Canal Contemporâneo
Encyclopedia
Canal Contemporâneo is a digital community
and publication
focused on Brazil
ian contemporary art
. It holds and spreads information
, knowledge
and debate
s in its different online modules
: e-bulletins
, blog
s, forums
, portfolios
and art calendar
. Based on concept
s like Virtual Community
(Howard Rheingold
), Radical Media (J. D. H. Downing) and Tactical media
(D. Garcia/G. Lovink), Canal Contemporâneo has been efficient in rousing communication
and interaction
, connecting people
and institutions around the 27 Brazilian states and over 80 countries
.
Created by the artist Patricia Canetti in 2000-2001, Canal Contemporâneo was born like a bulletin (the so called e-nforme), which was sent to an initial list of 200 electronic addresses. Six years after its creation and succeeding developments, it has become the most influential medium of information and politization of Brazilian contemporary art in the Internet, being visited by more than 80 thousand people per month. Canal Contemporâneo and the works in it are also inserted in the exhibitions context. Performing as an “artist” in the contemporary art circuit, it completes its mission as a collective work and a space of engagement for the needs of the visual and technological arts.
Its on-line activism
with petitions, forums and lists of discussion guides frequent journal articles and has been able to encourage mobilization. It got clear in the episode http://www.canalcontemporaneo.art.br/documenta12magazines/_v2/contributions.php?id=82§ion=9 that turned the community against the use of public funds for the construction of a Guggenheim Museum
in Rio de Janeiro (2003) and in the process of including the Digital Art
in the scope of the Brazilian Funding laws (2004). Though the visibility given by Canal Contemporâneo since 2001, the applications for national art salons increased three times and, for the regional ones, they were multiplied by 10.
Canal Contemporâneo made its debut in exhibitions in 2004. The first one was the hiPer> relações eletro // digitais (hiPer>electro//digital relations), curated by Daniela Bousso for the Sergio Motta Art and Technology Award and for the Santander Cultural, in Porto Alegre, with the work "Quebra de Padrão" (Breaking standards). Then, came "Tudo aquilo que escapa" (Everything that escapes), curated by Cristiana Tejo, as part of the 46th Visual Arts Salon of Pernambuco, at Museu do Estado in Recife, with the work "Para que servem os Salões?" (What are the salons made for?). Canal Contemporâneo was also invited to take part in the Digital Communities category in Ars Electronica
and, since then, Patricia Canetti, Canal Contemporâneo's coordinator, has been a member of the International Advisory Board of Digital Communities.
Canal Contemporâneo has also taken part of the Documenta 12 magazines
, collaborating with several theoretical and artistic works and being invited to talk in the “Paper and Pixel” week in Kassel (Germany), in July 2007
.
Since 2005, the special projects of Canal Contemporâneo have been sponsored by Petrobras
, Brazilian major cultural sponsor.
Virtual community
A virtual community is a social network of individuals who interact through specific media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals...
and publication
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
focused on Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian contemporary art
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
. It holds and spreads information
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
, knowledge
Knowledge
Knowledge is a familiarity with someone or something unknown, which can include information, facts, descriptions, or skills acquired through experience or education. It can refer to the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject...
and debate
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
s in its different online modules
Modularity
Modularity is a general systems concept, typically defined as a continuum describing the degree to which a system’s components may be separated and recombined. It refers to both the tightness of coupling between components, and the degree to which the “rules” of the system architecture enable the...
: e-bulletins
Bulletin board
A bulletin board is a surface intended for the posting of public messages, for example, to advertise things to buy or sell, announce events, or provide information...
, blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
s, forums
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
, portfolios
Artist's portfolio
An artist's portfolio is an edited collection of artwork intended to showcase an artist's style or method of work. Many people can use portfolios. Freelancers, writers, photographers, models and graphic designers are just a few examples of people who use them...
and art calendar
Calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...
. Based on concept
Concept
The word concept is used in ordinary language as well as in almost all academic disciplines. Particularly in philosophy, psychology and cognitive sciences the term is much used and much discussed. WordNet defines concept: "conception, construct ". However, the meaning of the term concept is much...
s like Virtual Community
Virtual community
A virtual community is a social network of individuals who interact through specific media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals...
