McCarthyism Contemporary Art Space

update soon...

2005-04-14T10:39:00.000+10:00

2004-12-17T16:14:00.000+11:00

Unashamedly Analogue Stefan

2004-12-17T16:03:00.000+11:00

Dave WIlliams playing powerfully poignant music

2004-12-17T16:00:00.000+11:00

The extra spunky Carmen Goodwin after her gig at our place

film for tas

2004-12-11T14:46:00.000+11:00

Excuse me we need some talented people to join our crew for Mr Stefan Popescu Director's weirdo film titled ROSEBERY. ACTORS, CLEVER ORGANIZED PEOPLE, NICE PEOPLE. People who want to work for no money. People who want to be part of something EXCITING.
THIS IS OUR LITTLE GROUP SO FAR...
sTEFAN pOPESCU- dIRECTOR
kATHERINE bERGER- pRODUCER

jOHN chATWIN- uNIT mANAGER

kATE mCcARTHY- pRODUCTION dESIGN
iAN kITNEY- soUND dESIGN, cAMERA
STARRING
aLICE aNSARA- aS aLICE
UMM....STAY POSTED.....

LINKS

2004-12-11T14:43:00.000+11:00

new links fOR casiononova-
www.livejournal.com/users/casionova

www.foryourears.com
www.straightoutofbrisbane.com

NOW SHOWING

2004-12-11T14:33:00.000+11:00

NOW SHOWING STEFAN POPESCU'S CIRCLES DAILY FROM 11AM-3PM

2004-11-23T14:33:00.000+11:00

SILENT ARMY IN MELBOURNE

2004-11-23T14:26:00.000+11:00

AARON O'DONNELL PRESENTS SILENT ARMY IN MARCH 05

2004-11-23T14:20:00.000+11:00

Ian Channelling.

2004-11-23T14:16:00.000+11:00

Ian talking to his special friend.

sites....

2004-11-23T13:23:00.000+11:00

www.spinach7.com
www.users.chariot.net.au
www.spatula-international.com
www.labyrinth.net.au
www.anyminutenow.com
www.silentarmy.com
www.qdcomic.com
www.pigmeat.customer.netspace.net.au

Parts of McCarthyism that try to generate ca$h

2004-11-23T11:35:00.000+11:00

Frogmouth Gallery Cafe words from our very oun marketing manager...
Founded on a determination to succeed without relying on grants, we're proudly 'doing it ouselves' with the interest of the artist our first priority. For us, integrity in art is everything. This allows us to offer a contemporary public art space exloring new or alternative ways to use the media. We bring unusual or off-beat artistic events of every kind from sound installations to live plays to contemporary film
We have commercial art available for sale in our tea house.
EXCITING NEWS EXCITING NEWS EXCITING NEWS
EXCITING NEWS EXCITING NEWS EXCITING NEWS here...
In March, comic style artist Aaron O'Donnell curates a show presenting Silent Army I'm gonna say thru to June, but it may be longer or it may not be longer. To quote other scources lifted from the net, but duely acknowledged...here goes...
bugger it go to www.silentarmy.com here's and even better way to discover for yourself just go to google and type in Silent Army and oh my goodness there is some good good good things out there in our world. Back to how we survive (just)..........

Tas Regional Arts will soon open at Frogmouth Gallery bringing exciting opportunities to apply for help in staging community events such as food festivals, plays music and other cultural events.

FROGMOUTH FRIDAY NIGHT FILMFEST

A first for the North West. World movies, the quality productions our region usually misses out on, screened in an intimate, casual setting. Dinner, desert and complimentary glass of nice alchhchol. BYO wine. NO PISSHEADS.

Open from 6pm, movie starts at 8. Admission $20 per head, bookings essential. Call 0407 367 129.

Live music....coming soon!

An intimate club feel to enjoy some quality acoustic performances in a yummo atmosphere. hmmm....

RESIDENCY LIST 04- 05

2004-11-08T18:04:00.000+11:00

DECEMBER 04 STEFAN POPESCU

JANUARY 05 CASIONOVA www.spatula-international.com

FEBRUARY 05 IAN KITNEY www.windmusic.com

Ian shall be exploring further ideas seeded and inseminated in his brain during his last visit and through the techniques explored as Robot Turbo Marie.

MARCH 05 AARON O'DONNELL presents SILENT ARMY
AARON'S SOLO SHOW PRECEDES HIS CURATED SILENT ARMY SHOW. GO TO LINKS FOR MORE INFO

Why Art Loves Stefan Popescu...

