- Fotoptica
The eighth edition of the Festival, held at Museu da Imagem e do Som - MIS, consolidated the trend towards internationalization, with art work coming in from Latin America, Africa, and Oceania. For the first time ever, foreign guests took part in the jury, and international exhibitions gathered people from several countries: Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Holland, England, Poland, Cuba, United States, Israel, and Japan. The parallel exhibition innaugurated a new phase, including two international video installations: “As if memories could deceive me”, by Marcel Odenbach, from Germany, and “The no way buster project”, by Dominik Barbier and Cathy Vogan, from France. In addition to that, workshops featured special guest artists. By then, Brazilian creators already showed signs of maturity, and a first generation established itself within the international scene: Sandra Kogut, Eder Santos, Marcelo Machado, Roberto Berliner, and Renato Barbieri. The consolidation of the Festival’s international status came along with new trends in electronic video production.The focus gradually shifted closer to the art scene.
Visual identity and graphic design | Kiko Farkas
Programme
competitive show
Competitive Show | 8th Festival
The 8th edition of the Festival confirmed its trend towards internationalization. For the first time, artists from Southern countries were able to enter the Competitive Show. Out of 200 submitted works, 32 pieces by artists from Latin America, Africa and Oceania were shortlisted.
film and/or video screenings
Informative Show: Belgium
The curator Jean-Paul Tréfois selected three videos from French TV’s Carré Noir program on Belgium’s RTBF.
Informative Show: Brazil
This section presents the current trends in Brazil. This exhibit mainly includes works that highlight in an original way the growth of a significant part of independent video production in Brazil: the documentary.
Informative Show: Cuba
For the show Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV de Havana: An Original Experience, the curator Hugo Kovensky selected eight pieces by students at the Cuban film and television school.
Informative Show: England
The show was curated by Robert Turnock, featuring works created by British artists throughout the 1980s.
Informative Show: France I
The French show was curated by Jean-Marie Duhard, titled O Vídeo de Autor (The Auteur Video), and comprised eleven programs
Informative Show: France II
Curator Pierre Bongiovanni devised this program comprising videos featured in the event Manifestation Internationale de Vidéo et Télévision, in June, and pieces coproduced with the Centre International de Création Vidéo Montbéliard.
Informative Show: Germany I
Carl-Ludwig Rettinger curated the show Time Code, a project created in 1985 by a group of TV programmers, museum curators and independent producers from several countries.
Informative Show: Germany II
The program curated by Benjamin Heidersberger featured the one-of-a-kind project Van Gogh TV, created at the Media Art Lab, allowing viewers to interact with TV programming.
Informative Show: Israel
The show Video in Israel – Three Distinct Approaches was organized by the curator Eli Shvadron.
Informative Show: Japan
Fujiko Nakaya, the director of Video Gallery SCAN (Japan) created the program featuring the winning videos from the 14th Video Scan 90 Festival.
Informative Show: Netherlands
The program from the World Wide Video Festival, curated by Tom Van Vliet, comprised videos featured in the 9th edition of the Festival, held in September 1989.
Informative Show: Poland
The program was devised by Piotr Krajewski and Sherill Howard Pociecha featuring Polish-made artworks that won prizes at the WRO 89 Sound Basis Visual Art Festival, combining music and other art forms.
Informative Show: Spain
The program curated by Rosa Méndez Zurutuza featured twenty pieces made by Spanish artists in the 1980s.
Informative Show: United States
Curator Kathy Rae Huffman selected artworks created via the Contemporary Art Television Fund (CAT Fund), focusing on innovative and experimental television productions.
exhibition
"As If Memories Could Deceive Me", Marcel Odenbach
A video installation by Marcel Odenbach in which he expounds on the impact of his background, his perception of history, and his cultural identity.
"SpSPsp 2", Tadeu Jungle
The second version of Tadeu Jungle’s video sculpture SpSPsp 2 featured several TV sets showing images of São Paulo and cacti in the venue.
"The No Way Buster Project", Dominik Barbier e Cathy Vogan
This video installation by Dominik Barbier and Cathy Vogan was an electronic happening loaded with apocalyptic symbols and a markedly melancholy tone.
"Videocabines", Sandra Kogut
Sandra Kogut’s Videocabines were individual 2m² black boxes for visitors to enter and engage in intimate, personal contact with TV and through TV, both as a TV viewer and as a video co-producer.
public programs
Conference: "Technology and Videoart"
The conference on "Technology and Video Art" featured several international debaters.
Conference: "Television and Independent Procucers"
The conference on "Television and Independent Production" featured several international debaters and was mediated by Renato Barbieri.
Conference: Creation and Alternative Market
The conference on "Creation and the Alternative Market" featured several international debaters and was mediated by Marcello Dantas.
workshop
Documentary / Performance, with Marcelo Tas
A workshop with the multifaceted Marcelo Tas about his actual and fictional character in news reports and documentaries, and his questioning the premise of “capturing reality as it is.”
High Definition Computer Graphics, with Yoichiro Kawaguchi
Yoichiro Kawaguchi, a Japanese artist who works with digital 3D animation, administered a workshop on high-definition graphic computing, then a fledgling field.
Installation, with Dominik Barbier
Dominik Barbier, a French artist who featured a video installation in this edition of the Festival, administered a workshop on the concept and history of installation.
Scratch Video, with Tim Morrison
Tim Morrison, one of four members of London production company Gorilla Tapes, administered a workshop on Scratch Video and editing techniques.
documentation
Videonews
The third edition of Videojornal featured behind-the-scenes footage from the Festival and provided a communication channel between the production and the audience. Every day, before the program, editions lasting five to eight minutes were aired.