In 1993, the American artist Phill Niblock opened an artist-in-residence house with window gallery at Sassekaai 45, in Gent, Belgium. Quickly the EI Huis became a meeting place for many local and international artists and art lovers. In early 1997, to achieve a better co-ordination of the EI Huis activities, the artists Phill Niblock, Maria Blondeel, Zjuul Devens and Ludo Engels founded a Belgium organization, the Experimental Intermedia v.z.w. Gent. The EI Huis annually invites 4 or more artists to realise an installation in the window gallery during their residency in the house, and this is curated by Phill Niblock and Maria Blondeel, and is realized in collaboration with the Logos Foundation. The installations can be seen from the street through two large windows: pedestrians, car drivers, bikers and people on the tram cannot help but give attention to the curved front with its two windows, bringing the art (often literally) onto the street. By exploring the space and the environment, the artist can surprise passers-by with his/her creation. Experimental Intermedia v.z.w. believes in the continuous impulse and passion of the imagination and vision of artists. Art and science are the only proof of our imaginative powers. One of the objectives of the Experimental Intermedia v.z.w. is to foster the sharing and development of technological innovations in the arts. The exchange between the presented work, the environment and the passers-by, is the essence of each installation.
The artists who have made installations, listed in chronological order, are: Maria Evelein, the Netherlands; Sigrid Lange, Germany; Michael Timpson, USA; Michael Vorfeld, Germany; Uli Vonbank-Schedler, Austria; Harald Kubiczak, Germany; Alexandru Patatics, Romania and Gerd Schmedes, Germany; Mike Metz, USA and Penelope Wehrli, USA/ Germany (in collaboration with the Academy of Fine Arts, Gent); Beverly Piersol, USA/ Austria and Gertrude Moser-Wagner, Austria; Juana Valdes, Cuba/USA; Adri Huismann, The Netherlands; Kjell Bjoergeengen, Norway; Claudia Wissman, Germany; Claudia Schmacke, Germany; Marica Presic, Belgrade, Yugoslavia; Doris Koch, Germany; Esther Ferrer, Paris; Ludwika Ogorzelec, Paris;Peter Schoutsen, Belgium;Jozef Cseres and Michael Murin, Slovakia. The current exhbition is by Steffen Muck, of Leipzig, Germany.
In addition, EI Gent has produced several projects in collaboration with other organizations in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. In Spring and Summer 1997, there were two projects in collaboration with "Instalraam" of Croxhapox v.z.w., Gent: "Schrattenberg Nucleus", the artists Lisi Breuss, Martin Dickinger, Uli Vonbank-Schedler, Heimo Wallner, from Austria; and "Schrattenberg Periphery", the artists APSOLUTNO / Yugoslavia, Hilda Kozari / Hungary, Petr Kvicala / Czechia, Slaven Tolj / Croatia. This exhibition was curated by Heimo Wallner and Uli Vonbank-Schedler.
"Project EI" took place in March and April, 1997 at the Kunstcentrum Sittard, in Sittard, The Netherlands. The concept of the exhibition was projection, - real, virtual or otherwise. The artists were: Maria Blondeel (B), Jens Brand (D), Zjuul Devens (B), Ludo Engels (B), An Van Exe (B), Harald Kubiczak (D), Phill Niblock (USA), Chrit Veugen (NL), Michael Vorfeld (D).
In the summer of 1997, there was a complex of collaborations among the organizations: EI Gent and Stichting Logos, in Gent, Belgium; MeX, in Dortmund, Germany; Voorkamer, in Lier, Belgium. The project was "Unter Anderen - Among Others -2", collaborations between visual and sound artists, from Germany, Japan, Spain, Poland, Belgium, Austria, and the U.S.
Experimental Intermedia
EI huis - Sassekaai 45, B-9000 Gent, België
tel. ++ 32 (0)9 238 19 15
fax ++ 32 (0)2 217 77 56
email: <experimental.intermedia@ping.be>
andere tentoonstellingen in Gent / other exhibitions in Gent:
http://www.gent.be/gent/ndl/cultuur/the_art_way/index.html
Please visit the EI Gent website: EI Gent website: http://www.experimentalintermedia.be/