EXPERIMENTS IN ART AND TECHNOLOGY A Brief History and Summary of Major Projects 1966 - 1998

Experiments In Art And Technology 69 Appletree Row Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922 March 1, 1998 MAINTAIN A CONSTRUCTIVE CLIMATE FOR THE RECOGNITION OF THE NEW . TECHNOLOGY AND THE ARTS B Y A CIVILIZED COLLABORATION BETWEEN GROUPS UNREALISTICALLY DEVELOP- ING IN ISOLATION . ELIMINATE TAE SEPARATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL FROM TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE AND EKPAND AND ENRICH TECHNOLOGY TO GIVE 'II0 INDIVIDUAL VARIETY, PLEASURE AND AVENUES FOR EXPLORATION AND IN- VOLVEMENT IN CONTEMPORARY LIFE* ENCOURAGE INDUSTRIAL INITIATIVE IN GENERATING ORIGINAL FORETHOUGHT, INSTEAD OF A COMPROMISE IN AFTER- , M A T H, AND PRECIPITATE A MUTUAL AGREEMENT IN , ORDER TO AVOID THE WASTE OF A CULTURAL REVOLUTION . EXPERIMENTS IN ART AND TECHNOLOGY

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF E .A .T . in 1966 by Billy in Art and Technology was founded Experiments Fred Waldhauer, and . Kluver, , developed the not-for-profit organization The decision to form and Engineering," the experience of "9 Evenings : Theatre from Armory in City in October 1966 held at the 69th Regiment artists worked .engineers and ten contemporary where''forty It became clear that if continuing together on the performances . achieved, a artist-engineer relationships were to be organic made to set up the necessary major organized effort had to be physical and social conditions . was held in , November 1966, a meeting of artists . In engineers and other interested people attended by 300 artists, providing the was positive to the idea of E .A .T . The reaction . Robert Rauschenberg with access to the technical world artists president, Robert Whitman became chairman, Billy Kluver was opened to Fred Waldhauer secretary . Membership treasurer, and office set up in a loft at 9 all artists and engineers, and an East 16th Street in New York . was formulated by Billy Kluver The purpose of the organization and Robert Rauschenberg : for the recognition of - Maintain a constructive climate and the arts by a civilized collaboration the new technology in isolation . between groups unrealistically developing the separation of the individual from - Eliminate enrich technology to Technological change and expand and variety, pleasure and avenues for give the individual life . exploration and involvement in contemporary initiative in generating original - Encourage industrial and instead of a compromise in aftermath, forethought, order to avoid the waste precipitate a mutual agreement in of a cultural revolution . as a catalyst E .A .T . saw the organization acting The founders of and technology, with the to stimulate the involvement industry d to develop an effective collaborations arts . E .A .T . worke industrial cooperation and between artists and engineers with sponsorship.' . from artists and the was an immediate response to E .A .T in There early activities of the organization art community . 'pue to the artist engineers, by 1969 there were over 2,000 attracting willing to work with artists . members and 2,000 engineer members assistance, etc . Expressions of interest, requests for technical over the United States and from abroad : Europe, came from all to start E .A .T . , South America, etc . People were encouraged were formed . In 1968 a conference Local Groups and about 15-20 Manhattan . for these Local Groups was held at the E .A .T . loft in took two principal forms : Technical Services- E .A .T .'s activities initiated and Program and E .A .T . Projects which the organization administered . artists with An ongoing Technical Services Program provided for their work by matching them with access to new technology on the engineers or scientists for a one-to-one collaboration . A part of this effort was to acquaint artist's specific project the and business communities with the needs of the technical technology or type artists . E .A .T . was not committed to any one computers or holography ; E .A .T . never of equipment like for the artist established a laboratory or workshop, preferring with engineers in the industrial envronment to work directly The Technical which was where the technology was being made . artists and no judgment was made about Services were open to all was value of the artist's project or idea . An effort the esthetic scientist who made to match every artist with an engineer or could help her/him . interests was enormous, and this diversity The range of artists' technical in the letters, proposals and requests for is reflected technical, and artistic help now in the archive . The geographic, E .A .T . uniquely document a vital diversity of these contacts with as moment in the history of post-war art, as well and important new technology the continuing involvement artists have had with in the 20th century . and organized a variety of events and E .A .T . initiated (1966) ; "Some exhibitions : "9 Evenings Theatre and Engineering" at the Museum (1968-1969) ; Pepsi More Beginnings" and The New York Pavilion at Expo '70, Osaka Japan (1969-1970) ; Collection for (1971-1973) . technologies in During the 1970s the emergence of new hardware data processing, and control and command communications, systems, which instrumentation lea to new generation of software the artists . E .A .T . realized that were of great ~nterest to of make a significant contribution to the evolution artists could projects in these software systems and generated a series of participated in these areas of technological which the artist projects that development . E .A,T . undertook interdisciplinary artists' activities into new areas of society : extended the Artists in India Projects Outside Art (1969-1971) ; American (1970-1971) ; Telex : Q&A (1971) ; Children and Communication(1971) ; City Agriculture (1971) ; and numerous projects with artists and television in this country and abroad, of which the Anand Project in India (1969) is a prominent example .

