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FISEA 1993 aka ISEA 1993 Fourth International Symposium on Electronic
Art. ISEA acronym note: Following the Minneapolis symposium the first ordinal letter was dropped and henceforth the series came to be known as the ISEA symposia. The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) hosted the Fourth International Symposium on Electronic Art (FISEA '93) November 3-7, 1993 marking the first time the event had ever been held in North America. FISEA '93 promoted the exchange of ideas among approximately 300 symposia participants representative of 40 international organizations and 20 countries. The participants included world leaders in electronic imagery, people who over the next decade would influence the direction of electronic use. The Symposium's opening addresses were: "Art and Technology: Paradox or Challenge?" by Jan Hoet, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Ghent, Belgium and President of the International Association of Art Critics; and "Soul and Machine: Artists and Technologists in Collaboration" by Brenda Laurel, writer and researcher on interactive media and interface design, Palo Alto, California. In addition, public events introduced new audiences to the diversity and importance of electronic art. FISEA '93 Program Director, Roman Verostko, underlines FISEA's significance: "Electronic art, most familiar to the public through commercial music videos, has developed and spread at a phenomenal rate. The result is an art world reeling from its impact. If electronic art is to be a profound means of cultural expression in the future, we must begin to grapple with the chaos and promise now." Verostko, wanting to bring the digital arts revolution into the arts community, led FISEA '93 to focus on "The Art Factor." The Symposium fostered an informed critique of the role of art in the human/machine dialectic. Exhibitions, performances and papers on theory and practice presented many and varied intersections between the fine arts and emerging digital technologies. The very definition of art was challenged and explored through the parameters of electronic visualizations, music and performances. Several local organizations formed partnerships with MCAD to help present symposium events. These organizations include: the University of Minnesota School of Music, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis Community College, Walker Art Center, and the Minneapolis Hilton and Towers. FISEA '93 public events included: Exhibitions This juried exhibition presented an international survey of current digital arts practice. Artists from around the world, including Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Japan and the United States, presented more than 50 paintings, prints, sculptures, holograms, and interactive pieces that explore the diversity of emerging digital arts forms and techniques. The majority of the interactive pieces were exhibited during the Symposium in a large experimental studio space while the MCAD Gallery show as held for an extended period of time. . Live Sound/Performances Two distinct programs featuring work integrating electronics with sound/performance arts. Presenting a wide range of aesthetic viewpoints, the program included elements of traditional music, dance, and theater, as well as new directions in non-traditional formats. Electronic Theater A program of new moving image media featuring selected sequences on video, film and mixed media. This screening featured over 20 experimental computer graphic and video works from around the world that explore the potential of electronic mediums to create new forms of artistic and scientific expression. Fisea 93 publications Fisea 93, Abstracts and Artist Statements. An
illustrated catalogue of the symposium includes documentation of
exhibitions, artist statements and paper abstracts. |