ESeL
Encyclopedia
eSeL.at is an Art
-Platform in Vienna
, Austria
. Founded 1998 by Lorenz Seidler, it provides a weekly newsletter "eSeL Mehl", various mailing lists, a photo-archive and an event-database. eSeL ist also initiating, curating and conducting various art projects.
eSeL ran the e-basis-wien_MQ in Vienna's Museumsquartier
from October 2002 until September 2003 and is one of the founding members of the Netznetz
community in 2004. eSeL organizes the ARTmART-exhibitions in the Kuenstlerhaus Wien since 2007 together with Cheapart Gallery Greece and Austrian artist Christian Rupp.
genres.
“Esel” means “donkey” in German. The label originates in the phonetic pronunciation of its founder's initials and soon became standalone brand, expanding its animal analogies into a multitude of animals-participants. Qualities attributed to the eponymous animal are consciously matching with the initiative's characteristics: stubbornness (autonomy and independence), grey fur (searching for options beyond the polarity of right/wrong or good/bad), long ears (overhearing insider's information), asininity (asking alleged “stupid” questions).
eSeL aims at revealing and changing conventions and coherences in the art field – putting a special focus on structural implications and representation in the media sphere.
“Kunst kommt von Kommunizieren” (engl.“art derives from communication”) is eSeL's slogan - Contributions of the term “art” are shown as a constant process of (transitory) quality agreements.
The eSeL-initiative grew from an independent online medium for of art information and event listings to an institutional carrier and server
for art activities in Vienna, combined with focused interventions through projects, performances and exhibitions.
Current audio features by eSeL remix statements and sources of various contexts and origins, unveiling hidden implications and experimenting with new ways of representation. Since 2006 these “discourse remixes” developed into staged performances including “Tableaux Vivants” with audience participation.
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(transl.MY opinion is also YOUR opinion)
Criticizing the irrelevance of uninformed, incoherent and yet influential discourse in talkshows that aim to reach target groups instead of well-founded conclusions, eSeL used his invitation for a 5-day-appearance in the live-format Talk of Town on Austrian's Puls TV to sell his opinion via internet.
After four days of live appearance in the show (and promotion of the auction) eSeL's Lorenz Seidler was paid 18 Euro
s by the Viennese artist Philipp Drössler to insist the absurd interrelation between "violence in German television" and "the stability of meat prices" (German original: "Mehr Gewalt im deutschen Fernsehen, für stabile Schnitzelpreise") – entirely ignorant of the current topic discussed. This absurd performance was boosted by a Call-in by the art project's co-author Johannes Grenzfurthner
of monochrom
who was speaking for the allegedly unsatisfied buyer of his opinion. This dadaistic intervention lead to a complete make-over of the show that now features changing experts commenting on the issues discussed.
In the research process leading to UPDATE exhibition eSeL (with Philippe Glatz) segregated ten young artists in an alpine cabin 5000 feet in the Austrian mountains. Usually operating in urban context (most of them with internet and new media) the artists had to work (and reflect) under unaccustomed circumstances: ten days without warm water or internet. The artistic output created and the issues discussed have been included in the UPDATE-exhibition. Link
eSeLs Server ist currently hosted in the „Data spind“ – a sculpture and laboratory by media artist Franz Xaver. (current location: Kunsthaus Graz)
eSeL in the press: here
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
-Platform in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Founded 1998 by Lorenz Seidler, it provides a weekly newsletter "eSeL Mehl", various mailing lists, a photo-archive and an event-database. eSeL ist also initiating, curating and conducting various art projects.
eSeL ran the e-basis-wien_MQ in Vienna's Museumsquartier
Museumsquartier
The Museumsquartier is a 60,000 m² large area in the 7th district of the city of Vienna, Austria; it is the eighth largest cultural area in the world. The Museumsquartier contains Baroque buildings as well as Modern architecture by the architects Laurids and Manfred Ortner . The renovation of the...
from October 2002 until September 2003 and is one of the founding members of the Netznetz
Netznetz
netznetz is a social platform for individuals and groups associated with net art and net culture in Vienna, Austria. The platform was dissolved around 2011 because of internal problems and loss of funding from the Viennese city....
community in 2004. eSeL organizes the ARTmART-exhibitions in the Kuenstlerhaus Wien since 2007 together with Cheapart Gallery Greece and Austrian artist Christian Rupp.
about eSeL
The label eSeL (also serving as a nickname for founder Lorenz Seidler) prototypically represents the crossover of the roles of artist, curator, online medium and infrastructure-provider in contemporary artistic practise in the New mediaNew media
New media is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community...
genres.
“Esel” means “donkey” in German. The label originates in the phonetic pronunciation of its founder's initials and soon became standalone brand, expanding its animal analogies into a multitude of animals-participants. Qualities attributed to the eponymous animal are consciously matching with the initiative's characteristics: stubbornness (autonomy and independence), grey fur (searching for options beyond the polarity of right/wrong or good/bad), long ears (overhearing insider's information), asininity (asking alleged “stupid” questions).
eSeL aims at revealing and changing conventions and coherences in the art field – putting a special focus on structural implications and representation in the media sphere.
“Kunst kommt von Kommunizieren” (engl.“art derives from communication”) is eSeL's slogan - Contributions of the term “art” are shown as a constant process of (transitory) quality agreements.
The eSeL-initiative grew from an independent online medium for of art information and event listings to an institutional carrier and server
Server (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
for art activities in Vienna, combined with focused interventions through projects, performances and exhibitions.
exhibition projects (incomplete)
- Erste Wahl (engl: First Choice). Oct - Nov 2002. Gallery Ig Bildende Kunst location, project
- cooperating r.d. location, project,
- Schau Schau. (engl. View the view). December 2003 - Jan 2004. Gallery Ernst HilgerErnst HilgerErnst Hilger is not only a curator but also the owner and founder of Hilger modern/contemporary and Hilger BrotKunsthalle.A gallerist is a philanthropic mediator...
