"PLUG IN, PROVIDENCE: PIXILERATIONS [V.6]" for Artscope Magazine (Sept/Oct 2009)

PLUG IN, PROVIDENCE
PIXILERATIONS [V.6]: THE GREAT DISRUPTION

RISD's Sol Koffler Gallery, 5 Traverse Gallery,
and venues throughout Providence
September 24 - October 11, 2009
Providence, RI

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by Meredith Cutler (for Artscope Magazine)

Article excerpt:

As part of FirstWorks' annual performing arts festival, the Pixilerations new media showcase has evolved into an anticipated Providence gateway to the "wired and weird". An outlet for new media art across a dizzying list of disciplines (including sound, video, performance, and installation), Pixilerations intrigued me when I made my move from Boston to Providence two years ago, and was something of a deal-clincher when I joined the FirstWorks staff in late 2008.

Fast-forward to present, as we wade bravely in to make Pixilerations [v.6] a reality (with the help of our partners at Brown and RISD, and hard-won NEA funding.) Apparently, it's my job to make Pixilerations legible for the general public. Truth? Even for a halfway insider like me, this is no small task.

Comprised of new media curators, artists, and educators, the Providence-based curatorial team that shifts the pixels in 2009 represents several strata of the Brown and RISD tower to enlightenment. For the first time, this year Pixilerations plugs in with a private gallery partner, 5 Traverse Gallery.

Gallery director Maya Allison serves as exhibition director for this ambitious showcase, which this year includes more than 70 local, regional and international artists.

As the curatorial dust settled, I plugged in with Allison for an insider's tour - a conversation appropriately animated by the submissions database, a colorful spreadsheet, and a pile of pixels.

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Image: Andrew Ames, "Space Invader Returns Home," 2009, mixed media and custom electronics.