This is the text of a talk given at the plenary panel at the Electronic Literature Showcase at the Library of Congress, curated by Kathi Inman Berens and Dene Grigar.
After introducing the Electronic Literature Organization and some ways to
characterize the concept of e-lit, I describe two small exhibits that
worked well by taking the opportunities offered by two different contexts:
Codings, an exhibit at the Pace Digital Gallery, Pace University, New
York. Curated by Nick Montfort. Featuring work by Giselle Beiguelman;
Commodore Business Machines, Inc.; Adam Parrish; Jörg Piringer; Casey
Reas; and Páll Thayer. Gallery directors, Frank Marchese and Jillian
Mcdonald. February 28 - March 30, 2012.
Games by the Book, an exhibit at the Hayden Library, MIT, Cambridge,
Massachusetts. Curated by Clara Fernández-Vara and Nick Montfort.
Featuring work by Douglas Adams, Steven Meretzky, and the BBC; Charlie
Hoey and Pete Smith; Jon Thackray and Jonathan Partington; and the
Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab. September 7 - October 8, 2012.
A presentation of experiences developing and exhibiting the installation "Tilfældigvis er skærmen blevet til blæk" at Roskilde library and then at the Roskilde Festival.
A discussion of Grigar's experiences curating exhibitions of electronic literature at conferences such as the MLA, ELO2012 and in small gallery spaces.
Blog post about the Workshop on Curating and Exhibiting Electronic Literature held in Bergen in October 2012.
Hordaland Kunstsenter
Klosteret 17, PB 1745 Nordnes
5816 Bergen
Norway
Gallery 3,14
Vågsallmeningen 12
5014 Bergen
Norway
This workshop, which will include participants from Bergen cultural institutions and UiB researchers, as well as international expert speakers, is intended to examine the growing trend towards the exhibition of electronic literature in art venues, such as museums and galleries, and to examine models of curating and exhibiting electronic literature in these environments. In addition to providing an opportunity for discussion and analysis of what happens to the situation of digital literary artifacts when they are presented in gallery environments, this workshop will provide an important planning opportunity. The Electronic Literature Organization conference, which has traditionally been a biennial conference hosted in the USA, is in 2013 moving to an annual schedule, with a European host in alternating years. The first European iteration will be hosted in Paris by Paris 8 University in 2013, and then in Bergen in 2015. The ELO conference includes an academic congress, readings and performances, and exhibitions of electronic literature in art venues. By focusing attention on the issues, challenges, and conceptual opportunities offered in curating and exhibiting electronic literature, we also hope to identify and develop relationships with partners for the eventual production of a superb set of exhibitions in affiliation with the 2015 ELO Conference. WE INVITE PARTICIPANTS TO: ¤ help formulate a call for works for the coming ELO Conference and Exhibition ¤ for works of electronic literature that is suited for the different Bergen venues ¤ which highlight the Bergen electronic art and literature scene
