<nettime-ann> [ann]

[galerija galzenica <galerija.galzenica@globalnet.hr>]

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EXHIBITION: Ivan Marusic Klif, "Telephoning"
VENUE: Galerija Galzenica, Zagreb/Velika Gorica, 
http://www.galerijagalzenica.info/english.html
DATE: February 20, 2008
TIME: 7:00 - 9:00 pm

The artwork of Ivan Marušić Klif feature two aspects of media art: one 
is the use of contemporary electronic and digital technology in the art 
world context and the other is a research of relationship between human 
being and his/her technological environment. In the space of an art 
exhibition, the both aspects are usually indistinguishable: visitor 
enters the enclosed, technologically created environment, changes its 
parameters and, leaving more less visible traces of his/ her presence, 
walks out. If we had to choose a corresponding genre, closest to his 
work, it would be an artistic intervention known as ambient 
installation. Whether Marušić works with sound, light or video image, he 
usually construes an enclosed ambience, rather different from the 
visitors' well-known everyday environment.

Over time, his ambiences have become technologically more complex. In 
1993, his early light ambiences consisted of mobile objects whose moves 
changed the type and intensity of the light. In 1995, computer set in 
motion and controlled the installations while since 2001, Marušić has 
started working with complex interactive sound and video installations. 
The series of exhibitions entitled “Inside/Outside” that took place in 
Zagreb, Croatia, Maribor, Slovenia and Labin, Croatia from 2004-2007 
were the best examples of the author's approach to technologically 
determined, interactive ambiences.

It was a video installation that functioned according to the principle 
of a closed circle of production, processing and projection of an image. 
Differently positioned cameras produced the image that went through the 
system of monitors and cameras for several times and then was projected 
on the walls and monitors in the gallery. The cameras were directly 
linked to the monitors and video projectors, while the computer 
controlled their moves, zoom and focus. There was no digital image 
processing. The installation was in motion, changing the ambience of the 
space independently of visitors. Marušić's ambiences are extremely 
visually attractive so we may feel that the aspect of interactivity 
disrupts technological biotope rather than supporting it.

One of the most distinguished qualities of Marušić's work is that, 
although a trace of interactivity aspect can be found, the installation 
is actually independent of visitors' participation. At the Galženica 
Gallery exhibition, the potential of his ambient installation to 
function on its own, without interaction with visitors, is stressed even 
more. With the help of computer algorithm, Marušić randomly dials phone 
numbers taken out from the public database of the phone book of Republic 
Croatia. The dialled users take part in unwanted communication through 
Skype web server. On the other hand, the visitors can choose between the 
positions of a voyeur/ listener or a participant/ collocutor.

Seen from today's perspective, there is something fair about his 
installations. They have never bothered us with interactivity, in fact 
the illusion that a visitor participates on equal terms in creation of 
(new) media artwork. Marušić seduces us with potentials of technology 
and the beauty of technollogically generated images rather than warning 
us of cultural and political backround of every technology, including 
the one used in the art context. - Klaudio Štefančić

Links:
(1) http://boo.mi2.hr/~klif/
(2) http://www.mediascape.info/seiten/2006/marusic.htm



-- 
Pučko otvoreno učilište Velika Gorica
GALERIJA GALŽENICA
Trg Stjepana Radića 5
HR - 10410 Velika Gorica
tel:+385 1 6221 122 /  fax: 6226 740
www.galerijagalzenica.info

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