Simon Pope
(UK)
Born in Exeter, UK in 1966
Represented Wales at the Venice Biennale of Fine Art, 2003.
Awarded a NESTA fellowship to investigate walking as a visual art practice, (2002-2005). …
Researcher at Transmedia, Hogeschool Sint Lukas, Brussels (2003-)
Research Associate Goldsmith's College, London, (2005-)
Curator of the touring exhibition, Art for Networks, (2002-3). Previous work includes the collaborative, software project, IOD 4: The Web Stalker, - winner of a Webby Award, Honorary Mention at Prix Ars Electronica. (1997)
Project:
CHARADE Peer-to-peer distribution & performance of precarious media
Charade explores a scenario where data, stored in networked computer systems - under threat from hacks, crashes and viruses - takes flight back into the human body. An audience, engaged through a local publicity campaign, workshops and a large-scale public event, participates in a distributed performance of walking and memorizing.
Volunteers attempt to memorize a chosen piece of music, film, tv programme, play or books, currently stored on peer-to-peer networks; through a process of walking, memorizing, remembering and reciting, they each attempt to 'become' their favourite 'media asset'; support is given to them through a series of theatre workshops and development of online-communities; a number of volunteers record their progress as 'video diaries', made available online; at a large-scale public event all volunteers congregate to recite their chosen piece while wandering together, en masse a re-creation of the final scenes of Truffaut's Fahrenheit 451. \
The project will be developed in Birmingham, UK during the Autumn of 2005 and Spring of 2006 in partnership with Capital Art Projects.
Charade is a BBC/ACE 'Private View' commission.