Art Technology Institute

The Art Technology Institut Moscow was founded in July 1992 by a group of muscovite artist, art critics and the swiss-american Mike Hentz (professor at the University of Art, Hamburg and originator of Ponton European Media Art Lab).He has active contacts with the Russian art scene since several years. On the way of repeated cooperation between Russia and the Western-Europe area, the Institut was founded in order to propose to russian artists and technicians a interdisciplinary place where they can have the opportunity to meet and train with todays technology. The Institut is registered as a non-profit making and cultural association in Moscow and is located in the building of the Moscow Center of Contemporary Art. The aim of the institut is also to become in two years time, a school recognized by the russian Ministry of Education in order to keep the Institut in the educational field. Since this project will be open to the public (e.g. radio and television) it would be a profitable way to take part in this undertaking, especially as the rails must be put towards the East in order to train and to get accustomed the specialist to the corresponding- in this case to "your"- technic over there. At the same time you get forward in your marketing-interest:it is not only that you are getting a low budget marketing-campaign and so keep care for the popularity of your trade name in the Eastern countries, it is also that you are leading the people to your technic and eventually you have done a big step in introducing your products there. It would be nice if you could arrange a form of cooperation - sponsoring on different levels or collaboration. In order to be operational very quickly the Institut, in colaboration with other structures, will be the co-organiser and host of the 1st NEW MEDIA ART LAB MOSCOW (January to September 1994). At this time in Russia there is very little practicle and theoretical information available to the public about the media arts. As well funding projects involving new technologies is extremely difficult and expensive. The technology being used in Russia now is often outdated and the acquisition of new equipement must be done outside Russia, increasing the costs because of transportation and custons fees. Trough an ongoing project, public seminar series dealing with four division of the media arts -sound, video, computer and multimedia- the organizational team listed below hopes to allow development in the media arts. The workshop will be an eight month practical and theoratical experience with the subsequent goal of a dual russian new media art and international media art exhibition. A series of historical and philosophical lectures by international media arts specialists made open to the public will be held at the Contemporary Art Center Moscow. In the same building, in the Art Technology Institut, practical workshops will be coordinated by an international team for a democratically selected group of russian artists. These workshops will provide artist with a working space and acces to all the technological hardware necessary for them to develop their skills in one of the aforementioned divisions. All work space , use, and maintenance of harware will come cost free to the artist for the duration of the workshops. This group will consist of 20-25 artists selected by an extended board of the Soros Fundation, the Art Technology Institut and the Contemporary Art Center Moscow. These artist will apply to this board through December 1993. The application will consist of a resume, including documentation of any previous media art work and a project proposal to develop during the Lab.