Demo of Demos and Shift Demo
2 series of 3 experimental demos followed by roundtable discussions
-Demo of Demos
June 14th, 2023, 6pm – 8pm
The Genia Schreiber Art Gallery and Michel Kikoïne Foundation
Tel Aviv University, 64 Chaim Levanon street, Tel Aviv
A project coordinated by Samuel Bianchini (artist and researcher) and Claude Rosental (sociologist), with the performances of Jean-Marc Chomaz (artist physicist), Raphaëlle Kerbrat (artist and researcher), Emile de Visscher (designer and researcher), with the support of Dafna Gold Melchior.
Roundtable with: Samuel Bianchini, Leo Corry, Dror Harari, Tamar Mayer, Claude Rosental, Emile de Visscher
Event followed by a presentation of the work ‘resonance 4145’ exhibited in the TAU art gallery, by artist Ronen Sharabani, together with zeologist, Yossi Yovel.
An event organized by the Institut français d’Israël, the French Research Center in Jerusalem (CRFJ / CNRS-MEAE), and the Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery, with the support of the Chaire arts and sciences of École polytechnique, the École des Arts Décoratifs, and the Foundation Daniel and Nina Carasso, and the Matters of Activity Cluster of Excellence supported by the Humboldt University in Berlin.
-Shift Demo
Experiencing the “Demo” Format through Art and Design Research
June 15th, 2023, 6pm – 8pm
AtoBe, Azrieli College, 26 Yaakov Shreibom Street, Jerusalem
A project coordinated by Samuel Bianchini (artist and researcher) and Claude Rosental (sociologist), with the performances of Jean-Marc Chomaz (artist physicist), Raphaëlle Kerbrat (artist and researcher), Emile de Visscher (designer and researcher), with the support of Dafna Gold Melchior and Miriam Malis.
Panel discussion with Jean-Marc Chomaz, Gidi Etzion, Eyal Fried, Michael Mizrahi, Claude Rosental, Emile de Visscher
An event organized by the French Research Center in Jerusalem (CRFJ / CNRS-MEAE) and AtoBe – Azrieli College, with the support of the Institut français d’Israël, the Chaire arts and sciences of École polytechnique, the École des Arts Décoratifs, and the Fondation Daniel and Nina Carasso, the Excellence Cluster «Matters of Activity» at Humboldt University in Berlin and Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem.
Outline:
Starting in Israel, “Demo of demos” and “Shift Demo” are a series of performances combining art, science and technology. Behind the mysterious name “demo” hides a daring scientific project bearing on the significance and roles of public demonstrations, and more precisely on the demos that are deployed in high-tech universes such as those of Silicon Valley (including those of the highly publicized Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple).
Based on the observation that public demonstrations (high-tech demos, public proofs, street protests…) are far from being anecdotal and that they structure life in society, “Demo of demos” and “Shift Demo” are intended to be a multidisciplinary project combining the social sciences, the exact sciences, design and art. By diverting demos from their original purposes, including commercial ones, the designers of these events transform demos into artistic performances and scientific reflections, thus producing a new, original and high-impact demonstration device.
Composed of researchers as well as designers and artists, the team has its own resources to conceive and implement the first public experiments in the « demo » mode. While demos are a format commonly used in the field of technological innovation, how can we think in this field of presenting objects that are part of the creation of art and/or design? How can we learn from this situation and rethink this format in the world of creation, in a cultural place, or in an exhibition?
The first experimental phase of “Demo of Demos” and “Shift Demo” begins in Israel, a country often referred to as a “start-up nation”, and that illustrates the concept of what is a “demonstration society”. These events will take place on June 14th at 6 p.m. at the Genia Schreiber Art Gallery in Tel Aviv and on June 15th at 6 p.m. at AtoBe startup accelerator in Jerusalem, and will feature a series of three demonstrations in artistic context: Bold, Bug Antenna and Void Spaces.
At the end of the performances, round tables will be held with artists and researchers around the following questions: “Performance as an alternative mode of “publication” for art, design and science research? » and “Performances at the intersection of the fields of art, design, science and technology.”
About the performances:
Emile De Visscher, Bold, depuis 2016
Emile De Visscher (PhD), is a designer and researcher in the Matters of Activity Cluster of Excellence at Humboldt University in Berlin.
A tendency towards the re-localization of forms of production in the city has developed under the impulse of the Makers’ and FabLab’s movements over the last 15 years. But few proposals are based on a know-how related to urban space. Still, a creative practice born and proper to urban topology is graffiti. Bold is a research project whose objective is to create a 3-dimensional graffiti tool, thus opening the way to an appropriation of space and to instantaneous and collective forms of creativity, mixing architecture and graphics. The water-based and non-polluting foam which is used dries and allows to imagine a new craft defined by the gesture performed in public.
Raphaëlle Kerbrat, Bug Antenna, 2018
Raphaëlle Kerbrat is an artist and doctoral student in the SACRe program (Université PSL – Paris Sciences et Lettres) and a member of the Reflective Interaction group of EnsadLab, the laboratory of the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (EnsAD).
Bug Antenna consists of two telescopic antennas that interact with the Wi-Fi environment. The device reacts to the intensity and number of networks in the surroundings. Its gestures are similar to those of an insect’s antennas, seeking to probe and interact with its environment. The system diverts the antennas from their initial mode of operation by using them to make the hertzian activity of the room appear through movement. The greater the activity of the networks, the more active the device is.
Jean-Marc Chomaz, Void Spaces, 2022-2023
Jean-Marc Chomaz is a physicist and artist, director of research at the CNRS and professor at the École polytechnique (X).
Based on the author’s Red Shift installation (2014-2015), the demo will consist of a performance entitled Void Spaces. This demo will trace the construction of our current universe: how from the Earth’s orbit – the only fraction of space physically explored by the human species – our imagination has been able to project us into the cosmos and how science and art have given a fragile materiality to the galaxies in an accelerated space-time travel. The demo will address the issue of origin by reversing Time to literally see the Universe from the point of view of light, while using the Red Shift time machine. Dark matter, dark energy, empty spaces of our Cosmos, questioning of our ignorance or transcendental intuition of the Multiverse will be emotionally summoned during the final performance Absence which makes tangible a dark media refusing any movement, any wave or light.
