letter.
Potential Energy
An archive of unrealized projects from collaborative artist
groups. We have all seen numerous ideas never realized for one reason
or another – time
constraints, the laws of physics, lack of resources, or utter infeasibility.
Design an image for us of the project(s) you have been unable to complete – these
will be collected, reproduced, and packaged into a unit containing
all the designs and sent to each participant.
red76
Red76 was formed in February of 2000 in Portland, Oregon by Sam Gould
and Jef Drawbaugh. Red76 serves as the name for collaboratively based
projects initiated and designed by Sam Gould.Since it's inception
Red76 has curated, presented, and enacted more than 30 exhibitions,
events, and actions, as well as 8cd's and an arts/culture journal entitled Dis-connect. Red76's
goal is to provide new and challenging ideas and frameworks in which
to display contemporary art and thought, as well as trying to devise means to
incorporate these works and ideas into the daily lives of the general public.
The Soap Factory
The Soap Factory is located in the former National Purity
Soap Company building, donated to the organization by Pillsbury in
1995. This historic
48,000 sq.
ft. wood and brick warehouse—located along the riverfront near the
birthplace of Minneapolis—makes The Soap Factory the third largest
contemporary art gallery in the Twin Cities, and one of the largest devoted
to emergent practice in the USA. We are the only true ‘raw’ space
in the Twin Cities, a unique showcase for sculpture, installation, painting,
performance, photography, film, and video. No Name Exhibitions @ The Soap
Factory is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to supporting and exhibiting
the work of emerging visual artists; enhancing the public’s understanding
of and appreciation for artistic expression; and fostering strength
and vitality in the arts, cultural, and educational communities of
the Twin
Cities.
The Stockyard Institute
An artist project in Chicago that sets up the conditions for artists,
writers, composers, cultural workers, filmmakers, poets, activists, and
educators
to design, produce and reflect upon work with youth and residents in
neighborhood communities. The Institute is committed to engaging the
primary conditions
and questions of area youth and residents through education, activism,
and media.
Terry Plumming Magazine
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believe tHOUSTONey buy hotgOMAHAds on maxwell streEUGENEts hunt iNEWYORK
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asks, "If
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The Taskforce Against Animal Insurrection Movements (TAAIM)
An all-volunteer action group assisting the US Department
of Homeland Security against the imminent threat posed by angry animals
the world
over, particularly
within the continental United States and at strategic American Military
bases abroad. We realize that animals have a lot to be mad about – our
mission is to educate the public by disseminating valuable information
about this
looming threat.
Topless Humans Organized for Natural Genetics (T.H.O.N.G.)
Putting their bodies between your mouths and biotech, THONG welcomes
anyone who cares about where their food and drink come from and why. They
are all
about
being the sexy, gorgeous, creative, brilliant, anti-oppressive, boundary-breaking,
whirlwind kicking biotech’s oppressive big ugly corporate ASS.
ThreeWalls
Formed in 2003, ThreeWalls is a residency and exhibition space in the River
North neighborhood of Chicago dedicated to providing workspace for emerging
artists
at pivotal points in their careers, resulting in unconventional exhibitions
which offer the public new approaches to contemporary art. Applications,
brochures, and other information about the organization will be available
at their booth.
Urban Permacultures
Permaculture is an integrated design system for creating sustainable human
settlements. Its principles and techniques are derived from observation of
natural systems
and produce human landscapes and cultural systems which help restore our
ecosystem. The Chicagoland Urban Permaculture Group hosts discussions, field
trips, workdays
and other events; a major focus is on fossil fuel education and preparation
for a low energy future.
USSMEAC
The United States Sadomasochistic Ethical Advisory Commission (USSMEAC)
trains U.S. Military Personnel in safe, sane and consensual sadistic information
gathering
for the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. In particular, their
reports pertain to the training of future soldiers and intelligence gatherers
in morally
upstanding yet effective interrogation methods.
Volatile Works
A six-member autonomous media arts collective that has been active
for the past two years in Montreal, Québec. Their work in both its
politicized and poetic incarnations embraces a range of mediums, genres,
and spaces of
intervention
(from protests to screenings), with a marked affinity for lo-fi/d.i.y./tactical
forms of production and engagement.
Volatile Vox Pop / video
documentation booth
The Volatile Vox Pop is conceived for radical and community events, fairs,
art and political gatherings, conferences, and festivals, partly to document
the event, the participants & their concerns, and partly to initiate
a process of exchange and collaboration. The Volatile Vox Pop will consist
of a video booth run by members of the volatile works collective. Participants
will get an invitation to drop by the booth during the event for a short
(5-15 minute) interview about their projects, issues, concerns, and anything
they happen to want to rant about. Volatile members can also accompany
participants back to their tables or events to document them if they are
willing. Because
participants drop by the Vox Pop booth of their own accord, the set-up
avoids filming event participants who don't want to be filmed. Accommodations
can
also be made for folks who don't want their faces captured on tape but
still want to participate (mask, shadows, feet interviews).
Walking Tour of Bridgeport
Renowned Bridgeport historian, Mike Pocius will give two walking
tours of the community of the future starting at the Bridgeport Coffee House
(Morgan
and 31st
St) and ending at the Zhou B Center. The tours are on Sunday May 1, 1pm and
3pm.
West Town Food Co-Op
In early January 2005, Kathleen Duffy sent out an email to 20 friends
searching for interest in creating a food co-op in Logan Square, Chicago.
Over 300 replies
later, a movement is now underway to bring affordable, locally grown, healthy
food to the West Town area through a cooperatively structured storefront
community space. The food co-op group welcomes any area resident to join
in as the process
unfolds.
Young Archer
The Young Archer compound in Bridgeport, Chicago's "community of the future," houses
three artist-run performance and exhibition spaces: The wide open Texas
Ballroom, which has hosted everyone from Mirah to Lightning Bolt; Diamonds
on Archer,
an emerging exhibition space for local artists and performers; and First
Base, renowned
for its gritty noise shows.
poster image by souvenir
Floorplan of NFO EXPO
