Round table Statement

CENTRE D’ART D’IVRY (CREDAC)

Proposed by Synesthesie (with the support of DRAC Ile-de-France)

Taking into account the desires of several artists to access the net or to simply be part of it, and the necessity of producing, documenting and ensuring the mediation of contemporary creation, Synesthesie is considering the importance of the creation of a virtual art centre.
Can Internet be thought of as a favourable place (public or private) for showing contemporary art? What are the new working conditions for producing works of art? How should they be shown? How can one critically evaluate the pertinence of a work of art? What public are we trying to reach? What would motivate artists to use these new exhibitions centres? What can one consider the status of the artistic features of the net as well as the sites which show them? What legitimacy and what value can we award to the artistic approach of the net as a medium for this purpose? How can we make virtual space more attractive for artists?

Created in 1995, the digital magazine, Synesthesie takes advantage of the particularity of Internet to be able to allow critical content and artistic creation to coexist. The site shows and develops an original analysis of contemporary creation, with its aesthetic and social issues, putting them into the perspective of the development of digital networking. To better take into account the creative dimension of the internet medium, a virtual Centre of Contemporary Art (the CAC-V) will be set up at the site as of January 2001. synesthesie.com

• Anne-Marie Morice, DIRECTOR Synesthesie
• Bruno Guiganti, CO-EDITOR Synesthesie