(Howard Rheingold
Howard Rheingold
-See also:* Collective intelligence* Information society* The WELL* Virtual community-External links:***** at TED conference** a 48MB Quicktime movie, hosted by the Internet Archive...
), Radical Media (J. D. H. Downing) and Tactical media
Tactical media
Tactical media is a term coined in 1997, to de note a form of media activism that privileges temporary, hit-and-run interventions in the media sphere over the creation of permanent and alternative media outlets. Tactical media describes interventionist media art practices that engage and critique...
(D. Garcia/G. Lovink), Canal Contemporâneo has been efficient in rousing communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
and interaction
Interaction
Interaction is a kind of action that occurs as two or more objects have an effect upon one another. The idea of a two-way effect is essential in the concept of interaction, as opposed to a one-way causal effect...
, connecting people
People
People is a plurality of human beings or other beings possessing enough qualities constituting personhood. It has two usages:* as the plural of person or a group of people People is a plurality of human beings or other beings possessing enough qualities constituting personhood. It has two usages:*...
and institutions around the 27 Brazilian states and over 80 countries
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
.
Created by the artist Patricia Canetti in 2000-2001, Canal Contemporâneo was born like a bulletin (the so called e-nforme), which was sent to an initial list of 200 electronic addresses. Six years after its creation and succeeding developments, it has become the most influential medium of information and politization of Brazilian contemporary art in the Internet, being visited by more than 80 thousand people per month. Canal Contemporâneo and the works in it are also inserted in the exhibitions context. Performing as an “artist” in the contemporary art circuit, it completes its mission as a collective work and a space of engagement for the needs of the visual and technological arts.
Its on-line activism
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
with petitions, forums and lists of discussion guides frequent journal articles and has been able to encourage mobilization. It got clear in the episode http://www.canalcontemporaneo.art.br/documenta12magazines/_v2/contributions.php?id=82§ion=9 that turned the community against the use of public funds for the construction of a Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is a nonprofit corporation founded in 1937 by philanthropist Solomon R. Guggenheim and artist Hilla von Rebay. The first museum established by the foundation was the "Museum of Non-Objective Art", which was housed in rented space on Park Avenue in New York....
in Rio de Janeiro (2003) and in the process of including the Digital Art
Digital art
Digital art is a general term for a range of artistic works and practices that use digital technology as an essential part of the creative and/or presentation process...
in the scope of the Brazilian Funding laws (2004). Though the visibility given by Canal Contemporâneo since 2001, the applications for national art salons increased three times and, for the regional ones, they were multiplied by 10.
Canal Contemporâneo made its debut in exhibitions in 2004. The first one was the hiPer> relações eletro // digitais (hiPer>electro//digital relations), curated by Daniela Bousso for the Sergio Motta Art and Technology Award and for the Santander Cultural, in Porto Alegre, with the work "Quebra de Padrão" (Breaking standards). Then, came "Tudo aquilo que escapa" (Everything that escapes), curated by Cristiana Tejo, as part of the 46th Visual Arts Salon of Pernambuco, at Museu do Estado in Recife, with the work "Para que servem os Salões?" (What are the salons made for?). Canal Contemporâneo was also invited to take part in the Digital Communities category in Ars Electronica
Ars Electronica
Ars Electronica is an organization based in Linz, Austria, founded in 1979 around a festival for art, technology and society that was part of the International Bruckner Festival. Herbert W. Franke is one of its founders. It became its own festival and a yearly event in 1986. Its director until 1995...
and, since then, Patricia Canetti, Canal Contemporâneo's coordinator, has been a member of the International Advisory Board of Digital Communities.
Canal Contemporâneo has also taken part of the Documenta 12 magazines
Documenta 12 magazines
Documenta 12 magazines was a central project of the 12th edition of the documenta exhibition, similar in dimensions and world outreach to the "platforms" of the previous edition...
, collaborating with several theoretical and artistic works and being invited to talk in the “Paper and Pixel” week in Kassel (Germany), in July 2007
.
Since 2005, the special projects of Canal Contemporâneo have been sponsored by Petrobras
Petrobras
Petróleo Brasileiro or Petrobras is a semi-public Brazilian multinational energy corporation headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest company in Latin America by market capitalization and revenue, and the largest company headquartered in the Southern Hemisphere by market...
, Brazilian major cultural sponsor.