2004-11-08T17:08:00.000+11:00

"...[Repression's] five screen works have all been produced by utilizing methods of film production that are usually repressed, marginalized and excluded form the vocabulary of trditional film making. My work attempts to push the medium of film to its limits by burning film, scratching it, jamming film in the camera, using broken lenses, using outdated stock, decaying emulsion and inducing mechanical faults. I then use these potentials of the medium, along with traditional methods of film making to construct a narrative. My theoretical and practical investigations over the past four years attempt to validate marginal filmic methods and techniques as integral and nessecary elements of film making. To highlight my point I use the ananlogy of the human voice- when a person speaks, it is not just the completed words that are pronounced that aid the process of communication. The stutters, lisps, coughs, nervous shakes, pitch variation and many other vocal ditortions that also make up the process of communication. This is the reason computer-generated voices always sound so cold and lifeless because these nuances are excluded. In this same fashion film- as a communicative medium- has been limited and made cold and lifeless by ignoring and excluding all the potential nuances of the medium. In essence, my work attempts to liberate film from this bind and give this medium of communication a full voice.

CALL FOR ACTORS

2004-11-06T15:35:00.000+11:00

Filmmaker Stefan Popescu is putting a call to actors to audition for a role in new film. Please email McCarthyism or comment below.

Final Installment: The Birth of Celluloid

2004-11-06T15:21:00.000+11:00

By utilizing a medium's 'funtctional' elements as well as utilizing the 'dysfunction' elements, medium is given a full voice and becomes hyper-functional. Because of its hybrid and constantly redifined technological state, digital technologies have a very fluid material nature which makes it difficult to define and to establish paradigms. Furthermore, it is the epitome of 'transperency', as it is an inherent trait, that it hides the process and means of production. On the other hand, it is a medium of control, which operates at a binary level, and everything has to be programmed. It is then, through this medium, which threatens to make film obselete that film is able to have its 'real birth'. Within the context of this new medium of control, celluloid is freed to be disassembled and explored in its entirity. Digital technology has rendered the medium of film ready for investigation, where the nuances and specificity can be utilized as an expansion of film language in the cultural practice of cinema, for both popular and specialized audiences.

As a last note, I guess my research (both practical and theoretical) is a post-modern adaptation and application of modernist investigations of the medium of celluloid.

Stefan Popescu Presents The Birth of Celluloid

2004-11-03T17:14:00.000+11:00

My work in a sense has to do with what I see as the real 'Birth of Celluloid'. I don't mean the historical birth of celluloid, that is, by Louis Lumiere and his brother Auguste. It actually concerns the advent of digital media and, more importantly, the junction of celluloid and digital. It is also meant as an ironic inversion of the assumed obsolescence of celluloid. I used specifically the term 'birth' rather than 're-birth' as 're-birth'denotes that a death must have occurred. And I chose the term 'celluloid' rather than 'film' because of the implied materiality and physical-ness, yet I do include all the aspects of cinema in discussing the idea. So what I am discussing here is the articulation of a hybrid cinematic aesthetic based on the material/physical potentials of celluloid, possible through the intervention of digital technologies.

My research outlines this aesthetic form as the integration/appropriation of Structuralist/ Materialist film concepts, processes and techniques into the vocabulary of narrative film language: an aesthetic which expresses the narrative through the material/physical actuality of celluloid. Spectator Identification then occurs not just on an imaginary level through the characters and sequence of visual cues, but also through the active phenomenological situation of spectatorship. Essentially this form is an intersection of avante-garde and narrative film and is concerned with narrative being embodied throughout the formal, physical and material nuances of the medium of film.

Let me give you a quick historical background to structuralist/materialist film. P Adams Sitney in 1969 coined the term 'structural film'. It was used to describe a film whose primary focus is its own elements of structure. (This actually had nothing to do with Structuralism, ie Claud Levi Strauss). Various critics and publications then started to use the term 'structuralist film' to describe films that were self-reflexive and revealed their own construction through a foregrounding of its own material reality. It ws Pter Gidal who institutionalized the coupling of the term 'structuralist/ materialist film' in his book 'Materialist Film' (1989).

My research relies on this historical period of film practice and theory known as 'stucturalist/ materialist film' as a point of reference, as this 'movement' was where the most of the material investigations of cinema occurred. As far as my research goes, this is problematic, as what is known historically as 'structuralist/ materialist film' was intentionally positioned polemically. The polemic positions I refer to are the 'anti-narrative', 'non-narrative', 'anti-semiocity' and 'counter-identification' theoretical positions of Peter Wollen, Malcolm Le Grice and Peter Gidal, who are key figures in structuralist materialist film. These essentialist and polemic theoretical assertions may have had a political significance, but have in some ways acted to repress the growth of film as a language.

Film as a cultural form was forced into a polemic divide: the psychoanalytic, content-based theorizations, which supported narrative film on one side and the rigid delineations of structuralist/ materialist film on the other. This kind of polemic divide obstructs the innate process of dialectic to occur within a medium. Productions that lay somewhere in between this polemic were rarely included in historical discourses, and when included, it was more for the support of the theorizations. Furthermore, these in-between films had no part in public consciousness, so they rarely got screened at the cinemas- the main demographic of these films became academies and students. A few of the artists I am thinking about here are artists such as Takahiko Iimura, Stephen Dwoskin, Kurt Kren and Craig Baldwin.

