Vortexes, Sound Sculptures, Gravity Dancers And A Star In A Jar Combine For Kinetica's Second Show: Magnetic Vision

NEW Kinetic Art Public Talks Programme Launched
- Over 15,000 People Visit Kinetica In Its First Two Weeks Of Opening -

30 October 2006: Kinetica, the UK's first museum dedicated to kinetic, electronic and experimental art, will showcase seminal kinetic and groundbreaking new contemporary works in its second major exhibition Magnetic Vision. A new series of public talks by Kinetic artists support the exhibition and provide the public with an unparalleled insight into this innovative area of art and culture. [Full listings below].

Magnetic Vision will explore the work of artists connected by their interest in the forces of nature, magnetic energy, the powers of repulsion and attraction and the mechanisms of the Universe.

Magnetic Vision follows Kinetica's hugely successful opening show Life Forms that has attracted over 15,000 visitors since the museum was launched on 6 October 2006 in Old Spitalfields Market, establishing Kinetica as a major cultural venue in London.

Magnetic Vision will include Jason Shulman's 'A Piece Of My Father', made from Shulman's father's cremated remains. The process of this work began by extracting as much iron as possible from the ashes, followed by sieving and filtering the remains in search of fragments of colours hidden amongst the grey. A process of mourning Shulman compares to sitting shivah over the dead. The work has its own level of mortality; held in suspension by a magnetic field, it rests in its fragile state of grace, suspended between life and death.

Magnetic Vision will also include:

• Gravity drawings by Balint Bolygo
• Paul Fryer's gaseous star in a jar
  
• Liliane Lijn's most recent 'Lost Koan' based on the conical zone in the Earth's magnetic field
  
• Magnetic sound drawings by Max Eastley and Rolf Gehlhaar
  
• A vortex installation by Petroc Sesti
  
• Magnetic sculptures by Takis
  
• Magnetised sand drawings by Bruce Shapiro
  
• New kinetic works by Juan Fontanive
  
• Magnetic dancers by Simon Uribe

Kinetica's first exhibition Life Forms runs until 14 November 2006. Life Forms questions the idea that humans are not entirely divorced from the machines of our technological environment but rather are a part of them. The artists within the inaugural show contribute to the extension of the human into the mechanical, and the mechanical into the human by exploring new dimensions through technology to create other living realms.

NEW PUBLIC TALKS PROGRAMME
In addition to Kinetica's exhibitions, the gallery is arranging a series of public talks from pioneering kinetic artists and luminaries in the field. Speakers include artists such as Dante Leonelli, Robert Pepperell, Chris Levine, Liliane Lijn and Max Eastley.

Booking tickets for the talks
Tickets for each talk cost £6 (£4 with concessions) per person and must be booked in advance from Kinetica on: 0207 392 9674 Tickets are not available on the door. All talks are held at Kinetica, SP2 Pavilion, Old Spitalfields Market, E1 6AA. Kinetica's website - www.kinetica-museum.org - has a detailed map to the gallery.


Forthcoming talks

Chris Levine: 'Light'
31 October - Lower Gallery, 6pm
Chris Levine is one of the most progressive artists working in light today and is widely considered as one of the pioneers of the laser and holographic art form. His driven belief that light is a force of life gives his imagery a spiritual resonance that is truly penetrative.

Robert Pepperell: 'Mind-Machine-Art: The Prospects for a Conscious Art'
7 November - Lower Gallery, 6pm
If machines one day acquire mind-like characteristics, such as the capacity for sensation, emotion and self-awareness, will they also be capable of creative acts, or even making and appreciating art? This talk will explore the nature of the human-machine relationship from a posthuman perspective, and the prospects for creating works of art that are conscious, or to some extent self-aware.

FSOL (Future Sound of London): 'The synthesis of new 'Life Forms' in surround sound'
14 November - Upper Gallery, 6pm
Pioneering electronic composers FSOL have teamed up with surround sound guru Rodney Orpheus from DTS, Procella audio systems and Yamaha to create a specially constructed piece of 3-D audio-architecture specifically commissioned for Kinetica's 'Life Forms' launch exhibition.

Liliane Lijn
28 November - Upper Gallery, 6pm
Liliane Lijn makes extensive use of new technologies to create works which view the world as energy. Her work is a constant dialogue between opposites, her sculptures use light and motion to transform themselves from solid to void, opaque to transparent. 'Lost Koan', featuring in Kinetica's 'Magnetic Vision' show (November 23rd - Jan 7th) is the most recent work in Lijn's Koan series, which began in 1968. The title of this work refers to the special conical zone in the Earth's magnetic field where charged particles, originating in the Sun, spiral around the Earth's magnetic field lines and lose themselves spectacularly in the Earth's atmosphere creating the Aurora Borealis.


Max Eastley: 'Kinetic Sound'
5 December - Lower Gallery, 6pm
Max Eastley is an artist whose work combines kinetic sound sculpture and music to produce a unique art form. Since the late 1960s, Eastley has been fascinated by the relationship of chance to music and art, and in environmental forces such as wind and water. He began to investigate this relationship in his work, using kinetic sound machines and the natural forces of the wind, streams and the sea. As a consequence, his career opened out into new areas of creative and philosophical exploration.

Dianne Harris, Kinetica Art Director, said: "We have been overwhelmed by the positive response Kinetica has received since it opened. It demonstrates that there is a genuine need for this type of dedicated international platform in the UK for kinetic and electronic art, it appeals to, and engages with people on many different levels.

"We believe Kinetica has a significant role to play in the diverse cultural landscape of London and the UK. Our forthcoming show 'Magnetic Vision' is set to continue Kinetica's precedent for ground-breaking and innovative shows, while our public talks programme will inform, spark debate and broaden understanding of these alternative artforms and cultural connections."

