The Evening of Imaginary Media The imaginary future of media..

In conjunction with the publication of the “Book & DVD of Imaginary
Media" by De Balie, Centre for Culture and Politics in Amsterdam, in
collaboration with NAi Publishers (Rotterdam), De Balie presents an
intimate yet spectacular program around the concept of ‘imaginary
media’. For centuries mankind has dreamt about the ultimate
communication medium, which should once and for all eradicate the
ubiquitous human misunderstanding - however, miscommunication still
prevails today as a seemingly inextinguishable feature of human
experience...

The evening will start with the presentation of the “Book of
Imaginary Media", after which RICHARD BARBROOK will speak about the
imaginary future of artificial intelligence and the extremely real
cold war agenda hiding behind these imaginations. Richard Barbrook is
a researcher and co-ordinator of the Hypermedia Research Centre at
the University of Westminster, London. Barbrook is currently working
on a book devoted to this topic, which will appear next spring under
the title “Imaginary Futures - From Thinking Machines to the Global
Village"

A PREVIEW will be given of the “DVD of Imaginary Media", which
includes the son et lumière adaptation of “On Imaginary Media" by
Peter Blegvad, based on the theatre performance he developed for De
Balie in 2004.

PETER BLEGVAD will also perform live and contribute some of his
elusive songs. Blegvad collaborated in the past with cultbands such
as Faust, Slap Happy and Henry Cow, and with avant-garde artists as
John Zorn. He is the creator of the famous Leviathan cartoon,
published in the Independent on Sunday, and he developed a remarkable
solo-career as a singer / composer. He also gained esteem with his
sound plays (Eartoons) for BBC radio in London.

Further information can be found at the Balie website:
www.debalie.nl/artikel.jsp?podiumid=media&articleid=88410


BACKGROUND:

In 2004 De Balie organised the mini-festival “An Archaeology of
Imaginary Media" about the dreams, visions and imaginations of the
ultimate communication medium with a selection of world-renown media
scientists, media archaeologists, writers, artists and filmmakers.
The Book and the DVD of Imaginary Media now conclude these
archaeological explorations.


THE PUBLICATION:

The Book of Imaginary Media will be available from mid-November from
NAi Publishers in Rotterdam and in bookshops - with contributions by
Siegfried Zielinski, Erkki Huhtamo, Bruce Sterling, John Akomfrah,
Zoe Beloff, Edwin Carels, Timothy Druckrey, Richard Barbrook, and
edited by Eric Kluitenberg (De Balie).

The accompanying DVD contains, next to “On Imaginary Media" by Peter
Blegvad, the experimental short movie “Aqua Micans" by François
Ducat, and a selection of cartoons specially produced for the 2004
festival by Ben Katchor, Peter Blegvad, Thomas Zummer, Jonathan
Rosen, Sasa (aka Aleksander Zograf), Gary Panter, Dick Tuinder, Neal
Fox en Les Coleman.

Information page of NAi Publishers:
www.naipublishers.nl/art/imaginary_media_e.html


PROGRAM:

19.30 - Book Launch Book of Imaginary Media

20.30 - Start evening program.

Conclusion: ± 22.30 hrs.

Admission: free / reserving tickets is possible via the Balie website

Language: English

Information: www.debalie.nl/media

An extensive web dossier has previously been compiled around this
project:
www.debalie.nl/archaeology