ARGOSFESTIVAL 2004

"With reflective essays, analytic texts and descriptions of the audio-visual works, the argosfestival 2004 catalogue brings an in depth overview of the curated programmes, work surveys, performances, exhibitions and discussions that took place at the argosfestival 2004 (15-23 October). More than merely an anthology of the different components of the festival, the catalogue forms an implicit reflection on the position of contemporary audio-visual arts in relation to complex evolutions of an economical, social, cultural and political nature. Three essays centre on the unexpected, extremely fast and almost irrational urbanisation, proper to the development of the modern metropolis. In a curatorial statement on Hou Hanru’s exhibition project Excessive, dense, speedy, complex, empty… but humane discusses this notion of post-planning and relates it to digital video. In complementary essays Ou Ning (Digital Images and Civic Consciousness) and Laurent Gutierrez and Valérie Portefaix ( Breeding Dust. From Data to Dada) focus on other aspects of intense processes of urbanisation. Approached from a very different angle the city, more specifically Brussels, has also a prominent place in three other essays. Sven Sterkens Brussels, City in Plural collects some thoughts concerning the image of the Belgian capital and discusses artist strategies to come to a dissident reading of the city. On the occasion of the multidisciplinary project This Place is Dreaming - Rethinking and Transfiguring the Sites and Sounds of Brussels that took place in different places downtown, curator Ive Stevenheydens and author/artist Brandon Labelle discuss the relation between field recording and urban space. One curatorial program is more medium specific. In her essay Document(all). A nonconformist way to tell stories Berta Sichel sets off from a fundamental change in the approach of the (artistic) documentary in Western Europe over the past decades. Essays by Michel Assenmaker (on Michel François), Jacinto Lageira (on Roman Signer), Mark McElhatten (on Ken Jacobs) summarise the works and the strategies in the audio-visual work of important contemporary artists. To conclude, the catalogue of the argosfestival 2004 is a reference book on Belgian audio-visual artistic production, offering a selection of more than 100 film & video-, sound- and new media- works made in Belgium in 2003 and 2004." (Source: Argos)

argosfestival 2004
24 x 16 cm, 492 pages, English / Dutch

Headlines

1. Excessive, dense, speedy, complex, empty ... But humane. Contemporary creative activities (digitally) facing the post-planning urban world : Excessive, dense, speedy, complex, empty ... But humane. Met creatieve (digitale) activiteiten de stedelijke postplanning-wereld de lijf
2. Breeding Dust - From Data to Data : Breading Dust - Van Data tot Data
3. Image Section "Excessive, dense, speedy, complex, empty ... But humane"
4. Digital Images and Civic Consciousness : Digitale beelden en maatschappelijk bewustzijn
5. Document(all) - A nonconformist way to tell stories : Document(all) - Verhalen vertellen op een non-conformistische manier
6. New Stories from Brussels. Strategies for a Dissident Reading of the City : Nieuwe verhalen voor Brussel. Strategieën voor enn dissidente verbeelding van de stad
7. Brussels, City in Plural. Some Thoughts Concerning the Image of the Belgian Capital : Brussel, stad in meervoud. Enkele gedachten over het beeld van de Belgische hoofdstad
8. This Place is Dreaming. Rethinking and Transfiguring the Sites and Sounds of Brussels : This Place is Dreaming. Bedenkingen en transformaties rond Brusselse plekken en geluiden
9. Dream Droplets in Brussels : Droomdruppels in Brussel
10. Eavesdrops : Geluistervink
11. Time after Time. In and Around The Nervous Magic Lantern and Nervous System of Ken Jacobs : Keer op keer. In en rond de Nervous Magic Lantern en het Nervous System van Ken Jacobs
12. Let's be Brief ... Roman Signer's Limited Actions : Om kort te gann ... De beknopte Aktionen van Roman Signer
13. Bits and sparks. With regard to Michel François' videos : Flarden en scherven - Bij het zien van de video's van Michel François