Summary

In recollection, this was possibly one of Perths pinnacle electronic art events when crowds could press up against each other in awe at spectacular creative works jumbled around in a John Curtin Gallery, Bentley in Western Australia. The onomatopoeic renderings and clumsy prose of the review make me grin now, yet, there I was feeling all pumped up that I’d created some form of readable enticement to get people along to the show. The review was published on the ArtSeenInWA website at a time when I was deeply embroiled in my own artistic creations at Curtun University art school.

Review

Biennale of Electronic Arts Perth (BEAP)
31st July – 15th September, 2002 @ JOHN CURTIN GALLERY
Reviewed by Alexander Hayes

The standard overture of corporate nomenclature, reconciliatory cultural acknowledgment and political association only added spice to the opening of this brilliantly hosted forum for hypermedia and electronic arts at the John Curtin Gallery in Curtin University, Perth.

In fact, congratulatory nods and noises of approval could be seen and heard from what I estimate to be two, maybe three hundred strong crowds of punters keen to displace champagne quaffing with virtual displacement. Chaffing at the bit to get in the door may be another way of framing it. Congratulations must be afforded those bringing such an expose to fruition whilst attempting a carefully twisted perception of the real and unreal.

Professor Ted Snell, Paul Thomas, and Pauline Williams are now allowed a breath in between takes in an otherwise hefty scheduled forum of international intellect. Bronze makes way for chrome in BEAP, a signature display thankfully lacking pomp and parade, by simply presenting artwork as it should be – powerfully individual and evocative of places and spaces global in literal significance. Interactive projected globe trotters have space to either pull chicken beak poses or grasp the complexities of digital biofeedback in the gracious vestibule of this great gallery space or one can just jump into the other corridors created by Chris and Crew.

Skylab by David Carson, in collaboration with Brian McClave and George Millward, confronts the viewer with stereoscopic 3D multi-planar vision focused on an otherwise defunct piece of stratospheric junk. The overuse of solarized synonyms bothered me so after 5 minutes I passed my glasses onto a child in the audience, berated by his well-meaning grandmother. Glasses on, he was soon lost in 3D graphics, cyber sonic audio architecture for the musically elite, and yummy historical narrative.

Thinner, sleeker, and somewhat superstar in persona, Stellarc without Third Hand /Arm seemed to be happy and oblivious to the amazement of numerous onlookers tapping retrospectively at the Perspex lid and plinth containing – it. Same old, same old comments were not even in the agenda considering Anamorphus Hexapod and other bent bits of pneumatic whoosh. This guy was, has, and is out there in all respects.

Creepy Comics by Robert Nideffer? Exactly that – creepy! Studio Max and whatever other software does not make viewing time any more enjoyable from a forced voyeurs pedestal. Interactive Hotel, strictly a PC sit-down exhibit however grabs at the groin with David Lynch style dramatics and shoot em' while they move, doomsday dump on digital stills and other pearls of wisdom.

Amanda Alderson avoids the cliché by pushing the facile and the flaccid flop of flunky websites which lead to nowhere yet lead everywhere. The nature of public web familiarity is cleverly mixed with seeming meaninglessness, much to the amusement of those engaged in this exhibit's merry dance of deceiving information. Deception can also be found in Ken Rinaldo's warped, artificial robotic vines, although the audio scape took the electronic handheld 'Spell-it' to new dimensions. Cute, but not convincing.

Hard right finds you playing Lynne Sanderson's Somnolent Phantasies – The Sleeper complete with manual clock clicking CGI script and links allowing the viewer to compose sadistic if only introspective digital mash. If that doesn't take your fancy, a quick pit stop will allow Paul Caporn, Bec Dean, and David Fussel's Blue Lagoon to appeal to your Freudian nightmare as you deposit and pardon the pun, shake your way loose of any other thoughts of privacy in this day and age of camera climax. It's a shame black gaffa gold could only be afforded to piece this exhibit together at this end of the gig.

Donna Cox in the theatre ten yards away allows the viewer to grab time looking the other way into space away from the earthly place, with copious reference to Virtual Environmental Software complete with American drawl and drone. The significance of interstellar overdrive was lost on those around me, however, heated comments could be heard from the same persons sculling the white wine proximate to the smokers outside the main entrance. Another culinary delight also emerges as Trish Kent dishes up some juicy digital prints, placating those on still time mode not far from the others in this crazy corridor.

Nigel Helyer sows in this show BEAP the best Seed. Land mines, beepers, fakahari rugs and projected emblematic cultural signifiers drag all but the most reluctant viewer into an interactive sonic war zone. Grinning children and shoeless women complete with earpieces captivate the essence of this guru's social statements - overt and chilling.

The sheer quality of exhibits, retrospect, and review propels this Biennale into what is surely a contender with other class events worldwide as mooted in the introductions. Take the time to peruse as you will not be disappointed.

Links

https://web.archive.org/web/20030301025529/http://www.artseeninwa.com/beap.html

http://scanlines.net/event/biennale-electronic-arts-perth-2002