The installation Analog Statistics establishes a link between the online presence of MULTIPLEX: TransNatural and the physical exhibition space. Seven plants in a greenhouse give exhibition visitors real-time insight into the cumulative website visitor statistics. A visit to the website, from anywhere in the world, triggers a growth-activating light over a plant that is correlated with the continent from which the site was viewed. The results will provide a foliage visualisation of international visitor numbers. Those who visit the website will see live webcam images of the triggered light and its effects. The European and North American plants will flourish, no doubt, but who will trigger the light over the Antarctica plant and help it grow?

DUTCH TEXT:

De installatie Analog Statistics legt een verband tussen de virtuele wereld waarin Multiplex Transnatural zich manifesteert en de fysieke ruimte waar de tentoonstelling staat opgesteld. Zeven planten in een geautomatiseerde plantenkas in de kelder van het Trouw gebouw geven de bezoekers van de tentoonstelling een real-time en cumulatief inzicht in de bezoekers-statistieken van de website. Zodra iemand ergens ter wereld de website van de tentoonstelling bekijkt, activeert het systeem een groei-lamp boven de plant die is gekoppeld aan het werelddeel van waaruit de website wordt bekeken. De groei van de planten visualiseert hoe de website erin slaagt een internationaal publiek te bereiken.

Het systeem reageert op website-bezoekers, maar is semi-interactief. Bezoekers activeren een lamp, maar krijgen niet de keuze dat wel of niet te doen. Een live webcam-beeld toont hen desondanks het effect van hun actie. Door bezoekers zodoende direct een aandeel te laten leveren aan het groeiproces van één van de planten, wordt getracht hen een betrokkenheid op te dringen voor het verdere welzijn van ‘hun’ plant. Daarbij speelt ook een competitie-element mee. Elk van de 7 werelddelen wordt gerepresenteerd door één van de 7 planten. Tussen Europa en Noord-Amerika wordt het ongetwijfeld spannend. Maar maakt Antarctica nog enige kans? Wie schakelt vrienden of kennissen aldaar in om ook die lamp te laten branden?

Door aan te sturen op participatie, wordt de installatie meer dan een een richtings
De plantenkas functioneert als publiciteits-machine, maar is zowel middels als onderwerp van die publiciteit. En zoals het het creëren van publiciteit veel energie en moeite kost, zo vergt ook het uitdrukken van het succes daarvan in de vorm van plantengroei de nodige inspanning.

Trouw Amsterdam, basement

* Expositie: vrij. 19 februari t/m vrij. 19 maart
Openingstijden: wo. t/m vrij. + zo. 14.00u – 20.00u, za. 14.00u – 22.00u

* Workshops kinderen en jongeren: ma. 1 maart t/m vrij. 5 maart

* Zaterdag 13 maart Transnatural symposium met Koert van Mensvoort (NL), Elio Caccavale (UK), Tobie Kerridge (UK), Rachel Armstrong (UK), Jan Jongert (NL)

* Finissage: vrij. 19 maart eindgesprek met makers, 18.00u.

* Opening: vrij. 19 februari
18.00u – 22.00u in de Verdieping, 22.00u – 04.00u feest i.s.m. Below/ TrouwAmsterdam

Artists/designers/scientists:

Thomas Gerhardt (USA), Joan Healy (IR), Aaron Koblin/ Daniel Massey
(USA), Lucy McRae (NL), Ralf Schreiber (GER), Sander Veenhof (NL),
Maarten Vanden Eynde (BE), Jelle Feringa (NL), 2012Architecten (NL),
Daniela Bershan (GER/NL), Julius Popp (GER), Elio Caccavale (UK),
Tobie Kerridge (UK), Rachel Armstrong (UK)

Technology was the means by which we separated ourselves from nature, and escaped its limitations. In the 21st century we move beyond the animosity between nature and technology. In a lot of areas we see new fruitful collaborations and new kinds of unity: in our dealings with the environment en with energy, but also in arts, architecture, fashion and games.

What will this transnatural world look like? Is this a next evolutionary step, or merely a changed perception of ourselves?