E .A .T . PROJECTS INCLUDE : 9 EVENINGS : THEATRE AND ENGINEERING A series of performances held in October 1966 at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City, by John Cage, Lucinda Childs, 6yvind Fahlstr6m, Alex Hay, Deborah Hay, Steve Paxton, Yvonne Rainer, Robert Rauschenberg, David Tudor, and Robert Whitman . They worked in collaboration with more than 40 engineers and scientists from Bell Telephone Laboratories to develop technical equipment that was used as an integral part of the performances . A catalogue was printed containing statments by the participating artists, photographs, drawings and technical diagrams . A 20 minute, 16mm sound, black and white film was made of the performances .

TECHNICAL SERVICES PROGRAM 1966 TO PRESENT The Technical Services program began in 1966 . Artists with technical requests were matched with engineers and scientists for information, assistance or longer collaborations . The system for providing information and matchings was expanded several times since 1966, including the development of the artist-engineer matching system, first using edge-notch cards to hold information on technical specialties of over 1,000 engineers as well as the initial development of a computer database of engineers and scientists for artists' reference . An initial effort of_ E .A .T . was to recruit engineers to work with artists . Activities intended.- to interest and recruit engineers included visits to technical laboratories like Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ or IBM Laboratories in Armonk, NY ; taking a booth at the in IEEE convention in New York where artists talked to engineers ; weekly open houses at the E .A .T . loft at 9 East 16th Street, where artists and engineers could meet and talk informally ; publication of a newsletter,E .A.T . News ; compilation of a list of technical libraries in the New York City area open to artists . Ot4er services to artists included loan of equipment, consultation on safety of works, and approaches to industry for support of artists' projects . There is documentation on all these activities . One typical project that E .A .T . undertook under the Technical Services Program was to secure permission for the public Such permission had of an art work employing lasers . exhibition Usami in November 1968 . Peter been denied to a work by Kieji New York staff worked successfully with the Poole of the E .A .T . to show the work at Health Department to obtain permission City published an account of the the Jewish Museum . E .A .T . department approval and process of obtaining health installation written by Peter Poole . for a laser environment was ARTISTS BY ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS FOR LECTURE SERIES organized a series of lectures by In the spring of 1968, E .A .T . . on for artists held at the E .A .T . loft engineers and scientists computer generated subjects like lasers and holography ; technical new Hexcel materials . Speakers came sound and images ; television ; : Bell industrial and government laboratories from academic, Standards, etc . Laboratories, MIT, National Bureau of

E .A .T .COMPETITION competition for the best spring of 1968 E .A .T . announced a In the a work of art made in contribution by an engineer to incorporating artist, and called for works collaboration with an organized by Pontus to be selected for an exhibition technology the End of the Mechanical Age" to Hulten "The Machine as Seen at the fall of in New York in be held at the interested engineers and 1968 . E .A .T . offered to match all artists . EXPERIMENTS IN ART AND TECHNOLOGY SOME MORE BEGINNINGS : art and Beginnings" was one of the first major "Some More held at the Brooklyn Museum from technology exhibitions . It was generated January 1969 . The competition had November 1968 to was made to show all than 140 submissions and the decision by more Museum . The catalogue was designed these works at the Brooklyn and contains Julie Martin, and Robert Rauschenberg Billy Kluver, of 145 works . photographs and technical description . PAVILION AT EXPO '70, OSAKA, JAPAN PEPSI-COLA a large-scale international E .A .T . organized and administered Pavilion build and program the Peps-Cola collaboration to design, October 1969 by Osaka Japan . It was initiated in at Expo '70, Myers, David Tudor, and core artists Robert Breer, Forrest four of the Pavilion developed, Robert Whitman . As the design and given artists were added to the project engineers and other All in all twenty y to develop specific elements . responsibili scientists contributed to the artists and ifty engineers and artists . Also 34 Japanese and American design of the,Pavilion Live Programming of to design performances for the were invited March 1970 . the space . The'Pavilion opened Kluver, Julie Martin, and Barbara A book pavilion ' ed . by Billy and contains essays by Rose was published by E .P . Dutton in 1972 Nilo Lindgren, Fujiko Nakaya, Barbara Elsa Garmire, Billy Kluver, for the Tomkins and all the artists proposals Rose, and Calvin includes photographs by Live Programming of the Pavilion . It also Shunk and Kender.. software the growth of new generations of In the late 1960s technology in systems brought about by the new hardware processing, and control and command communications, data artist . E .A .T . instrumentation were of great interest to the of such systems could make a realized that artists' use evolution . contribution to these systems' future significant which developed means for E .A .T . generated a series of projects participate in these areas of technological the artist to artist in shaping these development and expanded the role of the systems . These projects included :

