the ArtfulTechnoFuckingMediaHippies
an art exhibit at Gotland’s Art Museum
9 February 2002 – 10 March 2002

C. Anders Wallén is the innovator and unifying force behind the three works in this exhibit. The exhibit is the result of a fruitful collaboration among artists active in different fields of art. They perform under the alias the ArtfulTechnoFuckingMediaHippies.

2 dance 2
2002 caw, je, hh.
C.Anders Wallén: Concept, interpretation, video, programming
Helena Högberg: Dance
Jesper Elén: ElectroAcousticMusic, programming
In one nearly empty room, you meet the picture of a woman projected on a frosted pane of glass. She stands completely still. She is at rest. When you walk forward to her--to the cross on the floor--and ask a question, the women will dance an answer, a multimedia answer consisting of movements and music. The work rests, remains passive until the observer interacts. Since the observer is drawn in, is necessary to start the creation and then even influences the artwork, the observer becomes part of an artistic process. The observer is crucial for the birth of the artwork. How and what the observer may experience in the meeting with the woman on the screen depends on the observer’s own dance, hence the title 2 dance 2.
C. Anders Wallén filmed dancer Helena Högberg over the course of three hours, during which she danced the answer to different questions that he called out to her. He created a “database” of the video material, a large archive of dancing answers. The answer to your question is retrieved from the database via a random generator. Composer Jesper Elén has created computer-generated EAMusic from Helena Högberg’s movements.

Photo and Video documentation

2 laugh @
2001 caw
C.Anders Wallén: Concept, interpretation, video, programming
Laughers: Iréne Duckert, Magnus Engström, Anna Carlson, Mosa-Hanna Caspars
A chair stands between two podiums with screens. You see faces projected on each screen. Four expectantly serious people sneak glances at each other, hum, and move gently. A cross on the chair indicates that you can sit. When you sit all four begin to laugh, a laugh that develops and increases until you rise and everything reverts.
C. Anders Wallén has said that his idea was to make a “laugh generator” but he realized that laughter’s influence on the central nervous system in combination with a social setting resulted in something completely different.
Why? How do you experience laughter? Are you laughing with or being laughed at? At first you may also begin to laugh, but after a while the situation changes. You can have the feeling that the people are laughing behind your back. The situation is further reinforced because the onlookers unavoidably take part, hence the cross out on the floor.

Photo and Video documentation

2 focus U
2002 caw, loc
C. Anders Wallén: Concept, interpretation, video
Lars-Olov Carlsson: Music
The music (16:16) is composed for symphony orchestra but produced digitally. 2 focus U is projected vertically downwards onto a frosted glass surface. The video sequence shows a surface, “water” that slowly shifts in perspective and degree of detail, a displacement in observation with music. 2 focus U is reproduced via a DVD player, while 2 dance 2 and 2 laugh @ are interactive computer-based works--in other words, they require your participation and computers in order to be shown.

Photo and Video documentation

pdf with the text 120K

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