Digitazed Bodies, Virtual Spectacles / Crossing Over, Nina Czegledy

Biography: 

Nina Czegledy is an independent media artist, curator and writer. Over the last ten years she has programmed and curated over twenty international media art/video programs and touring exhibitions that were presented in 28 countries. She has published both internationally and in her native Hungary. She is board member of ISEA international boards, Images festival, Interaccess Electronic Media Arts Centre and Charles ST. Video.
Her latest projects include Aurora Universalis an exhibition of electronic art installations (www.interaccess.org/aurora), art and biomedicine presentations at caiia2 and ISEA98, and programming for Ostranenie97. Czegledy has worked as an on-line director for performance bytes a Canada-wide telecommunication project. Czegledy published widely both in North America and her native Hungary.

Nina Czegledy, Toronto/Budapest
Summary: 

During her lecture, Nina Czegledy presented two projects: "Digitized Bodies, Virtual Spectacles" and "The Crossing Over".

"Digitized Bodies, Virtual Spectacles" interdisciplinary project explores the ways in which the rapidly developing technologies affect the perception of our bodies. The project examines the reflection of these notions in the arts, sciences and popular culture through a series of online events as well as onsite exhibitions, performances, video programs and public lectures in Toronto, Canada (2000), Budapest, Hungary (2001) and Slovenia (2001). The publication of a bilingual book /CD rom is an integral part of the project, generously supported by the Daniel Langlois Foundation. "Digitized Bodies, Virtual Spectacles" is the most recent collaborative project conceptualized and developed by Czegledy, presents a series of on-line and on-site events. Conceptual aspects of this project were presented caiia1 and 2 and 3 (1997-1998, 2000), ISEA98, invencao/isea/ caiia99 and Next5minutes (1996).
"Digitized Bodies, Virtual Spectacles" project aims to utilize new forms of teamwork and borderless collaborations, bringing together cultural theoreticians, communication experts, (software) toolmakers, scientists, artists, and students to investigate and demonstrate the experimental reality of our visualized culture. One of the primary aims of the project is to survey and present international artwork and projects related to this topic, and create interdisciplinary communication that reflects on the impact of medical technology on our concepts of the human body. The project involves the creation of a virtual forum, an on-line exhibition, on-site presentation of artworks, lectures, video programs and performance events.

http://www.digibodies.c3.hu

"The Crossing Over" workshop/media residency project co-curated with Iliyana Nedkova has been realized in Sofia (Bulgaria 96 and 97), Novi Sad (Yugoslavia98), Ljubljana (Slovenia 99), Colombus, Ohio (2000) and Liverpool, UK (2001). "The Crossing Over" [co] involves an evolving series of producing and presenting videoshorts. The project has been developed in on-going collaboration with Iliyana Nedkova and was initially established as an alternative framework for Eastern Europeans to develop, produce and present experimental individual or collaborative videoshorts. Up until 2000 more than 80 experienced artists and emerging video makers have benefited from the co activities.

http://www.ljudmila.org/co

"The Aurora Universalis" project, in collaboration with Stephen Kovats, intends to engage current technology in a dialogue between the naturally occuring electro-magnetic disturbance occuring in the magnetosphere and our attempt at "freedom" by overcoming global physics with the technical means at our disposal (in progress 1997- 2001).