Climate Clock Initiative gets some traction

Making time to blog has proven more difficult than I imagined.   The past couple of weeks have been utterly crazy.   My only excuse is that we are 360 days out from 3rd 01SJ Biennial!

I have to say the enthusiasm level emerging from the many conversations I’ve had recently with organizational and biennial sponsors, partners and investors has been extraordinary.   I am very confident that the focus, scope and dynamic of  01SJ will deliver a substantive and critically acclaimed program.  Cross your fingers the economy continues to improve.  Certainly, the strategic positioning of ZER01 as a broker of partnerships with some of Silicon Valley’s leading cultural organizations, corporations and academic centers is resonating.  We’ve a long way to go, but everyday brings new confidence that we are on the right track.

Some very good news to share.  The Climate Clock, a collaboration between the SJSU CADRE Laboratory, San Jose Public Art Program, Montalvo Arts Center, San Jose Redevelopment Agency, 1st Act Silicon Valley and ZER01 got some serious traction recently.  The initiative was selected to be included in the strategic planning for the build out of the San Jose Diridon Train Station.  The station will be Northern California’s largest ground transportation hub linking with the planned new high speed rail system.  As many of you know, the Climate Clock will be an iconic landmark public artwork for the City of San Jose incorporating the latest and emerging Silicon Valley technologies to help people understand climate change while encouraging them to continue reducing their carbon footprint on planet earth.  This decision represents a significant step forward for the project.  Secondly, generous grants from the Packard Foundation and Bank of America will go to support second phase concept designs for the site location to be developed by three international artists led teams selected from more than forty submissions.   These next stage concepts will be presented at the 3rd 01SJ Biennial.  The artists teams are:

Freya Bardell, Brain Howe and Brent Bucknum

Usman Haque and Robert Davis

Chico Macmurtrie, Geo Homsy, Bill Washabaugh and Gideon Shapiro

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Hats off to Camille Utterback

Congratulations go out to Camille Utterback who received the prestigious honor of being named a MacArthur fellow!  Camille is a fantastic artists and this is well deserved.  I am very proud that ZER01 had the opportunity to work with Camille to feature her interactive media projection Abundance at the San Jose City Hall Rotunda in 2007.

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etoys at Ars

The crew from etoy Corporation continues to promote their Mission Eternity [Sarcophagus], which wowed audiences at the inaugural 01SJ Biennial in 2006.  Later this month they’ll be at Ars Electronica 2009.  Here’s what they’re up to:

For ARS Electronica 2009 the GATE to ETERNITY opens its virtual locks and starts to accept TEST PILOT DATA (digital traces, info dust, ascii noise etc. of SEPP KEISER and TIMOTHY LEARY) to be released by the public: friends and family, archivists, fans and YOU!

Submitted data can be uploaded directly into the PILOTS’ ARCANUM CAPSULE from where it is released from control forever and spread by the ANGEL APPLICATION.

The SARCOPHAGUS took off from a holy mountain ridge in central Switzerland on Aug 31, went straight for the GATE, and was rejected due to the five tons of steel attached to its data.

Damned to travel earth until it falls apart, the SARCOPHAGUS then landed on the rooftop of the Ars Electronica Center in Linz, Austria. Never too close to the ground but denied access to the GATE, it took refuge from farmers, Swiss hillbillies and straying bankers to celebrate the ARS Electronica Festival 2009 with the global art crowd in Linz. Visit etoy.AGENTS and ANGELS for the exhibition this Thursday through Tuesday!

The Opening: Thursday Sept 3, 10AM;MISSION ETERNITY SARCOPHAGUS located on the Ars Electronica Center upper deck: 48°18′36.7″N 14°17′6.8″E.

If you’re in Linz, Austria don’t miss it – where else can you so easily explore the afterlife?!

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