Inter*Active '96 Report

Several culture-meets-digital-technology conferences have graced Toronto, so by now the format is well known. The first ingredient is the conference Web site (http://www.interactive.yorku.ca) which should go beyond a simple schedule of events and speakers and include live video grabs of people standing around schmoozing; the web site should also display a, "This is neat" comment from as many people as possible. The next is to have live Internet videoconferencing to remote sites for people who have no idea what your conference is about. During the speaking events, conference topics should include: Technology and the Body; Internet: Hype or Hope; and Creativity in the Digital World. Finally, make sure you have more people video-documenting the event than are actually attending. Of course, a CyberCafé is an absolute must.

Inter*Active '96 admirably fulfilled most of these requirements and more. However, for a conference that promoted itself as "the only multimedia conference especially for artists", it lacked a strong artists' presence. Also, there were no speakers from any of the publicly-funded local artists' centres, with the exception of video performance group VideoCabaret. And where were the curators, the critics, the training programs, the students, the user groups, the late night Web weavers? Several well-known people in electronic interactive art told me why they were not planning to attend: "This doesn't offer much that is new", "Hoffert is starting from business and now he's trying to pull in artists at the last minute", "This should have been publicized to four different groups I am involved with, but we only heard rumours," and "Can't afford it, man." (I think I saw more artists who sneaked in than who registered).

Preceeding the conference, Paul Hoffert, whose Cultech Program at York University organized the conference, wrote, "As Chairman of the Ontario Arts Council, I understand the importance of removing barriers that impede many creative artists from participating in the emerging interactive revolution. One of these barriers is the language of techno-speak, another is the complexity inherent in learning how to use unfamiliar tools, and a third is the need to collaborate with other creators." Well Paul, a fourth barrier is an early-bird admission price of $495 for a two-day conference, with an additional $150 for workshops. In response to the negative reaction from the arts community, offers of artists' bursaries at $200 were frantically faxed round five days before the conference opening. Hoffert did address this on the last day of the conference, noting that with more sponsors, admission could be lower.

However, the conference was telling at a deeper level than simply price. When the conference organizers say "artists" they no longer mean that pathetic group of publicly funded whiners who live from grant to grant and expect to be paid to noodle around. The organizers might enthuse about how important the artists are to culture, but what they really mean by "artist" are the contract employees who are hired to produce visual product for a multimedia package, creatives whose sexy images can move those CD-ROMs off the shelves and into the homes.

The distinction between commercial artist and creative artist is disappearing as artists try desperately to keep that playing field level so they don't slide into the wrong side of the gap between rich and poor. Michael Keefe of ICE Multimedia summed it up in his presentation Collaboration and Isolation: "It ain't art. It really is business. Get over it. Government funding is disappearing and it's going to become 'How can I pay the rent?' pretty damn fast."

Looking at Inter*Active '96 from this newly enlightened point of view, it rated quite highly. Most participants that did attend felt that Inter*Active '96 lived up to or exceeded their expectations. Topics and speakers were well-chosen to give a good cross-section of the industry. The small numbers kept it manageable, the atmosphere was friendly and the hospitality excellent. Those who participated in the workshops reported to be satisfied, though some resented the insistence that they were being instructed on how to get that job market edge, saying, "That's not what we were there for."

Neither was I, so I looked forward to the panel discussion Creativity in the New World featuring Sara Diamond, Head of Video Arts at the Banff Centre; cyberspace poet Rod Anderson; non-linear author Ira Naymann; and David Scadding, Prof. of Visual Arts at York University. Diamond gave a list of the creative qualities she sees in the new media world. She covered the ground in an efficient manner.

Paul Wollaston of Apple spent his entire presentation denying that Apple was toast, and describing new Apple products to prove it. Michael Century of ISEA was right on when he stated that the artist's vision must come first, and the tools to express it second. Buffy Sainte-Marie's vision seemed a little starry-eyed when she enthused, "Now alternative thinkers can contribute to the global community." Speakers, such as Moses Znaimer of CityTV and Fred Klinkhammer of MediaLinx, decried the overly regulatory aspect of Canadian telecommunications. Isabel Hoffmann of Hoffmann & Associates opened many people's eyes when she produced statistics showing the sales and distribution of CD-ROMs and extrapolated who was earning money (Big-name games).

Adrianne Wortzel, a New York-based artist and teacher, also contributed significantly to the conference. Like a hypertext butterfly and her Web documents, Wortzel skips unexpectedly from topic to topic, alighting briefly on many but rarely going into depth. Wotzel was one of the few panelists who attempted to answer my question: Is there room for artists in the digital world? "When I am working with a group of artists and we want to do something, we just do it. We go out there and call people and get the money. We do commercial projects to fund our own work. Artists can get intimidated but their passion should carry them." That was the only time I heard the word "passion" throughout the conference.

Inter*Active '96 fulfilled its aim to "boost the stake of Canadian artists in interactive media". But don't confuse the art that is going to sell your interactive video game package with the art that is going to spark our imagination, reveal something about yourself, our culture, ourselves. Beyond the bottom line and outside the datasphere, Mortal Kombat and Picasso's Guernica are worlds apart.