The BLK River festival plays the city in three acts.
The first street projects took place in Vienna mid October along the Donaukanal. There has been street and gallery projects generated daily until the GRAND OPENING of the group show @ Ofroom (Taborstraße 18) on the 22nd of October; an additional highlight of the festival – an exhibition with 24 pictures per second – the Black River Festival film series.
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15 OCTOBER – 29 OCTOBER – STREET PROJECTS
From the 15th of October till the end of the month Artits realised projects in public space, mostly along the danube river and the canal.
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20 + 21 OCTOBER – OPEN CALL
Calling all Vienna graffiti writers
Evan Roth presented a demo of his soon to be released Graffiti Analysis 2.0 software at BLK RRIVER FESTIVAL Gallery (Taborstrasse 18, 1020 Vienna) on the 20st & 21st of october as part of BLK RIVER FESTIVAL. Everyone was invited to come try the system and capture his/her tag or signature into a 3d digital environment using custom motion tracking software. This tags have been displayed in the gallery for the length of the exhibition.
IMNACAP (I Am Not A Cop Promise). “Evan Roth”
Watch Digital Blackbook demo in Hong Kong here
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21 OCTOBER ARTIST TALK
Artist talk with James Powderly, Chris Sugrue (Eyewriter Team) and Evan Roth, about the Eyewriter project, their work and Roth’s Graffiti Anlaysis 2.0 software (which looks like this).
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22 OCTOBER – BLK RIVER FESTIVAL GRAND OPENING
Location: BLK River Festival Gallery – Ofroom / Taborstraße 18 / 1020 Wien
Date: 22.October.2009
Time: 07.00 PM
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OCTOBER 23 TEMPT 1 CHARITY AUCTION
What renders a charity-event outstanding lies in the eyes of the beholder.
In this special case it’s all about the eyes of the Los Angeles-based Artist Tony Quan aka. Tempt One, who suffers from ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis).
Low cost eyetracking-techology and state of the art open-source software – hence the project is called „Eyewriter“ – empower people suffering from deteriorating neurological diseases to defy their fate by creativity.
Tony Quan testing the EyeWriter in Los Angeles
At Black River Festival, Viennas first international Street Art event, the Eywriter project has been presented live in public space for the first time in Europe. A limited silk-screened print by Tony Quan from 1997 was auctioned in a worldwide online charity-auction in support of people suffering from ALS.
In 2003 the Los Angeles-based artist Tony Quan aka Tempt One was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is one of several neurological degenerative diseases that may affect the human body and rapidly progresses throughout all systems. In some cases, the brain loses its ability to control all muscles, resulting in the progressive inability to physically move about or function various parts of the body. The disease may or may not have a known causal factor and may not even have a medical cure. Often times the disease is fatal within a period of time. Assistance, relief, and comfort is all relative dependent on the symptoms, progress of the disease, and therapies provided.
But Tony Quan’s fate has neither touched his sharp mind and creative energy, nor his passion for graffiti. So in early 2009 artists, engineers and programmers from London, Hong Kong, Madrid, Amsterdam and New York City teamed up with Tony Quan to develop the EYEWRITER – a low-cost, open-source eyetracking-based graphics tool that enables people suffering from paralysis to draw with their eyes. The technology and DIY instructions will be available for free on the internet.
During Black River Festival the Eyewriter-technology will be presented in public space for the first time in Europe. In addition an illustration by Tony Quan aka Tempt One will be auctioned online in support of the Tempt One ALS Foundation. The foundations aim is to identify resources, bring attention to, and assist with the needs of ALS patients as well as patients suffering from other deteriorating neurological diseases.
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The Eyewriter Team at Black River Festival
The Eyewriter-project is an ongoing collaborative research effort carried out by the communities of Graffiti Research Lab, the Ebeling Group, the Free Art and Technology Lab., Open Frameworks and Tempt One.
From the team of developers James Powderly and Evan Roth (Graffiti Research Lab.) and the media artist Christine Sugrue, whose work was featured in Vienna in 2008 at net.culture.space of quartier21, has been presented at the festival and the Artist Talk on 21.October, 17.00 CET @ Blk River Festival Gallery (Taborstraße 18 / 1020 Vienna – Tramline 2 (Karmeliterplatz) or U2 (Taborstraße)
Further information on the Eyewriter-project and the Tempt One ALS Foundation:
http://temptone.wordpress.com/foundation
http://fffff.at/eyewriter
Donations Account:
Erste Bank
Blz. 20111
Ac.Nr. 292-655-160/00
