Nothing Known

From Andrew Garton's wiki

An audio-visual installation for CPU at ESC, Graz, Austria, October 2008.

A Bidayuh woman, Sarawak

Contents

Description

The ill-fated Italian philosopher, Giordano Bruno, stated that "nothing can ever be known". Despite all we have at our disposal, regardless of millennia of thought, reflection and wisdom... in spite of the knowledge, expertise and technologies we have at our disposal, we continue to consume, inundate and pollute the finite resources supporting life on Earth.

Nothing Known is a quasi anthropological study of loss of culture, tradition and native title within indigenous Diaspora, in particular the Bidayuh and Kenyah of Sarawak, Malaysia. Through networks, documentation, observation and contemplation Garton considers Bruno's assertion in what may well be the last decade of decadence.

The work is a result of several field trips to Sarawak made by the artist. Garton has worked in the region since 1992 when he assisted in the establishment of pre-internet computer networks for human rights workers and native title activists.

Here are a people that had not had depression and anxiety as part of their daily life until others decided how they would live and the kind of "development" best suited for them. that they lost their entire culture in less than a generation matters less to those that would otherwise seek to memorialise indigenous peoples in cultural centres that are as far removed from real people as sarawak is from you... Andrew Garton, Sarawak, July 2008

Nothing Known deals specifically with the following issues:

  • Loss of native title, culture and biomass.
  • Depression and anxiety.
  • Not an archive, a living culture.
  • Physical transmission of knowledge.

The soundtrack is based on a generative composition created for Tat Fat Size Temple, a Sound Drifting project for KunstRadio, Ars Electronica, September 1999. It is comprised of field recordings made at the Gawai Dayak, Rumah Sauh and Rumah Jeli Iban longhouses, Sarawak.

Components

This installation is composed of audio and video, the emphasis being on projection.

Audio

Audio is largely comprised of a mix of field recordings made in Sarawak in 1999 and again in 2008. Sound would be situated according to proximity to other works, however, ideally sound would be available from the exterior of the gallery space.

Video

A single projector would screen the work across / through a layer of scrims. This would consist of a combination of cheese cloth, cotton and paper hung at intervals from each other.

Requirements

  • ESC Gallery: Stills of the various spaces available within the gallery.

Invitation

Since its foundation in 1993, the art initiative ESC in Graz, Austria, has been following art projects and artists that deal with art in technological contexts, as well as cultural and critical theory and media development.

The ESC has been collaborating with numerous artists, art institutions and university departments.

The main focus of the ESCs work lies in the support of contemporary art production in these fields; this may include presentations of already existing works, adaptation to the specific Graz working conditions, production of new works, lectures and workshops.

In this context the ESC is glad to invite you (Andrew Garton) to Graz in the context of CPU Symposium, Exhibition, Meeting and Webstreaming to present your work, deepen the exchange and discuss future projects and their possible realisation.

The CPU Symposion, Exhibition, Meeting and Webstreaming will take place from 25th of September including preparation time until end of October 2008.

CPU is part of Steirischer Herbst

Itinerary

  • 04 Oct - Exhibition opening, ESC
  • 21 Oct - Re-inventing Radio - book launch, The MAK, Vienna (presentation and performance)

Flights

To Austria:

  • DEP Mel 01Oct 1605 (Thai Air)
  • ARR Vie 02Oct 0535 (Austrian Airlines)
  • DEP Vie 02Oct 1015 (Tyrolean Airways)
  • ARR Grz 02Oct 1055 (Tyrolean Airways)

To Australia:

  • DEP Grz 28Dec 1825 (Tyrolean Airways)
  • ARR Vie 28Dec 1910 (Tyrolean Airways)
  • DEP Vie 28Dec 2320 (Austrian Airlines)
  • ARR Mel 30Dec 1325 (Thai Air)

Bio

Andrew is a writer, producer and digital media advisor. He was motivated at an early age towards collaborative media art works, combining interests in music, performance, public media and policy during which time he advocated for and assisted in the earliest test broadcasts of both community radio and television in Australia.

From the late 1980s through to the mid 1990s Andrew contributed to the establishment of community based computer networks throughout Australia, the Pacific Islands and South East Asia. He continues to work in the region within civil society circles and cultural development practices.

From 1995 to 2005, under the auspices of Toy Satellite, Andrew produced some of the earliest audio and video streaming projects in Australia, contributing to international collaborative soundworks commissioned by both the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and ORF/KunstRadio (Austria). Andrew had also begun composing, in the mid-1990's, innovative and award winning generative sound works that lead to audio-video collaborations with artists Stelarc, Ludwig Zeininger, Brian Eno, KKNull, Kim Bounds, John Power, Ollie Olsen and Steve Law.

In 2001 he produced "Undercurrents", which launched the Taipei International Arts Festival. Undercurrents was subsequently commissioned to be performed for the first multimedia event to be hosted by the Melbourne International Film Festival (2001). It was further performed, in part, for the Fringe Fashion Awards (Melbourne), Multimedia Arts Asia Pacific (Brisbane), the Melbourne International Arts Festival and the Electrofringe (Newcastle, NSW).

In 2003 Andrew was commissioned to produce the situationist inspired interactive work, D3, for ACMI, where he worked for two years as interactive media consultant. In 2005 he took up the position of OPEN CHANNEL's inaugural Program Director where he stayed up until late 2007 re-launching the organisation, along with new program activities including Video Slam, Producing for TV, FRAMED and Talking Docklands.

Andrew graduated in 2001 with a Master of Arts in Interactive Media. He is a Director of apc.au and sits on the Executive Board of the Association for Progressive Communications. He is a founding member of Open Spectrum Australia and the artist run, Secession Records. Andrew is currently developing new works for his Terminal Quartet and completing the score for the spoken-word opera, Auslaender und Staatenlose (foreign and stateless)... and learning to do less amidst the silences and bird-song of the Australian bush.

Acknowledgements

This work would not have been feasible nor possible with out the support of:

Notes

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