ZERO1, an art and technology collective based in San Jose, made some announcements last week about next year’s Biennial festival (starting in September), including unveiling the theme and the names of the curators. The festival’s theme will be “Seeking Silicon Valley,” with the overarching aim of transforming the region into a network of art activity with participation from artists worldwide.
Joel Slayton, executive director of ZERO1, said that with the 2012 Biennial, ZERO1 hopes to expand on both its cultural and corporate networks, forming partnerships with the hopes of creating a more dynamic network.
“With the cultural side, we are engaging cultural institutions from San Jose up the peninsula to San Francisco and across to the East Bay,” Slayton said. “The goal is to create a true Bay Area–wide experience and to reflect what we define as Silicon Valley—not a set geographical region, but rather a state of mind.”
The organization has put together an international team of five female curators to plan and shape the upcoming Biennial, with ZERO1 staff curator and director of programs Jaime Austin taking the lead. Other guest curators include Dooeun Choi of South Korea, Gisela Domschke of Brazil, Michelle Kasprzak of Canada and Regina Moller of Germany who are all set to bring their talents and vision to the table.
“The spirit of creativity and innovation synonymous with Silicon Valley is reflected in all aspects of ZERO1,” Slayton said. “The artists, exhibitions and performances we commission and present mirror the modes of operations in Silicon Valley and push boundaries by provoking new ideas and radical experimentation.”
In related news, ZERO1 and the Public Art Program of San Jose recently received an NEA Our Town grant worth $250,000 to help promote San Jose’s attractions as a place to live and an arts and technology hub, all with an aim to enhancing the city’s “sense of place.”
