Surrey “Glocal” web project is a dud
Posted on February 16th, 2008 in links, rants, society, surrey, technology |
As one of Surrey’s initiatives under the Cultural Capital of Canada designation, the City has funded a digital art project named “Glocal: Your World in Motion“. Here’s the synopsis from the project’s site:
Glocal is an interactive screen and online artwork now in production by a team of local artists: Sylvia Grace Borda, M Simon Levin, and Jer Thorp. They have envisioned building a massive community media experience that will challenge perceptions about the city of Surrey, Canada’s fastest growing metropolis.
With the use of digital cameras and motion capture, audiences will witness how speed, size, density and diversity have enabled Surrey to exist in local and global (Glocal) consciousness.
All the content produced under the banner of the Glocal project will form a large relational artwork in which ‘moving’ images of Surrey will become a central point of exploration. This interaction will then be repeated internationally through community workshops and public exhibitions. When realized, audiences will be able to compare, contrast and examine the world from all points of the globe – and experience how we all share the same horizons … and how we have a lot in common with others, wherever you are!
So how can YOU become part of Glocal and Think again about what’s cool where you live.
The Glocal team of artists will be residing online and at the Surrey Art Gallery TechLab to guide you on your way. Surrey youth and residents can become partnering artists through a series of mentoring workshops developed by the team. The team will also be producing low-tech toolkits to help you record your world in lots of new and amazing ways….
The project already has a Facebook page and a Flickr pool.
It sounds interesting enough, but I fear “Glocal” will be just another waste of time and money. I found it quite surprising that, as of yet, I didn’t even know this project was even in progress. For such an interactive and multimedia project, it hasn’t seemed to reach out to the local web community at all. Is this just another case of artists sharing their art with no one else but other artists?
Furthermore, the pictures that are currently posted on Flickr are nothing more than a series of boring, webcam shots. It’s like this group of artists is being paid to sit at a computer, make faces, and take pictures of themselves. I want that job!
We’ll see where this goes, but as of yet, I am not at all impressed.
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6 Responses
Government funded art hurts my eyes and brain.
Look, we can use the interwebs! Fund us, please socialism!
I’m not sure about the project. I mean, Surrey really isn’t that interesting… As for the people involved, M Simon Levin taught half of the interactive classes in the design department at one point (I was in the other half of the classes) at Emily Carr. I think I’ve heard of Sylvia Borda before. She’s alumni and maybe faculty there as well. Jer Thorp I’m not familiar with. It’s not very often artists get paid to do ANYTHING unless they’re teaching, and even then they don’t get paid enough. I haven’t heard of this before either, but maybe it’s only just making headlines.
you guys were expecting more? Geez, everyone’s a critic! ;)
Hello Paul,
Thanks for writing about your first impressions of the GLOCAL project. I just wanted to say for now that your review of GLOCAL is a bit pre-mature since the project will not be completed until March 2009. The artist team has a full year to develop their project and to meet the requirements promised in that publicity statement that you ready.
We are in the process of hiring a Community Intern and a Digital Technology Intern to help us engage the web various international communities on the web. They will probably begin that work in the summer.
So, in a few months, you should see some major changes to the way the GLOCAL project looks and engages the public outside of the artists themselves. In a year, I think the GLOCAL project would be worth reviewing.
I encourage you to keep track of the GLOCAL project over the next few months to see if perhaps your first impressions of GLOCAL will be subject to re-evaluation.
Thanks,
Jeremy Turner - Project Coordinator - GLOCAL
You know…Jeremy’s got it right as GLOCAL’s deliverables are yet to be developed and put in place for the public to witness.
I view and assume the initial images posted on Flick as a reflection of some aspect of the visual communications that will be incorporated in their project. It will be interesting to see what the team will eventually DO with this and other tools that they will use to express the message.
They need a chance. I wish them a lot of success (and FUN)
Thanks,
Ryan
Hi Paul,
I wanted to invite you and your fellow blog readers to Glocal’s Opening Reception for the Prototype Exhibition at the Surrey Art Gallery on October 18th. I do not have the exact time yet but I believe it takes place at apx. 7 PM.
Please mark this date in your calendar as this Prototype Exhibition is unlike the previous Glocal displays and presentations.
Perhaps this opening will encourage you to re-evaluate the Glocal Project.
Thanks,
Jeremy Turner - Glocal Coordinator - Surrey Art Gallery