That's right, visual anarchy right on the streets of the downtown Denver Theatre District, the best way to describe what we have in store on Friday, June 13th starting at 7pm at the corner of 14th and Champa Street. "Friday Flash No. 6 - Download This / Image Anarchism" takes place on Friday, June 13th at 7pm at the corner of 14th and Champa Street, presenting approximately 20 artworks curated through a distinct process involving online browsing and direct "downloading" of files for consideration within the program. Hours of artworks have been amassed in this manner during the first four months of 2014, followed by a distillation process that pulls the best and most suitable for the public context together for a 45 minute evening program. The result is an exciting mixture that clearly finds Denver Digerati's vision shaping more broadly, and formally, based on what was set in motion with our efforts of the previous three years to bring public art into the future.
The concept for the program began as an offshoot from regular curatorial channels used for previous efforts, while heavily scrutinizing texts that relate to "visual literacy" as well as the field of art "after the internet." The 21st century artist, particularly ones engaged in digital practices or "internet-based" realms, operate in a different context with a constantly evolving set of protocols. According to Brad Troemel in his recent essay Art after Social Media,* "For the image neoliberal, art is a universal cultural product that should be free to travel wherever the market or museums take it; meaning is created through a work's ability to reach the widest audience and not through any particular location at which it's viewed." Troemel goes on further to recognize a new mode of association called image anarchism in which ".....the image anarchist reflects a generational indifference toward intellectual property, regarding it as a bureaucratically regulated construct. This indifference stems from file sharing and extends to de-authored, decontextualized Tumblr posts. Image anarchism is the path that leads art to exist outside the traditional context of art."
While it may not sound entirely appropriate on the surface, adherents to image anarchism, whether they are cognizant of the implications or not, are participants in networks that are evolving in radically different ways with the ability to reach across the globe. Online sharing for motion-based artists, through sites such as Vimeo, is developing into a unique, organically grown system with a density and distribution pattern much like that of trees, with each branch leading to new discoveries or circling back to nodes, trunk and roots. Artists generally share their work for online viewing as a way to market themselves, logging a combination of hits, likes, shares, follows, laters and even online "tipping." Most artists participate both in sharing as well as "liking" through their own visual enjoyment of the platform or ongoing awareness efforts. Behind the mystique of such a system lies an unmistakably profound, universal tool in which discovery is the order of the day, leading to increased networks and future opportunities. For Denver Digerati it's proven a way to discover and procure works by some of the most visually astute, wildly creative, universally celebrated (as well as completely unknown) talents from around the globe.
"Download This / Image Anarchism" is likely the first time a program curated in such a manner has ever been presented in public anywhere in the world. In keeping with the unique protocol, one has to show up in order to discover what artists and which of their individual works will be shown. The full program will be posted onto our site following the public screening.
Please join Denver Digerati curators Ivar Zeile and Ryan Pattie, as well as the Denver Theatre District, on the streets on Friday June 13th @ 7pm for visual anarchy!
Our June 13th Friday Flash promotional trailer was designed by Denver Digerati associate curator Ryan Pattie, with music provided by Thug Entrancer, one of Denver's premier sound artists with excellent overlap into the digital visual sphere:
https://vimeo.com/And read more about the program on Westword's recent show and tell blog:
http://blogs.westword.com/Denver Digerati is a special platform in development by the Denver Theatre District intended to nurture and bring leading advances in motion-based artwork to Denver's public through state of the art LED screens located in some of the most exciting locations in Downtown Denver. Visit our website at denverdigeratI.com
The DTD's LED infrastructure is unique to any other city in the country, supporting a mandate to enhance Denver's urban core through a dynamic, constant visual art presence by local innovators and leading artists from around the world.
