Following up: Sorry We Couldn't Be There!

Couldn't go to Miami? Neither could we.  After an open call for video submissions, we received 16 videos from around the world from artists who couldn't attend Art Basel Miami Beach (and two who could but still wanted to join us!).  The video was screened at SEVENMiami in the Winkleman Gallery space, as part of Jennifer Dalton and William Powhida's #rank.

We received a very positive response to this piece, and it was definitely one of my favorites.  I had drinks recently with Christi Nielsen, and we talked about the power of video, how it really puts a face to the names we've been tweeting with all this time.  The art "world" is much larger and more geographically diverse than the major art centers, and hopefully this video was successful in bringing that out.

Many thanks to all our amazing performers!

Project VII: Sorry I Couldn't Be There

Image courtesy mbshane on Flickr

Love art? We do.  Always wanted to go to the Miami art fairs?  We have, too.  Can't go, though?  Yeah, us too.

This month, Miami is once again opening its doors for the contemporary art world to swoop in and look at, discuss and purchase art.  Jennifer Dalton and William Powhida, organizers of the very popular #class earlier this year, are organizing yet another event to critique and comment on the nature of the contemporary art world.  #rank, situated in the Winkleman Gallery's SEVEN Miami booth, will feature a host of events, including one with @Platea's own Joanie San Chirico.


Image courtesy Cameron Bennett on Flickr

But what about those who can't attend?  @Platea has an answer for you all!  Attend virtually through video.  Here's the scoop:

* Interested? Sign up below so we can get a general sense of who's participating.

* Record a 5-10 second video of yourself saying: - Hi, my name is______ . I live in______. Sorry I couldn't come to Miami. I had to_________

 - eg: "Hi, my name is An Xiao.  I live in Los Angeles.  Sorry I couldn't come to Miami.  It's way over there, and I'm way over here, and... you know."

* Then send me (thatwaszen@gmail.com) the video file via YouSendIt.com or vimeo.com (preferred), ensuring it's no larger than 20 MB.  The format I would prefer would be .mov or .mp4, but I can accept other formats.

* I'll then line up the videos into one giant video and place it on Vimeo and send to the #rank organizers.  The video will play on loop throughout the course of the Miami show.

* Send your video to thatwaszen@gmail.com (no attachments please!) by Saturday, November 20.  Please let us know if you have any questions!


Ultimately, the video will highlight concerns around geographic access and about who's left out during these large art fairs.  For too long, the influential art centers have been located in major metropolitan regions such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Paris, London, Beijing and Seoul.  We want to highlight the parts of the world where artists are working.

http://www.hashtagclass.com/rank/sorry-i-couldnt-be-there-by-platea/