New York – June 13, 1997 (Full Issue)
In this issue:
Playing at Nickelodeon
Secrecy or social contract?
Dance Online narratives
Columbia Arts offline
June 13, 1997
WHEW! IT MUST be the pending hot summer days that have slowed things down after the frenzy of last week.
BRIGHTLY COLORED clunky keyboards, large screens of Ren & Stimpy, four-feet-tall big orange balls . . . who could ask for anything more? The launch party for Nick.com (the on-line service of Nickelodeon TV) on Tuesday, June 3, at 1515 B’way, would be any kid’s dream. Executive producer Jed Weissberg took us through the extensive site and highlighted many of its playful qualities. We were dazzled not only with his green-purple silk shimmery jacket but also the top sections including “TV,” “Big Help,” “Games,” “Magazine,” and “Juicy” which was developed by kids for kids. Munching on cheese fondue, humongous chocolate-dipped strawberries, and a chaser of Rugrats gummy candy, our eyes were a-poppin’ at the fun games on the site. Programmed by the much news-mentioned Spiral Media–president Art Williams was present–the site also got a boost from Rare Medium. A last glance over the aesthetically calming gravel patio garden gave us a great view of the LG Group logo in Times Square.
HIBERNATING ON-LINE I checked out the live chat “Secrecy or social contract: The Worldwide Cryptography Debate” on June 5, hosted by the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information. The lineup included assistant director Stephen Messer, chat host Richard Field, chairman of the Electronic Commerce Payment Committee, ABA. The chat had many noteworthy panelists from a legal background. Rich Field started off the debate with a thought-provoking question that stirred quite an interesting dialogue. It was based on “the premise of Rousseau’s Social Contract that the individual must be willing to give up certain rights in society, in order to provide for the common defense, and… well, you get the picture.” I highly recommend checking out the transcript on this most important topic.
CONTINUING ON-LINE, in nicely air-conditioned office–okay, so shoot me–I was thrilled to participate in Dance Online’s interactive web dance: “3E: A Dance for Limited Space and Bandwidth“. Created by artist Noah Stollman, the piece features dancer Sigal Bergman moving in various rooms of apartment 3E, unfolding different phrases while you determine their order. This is a nice example of how we can translate, incorporate and mold our traditional art forms into the new models.
IN THIS VEIN, I stepped out of the digital world completely for an evening of real raw avant-guard theater at Columbia University’s Miller Theater on Friday, June 6. Held in conjunction with revolutionary theater figures Anne Bogart and Tadashi Suzuki co-artistic directors of the Saratoga International Theater Institute (SITI), the evening’s performance “Small Lives/Big Dreams” was derived from the five major plays of Anton Chekhov. The directors asked: “Is it true that if we are unable to remember our past, we have no future? If we lose our memory, will we lose our humanity?” I find these questions pertinent as we approach the end of the millennium in this digital metropolis at hyper-speed (translation: getting to 2000 quickly in NYC). Companies are being bought, sold, opened, closed; e-mail lists and organizations are struggling with the move forward and the incredible change; seminars, conferences, pow-wows are every week dissecting, grilling, devouring, and digesting all the pomegranate facets of this industry. We must, and will move forward, and yet to forget our rich histories of where we came from personally and professionally is a mistake. As the character representing the Cherry Orchard so aptly put it, “There must be new forms . . . And if there are none, there must be none at all.”
Pics from Virtual Growth’s party, compliments of Rich Santalesa
— what a combo
UPCOMING EVENTS
* Monday, June 16th — Wanna know what your intrepid Cyber Scene Columnist has been up to when not hoofin’ it to cyber events? Feeling like you haven’t done anything worthwhile lately? Tired of blowing money on mediocre drinks in middling bars listening to median music? Conquer this malaise with a copius cornicopia of classical culture and help out tommorrows aspiring musicians so your prodigy won’t have to listen to crap either. How? Come check out a fundraiser I’m chairing at:
“Broadway Under the Stars”
Monday June 16
6pm-Wine, hors d’oeuvres and musicians
8pm-concert
Festive attire
55$ a Pops
RSVP 765.7677 by Monday am
* Wednesday, June 18th — Webstock, a fundraiser for nonprofits Webcinema and National Cristina Foundation, is at The Frying Pan (an old barge at 23rd Street & 12th Avenue). 6 Silicon Alley live bands, dancing, magicians, circus and animal performers, NYC street performers, Sergeant Kabuki, with the Toxic Avenger, the Nuclear Mutant Squirrels, rabid grannies and Tromettes, all from Troma, cybercast by OnlineTV, celebrity lookalikes. Contact J. Sarno at $5 admission, 5pm-Midnight.
* Monday, June 23 — Motley Crue presents a live cybercast concert of their new album “Generation Swine” from NY’s Roseland on N2K Entertainment’s rocktropolis site. 8:30 p.m.
* Tuesday, June 24th — Echo’s Alt.Film presents four filmmakers from Thirteen/WNET’s series REEL NEW YORK. To participate in the live chat, dial 212-292-0910 with your modem or telnet to echonyc.com and login as ‘altfilm’. 8 – 10 p.m.
GOT SOME news? Send tips and tidbits, openings and upcoming events to Courtney Pulitzer.
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