Syndicate: PHARE-REACHING ACADEMY

[iliyana nedkova <vr@fact.co.uk>]

dear all,

just thought that you may find it interesting - this october sofia seems to
be the hot destination for a cluster of mini-international electronic arts
events. i am back home to guest curate and facilitate a few such as
PHARE-REACHING ACADEMY. pls. find some 'academic' info below.

more on VIDEO ARCHAEOLOGY, THE END, COMPUTER SPACE soon.

cheers,
-illie_______________



PHARE-REACHING ACADEMY

2 - 15 OCTOBER 1999
at National Fine Art Academy, Sofia/BG

PHARE-REACHING ACADEMY [PRA] is a pilot series of hands-on workshops in
multimedia authoring delivered by visiting lecturers for a core group of 14
students of the National Fine Art Academy with a background in various
classic art disciplines and basic knowledge in Macromedia Director. The PRA
courses in October are part of the newly launched programme in Media and
Internet Studies at the National Fine Art Academy, Sofia/BG.

PHARE-REACHING ACADEMY aims to set a long-term policy of developing
multidisciplinary artistic training programmes that combine the traditional
legacies of an art school with current creative developments. The
programmes aim to ensure future employability of students, by adapting
artistic training programmes to new fields of competence resulting from
breakthroughs in digital technologies. Through pedagogical courses such as
PRA, the programmes strive to set experimentation with tools and
technologies in the context of solid artistic training, calling on a wide
variety of old and new media, and to ensure that its technical networking
infrastructure is effectively invested by a creative human network.

TIMETABLE
All PRA COURSES
are held at National Fine Art Academy, 56, Dondoukov Blvd, Sofia/BG
PRA COURSES working language is English.

Saturday, 2 OCTOBER 1999
10:00 - 12:00
Work'n'Roll Brunch
Welcoming session introducing PRA participants - students and visiting
lecturers - and setting up of the PRA courses agenda and related events
across Sofia.

LINGO WEEK
Monday - Thursday, 4 - 8  OCTOBER 1999
17:00 - 22:00
5 evening course in Lingo for Macromedia Director covering all the
fundamentals of the language to make interactive Director Movies and Games.
Including 1 to 2 hour sessions for students to come to PRA lecturers with
problems and questions individually.

JAVASCRIPT WEEKEND
Saturday - Sunday, 9 - 10 OCTOBER 1999
12:00 - 20:00
A weekend course in Javascript covering the fundamentals of the language to
enable students to incorporate their own Javascripts into web sites.

FLASH WEEK
Monday - Thursday, 11 - 15 OCTOBER 1999
17:00 - 22:00
5 evening evening Flash course. An introduction to the software, starting
with the basics. Including 1 to 2 hour sessions for students to come to PRA
lecturers with problems and questions individually.


PRA LECTURERS PROFILE

Stuart NOLAN is a research fellow with the Manchester Institute of
Information Delivery. His research is concerned with the potential
educational application
of commercial, mass-market, interactive TV systems. As an industry
developer he worked on a range of applications including quiz shows, sport,
current affairs, documentaries, live broadcasts and children's programs as
well as a range of stand-alone games. As a freelance courseware developer
and lecturer he has worked at MA, BA, BSc and FE level. This has recently
included MA and BA courses in Software Design and Implementation for
Salford University and Digital Game Design for Thames Valley University. As
a freelance consultant he informs several interactive TV developers as well
as both European [E.C.] and local government [T.E.C] on the development of
digital broadcasting systems and services and their implications for
education and training. His association with IDEA involves working with
artists on technical solutions and training artists in a range of
multimedia applications and in the design of software.

Stuart NOLAN will give two public talks on the history and development of
Interactive TV. The first talk is scheduled for Sat, 9 OCTOBER 1999 from
10:00 - 10:30 am at National Fine Art Academy in Studio 7, Administration
Building, 1, Shipka St, Sofia. The second public presentation will be
within Computer Space Festival. It is scheduled for Thur, 14 OCTOBER 1999
from 15:00 - 16:00 for which venue is to be confirmed shortly.

Gary PEPLOE is a digital artist based in Manchester who has been working with
IDEA collaborating with artists to explore the potential of digital
technologies. G. PEPLOE completed a degree in Interactive Arts at the
Manchester Metropolitan University, producing video installation. He went
on to complete a masters in Creative Technologies at Salford University,
where the video work developed into interactive installation, his final
piece being a networked site specific digital installation, allowing users
to 'travel' 3 vehicles - bus, taxi and car with each vehicle having it's
own route and narrative [video], with users  having the opportunity to
'chat' to fellow 'travellers' at other sites and vehicles, with interface
projected onto the windscreens of the various vehicles. Other IDEA-related
projects have included the 'terrordome', an audio installation, 'AFM', an
interactive CDrom, and 'SplitShift', a net radio station. At present, G.
PEPLOE is completeing an on-line archive of IDEA  covering ten years of
projects, most of which G. PEPLOE has been involved in on both an artistic
and technical level.

