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Dropstuff
12 – 27 october 2009
Curator: Nicolette Gast
Artist: Geert Mul
From October 12th until October 17th, during Festival Jong!, the glass pavilion of Dropstuff will settle on the Vrijthof in Maastricht. The pavillion consists of a 4 by 14 public led-screen and several connected interfaces situated throughout the Netherlands and the website of Dropstuff. Diverse artists have developed an interactive artwork surrounding the theme 'Freedom of Speech' in relation to 'Visual Media' and 'Contemporary Youth Culture'.
In cooperation with Marres, Centre for Contemporary Culture, and curator Nicolette Gast, the artist Geer Mul developed an interactive artwork especially for Maastricht that will be on show on the big screen at the Vrijthof. This work reveals itself as a game in which boundries are being investigated and in which everybody can take part under the motto 'Build or Bomb'.
The Game of Life: Build or Bomb by Geert Mul is an experimental simulation in which you can both create as well as destroy. From the Dropstuff Hotspots (interfaces), scattered throughout the Netherlands and the Dropstuff website, the public can place buildings or destroy these on the big led-screen at the Vrijthof. For the production of new buildings, people can take their pick from iconographic modern architecture of, for instance, Mies van der Rohe, Frank Gehry and Rem Koolhaas. For the destruction of buildings they can make use of diverse militairy machinery as well as civillian vehicles. The complete work radiates the style of Pixel-art eighties computergame-design.
The initial task to focus on the freedom of speech in relation with media and youth culture is translated to the visualization of a light-hearted social experiment. However, it has serious connotations and associations. Build or Bomb refers to two opposing characteristics of the human race: creation and destruction.
Geert Mul: Build or Bomb
Curator: Nicolette Gast
Software: Studio Zesbaans Utrecht
>> play now
DROPSTUFF.nl is a national platform for media art and e-culture that broadcasts a mix of digital and interactive artworks by professional artists as well as contributions from the public LIVE on a network of DS_HOTSPOTS: modules with screens and interactive techniques in museums, libraries, art academies, high schools and festivals scattered throughout the Netherlands.
The pavilion has taken residency at diverse places both in the Netherlands and abroad, for instance the Venice Biennale, the Lowlands festival and several Dutch cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Bosch, Eindhoven and Almere. For more information we refer to www.dropstuff.org.
