Art Thu Dec 09 2010

Select Media Festival Begins Tonight

By Kelly Reaves

Inspired by artists and designers who use available analog and digital tools to communicate complex data from the everyday to the very obscure, the Public Media Institute presents Select Media Festival 9: Infoporn II this weekend as an homage to their love for data visualization. A selection of works from around the world takes form in installations, a publication library, interactive projects, and infographics. The exhibition itself will be viewable at Co-Prosperity Sphere for two days only: Friday, Dec. 10 from 7pm to 1am and Saturday Dec. 11 from 2 to 9pm.

Tonight they open SMF9: Infoporn II with the release of their own contribution to the information overload, Proximity Magazine: Issue 008. Themed "Education as Art," their newest issue is a 230-page opus and represents their latest and greatest effort in publishing. Stop by the release party at Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar to get a copy at a discount ($10), enjoy some beverages and meet the creators/contributors to the issue.

The programming on Friday at Co-Prosperity Sphere features works by Dayton Castleman, Caleb Charland, Jeremiah Chiu, The Center for Urban Pedagogy, Column Five Media, Theodore Darst, David A. Garcia, Firebelly Design, Francesco Franchi, Cody Hudson, Gary Kachadourian, Derek Lerner, The New City Reader Classifieds project by Kazys Varnelis and Joseph Grima & others, Serifcan Ozcan, The Present Group, The PMIRL library Infoporn Collection, Louis Doulas, Luke Williams, Adam Lonczynski, Joshua Clarfelt, Tom Burtonwood, MaTeVos and Neil Wargo. And performances by J+J+J, Aleks Eva, Lord of the Yum Yum & Michael Perkins.

In addition to the events at Co-Prosperity Sphere and Maria's, on Friday local artist Emily Clayton, whose sculptural works interpret ghostly forms, will show at Eastern Expansion from 6 to 9pm. Her project, Sad Cycle, includes works that are inspired by death rituals. The exhibition is part of a larger series that seeks to examine ways in which people grieve through a lens of palpably dramatic forms and performance. This work was created over the past three months and reflects an intimate focus on material and a process-driven sculptural practice.

On Saturday from 2pm to 9pm Pechu Kucha-toids, 20 X 20-ers, video curators, powerpointers, and Tour Guides of renown explain their work in a simple lecture presentation format and screening. Presenters include Nick Fraccaro, Jerry Boyle and Paul Durica with an Infoporn video program that starts at 8pm. Work will be on display by Nicholas O'Brien, Nate Hitchcock, Alexandra Herrera, Evan Meaney, Artie Vierkant, Andy Faulkner, Chelsey Hoff and Antonio Roberts.

Last but not least, Sunday is BYOBeamer night at Co-Prosperity Sphere, from 6 to 10pm. By then they will have taken down the Infoporn II exhibition, leaving the gallery walls blank for use. BYOB is a series of exhibitions hosting artists and their projectors, started by Berlin-based Rafaël Rozendaal. Don't forget to bring your own projection source and a projector if you intend to show your goods.

For details about the festival, visit selectmediafestival.org.