Long Distance Gallery is the newest curatorial project from Kim Asendorf and Ole Fach. Presented for the 2015 edition of transmediale in Berlin, the exhibition was comprised of digitally-printed flags designed by a team of 16 new media artists who merge both virtual and physical art in their practices. In the vein of Computer’s World, which the duo premiered in London a few days ago, the artists are once again at work blurring the lines between the IRL and URL spheres.
The flags of the Long Distance Gallery stood tall in the foreground of the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, while an accompanying website allowed viewers to visualize the flags inside a web-based environment.
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On this online platform, viewers can discover and fly digital flags by Rachael Archibald, Bea Fremderman, Gallery Fist, Scott Gelber, Nik Kosmas, Kim Laughton, Claudia Maté, Vince McKelvie, Jennifer Mehigan, Aoto Oouchi, Eva Papamargariti, Mitch Posada, Pussykrew, Sucuk und Bratwurst, Sebastian Thewes, and Anne de Vries, all in the name of digital art.
The flag designed by Eva Papamargariti
As objects anchored in the past that have passed through the ages as symbols of affiliation with and membership to groups, the flag is not only a sign of conquered territory, but also a radical symbol of transmission. “Flags are a simple communication system that can’t be further optimized, while everything is getting more complex over time flags remain a symbol for simplicity and effectivity,” Kim Asendorf explained to the Creators Project. “It is an optimistic view on big data.”
Flags line the grass in front of transmediale (top), Scott Gelber’s flag (bottom left), and flags by Anne de Vries, Claudia Mate, and Vince McKelvie (bottom right, left to right)
When asked about his inspirations, Asendorf said that “Long Distance Gallery is certainly inspired by the transmediale theme ‘CAPTURE ALL.’” He added, “While the transmediale is more about modern algorithms, we were looking for some traditional and optimized algorithms that are still valid and even meaningful in digital culture.”
The Long Distance Gallery was on view at transmediale through Sunday, February 2, but you can explore it online here.
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