Kinetica is a 7,200 sq ft museum, situated within a new building over two floors in the Old Spitalfields Market of East London provided through generous sponsorship from Ballymore properties Ltd. The project was brokered by FutureCityArts and has attracted a major award from Arts council England.

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Kinetica
Charlotte Dillon,
Commercial Director
020 7684 1261
charlotte@kinetica-museum.org

NOTES TO EDITORS

Kinetica Biographies:
Dianne Harris, Artistic Director, has worked within the applied arts for the past 15 years and has exhibited extensively in America, North Africa, Europe and England. She was founder, curator and director of the Luminaries kinetic and interactive gallery in London from 2003-4. Dianne will source and curate the evolving collection for Kinetica and will be instrumental in inviting key workshop leaders, artists, curators, scientists, musicians, authors and philosophers to run programmes, forums and special exhibitions.

Tony Langford, Operations and Managing Director, , has been involved in the research and application of audiovisual and interactive media for more than 10 years. He has organised and run events with a focus on providing stimulating and interactive audiovisual experiences for visitors. Most recently he managed visual campaigns and events (outdoor, audiovisual and online) for an independent record label.

Charlotte Dillon, Commercial Director, has been setting up and developing creative businesses for the last 10 years from fashion houses in Milan to corporate entertainment companies in F1 and now oversees the business development and management of Kinetica.

Flora Fairbairn, Consultant, will source artists and collaborators for Kinetica. Amongst other projects she was London Director of Scope London 2004 and curated 'Young Masters' in collaboration with Art Fortnight in 2005. Flora is an art consultant and director of the recently opened Madder Rose Gallery.

Arts Council England
Arts Council England works to get more art to more people in more places. We develop and promote the arts across England, acting as an independent body at arm's length from government. Between 2006 and 2008, we will invest £1.1 billion of public money from government and the National Lottery in supporting the arts. This is the bedrock of support for the arts in England. We believe that the arts have the power to change lives and communities, and to create opportunities for people throughout the country.


Old Spitalfields Market
Old Spitalfields Market, or simply 'Spitalfields' as it is fondly known, is a world-famous East London destination. Standing on the fault line between pinstripe Liverpool Street, bohemian Brick Lane and Banglatown the market is at the heart of the East End. Home to a one off community of independent shops, stall holders and businesses it has secured its place at the forefront of interiors, design, fashion, food and the arts. It has been the site of a market since 1682 and the current building was opened in 1887. The local creative community features a rich tapestry of artists, writers and designers including Tracey Emin, Jeanette Winterson, Chris Ofili, Gilbert & George - and their onetime apprentices the Chapman Brothers. The area has the highest density of artists in Europe.

For further information about Old Spitalfields Market please contact Seb & Fiona: seb@sebandfiona.com / fiona@sebandfiona.com / 020 7377 9868


SPONSORS

Ballymore Properties
The principal sponsor of Kinetica is Ballymore Properties Ltd (www.ballymore.co.uk), an Irish based international property development company, focused on financing and constructing large-scale projects throughout Europe. Ballymore recognises the importance of applying good architecture and design, innovation and sustainability in its properties. Ballymore also understands the increasing importance of culture as part of a successful place-making strategy.

In its Old Spitalfields Market development Ballymore recognises the value of this unique architectural history and its position as a dynamic cultural hub at the heart of a neighbourhood that is both historic and trendsetting. The Market and its environs represent an urban hub of innovation and creativity, responsible for drawing tens of thousands of domestic and international visitors to Spitalfield's unique and eclectic mix of traders, retailers and catering.

In support of the cultural diversity of the area, Ballymore has funded and supported a coordinated programme of sponsorships in the Spitalfields area including the Brick Lane Festival, a contribution to the Spitalfields Music Festival and its biggest cultural commitment to date, the Kinetica sponsorship.

Their support for this ambitious project, allied to the artistic merits of Kinetica, has been recognized by Arts Council England through a major award, confirming Ballymore's decision to bring this unique organisation to Old Spitalfields Market

Futurecity Arts: a network of expertise
Set up in 2000, Futurecity Arts has developed a specialist arts-led model of creative industry regeneration; our innovative approach has attracted attention from the property sector, which forms over 80% of our client base. As a result our cultural strategy work Futurecity Arts has secured £8,000,000 of private sector funding for the arts over the past 5 years.

We have developed innovative working relationships with the private sector and as a result the agency has become uniquely successful at involving a new audience in the wider context of contemporary culture. Many of our projects have substantial educational and community projects built into the proposals

Futurecity Arts' strength lies in its proven track record and close collaboration with artists, design teams, developers, and researchers, planning departments, education authorities, local communities and regeneration experts. We have a substantial archive/library of artists from around the world and our project managers cover a range of art forms and innovation, from new media to the physical/made form.

Our cultural strategies have led to a continuous series of public art initiatives including a new bridge commission in London for Thomas Heatherwick and a new technology project in Brussels for Langlands & Bell. Recent projects include the creation of contemporary art gallery sponsorships for the Royal Academy of Arts, the Chelsea School of Art Alumni and a new museum for kinetic art at Old Spitalfields Market

The range and breadth of our cultural work has helped to forge an extensive network of contacts in the art world from cultural organisations to galleries, policymakers, artists and informed individuals.

Kinetica's other sponsors include:

• Manches LLP: www.manches.com
  
• Hoxton Hotel: www.hoxtonhotels.com
  
• Radica (UK) Ltd: www.radicauk.com
  
• Pulse Marketing: www.pulsemarketing.org/site
  
• DTS Digital Entertainment: www.dtsonline.com
  
• Yamaha: www.yamaha-europe.com/yamaha_europe/index.aspl
• XL Video: www.xlvideo.tv
  

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