Alex Galloway, in both his art and writing, seems to have made it his mission to expose the cracks in contemporary computer culture. Well-known for hacking his way into games to expose their bugs or glitches, Galloway is also a founding member of the Radical Software Group who, among other projects, produced 'Carnivore' a data surveillance tool that transforms internet traffic into visual art. In addition to his artistic production Galloway's writing has increasingly concerned itself with the fault lines that underlie the base structures of both computer operating systems and networks. In The Exploit: A Theory of Networks (2007), Galloway and coauthor Eugene Thacker explore the political and social implications of these cracks, or what hackers refer to as 'exploits.' In a recent interview with Pau Alsina, Galloway expands on the book's themes, notably the oft deliberated issues of knowledge and power that circumscribe networks. The interview provides some notable quotes: providing a counterpoint to utopian views of the Web 2.0, Galloway posits that 'the web is, in essence, the world's largest sweat shop,' and he describes game art and modifications (that he acknowledges he himself makes) as 'convulsions of formal introspection.' Building upon his previous books, Protocol: How Control Exists After Decentralization (2004) and Gaming: Essays on Algorithmic Culture (2006), The Exploit crystallizes Galloway's interest in digging into the very structures upon which new media art and, increasingly, broader culture is based, and the interview with Alsina should excite readers to take it on. – Caitlin Jones

http://www.zemos98.org/spip.php?article561

With the recent opening of the Centre for Contemporary Culture la Strozzina in Florence, the Italian cultural landscape has a new cutting edge institution. Franziska Nori, the Project Director, stresses CCCS 'projects will tackle aspects of town planning, economics, social and political development, the sciences, technology as well as aesthetics and ethics, as contemporary art itself has already broken free of the individual disciplinary approach.' Curated by Nori and scholar Martin Steinhoff, the inaugural exhibition ‘Emotional Systems’ will explore the topic of emotions in light of recent scientific discoveries about the human brain that have proposed that reason and emotion are not two different fields but are interrelated realms. In ‘Mechanics of Emotions’ (1996-05), Maurice Benayoun monitors the multiple queries fed into Internet search engines. Utilizing custom-made software, he cross-references this information against words that illustrate the user’s emotional condition—for example, ‘glad’ and ‘nervous.’ He then creates 3D world maps that render a perspective of people’s feelings globally. A related work is Christian Nold’s ‘Emotional Mapping’ (2007), a device that detects skin tension, thus recording the individual's physical reactions to different stimuli in a given situation. After plotting the data on Google Earth, Nold created a visual chart of what he has called an ‘emotional map of Florence.’ The project will unfold in three parts: an exhibition--on view since Novermber 30--a publication and then a series of public programs that will bring together artists and scientists. Ultimately it will reveal how the two usually separate worlds of the human experience--reason and emotion--are in fact connected to an extent that perhaps only artists can imagine. -- Miguel Amado

http://www.palazzostrozzi.org/Sezione.jsp?idSezione=274&idSezioneRif=208

Lisbon-based artist Miguel Soares' signature 3D animations render virtual realms in which landscapes, characters and objects provoke myriad futuristic fantasies. In 'Time Zones' (2003), sequences of collaged images that evoke the Cold War accompany experimental band Negativland's track by the same title. An engaging allusion to the post-war world order, this work connects what was seen as a permanent state of siege with our current time. Recently, Soares has utilized different technologies to develop his practice, making it less politically charged and more metaphorical. On view until the end of last week at Lisbon's Museum of Electricity was the installation 'Do Robots Dream of Electric Art?' (2007), that consisted of three robots, all equipped with moving heads, tracing red laser beams on the gallery wall in the rough outlines of human bodies. Bringing together Philip K. Dick's science fiction best-seller 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?,' in which the main character is an android, with the imagery of cave painting, Soares combines representations of the past and the future into an allegory for present society. Another notable work is 'Jumping Nauman' (2006), that is currently featured in the group show 'Stream,' presented by New York's White Box. Using the Google Earth software, this video compiles the exhibition spaces in which Bruce Nauman work was shown in 2006-- from New York's Andrea Rosen Gallery to the Berlin Biennale--thus illustrating the global economy of today's art scene. A sort of digital appropriation artist 'fascinated by things that do not exist'--as he once put it--Soares' output is one of the most significant in the contemporary expanded field of new media, in which concept is taking the place of the once prevailing high-tech fetishism. - Miguel Amado

http://migso.net/

In 1924 American composer George Antheil and artist/filmmaker Fernand Léger collaborated on 'Ballet Mécanique.' Inspired by the ever-expanding presence of machines in modern life, the two artists reconstituted the dance form with whirring, grinding mechanical parts overseen by human guides. Although the two parts (score and film) were never married in the artists’ lifetimes, both pieces became landmarks in the their respective fields. Léger's film has been well restored and is a notable chapter in modern art history, and 'Ballet Mécanique' remains Antheil's most famous orchestration. This December, Paul Lehrman and LEMUR (League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots) will present an all-robotic version of Antheil's score. Originally written for 16 player pianos, four bass drums, three xylophones, a tam-tam, seven electric bells, a siren, and three different-sized airplane propellers, the 'all robot version’ replaces any and all human participation with pre-programmed robotic knowledge. The piece will play twice a day from December 1-11th at the Wolfsonian Museum at Florida International University, offering rhythmic and evocative respite from the Miami Art Fair shopping season. --Caitlin Jones

http://lemurbots.org/ballet.mov