Saturday Lauren and I went to the Co Prosperity Sphere to check out the NFO XPO. In all honesty I hadn’t been to a Version festival in three years. Three years ago both myself and several friends were stranded in Bridgeport at 2am in the rain and miles from the train (no taxis would come pick us up and the bus had stopped running). So, with that incident behind me, I returned to Version Fest in a car and with a fresh amount of optimism.

The layout of the fair looked liked most art fairs in the sense that each artist/organization/gallery had an individual booth and objects were either being sold/bartered/given away.

Golden Age, manned by the always rad Marco Kane Braunschweiler (pictured right), was one of my favorite booths. They carried work by Robin Camron.  I was really into Camron’s “Mind Maps” and picked up her most recent book also titled “Mind Maps” which maps the artist’s thoughts through extended ven diagrams.

Green Lantern and Three Walls held it down in usual fashion. Aaron Delehanty had a psychiatric help booth set up which resembled “Peanuts”.  I did not get a chance get Aaron’s advice but I did hear him tell a woman that she needed to “go get a job”.  I was also sort of taken with Daniel Mellis’  Institute for Socioaesthetic Research. According to a pamphlet, “the institute is dedicated to discovering the aesthetic possibilities inherent in the research and observation of social structures.” To be honest I was initially attracted to the stock of paper that their pamphlet and business cards were printed on (I spend all day at work talking about paper) but also became interested in some of the services they offered. “The Fourth Amendment on Paper (Bags) Learn about your constitutional rights while enjoying a refreshing beverage at Maria’s (Kaplan’s Liquors),960 w. 31st street. Every purchase comes with the Fourth Amendment and instructions for use on a paper bag. Remember, bags at a liquor store are no substitute for legal advice.”

My overall feeling when I left was that I liked some portions of Version but wished there were more participants. And being the optimist that I surprisingly am, I think that more participation will come over time.

Version 09 begins this Thursday April 23rd. Ed Marszewski took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions and let us know what’s going on over in Bridgeport.

So, Version was originally at the MCA and Buddy gallery?  Now that you have been based in the Co-Prosperity Sphere how has Version grown?

It started in 2002 at the MCA and was three days long. Over just a few years it spread throughout the entire city and was held everywhere from the Cultural Center, SAIC, MCA UIC, to contemporary art spaces alternative and trashy. It didn’t get to buddy until the third Version where we started hosting events all over. It once lasted 17 days and we used to boast that this is how we would like to live every day.

Version is really five or six festivals combined into one ten day freak out. We have internationally curated video programs, our own version of an art fair featuring artist run spaces and groups, a great performance art program, incredible music, and works by over 350 artists displayed in our venues. This year we have artists hailing from Turkey, Germany, The Netherlands and of course many from our own back yard.

We like to concentrate our programming to reveal the diversity of tactics strategies and platforms used by cultural workers to expand our networks, distribute ideas, and show how incredible it is to live in this city. The festival is a completely open platform and each year it is created by a different cast of characters. Our role is to facilitate an realize what we think are some of the most exciting projects in the country. This make the festival very flexible and ensures that it will be a fresh (to us) experience each year. We are not stuck doing the same programming year after year and are able to initiate new platforms or initiatives at any time.

This year Version is going local and the festival is mostly taking place on the southside in Bridgeport and Hyde Park. We are hosting shows and exhibitions, live art, music, and some incredible projects at the ZHou B Center, Co-Prosperity Sphere, neighborhood galleries and a 100 year old community center and gymnasium called the Benton House.

Could you talk a little bit about this years theme “Immodest Proposals”?

Each year we have an open ended theme to see what happens with the submissions.

This year we were into the idea of artists suggesting outlandish ideas that would probably not be realized. Fortunately for us many of them will be realized and initiated at this year’s festival.

What is the Bridgeport WPA?

During the depths of the Great Depression of the 1930s and into the early years of World War II, the Federal government supported the arts in unprecedented ways. For 11 years, between 1933 and 1943, federal tax dollars employed artists, musicians, actors, writers, photographers, and dancers. Never before or since has our government so extensively sponsored the arts. – The National Archive

UNTIL NOW>>

We decided one immodest proposal we would like to see is the Obama Administration kick starting a 21st century Work Projects Administration that puts artists to work. The Bridgeport WPA is that pilot program

What are some of the highlights/ should not miss events for this years
festival?

OOO what a horrible question. For sure we are kicking ass all weekend
starting Thursday.

NOT TO MISS:
Thursday April 23 The Bridgeport  WPA and Paul Sargents installation 5-
10pm

Friday April 24 : Our Audacity of Art group show and happening. *its our big
party) 7 – ?

Saturday April 26 All the programming arond the NFO XPO Our version of what
a dIY art fair should be.
1pm to 8pm

You should also attend: King Ludd’s Analog Arcade at the Experimental
Station 2-8pm

Sunday April 27 if you didn’t come Saturday to the NFO XPO you better come
Sunday.

May 2 : The first annual Chicago Art Parade. Bring your bunny costume.

For more information on Version 09 please check out their site.

via Select Media Festival

“This year’s Select Media Festival has the theme of INFOPORN and features works by scientists, designers and artists from around the planet.

Come down this weekend. Friday and Saturday and Sunday all at the Co-Pro in Bridgeport and see a show that is dear to our hearts..

Visit the website: http://selectmediafestival.org and make sure you don’t miss the action…

Or read below for to see the three days of the program ::

Friday November 14, 2008 8pm
Co-Prosperity Sphere • 3219 S Morgan St (MAP)

Infoporn Opening Night
We open up the festival with the group exhibition, Infoporn. The exhibition explores the art of information design by artists from around the world. It is curated by Gregory Calvert and Ed Marszewski. The opening night of the fesitval also features performances from Chicago ex-pats, Eric Fensler and TRS-80.

Featuring the work of

Catalog Tree
Univerite Tangente
Eric Fensler
Jonathan Harris
An Atlas of Radical Geography*
Dave Bowker
Nicholas Felton
Edward Marcotte & Alex Adai
Stephanie Posavec
Logan Bay
Yunchul Kim
Aaron Koblin
Jean Livet
John Duda
Jude M.C.
Ryan Scheidt
Lumpen (The Subjective Atlas of Bridgeport DWNLD it now)
Jonathan Petersen
Alison Haigh
Benjamin June
Peter Skvara
Gregory Calvert
Logan Bay

The show runs through December 5, 2008. Hours are during festival hours and by appointment.”

For more information please visit Select Media Festival’s site.