Film reviews, critiques and theorizations ideally arouse interest, curiosity, discussion and subsequently support an infrastructure for creativity, diversity and growth within a given field, so my disavowal at such polemic theoretical stances is that they inhibit such infrastructure from developing. Popular film rarely ventures out of its formulaic narrative structure and structuralist/ materialist film practices didn't diversify and therefore didn't have a huge impact on arts practices. This in turn influenced istallations, mixed media, hybryd forms, projection and performance works. But, this polemic situation aided the arrested developoment of the cultural practice of cinematic spectatorship, and the development of film language. At least that was the case until the advent of digital technologies, which reignighted the flame in film. Although, this renewed interest in film could be viewed as a nostalgic or grieving period for a dying medium, its reactivation is more significant than a niche-ification of the medium of film.

Though this can be seen as a generalised and synthesised view of the filmic medium , it holds true for the production of film and the development of film vocabulary. Mainstream application of film, because of economic restraints, had to be functional, systematic, structured and most importantly exclude 'the accident' for the sake of the spectator identification to occur. Whereas historical stucturalist/ materialist film resisted this form of film-making through investigations of the accidental and specificity of the medium (what is considered 'dysfunctional') as a politcal strategy to make the spectator aware of the structure, situation, temporality and acuality/ reality of the filmic experience. But this digital age of hyper-reality has rendered everything un-real and hence everything is more than 'real'. These borders between 'real' and 'illusion' have dissipated, and thus so in film, the borders between 'actuality'and 'illusion' have collapsed. Deleuze's Bergsonion notion of film reminds us that 'actuality' is constituted by the virtual. Thus for me the important elements of structuralist/ materialist film is to view their endeavours as investigations of the margins of film language. In a sense, because of the functional-dysfunctional dichotomy, film has always spoken with half a voice and digital has endowed it with a full voice.

Stefan Popescu's Adventures in Thailand

2004-11-03T16:52:00.000+11:00

Well well well.
Filmmaker Stefan Popescu, who is participating in our residency program in November 04 has been invited to show at Thailand's National Gallery in Bangkok in October 05. Stefan recently put forward a proposal which was gleefully accepted, in my humble (really?) opinion, they are more daring than their counterparts here in Australia. Good.

Our Ethics

2004-11-03T16:11:00.000+11:00

We exist as a contemporary art space purely because we have to for the good of this world. Jaded by both the commercial and government funded regional art institutions, McCarthyism was born.

By keeping our space afloat with our own teency-tiny-winey-wincey cash wads, we can do as we please without the compromise and prostitution that comes with both the commercial and public gallery system.

So there. No arse kissing at our place. No Siree. And we cut the phone off. Hah. And we don't print on paper. It's all online. heh heh.

RESIDENCY OPPORTUNITY 05

2004-11-03T14:32:00.000+11:00

McCarthyism offers a residency program which includes the following incentives:

return flight from Melbourne, Australia
comprehensive publicity
opening night

no limitation on creative expression- the gallery includes:

sound, lighting and visual equipment.
choice of two areas to utilize- 6.5m x 6.5m or 6.5m x 7m
seating.

also:

guests and pets allowed and encouraged
simple food
accommodation
a good excuse for a Tassie holiday

Ian's Playtime

2004-11-02T14:42:00.000+11:00

IAN KITNEY
for contact details, email or comment to McCarthyism

September 2004
Received airplay with interview on Alchemy, SBS Radio for Channeling

August 2004
Member of core group presenting Environ, a monthly experimental multi-media event at Loop in Melbourne CBD

July- September 2004
Performing and developing Channeling weekly at Kent St in Collingwood

September 2003
As Robot Turbot Marie, received review in Australia Adlib , ABC web-based experimental music forum for early development of Channeling

November 2002
Sound design, installation and live mixing for BB01 - first of a series of Butoh dance presentations by Yumi Umiumare and Tony Yap

October 2002
As Dr Cyberstein, created soundscape and installation for Experimental Productions Untitled #1- part of the 2002 Melbourne Fringe Festival- collaboration with Dean Marriner

May 2002
Created soundscape for Homeshow - part of the 2002 Next Wave Festival. Received airplay with interview on Fenella Kernebone's Artery JJJ. Sound design, installation and live mixing for 5-parts 13-17 of How Could You Even Begin to Understand by Yumi Umiumare and Tony Yap

October 2001
Composed and recorded soundtrack for Gridlock - media-rich interactive CDROM

August-September 2001
Created soundscape, sound design and installation for Flying the Shadow - collaboration with Yumi Umiumare and Tony Yap

