***Forward Wide and Far****
VERSION>04 invisibleNetworks presents
NFO XPO:  ARTS AND ACTIVIST INFO FAIR AT CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER
78 E. Washington, Chicago IL 60602
 
April 28 and 29, 2004 11-2pm on Both Days

For more information go to: www.versionfest.org (There will also be screenings
and pannel discussions going on all day Wednesday and Thursday at the Cultural
Center)

Not satisfied by online contact?  Want to meet people doing radical art in
Chicago and from other cities? The Nfo Xpo networking fair offers an
opportunity for you to meet art and activist collectives from Chicago,
representatives of other cities and people with ideas who are initiating
exciting new projects. This face to face networking opportunity allows you to
meet other artists working in your field and to ask people questions directly.

Learn about new projects going on in your own city and elsewhere! Share
resources! Meet possible collaborators! The Nfo Xpo Networking Fair
(pronounced “Info Expo”) will feature a wide variety of projects and practices
that range from a mobile public reading room to a presentation on the future
of transportation in Chicago’s SouthEast side.

Through the simple presentation format of a booth, based on a science fair
model, we will facilitate straight-forward exchanges about what is going on
locally in various communities, from different disparate neighborhoods, to
other American cities and friends from far away visiting Chicago for
Version>04.  Over twenty-five artists and collectives will have presentation
booths, 16 beaver Group, Angels of Def , Animal Factory , Antigravity Surprise,
Bikecart Infoshop and Open Air Public Reading Room, Cabalster, Carbon Defense
League, Champaign Urbana IL , Chicago Indymedia, Chicago Gray Line, Children’s
Studio Presents, Chris Wildrick , Chronozone 2, College of Complexes,
Cooperative Image Group, Drag Kings, FeelTank Chicago, Films and Cities , Free
Walking, Genewise, Gentrification Game, Grand Rapids Michigan, Journal of
Aesthetics and Protest, Locus, Lumpen, Microrevolt The Network of Casual Art
A/V Dept. , The Neighborhood Writing Alliance, Las Non Gratas Class, Quimbys,
Red 76 Arts group, The Stockyard Institute , Temporary Travel Office, Toyshop
Collective, Trans Media Festival, VersionFest, and We The People Media

The NFO XPO is being presented as part of Version>04: invisibleNetworks.  
Version>04 is a hybrid form of festival, conference, arts fair taking place
throughout Chicago from April 16- May 1st, 2004. The festival, in its third
year, is an experimental approach at navigating, presenting and discussing the
activities of emerging cultures that combine visual arts, activism, social
practices, creative use of new technologies as well as tactics of public
intervention. For more information go to: www.versionfest.org




WHAT:  The Nfo Xpo Networking Fair, in conjunction with Version>04
invisibleNetworks Convergence
WHEN:  11 am-2 pm on Wednesday and Thursday April 28 and 29, 2004
WHERE:  The Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street, Chicago 60602
HOW MUCH:  Free
FOR MORE INFO:  Visit www.versionfest.org, phone: 773-837-0145, or e-mail
ed (at) lumpen.com or Daniel Tucker Dtucke (at) artic.edu 312 515 7364




///////The groups participating (w/ short descriptions) \\\\\\

16 beaver Group -The address of a NYC space initiated/run by artists to create
and maintain an ongoing platform for the presentation, production, and
discussion of a variety of projects.  A slideshow will show documentation of
their weekly discussion night series.

Angels of Def -- University of Chicago students initiate a Woodlawn
neighborhood tenant organizing project during a historic citywide housing
crisis.

Animal Factory –“Chicago’s most ambitious public art project ever” documenting
the cities rich history of animal related industries.

Antigravity Surprise –A performance collective

Bikecart Infoshop and Open Air Public Reading Room- Zines, shelves  and bikes.

Cabalster –A web application designed to show how you are connected to the
ominous fabric of international power.

Carbon Defense League -A web-based, multi-user, group managed information
storage system and map.  

Champaign Urbana IL –Learn about a database documenting radical culture in
Champaign.

Chicago Indymedia – Chicago’s own indymedia is a node in the growing
international network of indymedia websites and newsgroups. Chicago Indymedia
has recently started a new video project.

