Three northern European cities, capitals, vastly different from each other in history, topography and culture. London (pop.7 556 900), ancient metropolis, where every step tramples some part of a 2000 year history, daily walking over Roman roads to get to work, passing sites of horror, execution, splendour and intrigue. Berlin (pop.3.4 million), rational capital of an Enlightenment despot, severed in two and slowly being put back together. Helsinki, (pop.574,579), not sure if it even wants to be a city, surrounded on all sides by trees and water.
Each city is unique in terms of its culture and population mix, in how it deals with the northern climate and the economic structures that support it.
It stands to reason that each city has a very different, though equally dynamic, artistic culture. LONDON-HELSINKI-BERLIN MOVING IMAGES brings together three artist collectives working with moving images (film and video) in a show in three cities. The show will showcase firstly the diversity of approaches taken by each artistic collective, and at the same time highlight concerns shared by the current generation of contemporary moving-image artists.
By making the show in the three cities, visitors will not only get a sense of what is happening in other cities, but also what is being done in their own, and this will offer a new opportunity for other artists to get involved in future initiatives, and for audiences to find new artists.
All of the collectives involved in putting together LONDON-HELSINKI-BERLIN MOVING IMAGES share concerns about the current state, and future, of moving image as an art form. As longstanding practitioners, with personal practices alongside our collective work, we are concerned about the problem of curatorial vision for, and expertise in, moving-image art. We are seeking dialogue with each other about the problems of archiving our work in a fast-changing technical environment. We are looking for new methods of distribution that allow the widest number of people to see our work in the way that we want it seen. We are looking at how the technology of the VJ has been taken on by the artist, and how to present video-performance in a suitable way. We are concerned with the perceived lack of attention paid by major institutions to present moving image work in all its variety, in the way that artist intended the work to be seen. We are interested in the relationship of the sound to the the image. We care about the relationship of “artist film” to what is known as “cinema” - where the traditions split and come together again.
We seek to question and perhaps banish some of the clichés of moving image art, derived from the structuralist works of the 1960s and 70s and largely unquestioned by subsequent generations. We seek to integrate the whole of art history, as well as contemporary culture, into our exploration the moving image format.
Luna Nera
Luna Nera was formed as a collective by a group of new graduates in 1997, coming together to exploit the opportunity to use a derelict Victorian theatre as a studio. This led to an ongoing practice of site exploration and site-responsive practice, creating a number of high profile live art events combining different art forms (The House of Detention 1999, St Pancras Chambers 2003, Belfast Shipyards 2005 and more). Luna Nera's ten years of practice, and many international projects, have led to the creation of a number of startlingly inventive video documents, as well as short films and video art works made in, and about, or inspired by, the various places Luna Nera has worked.
Luna Nera's film and video work has been shown in many festivals and venues including Art Moscow; the Institute of Contemporary Art and Gallery 291 in London; the Bienniale Champ Libre Internationale Vidéo Et Art Électronique, Montréal; the Paradies Bunker Berlin Alexanderplatz; the Optica Festival, Gijon; the Atelier des Artistes d'Alexandrie; the Central Exhibition Hall St Petersburg; the VidiFestival Valencia and more.
Luna Nera was formed as a collective by a group of new graduates in 1997, coming together to exploit the opportunity to use a derelict Victorian theatre as a studio. This led to an ongoing practice of site exploration and site-responsive practice, creating a number of high profile live art events combining different art forms (The House of Detention 1999, St Pancras Chambers 2003, Belfast Shipyards 2005 and more). Luna Nera's ten years of practice, and many international projects, have led to the creation of a number of startlingly inventive video documents, as well as short films and video art works made in, and about, or inspired by, the various places Luna Nera has worked.
Luna Nera's film and video work has been shown in many festivals and venues including Art Moscow; the Institute of Contemporary Art and Gallery 291 in London; the Bienniale Champ Libre Internationale Vidéo Et Art Électronique, Montréal; the Paradies Bunker Berlin Alexanderplatz; the Optica Festival, Gijon; the Atelier des Artistes d'Alexandrie; the Central Exhibition Hall St Petersburg; the VidiFestival Valencia and more.
Luna Nera will exhibit works by the Luna Nera Collective and invited, associated artists. Luna Nera's screening will focus on the idea of storytelling, reflecting London's long association to both literary culture and urban legends.
Namastic Art Collective
Founded in Helsinki in the warm summer of 2006, Namastic Collective is based on a loose network of contacts and collaborations between artists and other professionals of art and related fields. It was born out of the necessity to organize and develop contemporary art projects on an international scale. For this purpose, extensive networking and research were also commenced.
Primarily, the idea was to export contemporary art from Finland and other Nordic countries to the wider world but implicit in the concept of Namastic was also the intention of organizing projects and events in Finland. In a way, the thinking behind Namastic transcends borders and nationalities, which is also reflected in the multinational composition of the group.
Art has always been on the vanguard of globalization and today more than ever, art and artists are circulating around the globe, finding new audiences and ways of interaction and collaboration. In the field of media art this is especially true, partly due to the easy mobility of works, often contained within compact discs (such as DVDs).
This interaction is something that the Namastic collective also wants to promote and be part of. In an era when people are manipulated by fear and tempted to narrow their thinking, art can offer different perspectives and encourage critical thought. It can also demonstrate that no matter where we come from, we can still understand each other, share ideas and have fun.
The name Namastic actually derives from the Hindi word 'Namaste', which is a respectful greeting and can be translated as "The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you". Essentially it is about recognizing the equality and interconnection of all. Without further emphasis on spirituality, it is fair to say the Namastic collective appreciates and aims to embody the values of respect, compassion and cooperation.
Loophole Berlin
Located in a former brothel, LOOPHOLE is a Berlin based event space that showcases all forms of art; offering an encompassing programme that reflects the diverse range of artistic practice today.
Founded by Julian Ronnefeldt of Luna Nera and the former TRO-Factory Berlin, and Matthew Fahey, Loophole offers a programme of regular artists film screenings, music and exhibitions by both local and international artists.
Located in a former brothel, LOOPHOLE is a Berlin based event space that showcases all forms of art; offering an encompassing programme that reflects the diverse range of artistic practice today.
Founded by Julian Ronnefeldt of Luna Nera and the former TRO-Factory Berlin, and Matthew Fahey, Loophole offers a programme of regular artists film screenings, music and exhibitions by both local and international artists.
Curators:
Gillian McIver
Egle Oddo
Virva Sointu
Ima Picó
Julian Ronnefeldt
Adrian Shephard
Matthew Fahey