Gary PEPLOE will talk about IDEA and the relationship of video and digital
media. His first talk is scheduled for Saturday, 9 OCTOBER 1999 from 10:30
- 11:00 am at National Fine Art Academy in Studio 7, Administration
Building, 1, Shipka St, Sofia. His second public presentation will be
within the Videoarcheology Festival scheduled for 3 OCTOBER 1999. He is
also a participant of the END Forum co-produced with Interspace Media Lab
[9-10 OCTOBER 1999]. Times and venues are to be confirmed shortly.

Clive NOLAN is a web designer for Internet Gurus, an internet design
company based in London, and a freelance illustrator of CD covers and
posters. He specilialises in the use of Flash technology to create design
and animations. He is also experienced in the creative use of Photoshop,
Director, Netfusion, Dreamweaver, CyberStudio and HTML. He is currently
studying for a BA degree in Digital Artsat the London College of Music and
Media. The course runs across disciplines covering issues and practice from
print design to interactive media. He has a background for sound and
lighting design for the stage.

Clive NOLAN is a participant of the END Forum co-produced with Interspace
Media Lab [9-10 OCTOBER 1999] for which times and venue are to be confirmed
shortly.


PRA PARTNER ORGANISATIONS PROFILE

IDEA www.idea.org.uk
IDEA, Innovation in Digital and Electronic Arts, is a not-for-profit
organisation, based in Manchester,  providing training, development,
production opportunities for artists and creative technologists both
face-to-face in Manchester and over the Web. IDEA operates the DADI arts
space and a training suite with thirty MACs, a mobile facility of ten iMACs
and is currently developing a new incubator workspace for artists, media
workers and IT craftsmen. It is due to open before the end of 1999. IDEA
artists associates have been involved in a variety of educational and
community projects. Recently, IDEA  delivered the successful webauthoring
workshop for Plovdiv-based young artists and students within the
Communication Front Festival, 1 - 21 June 1999, Ancient Baths Contemporary
Arts Centre as part of PLOVDIV99 - the European Cultural Month.


FACT www.fact.co.uk
FACT, the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology, based in Liverpool,
is one of the UK's established commissioners of video and electronic art
and is acknowledged as one of the leading agencies in mainland Europe.
Since 1989, FACT has staged the premier UK festival of video and electronic
media art [VIDEO POSITIVE] which will return in March 2000 with an
exhibition and events line up for the new millennium and beyond under the
theme 'The Other Side of Zero'.  In 1991, FACT initiated a series of
innovative participatory projects - the COLLABORATION PROGRAMME - which has
involved more than 350 creative collaborators and has produced art works
ranging from CD-ROMs to installations and club events. In 1992 FACT set up
a national exhibition technology support service for artists and exhibitors
- the MOVING IMAGE TOURING & EXHIBITION SERVICE [MITES] which has produced
advice, support and planning guidance to more than 1,000 individual
artists, practitioners or exhibitors working with video and new media.  In
1998, FACT organised the 9th International Symposium on Electronic Art -
ISEA 1998 - in Liverpool and Manchester, UK with Manchester Metropolitan
University and Liverpool John Moores University. FACT is currently
developing a moving image media centre in the heart of Liverpool City
Centre. The project is due to be complete in autumn 2001.

________________________________________
PRA is a pilot project of Media and Internet Studies Programme initiated
and developed by Boyan DOBREV - an artist and educator based at the
National Fine Arts Academy, Sofia. The Programme was initially supported by
Soros Centre for the Arts - Sofia.

PRA is guest-curated by Iliyana NEDKOVA - a writer, researcher and
facilitator of electronic art events, based at FACT as a translocal
projects manager. PRA is facilitated by National Fine Arts Academy, Sofia.
It is further supported by IDEA, Manchester/UK and FACT, Liverpool/UK as
PRA partner organisations. The pun in the project's name refers to the
initial grant from the PHARE Arts and Development Fund, Sofia.

iliyana nedkova         |   t r a n s l o c a l   p r o j e c t s
currently in sofia/bg on  |  t:+359 2/378100 f:+359 2 936 09 88 normally at
FACT, liverpool/uk | www.fact.co.uk
always on                        | e: vr@fact.co.uk
no attachments, p l e a s e        |   www.yourserver.co.uk/vr


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