, Vienna. project, gallery - UPDATE. kunstrukturenutzen&schaffen. Jan - March 2005. Künstlerhaus Wien. gallery
AUDIO projects
- Radio eSeL: Die Sendung mit dem Schaf (1999–2003). Biweekly radio show with guests and Call-Ins on Viennese radio station Radio Orange 94,0. Co-host: Sarah Pichler
- Hör Schau Schau (December 2003). Audiocatalogue. Interviews and songs to the exhibition. with Roger Stein. Hilger gallery Audio
- Radio Republic (July 2004). Daily radioshow and interventions as “State Secretary for Media Embedment” in the artists´ republic "State of the Arts" during the “Sommerzene Salzburg” Festival (President: Meg Stuart) Sommerszene Salzburg | Audio
- Radio Re Vu (December 2004). Audiotour and various audio-interventions in public spaces in Kortrijk (Belgium) during the “Maison Folie” of the European Cultural Capitol 2004: Lille Buda Audio
- UPDATE. The Album (December 2004). Collaborative Music project. Musicians had to share audio samples and use them for songs about the exhibition. with Roger Stein and all participating artists. Roger-Stein.com
- Update LeitFragen (Jan-March 2005). Interactive Audio-Guide: Exhibition visitors could call via their mobile phones and answer questions to each exhibit of the UPDATE-exhibition. with Team Teichenberg and T-Systems Austria. Team Teichenberg
- Add on Audio (July 2005). Phrases from interviews were broadcast during the evening program of the art-in-public-space project “ADD ON. 20 Höhenmeter”. The final remix was documenting emerging issues of a six week residence of artists, architects and visitors in a scaffolding tower in a public square in Vienna. (two tracks remixed by twisted noodle) Audio
- Be a reporter (October 2005). Interactive audience participation via mobile phone and broadcast via radio in the science event “Lange Nacht der Forschung”. with Team Teichenberg and T-Systems Austria. lndf.at
- Ich bin sh. (March 2006). eSeL remixed statements by Austrian net artists, activists and technicians to research, create and perform the projection of the role, issues and problems of a typical Austrian net culture artist. Audio
Current audio features by eSeL remix statements and sources of various contexts and origins, unveiling hidden implications and experimenting with new ways of representation. Since 2006 these “discourse remixes” developed into staged performances including “Tableaux Vivants” with audience participation.
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interventions (incomplete)
- Meinung ist auch Deinung
(transl.MY opinion is also YOUR opinion)
Criticizing the irrelevance of uninformed, incoherent and yet influential discourse in talkshows that aim to reach target groups instead of well-founded conclusions, eSeL used his invitation for a 5-day-appearance in the live-format Talk of Town on Austrian's Puls TV to sell his opinion via internet.
After four days of live appearance in the show (and promotion of the auction) eSeL's Lorenz Seidler was paid 18 Euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s by the Viennese artist Philipp Drössler to insist the absurd interrelation between "violence in German television" and "the stability of meat prices" (German original: "Mehr Gewalt im deutschen Fernsehen, für stabile Schnitzelpreise") – entirely ignorant of the current topic discussed. This absurd performance was boosted by a Call-in by the art project's co-author Johannes Grenzfurthner
Johannes Grenzfurthner
Johannes Grenzfurthner is an Austrian artist, writer, curator, director.He has published numerous books, essays and articles on contemporary art, science and philosophy....
of monochrom
Monochrom
monochrom is an international art-technology-philosophy group, founded in 1993. Its offices are located at Museumsquartier/Vienna ....
who was speaking for the allegedly unsatisfied buyer of his opinion. This dadaistic intervention lead to a complete make-over of the show that now features changing experts commenting on the issues discussed.
various other projects (incomplete)
UPDATE Unplugged (August 2004)In the research process leading to UPDATE exhibition eSeL (with Philippe Glatz) segregated ten young artists in an alpine cabin 5000 feet in the Austrian mountains. Usually operating in urban context (most of them with internet and new media) the artists had to work (and reflect) under unaccustomed circumstances: ten days without warm water or internet. The artistic output created and the issues discussed have been included in the UPDATE-exhibition. Link
art information through eSeL
Reaching a massive young audience beyond the art circles eSeL's information services deliberately feature upcoming initiatives next to well-established art positions from all fields of artistic practice in Vienna (Fine Arts, performance, dance, art-in-public space, film, media art, music and civil society's artistic activities, inviting participation by new artists as well as the audience).online information
- eSeL Mehl. Weekly Newsletter. link
- Safari – mailinglist to exchange dates in Vienna link
- kalender.esel.at – art events in Vienna calendar. link
hosting
eSeL ist running a server hosting initiatives like:- netznetzNetznetznetznetz is a social platform for individuals and groups associated with net art and net culture in Vienna, Austria. The platform was dissolved around 2011 because of internal problems and loss of funding from the Viennese city....
.net. communication of net culture activists in Vienna web - EOP - Emergence of Projects. interdisciplinary platform for collaborations between art, science and civil society eop.at
- mailinglists here
eSeLs Server ist currently hosted in the „Data spind“ – a sculpture and laboratory by media artist Franz Xaver. (current location: Kunsthaus Graz)
Commentaries
He who calls himself „Esel“ (donkey) is probably Vienna's most interesting contact for art- and culture – and is, not only for that, anything else but a donkey. (Thomas Rottenberg)eSeL in the press: here