Multiplex Transnatural is the first of two exhibitions with symposia. Transnatural will show to young and old the most interesting attempts from art, design, and science to fuse technology with nature. A glimpse of a new and rich world with transnatural architecture, installations, games and more.
More information: www.multiplexart.nl

Sander Veenhof i.s.m Showroom MAMA

“Surveillancecamera’s zijn niet meer weg te denken uit het Rotterdamse straatbeeld. Waar je ook gaat, je wordt gezien. De interactieve interventie ‘de-surveillance’, bij Showroom MAMA, laat je verdwijnen voor het allesziende oog van de beveiligingscamera. Kunstenaar Sander Veenhof maakt het mogelijk je privacy op een speelse manier te heroveren”. (http://festivalwww.nl)

Streetcorner Witte de Withstraat / Hartmansstraat - Rotterdam

The surveillance camera at the corner of Witte de Withstraat / Hartmansstraat in Rotterdam couldn’t handle a specific type of the color blue, a flaw discovered and exploited by Sander Veenhof in the context of the ‘For Security Reasons’ exhibition at Showroom MAMA.

A temporary ‘de-surveillance service point’ on the same streetcorner assisted visitors of the De Wereld van Witte de With festival to disappear from the Rotterdam surveillance camera network. By wearing or holding anything blue, they could become invisible.

Physical Virtuality platform - bringing real and virtual together, physically

“DIMENSIONAL MOBILITY”
August 28th 14:00h - Waterfront venue - Main Hall

Since its existence, art has always exploring every thinkable dimension. Having its origin in 2D, as flat surface painting, it moved towards 3D with sculpture and performance, explored the 2D plane further with video and it even got into a non-dimension with certain highly conceptual art pieces.

Being confronted with new (digital) tools and phenomena, artists are currently actively exploring the multi dimensional opportunities and hybrid-dimensional forms. Working in virtual reality, making virtual art and being a virtual artist, it’s a common practice in VR world such as Second Life where the art world is thriving with new artworks ‘not possible in real life’. Ranging from huge gravity ignoring participatory installations to minimalistic work reflecting on the medium itself. Anything is possible…. Or isn’t it?

In a quest to conceptualise an artwork ‘not possible in virtual life’, the new media artist Sander Veenhof (1973) from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, has been studying the fundamental characteristics and limitations of virtual worlds to find out if such an artwork could possible be created. He so far carried out numerous experiments to answer one of the basic relevant question: to what extent does the virtual world actually differs from our physicial world? The difference in dimenional aspect is obvious. Avatars live in a 3D world represented on 2D screens. But we are more and more living our day-to-day 3D lifes on screens too. Video-conferincing with ‘2D’ partners, seeing ourselves GPS-tracked on 2D maps.

To study whether the gap between the real and the virtual dimension is unbridgable, Veenhof carried out a series of experiments attempting to bridge that gap to find out about its possibly unbridgable nature. Experiments involving a connection of both of these worlds. Litteraly, conceptually, by mixing different dimensions or crossing the virtual/real boundary. His projects could be described ad mobility through dimensions. As is best explained by the “Second Life visits The Hague” project: a mapping of a virtual world onto the Google streetmap of the city of The Hague, thereby putting both world in one shared dimension. (http://www.sndrv.nl/tag/ )
Other relevant studies include:

“SL Walkie Talkie Walks” - Hooking up New York residents to virtual world counterparts on a simultaneous walking tour through Brooklyn and Second Life:
http://www.sndrv.nl/slwalkietalkie/

“Physical Virtuality” - Giving avatar residents of a virtual world true physical weight, enabling ‘physical’ encounters between them and real people:
http://sndrv.nl/physicalvirtuality/

In his talk, Veenhof will address the issues he came across moving on the borderline between these connected worlds, a reflection on progress so far and an explanation on conclusions to be drawn.

Greenhouse re-installed at the V2 Test_Lab session on july 9th 2009

- Which issues would you like to address with your work/project? And does
it make any explicit statements, or raise specific questions, about the
state of the world?

We live in a world dense with media sources providing us an exuberant amount of information straight into our digital lifestyle, reaching us directly or indirectly by means of peers in the social media networks we’re in. We are being updated and informed non-stop and on the go, we continuously need to scan a flood of texts and references to online content worth visiting, new developments or other findings. Technically we’re being offered an unequalled ease to view, study or enjoy all those experiences with the click of a button. But all we do is Twitter about our scoop (if we find it first, among with 10000 #scoop spotters) or we create a Delicious/StubleUpon/360 bookmark about it, tagged ‘todo’ or ‘read_later’.

We lack the time and concentration to experience the actual content being referred to. We live in a meta-culture where the references have become the main content.

If hyperlinks and references are the maximum level of information we’re capable to handle nowadays, I reckoned skipping the actual content would save me time and disappointments. So I developed the Publicity Plant to survive on references only. Blog-postings, twitter-tweets, it’s the minimal but sufficient level of attention to keep it alive. There is no content, as a true publicity plant has no true body. In that sense, this Publicity Plant isn’t a true publicity plant, because a real publicity plant is involved.

