The Case is Over and the Art Goes On…

Seized at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, Buffalo, NY

Following the four year long ordeal of CAE founding member and University at Buffalo Art Professor Steve Kurtz—accused by the Justice Department of “bio-terrorism” and later indicted on charges of mail fraud for procuring harmless bacterial cultures for use in an educational art project—SEIZED presents the artworks behind this case which has attracted worldwide attention and propelled an international arts community to rally to Kurtz’s support and on behalf of freedom of expression.

SEIZED will center itself upon the works and materials seized by federal authorities, in particular the multi-media project Marching Plague, which was commissioned by the UK-based art-science initiative, The Arts Catalyst, and produced in consultation with scientists from the Harvard-Sussex Program on Chemical and Biological Weapons Armament and Arms Limitation. The project is comprised of an installation, performance, film, and book dedicated to demystifying issues surrounding germ warfare programs and the cost of their development to global public health.

Add comment Datestamp: June 11th, 2008

WE DON’T WANT TO MAKE THINGS

Panel at Cooper Union on June 10

Designers as a group exercise significant leverage to create cultural influence and catalyze social change, for better or for worse. Given our growing awareness of the ecological, political and social impact of unsustainable consumption, what responsibility (and what means) do designers have to change the course? Join us for an inter-disciplinary panel discussion about how designers are addressing the systemic challenges of ecological design.

Our focus is on non-product-oriented design processes–on rethinking and reframing our purposes. For example, thinking outside the (very important) box of greening the supply chain, in what ways can/does design enable people as producers of meaning, rather than of waste?

Add comment Datestamp: June 9th, 2008

American Scientist covers Superfund365

Sites for Change » American Scientist

Thousands of Superfund sites are designated as active by the U.S. government. An online project will highlight 365 of the worst

By Anna Lena Phillips

New-media projects offer fertile ground for experimentation. But in this growing field, works that successfully integrate substantive scientific and aesthetic principles can be hard to find. One ongoing project that demonstrates the potential for new insight as well as genuine public engagement is the Web site Superfund365.

Add comment Datestamp: June 8th, 2008