Tensions by Tristan Louth-Robins and Shoot (Jen Brazier, Charissa Davies, Edward James and Ryan Sims together with guest artist Lauren Playfair) :: June 26 – July 25, 2009 :: Opening: June 25; 6:00 pm :: Artists Gallery Talk: July 9; 3:00 pm :: Electronic Art Foundation, The Lion Arts Centre, North Terrace (West End) Adelaide, South Australia.

Sound artist Tristan Louth-Robins and new-media arts collective Shoot will collaborate to produce Tensions. With original soundscapes, performance and projected imagery the exhibition will explore emotion and tension through the use of personal technological devices — what they transmit, store and receive, the emotional implications for the user, and how this ultimately influences society. Tensions will examine specifically how the omnipresence and application of communication technology affects the way information is disseminated, emotions are received and perceived, and the many ways new (electronic) languages are interpreted. A major component of the exhibition will investigate the idea that transmissions of invisible, emotionally charged data – mobile phone calls, sms, emails – across public environments affects the emotions of passive recipients as the data passes through their bodies (e-motion).

BIOS

Tristan Louth-Robins (b.1981) is an Adelaide based sound artist working in areas of electro-acoustic and new media art forms. His works utilise various forms of technology and iterative, generative, and feedback processes to realise ideas and concepts associated with sound and its signification. As a sound artist, Louth-Robins has performed and exhibited work in South Australia and interstate at various venues, galleries and conferences. As a visual artist, Louth-Robins’ works embrace simple materials and themes which in part reflect the nature of his sound art work. As a curator he directed the successful Tyndall Assembly experimental music concert series in 2006 and 2007 which showcased the work of local artists as well important historical works. He is also a contributing writer and reviewer for the online Australian new music magazine Resonate.

Shoot is a group of media artists based in Australia that attempt to push artistic boundaries through conceptual collaborations with other artists and through experimentations with popular technologies. The group often draws upon the outcomes of degeneration/regeneration of imagery, creating content to cultivate the conceptual aims of the collective. Shoot was formed in 2002 with a view for like-minded artists to develop a conceptual ‘collective’ to stage innovative art exhibitions and events, mostly within unconventional locations. The group have been involved in many festivals and productions, including the Melbourne Fringe Festival, Adelaide Fringe, and the Adelaide Film Festival. Their most recent work, Sounds from Level Four, was presented as part of the 2006 Adelaide Fringe and was nominated for best visual art exhibition at the 2006 Adelaide Fringe Awards. The work was also presented at the Australian Computer Music Conference in July 2006 and was nominated for two Australian Business Arts Foundation Awards in 2006 and 2007 for the exhibitions and their collaborative efforts with local industry.

Jen Brazier is a photo-media artist based in Brisbane, Australia. She graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Visual Art & Applied Design, majoring in Photography and Digital Imaging. Jen Brazier has presented her work in several exhibitions since 2001 and is a founder and core member of Shoot collective. Her work has won places in several respected competitions, has toured Australia, and been exhibited in London.

Charissa Davies has participated in several Shoot exhibitions since graduating with a major in printmaking from Adelaide Centre of the Arts in 2002. Working in a range of media including printmaking, photography and digital media Charissa’s practice often draws on themes such as everyday life and the thoughts that pass through our heads. In Tensions Charissa’s work is based on the idea that each individual’s life is in some way fragmented. ‘We portray different parts of ourselves to different people depending on the situation. Our lives are fragmented by technology: bits of phone conversations overheard in public places, photos put up on the internet, blogs and emails, all offer insights into small fragments of an individual’s life.’

Edward James has a BA in Visual Art & Applied Design majoring in photography and is a practising photo-media artist. A founding member of the Shoot Collective, the artist has exhibited in group and solo exhibitions in Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne. With a strong belief in bringing art to the public and breaking down barriers to arts participation Edward has jointly produced exhibitions, new-media civic projections and art events usually in non-traditional art spaces. In 2007 Edward along with artist and lecturer Greg Ackland, established ‘Undercurrent’ as an ongoing platform to further promote photo-media art to the wider community.
Lauren Playfair graduated from Adelaide Centre of the Arts in 2006. She is a practicing photographic/media artist who has exhibited work in several South Australian galleries.

Ryan Sims has developed a keen interest in ideas associated with ‘the performance that is life’. The artist produces crafted artworks and performances that transform everyday materials and images into new and unusual combinations. With a sense of whimsy, playfulness and theatricality he experiments with aspects of change and time through cultural comment and personal exploration. Ryan has initiated and participated in exhibitions and events both solo and collaborative, primarily in South Australia and also interstate and overseas, including the presentation of work at garden and performance art festivals in France, Switzerland, the UK and Quebec, Canada.