- Can you describe the context (and pertinence) of your work in
contemporary settings? Are they economical, social, ecological, cultural,
anything else?

The origin of the project is the need for a new coming artist to claim a position in the crowded art scene. I’ve tried to create a feedback loop within the networked artist community. The project provided me with an proper excuse to send mass or direct emails-spam. Requesting publicity for a genuine cause, a real-life bouquet. Explaining how the growth of the plant was directly influenced by active and proper care from it’s supporters. And although being monitored and ‘controlled’ digitally, it dictated the natural ease and tempo of the project. As the seeded bouquet failed to develop any flowers, it showed me the limitations of applying my digitized thinking in areas outside of the computerized environment. It has a pré compared to digital creations too: plants are a very genuine visualization of statistical data. No way to positively readjust the statistical outcomes.

- Would your work (still) make sense if placed in the context of the 1980s
or 2030s?

Technically, it could have been realized in the ‘80, although it would work at less speed, and it would have a smaller potential audience, which reduces the informational qualities of the project. This publicity plant anno 2009 really provided insight in its publicity reach, because in theory, nearly anyone in the world could have been reached.

In the years around 2030 the technical achievements in ecological control will probably provide us with the knowledge and equipment to grow a plant showing multi-dimensional information visualized in the form, color and size of it’s leaves and twigs. Looking forward to that moment!

- Do you believe that the world is in crisis?

Some fundamental structures are being changed, and it’s happening in a very prominent, visual and loud way, just as many things nowadays become a topic of the world instantly, being voiced by millions around the globe in choir. Somehow, I do see a little crisis in the superficial ways we currently react and (not) act to cope with the overly informed lives we’re living, but I’m taking this fact as an opportunity too to create works that perfectly fit the contemporary type of audience.

PUBLICITY PLANT / DRIP / MOBILE THRILL
BEFORE / DURING EXPO / AFTER
(VOORTRAJECT / TIJDENS EXPO / NAZORG)

CATALOGUS TEXT:

Sander Veenhof’s original background is in computer science. Being capable of controlling our increasingly digital environment through programming and technical solutions, in his art career he focuses on the contrary: incorporating dependencies, deprogramming and exploring the aesthetics of unlogica. Targeting the mental and physical in-between space created as a result of shifting media use or unifying incompatible scopes.

The three works in the exhibition showcase this approach when looked upon individually, but the series as a whole highlights another focus’ in Veenhof’s work: the intertwining of his own art career with the works he makes.

To attract attention to himself in the overly busy contemporary art world and to color up the graduation ceremony, Veenhof came up with a concept to serve both these purposes in harmony. He started raising a ‘graduation bouquet’ in an interactively controlled greenhouse hosted in the hallway of his Amsterdam home. The custom designed greenhouse control system converted all online publicity into bouquet growth by switching on a grow-light above his ‘publicity plant’ whenever blog-postings, Twitter messages or Delicious bookmarks referred to the project. The resulting bouquet, visualizes in a very natural way the success of the project, being the project itself at the same time.

Besides announcing his graduation beforehand, offering a worthwhile interactive new media experience at the show, the follow-up of the exhibition is taken care of too. A mobile cinema installation distributing a promotional video clip to the ultimate media platform of today (as seen from a marketing perspective that is): mobile phones with cam function. The installation solves the contemporary issue of the indifference (or even disappearing) audience by requesting people to stand still, give their phone out of hand, relax and wait. Quite disturbing and emotional practices for people these days, contributing to a raised mental awareness, attention and openness. Plus a high expectation and urge to get something in return for their invested time. A perfect state-of-mind to close that deal with the delivery of a SNDRV promotion video.

Publicity Plant: sndrv.nl/publicityplant

Mobile Thrill: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ewpa4yt89w

Drip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLVTcz63aUc

sndrv.nl/twitter/

Nowadays, kids start getting computer savvy at an earlier and earlier age. As soon as they can handle the mouse, off they go.

But that limiting requirement now ceases to exist with Toddler VR. Virtual reality for all ages - and lifeforms.

A welcome development for kids these days, who’s parents spend more and more time online, playing with virtual reality characters, instead of with them.

Toddler VR connects kids to the natural habitat of their contemporary parents, so they can play together again!

Toddler VR - infographic

Help me grow a bouquet of flowers!

Publicity Plant