U.S. Department of Art & Technology
Media Release
For Immediate Release: August 16, 2004
EXPERIMENTAL PARTY DISINFORMATION CENTER
OPENS IN NEW YORK CITY
WASHINGTON, DC – The Experimental Party DisInformation Center, presented by the US Department of Art & Technology, an immersive media installation subverting Republican propaganda, opens in New York City on Saturday, August 21st at LUXE Gallery, 24 West 57th St. An opening reception, the Propaganda Hospitality Suite, will take place from 6 – 8 PM. The DisInformation Center runs through Saturday, September 4th, when it will close with the Post-Mortem Lounge from 6 – 8 PM. Regular hours for the installation are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 AM - 6 PM.
Three years in the making, the installation is the culmination of a project started by US Department of Art & Technology Secretary Randall M. Packer in 2001 when he created a “virtual government agency” as a critique of the role of the artist in society. “Following 9/11, I called for recommendations on how Americans can by served by artists in order to be prepared for the consequences of a culturally divisive world,” says Secretary Packer. “Now we are bringing our project examining political propaganda to New York City at this critical time right before the Republican National Convention. I call upon Department artists to carry out crucial acts of artistic mediation.”
Secretary Packer has collaborated with US DAT staff artists including: Mark Amerika, Jonah Brucker-Cohen, Jeff Gates, Jon Henry, Gregory T. Kuhn, Lynn Hershman, Andrew Nagy, and Wesley Smith. Additional works by Andy Deck, DJ Spooky and '47,' Trace Reddell, and Rick Silva are also included. Convention coverage will be provided by Alexander Provan and the Experimental News team.
A feature of the installation is the Media Deconstruction Kit (MDK) which configures, disorients, and amplifies the misinformation of live broadcast media coverage of the Republican National Convention into an immersive, sensorial, multimedia experience. The MDK scrambles live news broadcasts and puts the altered matter out on the Net as a revolutionary weapon.
Other featured projects at the Experimental Party DisInformation Center include
Society of the Spectacle (A Digital
Remix): Ten-minute DVD art-loop by DJRABBI.
WetheBlog.org: Virtual community for media artists
and cultural critics.
Homeland Insecurity Advisory System: Broadcasting
the daily governmental threat.
USA Exquisite Corpse: A dark portrayal of the
Spirit of America.
Abe Golam for President 2004 (A PolyVocal Remix):
Politically reborn avatar-candidate.
On-line projects/info: http://www.experimentalparty.org
Press site: http://www.usdat.us/press
This event is part of the Imagine Festival of Arts, Issues & Ideas, a citywide cultural festival, Aug 28 - Sept 2
About the US Department of Art &
Technology
http://www.usdat.us
The US Department of Art and Technology is the United States principal conduit for facilitating the artist's need to extend aesthetic inquiry into the broader culture where ideas become real action. It also serves the psychological and spiritual well-being of all Americans by supporting cultural efforts that provide immunity from the extension of new media technologies into the social sphere.
About the Experimental Party
http://www.experimentalparty.org
The Experimental Party, the "party of experimentation," is an initiative that has been formed to activate citizens across the country in an effort to bring the artists' message to center stage of the political process. This is a political awakening. "Representation through virtualization" is the major political thrust, it is the driving force of the Experimental Party.
Contact:
US Department of Art & Technology | Washington, DC Fax: 202.342.1293 | E-mail: press@usdat.us
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