Chicago Gray Line- The transit solution for Chicago’s South East Side.

Children’s Studio Presents - Organic-Man and Space Invader. Who are these
masked warriors?

Chris Wildrick –Documentation of one day spent hugging trees in Carbondale, IL
and another day hugging trees in Chicago.

Chronozone 2 -What would a video collaboration between artists in Bratislava,
Slovakia, and Chicago look like?

College of Complexes  -Known as Chicago’s  “Playground for People Who Think”
since 1951, this weekly platform for free speech and discussion has hosted
over 2,500 meetings.

Cooperative Image Group –Through collaboration between Chicago area artists
and youth, Co-op strives to strengthen community through multimedia arts
education. Co-op has recently opened a drop in center for young people in
Humboldt Park at 1250 N. Rockwell

Drag Kings- Find out about the International Drag King Conference happenning
in Chicago Oct 14 - 17, 2004 as well as Phatcamp, an arts retreat for big
girls to promote self-empowerment through an anti-oppression lens.  

FeelTank Chicago -The organizers of the first International Day of the
Politically Depressed last MayDay will present two  tents, called “2 tense”
about their projects and ideas.

Films and Cities -What do New York, Osaka, Sarajevo, Dakar and Beirut, Lisbon,
and Chicago have in common?

Free Walking -> A loose group brought together by their fantasies and
affiliations with walking.
Genewise -Why is access to healthy food is a basic natural human right as well
as responsibility?

Gentrification Game- A game that illustrates the issues of gentrification in
Chicago, created by
Kimberly Viviano.

Grand Rapids Michigan - Representing what kinds of radical cultural activities
are going on in this Michigan city
.
Journal of Aesthetics and Protest - The journal is an ongoing print project
started in LA in 2002. In addition to producing 3 issues, the journal hosts
events and has done a poster series.

Locus-Locus is a large-capacity portable battery that brings electrically
dependent art outside the confines of a traditional art gallery or display
space.

Lumpen - This Chicago based radical media project has been around the block in
for over 10 years and they will be present to talk about their many
publications, events and projects.

Microrevolt – Learn more about the May 1st workshop on KnitPro, a web based
application that  combines computation with traditional craft to illuminate
issues of sweatshop labor (@ Invisible College 1542 N Milwaukee Ave 2nd Fl.
2pm. )

The Network of Casual Art A/V Dept. - The NCAAV is a technical resource for
autonomous cultural workers, providing a growing pool of audiovisual equipment
and technical consultation at little or no cost.

The Neighborhood Writing Alliance – NWA will display of issues of our
publication, the Journal Of Ordinary Thought, photographs of our readings, and
literature detailing our history and mission.

No RNC -You must protest the Republican National Convention at the end of
August.

Las Non Gratas Class –A Paris collective asks - who is the “Unwanted Class?”

Piedmont biofuels - How do you make your own fuel from waste grease? Come
learn.

Quimbys –Zines and Bikes from your favorite bookstore.

Red 76 Arts group –Red76 has curated, presented, and produced more than 30
exhibitions and events, 8cd's and an arts/culture journal entitled Dis-connect
since February of 2000.

The Stockyard Institute –This group/space based in Chicago’s Austin
neighborhood is a site for urban experimentation, public construction, renewed
access, and critical inquiry.This booth will document the Austin area walking
tour conducted by the Stockyard Institute on April 25th as part of Version>04.
 
Temporary Travel Office -Tour of the Chicago Technology Park and learn about
the “new economy” of Biotechnology

Toyshop Collective –A NYC based group that creates public interventions such
as- The pirates of the Staten Island Fairy, a condiment war, street-art
walking tours and an international poster exchange project called “Indivisible
Cities. ”

Trans Media Festival -An upcoming Chicago based project with a focus on
Transgender communities, politics and media production.

VersionFest –A festival with past themes of the Digital Commons,
Technopocalypse vs Technotopia and now – InvisibNetworks.

We The People Media – A group that works on a bi-monthly magazine written,
produced and distributed entirely by Chicago public housing residents.

//////