penelope umbrico . . .

The field of photography is constantly changing. What constitutes a "photographer" or a "photograph" has always been redefined by technological innovations. In the last two decades, the digital revolution and the Internet have enabled us to quickly develop new photographic processes, rapidly altering our definition of photography. One might even say that the present state of photography is similar to that of the time of its invention, when the form's emerging cultural significance swiftly expanded as a result of technological innovations. "The Photographic Universe: A Conference" reflects on this current moment, with the pervasive digitalization of the medium and its speedy permeation into contemporary life. Prominent thinkers and practitioners from a variety of artistic, scientific, cultural, and sociopolitical backgrounds discuss their role in the growing the field of photography, evaluate its increasingly blurry relationship between art and life, and speculate how photographic images will continue to change the way we see our world.

For more information, visit http://photographicuniverse.parsons.edu

doug aitken . . .

Central to Doug Aitken’s “100 YRS” exhibition at 303 Gallery is a new “Sonic Fountain,” in which water drips from 5 rods suspended from the ceiling, falling into a concrete crater dug out of the gallery floor. The flow of water itself is controlled so as to create specific rhythmic patterns that will morph, collapse and overlap in shifting combinations of speed and volume, lending the physical phenomenon the variable symphonic structure of song. The water itself appears milky white, as if imbued and chemically altered by its aural properties, a basic substance turned supernatural. The amplified sound of droplets conjures the arrhythmia of breathing, and along with the pool’s primordial glow, the fountain creates its own sonic system of tracking time. Click here to see and read more.

xerox book . . .

In December of 1968, Seth Siegelaub and Jack Wendler published The XEROX BOOK, an exhibition produced entirely in book form. The project included seven contributing conceptual artists: Carl Andre, Robert Barry, Joseph Kosuth, Sol LeWitt, Douglas Huebler, Robert Morris and Lawrence Weiner.

The Kadist Art Foundation in San Francisco recently spoke to Jack Wendler about The XEROX BOOK offering a unique glimpse into the history of this celebrated project.