10/6/2000
VideoArt 2000
Diverse Sedi, Locarno
Contemporary developments in the art realm have progressed at a rapid pace, producing geographically definable centers of specific and radically
innovative artistic research. For instance, Milan, Rome and Florence come to mind as three different venues for Futurism as of 1910 (to which,
under the same auspices, London and Moscow could be added). Likewise, we distinguish between Zurich, Berlin and New York in order to
differentiate between basic types of Dadaism, just as we associate Weimar and Dessau with two different "climates' in which the original Bauhaus
ideas flourished. Ascona-Monte Verità could be added to this list of examples, in highlighting the stimulation afforded to artistic creativity during this
same period, through confrontation with theosophic and radically community-oriented utopias.
Were we to examine today's art scene in comparable topographic terms, seeking out the turn-of-the-millennium centers of imaginative
experimentation, we would still be able to pinpoint certain sites as seats of boldly avant-gardist visual research. Thus, Locarno, with its VideoArt
Festival, can certainly be considered - along with several other rare European centers - as a solidly established reference point for the development
of what we have come to define as the "electronic arts'. Recently, two comprehensive publications have appeared to document the Festival's twenty
years of activity along the banks of Lake Maggiore. These provide a quite detailed, international overview of major innovations in the video field.
They also describe today's expanding technological horizon, which encompasses new links between various electronic languages and multimedia,
innovative means of visual expression through computer images and ever growing networks.
At the dawn of the 21st century, the VideoArt Festival represents a tried-and-tested model for identifying and drawing attention to today's most
interesting international video productions. And, just as it has over many years in the past, it continues to play the role of trailblazer with respect to
new cultural perspectives, by encouraging confrontation and critical analysis between artists who use the new technologies, historians, theorists in
the art of communication, specialists and scientific and technological researchers. All this represents the starting point for VideoArt 2000. Twenty
years of video history remain accessible to one and all, thanks to a video collection - one of the largest in Europe - assembled and archived by the
Festival. Housed today at the Lugano Cantonal Museum of Art, this collection can be consulted by all those seeking a historical perspective in the
matter.
A long and progressive series of changes lends coherence to today's artistic productions and reflects a change in the parameters governing
contemporary visual appreciation: no longer can boundaries be drawn between humanist and scientific thought, between artistic practices and the
sophisticated applications of advanced technology. This, in turn, lends impetus to the project pioneered in Locarno in 1980, such as it has since
continued to grow and prosper under the guidance of it founders Rinaldo Bianda, his wife Ines, and his son Lorenzo.
Vittorio Fagone, Milano, March 2000
Grand Prix de la Ville de Locarno
Competition Roules
1. The Competition is open to any work that falls under the heading "Video Art" where artistic research and creativity overshadow both the
technical means employed and the reference category chosen by the artist.. Candidates may indicate on their entry form if they are submitting a first
or second work, thus becoming eligible to compete as well in the "New talent" category.
2. Entries must have been produced between 1999 and 2000 and either be presented for the first time in general or not yet have been
awarded a Prize at another international event. Only one work per candidate shall be accepted.
3. Tapes must be U-Matic LB (PAL, SECAM or NTSC); other formats are unacceptable. VHS works will be considered for selection
purposes only. Entries should be accompanied by the following documents, written in French, English or Italian:
entry form in handwritten capitals or typed;
a declaration of the candidate's intentions with respect to the work submitted;
a curriculum vitae and list of artistic accomplishments;
a synopsis, data sheet and list of credits for the work submitted;
excepts from any eventual critical appraisals;
B&W photographs of the work for publication in the Festival catalogue.
4. Works are to be sent by mail to:
VideoArt Festival
via Varenna 45
CH-6604 Locarno - Switzerland
bearing the inscription "no commercial value" for customs
. Deadline for applications:
15 july 2000
5. The Festival Commission will handle the official selection of works admitted to the Competition and to the exhibition of works ineligible
to compete.
6. The Festival management will publicize the award-winning entry with respect to other international events under the auspices of the
"Spécial Locarno" program.
7. Unless receiving a request to the contrary, the videos sent will be incorporated into to the Festival Video Library, which has been
available for research since 1980. The videotapes will be returned only upon request and receipt of US$ 20 covering administrative and postal
charges.
8. Artists whose work passes selection shall be personally notified of the results of the official selection and invited to submit a Betacam
copy for the transmission of the Competition via Satellite/TV.
9. The Competition Prize comes to CHF 10'000, to be awarded to one work or divided among at the most three works. The Prize is to be
awarded by an international jury. Works participating in the Competition are also eligible for other Festival Prizes.
10. The completed entry form represents the candidate's consent to the above rules and regulations. Selection Commission and Jury
decisions are not subject to appeal.