June 2001
Sound design and installation for Laguna Whitsundays Golf Resort Showroom, 397 Collins St Melbourne

October 2000
Created soundscape, sound design and installation for Lup- part of the 2000 Melbourne Fringe Festival

July 2000
Composed and recorded over 1 hour of 130 BPM of music for In'shallah - clothing label fashion parade and launch

Current and Up-coming Coming-up Shows

2004-11-02T11:22:00.000+11:00

Ian Kitney- our current soundscapist. October 04 til November 23
"CHANNELLING"- an exploration of the possibilities for radios to be more than wallpaper. (rated PG)

Stefan Popescu - film maker. Resident December 04 til January 25 05
"REPRESSIONS" - a controversial and brutally honest look at the human condition we shy away from. (rated R)

Aloyishious Stanley - props. Resident January 05 til Feb 25 05
"BEN, ME AND THE FELLOWS AND THE BLOODIES" - a childhood world recreated. Original Sesame Street generation in plasticine etc. (rated M)

A Bit from and of Ian Kitney

2004-11-02T08:25:00.000+11:00

CHANNELLING
BY IAN KITNEY

AN EXPLORATION OF THE POSSIBILITIES FOR RADIOS TO BE MORE THAN WALLPAPER

AN AUDIO INSTALLATION

ARTIST STATEMENT

Radios are often used as sonic 'wallpaper' in shops, cars and homes resulting in a numbing of peoples' perceptions to the potential for radios to be anything else but one of the many background noises in their daily lives.

CHANNELING seeks to take this medium and present it in another form, one that is unfamiliar at first, but will allow listeners to draw parallels between it and the sounds of nature or the techniques employed by a club DJ.

CHANNELING is presented in a visual installation inspired by a visit in 2002 to the Ryonanji Temple in Kyoto. Within the grounds of the 400 year old temple lies a simple Zen garden consisting of 15 rocks resembling islands in a sea of white gravel. The meditative effect of theis leads the imagination on numerous and varied journeys while sitting on the ancient wooden verandah.

The 'pool' of pebbles reflect the 'sea' in Ryoanji and act as a focal point for the listener to observe the meditative effects of the soundscapes- the cumulative effrect being one of peace and tranquility. The five black rocks in the 'pool' represent the 5 stones of Buddha as well as suggesting the 'islands' at Ryoanji.

The effect of the soundscapes produced by the various tunings and minipulations of the radios creates sonic edifices on which we paint a limitless mural of imagery. The soundscapes created during the performance reflect the minimalist and meditative aspects of the lives of the Buddhist monks who once lived in Ryoanji Temple.

In CHANNELING the Buddha faces SW in a convergence with one of the speakers that act as the medium, and an ancient conglomerate rock. The audience is invited to sit in the chair to become part of the convergence.

Ian's Newspaper Bits.

2004-11-02T07:55:00.000+11:00

from The Advocate Sat Oct 30 04 (Tassie newspaper)

"Meditating to the sound of Static"

Contemporary artwork is taking on new and interesting forms which appeal to more than just the visual senses.
Melbourne artist, Ian Kitney specializes in creating soundscapes and has brought his latest installation Channeling to the McCarthyism Contemporary Art Space, Frogmouth Gallery, Sheffield.
Channeling challenges the use of radio in society as being more than just sonic wallpaper in shops, cars and homes.
Kitney uses two radios, one on short wave and the other on an FM frequency, alot of static, reverb and delay to create atmosphere.
'The radios are on all the time and provide an ever-changing scource of material to work with.
'It can be very random and interesting and no two performances are the same.'
Kitney was raised in Wagga-Wagga and said that his fascination with static started at a young age watching the test patterns and static after television programs.
The Channeling istallation challenges people to think outside of the traditional gallery presentaion and experience.
'You have your classic white gallery walls but there are no paintings on them' Kitney said.
'It doesn't meet the traditional expectations
'The room is a blank canvas and the painting is being created. It is painted with sound rather than paint.
'They become immersed in my interpretation of the use of radio.'
The sounscape in Channeling is complimented by a visual installationwhich was inspired by Kitney's visit to Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto in 2002.
This temple is 400 years old and contains a simple Zen garden consisting of 15 resembling islands in a sea of white gravel.
The meditative effect of this leads the imagination on numerous and varied journeys while sitting on the ancient verandah.
Kitney has represented his experiencesat the Ryoanji Temple with a Buddha statue surrounded by a sea of white pebbles.
A single white candle serves as a focus for the listener to observe the meditative effects of the soundscapes- the cumulative effect being that of peace and tranquility.
Kitney's soundscapes have in-parts [sic] an almost chant-like quality reflecting the minimalism and meditative aspects of the lives of the Buddhist monks who once lived in the Ryoanji Temple.