RAM Gallery
20th anniversary-exhibition

November 19th 2009 - February 14th 2010

– audible until February 14th 2010 (sound installation):
A Cube Contained In – the white cube remixed by a tremendous free global force.

Vernissage Thusday Desember 17th at 7pm

Curator statement

RAM Gallery

20th anniversary-exhibition November 19th – February 14th 2010

An attempt to implode/explode the white cube - curator Rolf Gerstlauer

December 20th 2009 ? until next year?

The Cube Contained In

An audible confusion by (Removed by Rolf) and (Removed by Rolf) together with the

re-Mixters from ccMixter.org

Dear Susan and Robert

This note goes to both of you, and I’m excited about it.

Here are my momentary thoughts on a possible ccMixter contribution, based on the suggestions made by Susan (referring to earlier sent mails).

The ‘Christmas’ idea is gone.

Instead we discuss ‘light’ and the idea of ‘contained in’ (or ‘contained inn’) through the local and global as the audible tool to further deconstruct the white cube. The suggestions made by Susan are very attractive to me. Having her write a text on the "Light of Winter" and record a vocal on it (a spoken word piece that incorporates some type of singing as well) would be a wonderful gesture.

Although Carpenter/Norris ‘re-open’ the space on Nov. 19th and let the Oslo light, reenforced with Manhattans light enter the space, we might need some additional light during the darkest period of the year… and we might need help from more then just Manhattan.

Constructions taking place until New Years Eve

The exhibition starts on November 19th with the ‘re-opening’ by James Carpenter and Davidson Norris. They literally open the wall and produce a new window into the exhibition space. The window is not creating any view, but the available daylight floats into the space and they use some of Manhattans light to help the Oslo light. This installation will be permanent until February 14th when the exhibition ends.

After the re-opening on November 19th, we continue to alter the space. All altering of the space and all the events taking place in it are understood as constructions.

What ccMixter can do – what ccMixter is – for the White Cube

ccMixter celebrates its 5th anniversary and is an important global happening and a tremendous force of free creativity! At the same time ccMixter has gotten a new owner (from CreativeCommons to ArtisTech Media). RAM Gallery (a non-commercial Gallery) is celebrating its 20th anniversary and is a local happening at the northern outskirts… an earthbound?!? place of the white cube (ref. to ‘der Ort des Menschen und des Werkes).

I told Susan about some lectures on the idea of ‘contained in’ (to be connected… to participate… to perceive… and to become local again). With the ‘light’ coming from ccMixters we’re able to further de-construct the White Cube. Copyright and Copyleft, CreativeCommons and attributes, as well derivates and attributions are new modes of construction… the  strongest power there is to have the White Cube implode on itself!

Can a call for re-mixes (based on Susan’s writings and vocals and / or Roberts samples) produce the above awareness? Who can make the call? Can we collaborate on a text for the call – a text that somehow refers to the above discussion?

About rights and finances

RAM Gallery does not own the music created for the event and by by ccMixters. RAM Gallery provides the White Cube in which the music is played between December 20th and January 7th (we can still discuss the dates). However, all work produced in this exhibition are supposed to be registered and published in a booklet (maybe with a cd?). This booklet is the 20th anniversary gift to the RAM Gallery from all the participating artists or constructors. Can RAM Gallery sell the booklet (with

cd) or are there any restrictions to it?

All mixters are properly credited for their work and contribution. However, I’d like to have you both take ‘some overall artistic responsibilities’ for the project. Meaning the two of you are hereby invited to make each their own call for re-mixes based on your material (samples etc) uploaded especially for this event!

General remarks

The date etc for the ccMixter participation/construction can still be discusse. The darkest time of the year though is an attractive time.

If you have any ideas about how the music actually enters the White Cube I’m more then pleased to hear your opinions on that. We could play it all and mash it up in the space, we could play it all in a loop (from a cd or streamed from the net). Could we, at the official opening of the ccMIcter event, stream something live… do an improvisation? Etc

Do you have any suggestions for a Title?

This is a proposal and I’m happy to hear your point of view on this project.

Oslo, November 1st 2009

Rolf Gerstlauer

Kind regards

Rolf

Biography

Rolf Gerstlauer is professor at The Oslo School of Architecture and Design and runs together with his partner a small atelier in Oslo. Studio Gerstlauer Molne’s works are on architecture, film, photography, dance/choreography and include now also noise-production. As an architect Gerstlauer has a love/hate relationship with the white cube, yet as a constructor and maker the extended exploded/imploded white cube represents the base for all of his creative works. Earlier confrontations with the white cube include works like: Momentum 2000 – nordic biennale of contemporary art Moss (with Moment Architecture), OslKunsthall – Oslo Art hall 2000-2003, Contiguity 1999 – AHO, Architecture as Infrastructure – National Museum for Architecture Oslo (with StudioB3), ‘Timeroomchamber’ - Uri/Switzerland and ‘Headhunting’ - DogA/Dansens hus Oslo.