Fem-Tech
December 28, 2007
The main aim of Fem-Tech is to create an event that will bring women artists and the local community closer together. Fem-tech will promote female artists, largely based in Sussex, who produce artworks that utilise technology as an important part of the process and/or outcome. Apparently, women currently make up only one fifth of the entire IT sector in the UK, and this proportion is likely to be even lower in specialized sectors like art and technology. Fem-Tech intends to broaden the public’s understanding of how art and technology can be shaped in a contemporary art context, from a female artist perspective.
Fem-Tech will celebrate women’s contribution to the growing field of art and technology by raising the profile of local artists in a local community setting. The event aims to address a wide cross-section of the public within a highly visible and easily accessible public location.
excerpt from proposal
The four core artists:
Debbie Adele is a multi-media artist, whose work is underpinned by sound and light. Her work ranges from site-specific installations with natural as-found objects, to sound installations and large scale murals. She has exhibited as part of the Wormhole Saloon at the Whitechapel art gallery in London. At Fem-Tech she will be exhibiting “Memory of Water”, which is a sculptural piece that explores the human concept of control in relation to time and order. In her own words: ‘this work hangs in the balance between enchanting and unnerving’.
Manuela Metazoa has conceived project Fem-Tech. She has gained years of experience as a visual artist from working with technology in the entertainment industry such as developing play-station titles for Electronic Arts in San Francisco. For Fem-Tech, she will be exhibiting an interactive installation called “Sim-Suite” which is a competitive game that can be played by members of the public. The installation incorporates full-body motion and cross-cultural gaming elements. Sim-Suite was recently exhibited at the Loop festival in Brighton in August 2007. http://manuelametazoa.wordpress.com
Anita Ponton is a cross-disciplinary artist who works with video and film, and also sound and installation in her primarily performance-based approach. She recently performed “Hysteria- virtual bodies” in Toronto at the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Her work explores the female body and its relationship to visibility, representation and space. For Fem-Tech she is showing her latest works for small screens…’The Red/Black series’ are works for Ipods; ‘Happy Slap’ is a work for mobile phones via blue tooth, and also ‘Skin/Fever’ a series of works for small monitors. http://www.anitaponton.com
Sarah Silve works within a niche in the applied arts. She works with metal which she cuts, welds, and forms into sculptural pieces utilizing laser technology. Her work has been supported by the Leverhulme Trust and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. She teaches at Brunel University in London and has been exhibiting her work since 1995. At Fem-Tech she is showing several pieces inspired by geometry, using a variety of metals such as silver and steel. http://www.laserforming.ukhe.com