THE ANAND PROJECT Development and E .A .T . In October 1969, the Nehru Foundation for Indians and Americans with specialities assembled a group of artists and instruction and television and included related to December 1969 and engineers . The group met in India during for local input into the development of developed a proposal project was centered instructional software for television . The villagers in the Anand Dairy cooperative and in the rural for the women who concentrated on information and instruction milk-producing buffalo . The proposals for raise and tend the notes as the video cameras to make visual research using 1/2 inch and widely used during basis for final programs have been adopted the SITE television satellite project . ARTISTS IN INDIA AMERICAN funded by the JDR 3rd E .A .T . initiated a project in 1970-1971 to travel and work for a month in Fund for American artists Trisha following artists participated : Jared Bark, India . The Paxton, Yvonne Rainer, Brown, Lowell Cross, Jeffrey Lew, Steve LaMonte Young, and Marian Zazella . Kate Redicker, Terry Riley, and their experiences with film, tapes, journals They recorded carried out on their return . still photographs . Interviews were GARDENING PROJECTS OUTSIDE ART : ROOFTOP of with the Environmental Research Laboratory In collaboration a closed- University of Arizona and Automation House, the vegetable greenhouse was designed environment nutrient-feeding out a Automation House . E .A .T . also carried for the roof of roof of the artists' feasibility study for a greenhouse for the Westbeth ; and developed a proposal for an housing complex, courtyard of the U .N . experimental greenhouse in the interior

International School in New York . COMMUNICATION CHILDREN AND University, Working with educational specialists from New York designed by Robert Whitman, were set up at 9 two environments, were linked by 14 East 16 Street and 49 East 68th Street . They lines ; and terminal equipment included Xerox dedicated telephone telex and and Magnavox facsimile machines, electro-writers, February through May 1971, more than 500 telephones . From the children, ages 6-13, visited the two locations and used equipment to communicate with each other .

MULTI-DIMENSIONAL SCALING several In cooperation with psychologists at Bell Laboratories, multi-dimensional scaling techniques research studies using was at Bell Laboratories were carried out . One of them developed and scientific to correlate national problems with technical to these areas ; another was a cross-cultural resources applicable in different study of object words, which were chosen by artists countries .

TELEX Q&A an exhibition This project was organized in conjunction with 1871 - 1981" held at . During "Utopia & Visions Automation August 1971, telex terminals were established at Moderna Museet, Stockholm ; The Design Institute, House, New York ; all four Ahmedabad, India ; Sony Building, Tokyo . The public in to submit question about 1981 to the other countries was invited and countries . Scientists, artists, subject experts, students, of the general public were asked to formulate answers members 400 questions which were then telexed to the originator . Over were sent and answered during the month . ARTISTS AND TELEVISION E .A .T .organized the cablecast of artists' In the winter of 1971 in New videotapes over the newly opened cable television channels York City . RECORDING OF INDIGENOUS CULTURE IN EL SALVADOR E .A .T ., at the request of the Division of Culture In January 1972 a of The Ministry of Education in El Salvador, conducted feasibility study on mobile broadcast television production equipment andiformulated a plan for producing cultural programming on educational channels . , STOCKHOLM NEW YORK COLLECTION FOR effort Beginning in January 1971, E . .A .T . undertook a large-scale collection of 30 works by New York Artists of to assemble a major collection the 1960s and to raise funds for the purchase of the Museet, Stockholm . Thirty artists to be donated to Moderna . The to a portfolio to support the project donated prints October 1973 with 105 collection opened at Moderna Museet in American guests attending the opening .

