serial consign

[francis theberge / trame004 (screen capture)]

For the past few months I've been communicating with the energetic Francis Theberge, who has been acting as an ambassador of sorts for the TIND video/art collective. I was introduced to Francis through his contribution to the last issue of Vague Terrain and I am quite indebted to Carrie Gates for tuning me in to his experimental video. TIND stands for thisisnotdesign, and the five member outfit have been active with a variety of multimedia installation and VJ-related projects over the last decade in Montreal. I've been having a lot of fun working through Francis' archives and thought it would be worthwhile to share links to a few of his projects and the work of TIND.

The above video is the fifth installment of Francis' trame series of experimental shorts. Each of these works is a rapid-fire inventory of glitch effects, treatments and composites. These pieces all clock in at around 60 seconds and feel much more like thematic case studies than demo reels. The shorts each explore similar base footage (love those ghostly female forms), and then process said imagery with a minor arsenal of digital and analog tools, including a video glitcher by Karl Klomp. Francis' dedication to error-aesthetics is quite apparent and range of techniques he employs is commendable. He recently consolidated this research into circuit bending, video feedback and camera mods into glitchism: hacking artistique, a workshop that he presented at this years edition of the Mapping Festival in Geneva.

You can view the rest of the trame series on the thisisnotdesign youtube channel or higher resolution FLV's of the first two shorts in Francis' aforementioned Vague Terrain submission.

[jackson 2bears / performance of iron tomahawks / 2007-2008]

Vague Terrain is thrilled to announce the launch of our most recent issue, Vague Terrain 09: Rise of the VJ. This issue is guest curated by Saskatoon-based VJ/artist Carrie Gates and consolidates a diverse selection of video and theory. An excerpt from Carrie's statement encapsulates her excitement about the possibilities offered by performative video:

The diversity of the concepts, techniques, and aesthetic qualities is remarkable, suggesting that this practice is not rooted in any one particular mindset, but instead, emerges from a wide range of trajectories that are converging within a contemporary form of media based performance art. However, live video mixing performances certainly address a hunger for immersive and synaesthetic sensory experiences where aural and visual elements work together to create a whole that is something beyond the sum of the parts. To experience the live performance of a talented VJ (or live cinema artist, if you prefer) alongside the talent of an innovative sound artist is a treat indeed; the senses are enveloped and the mind is tantalized into a world being spun into existence on the spot.

With this enthusiastic statement she introduces the largest, most international body of work we've presented in a Vague Terrain issue yet.

[defasten / screen capture from untitled #2 (01.20.48_d) / 2008]

Vague Terrain 09: Rise of the VJ contributors include: Ana Carvalho, Kelly Bolen & Jake Hardy, Defasten, Francis Theberge, Jackson 2bears, Lara Houston, Leeane Berger, Michael Betancourt, Mo Selle, Neubau & Kero, Ryan Stec, Tim Jaeger, VJ Pillow & VJ Mademoiselle, VJzoo and Chrism & Fenris, Xárene Eskandar and Ziv Lazar. The issue also features interviews with Jaygo Bloom and Solu by way of Michelle Kasprzak and Peter Kirn.

Please take some time to check out the issue for yourself as Carrie has brought together a wide body of work from artists the world over.