ISLAND EYE ISLAND EAR project/concert to be has conceived a collaborative David Tudor utilize and reveal the nature held on an island, which will both antennas will be placed in of the island . Parabolic sound beams and sound configurations around the island to create sound input will be sounds of the island reflections . The Nakaya will install over the course of one year . Fujiko recorded Matisse will fly the kites she cloud sculptures and Jacqueline in the tests were made on a Island Knavelskar designs . Extensive the Adirondacks in archipelago and later Bluff Island in Swedish possible sites for the concert . New York state were researched as SYSTEM LARGE SCREEN OUTDOOR TELEVISION feasibility and supervised the design and Billy Kliiver initiated system for the Plaza a large screen outdoor television study for 1976-1977 . of Centre Georges Pompidou, , LOOP OPAL and installation of a Cloud E .A .T . supervised the testing , for Nakaya as a set for the dance Opal Loop Sculpture by Fujiko 55 Crosby Street, Brown Dance Company, first performed at Trisha that year at The Brooklyn June 10, 1980, and performed later Academy of Music . CONVERTIBLE ASTRAL Billy Klaver, Per Biorn and This was a collaboration between Astral for an interactive set for the dance Robert Rauschenberg The idea was for a Convertible for Dance Company . and sound for the dance in any set that could provide light would be particular outdoor environments, and environment, in performance was held June interactive with the dancers . The first 22, 1989, in Montpellier France .

OCEAN effort to of 1994 E .A .T . developed a research In the spring oceans all over the world to locate and collect sounds from the David Tudor in an electronic composition be used by the composer Merce part of John Cage's last work for the that was to be was collected from such Cunningham Dance Company, Ocean . Material university and government marine biology sources as private, companies that work as well as from the archives of laboratories, premiered in Brussels May 18, with ocean oil exploration The work 1994 . GREENLAND GLACIAL STONE PROJECT E .A .T . organized and administered an project for the artist Fujiko Nakaya, an environmental artist who works with pure-water fog to create sculptures and installations in natural settings . From June 25 to July 12, 1994, Fujiko Nakaya, accompanied by members of E .A .T . staff, traveled to Greenland to collect 60 tons of ancient glacial moraine stones from the Thule-Qaanaaq area in North West Greenland for a Glacial Stone Fog Garden . The garden which incorporates the stones and a fog sculpture will be in the courtyard of a museum in Kaga City, Japan, that will honor her father, Dr . Uchikiro Nakaya, a world renown snow scientist, who discovered the phases of snow crystal growth and made the first scientific photographic studies of snow crystals . A pioneer in low-temperature physics, Dr . Nakaya spent summers in North West Greenland working with ice-core samples from the glaciers to study the viscoelastic properties of snow and ice . The museum building was designed by the architect, Arata Isozaki . 9 EVENINGS FILM PRESERVATION PROJECT E .A .T . has initiated a project to preserve and edit more than 400 minutes of 16mm and 35 mm color and black and white film footage shot in 1966 at 9 EVENINGS : THEATRE AND ENGINEERING to document all ten artists' performances from that event . Swedish filmmaker, Barbro Schultz Lundestam will edit all ten films on video . The first film to be completed was Kisses Sweeter Than Wine by oyvind Fahlstram, which had its premiere in September 1996, the second was Robert Rauschenberg's Open Score , which had its premiere in conjunction with Rauschenberg's retrospective exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in September 1997 . The next film to be made will be of John Cage's performance, Variations VII . E .A .T . ARTISTS EDITING FACILITY In January 1998, E .A .T . established an Avid editing facility in Berkeley Heights, , which is available to artists and non-profit organizations for video projects . Equipped with The facility has Avid MCXpress with 75 AVR running on a Macintosh Power PC with up to with 36 gigabyte hard drive memory . Sue Wrbican, an experienced Avid editor works with artists who need editing assistance .

March 1, 1998

1967 Volume 1 No . 2 June 1 Street, N .Y ., N .Y. 10003 Experiment s in Art and Technology, Inc 9 East 16th

The purpose of Experiments in Art and Technology, the inevitable active involvement of Inc . is to catalyze the industry, technology, and the arts . E .A .T . has assumed responsibility of developing an effective collaborative relationship between artists and engineers . art E .A .T . will guide the artist in achieving new and work for the professional recogni-, through new technology the tion of the engineer's technical contribution within engineering community . Engineers are becoming aware of their crucial role have become in changing the human environment . Engineers who artist's projects have perceived how the artist's involved with scale to, insight can influengq_his directions and give human artist in turn desires to create within the his work . The involve- technological world in order to satisfy the traditional artist with the revelant forces shaping society . ment of the a revolu- The collaboration of artist and engineer emerges as tionary contemporary sociological process . Initially, a successful working relationship between will require that each operate freely artists and engineers create within his own,environment . The function of E .A .T . is to an intersection . of these environments . between To ensure a continued fruitful interaction .advancing technology and the arts, E .A .T . will work a rapidly collaborative for a high standard of technical innovation in projects . is founded on the strong belief that an E .A.T . between industrially sponsored, effective working relationship artists and engineers will lead to new possibilities which will benefit society as a whole .

Billy Kluver

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