ANAT National Summer School

From 1996 to 1999 I managed the 7th to the 10th ANAT National Summer School. The School was unique in that it provided the only intensive training program in Australia devised specifically for practicing artists interested in gaining media and technology skills in a collaborative learning environment. Run as a three week residential intensive with 14-15 participants and several lead tutors, the program happened over the Australian summer and each iteration culminated with a public presentation and “open studio” event with participants, tutors, visiting lecturers and local artists.

1996 National Summer School

John Tonkin, These are the days, 1994

The NSS in Computer Generated Art and Interactive Multimedia for Artists was held at the Institute of the Arts Lab at the Australian National University in association with the Australian Centre for the Arts and Technology (ACAT).

Tutors for the school were Linda Dement and John Tonkin, two of Australia’s leading new media artists. Marciano Telese, from the Australian Centre for the Arts and Technology (ACAT) also conducted sound workshops during the School. Additional lectures: John Colette, Shu Lea Cheang, Lyn Tune.

Participants were: Elizabeth Abbott, Mt Gambier, SA; Alastair Page, Hobart, Tas; Phillippa Harvey, Sydney, NSW; Louise Paramor, Melbourne, Vic; Eliza Hutchinson, Melbourne, Vic; Shiralee Saul, Melbourne; Jeremy James, Canberra, ACT; William Seeto, Brisbane; Russell Milledge, Cairns, Qld; Laurens Tan, Woollongong, NSW; Ann Morrison, Sydney; Mark Themann, Melbourne, Vic; Tony Newport, Adelaide, SA; Trinh Vu, Adelaide, SA

1997 National Summer School in internet design and web authoring

Participating artists: Sean Bacon, Tas; Anita Kocsis, Vic.; Anne Robertson, SA; Rick Vermey, WA; Gillian Morrison, Vic; John McQeenie,Tas; Lisa Burnett, Qld; Di Barrett, SA; Cam Merton, WA; Damian Castaldi, NSW; Leesa Willan, NSW; Glen O’Malley, Qld; Martin Thompson, SA; Joyce Hinterding, NSW. Lead tutors were Lloyd Sharp, Josephine Starrs, and Jason Gee; with guest lecturers, Dave Sag, Leon Cmielewski, and Josephine Starrs. This was a particularly extraordinary cohort, who went on to establish the art collective nervous_objects. I’m still looking for documentation of the work they did online!

1998 National Summer School

ANAT’s ninth summer school focused on Internet Design and Web Authoring and was held at the IMAGO Multimedia Centre/ Film and Television Institute Digital Arts Studio in Fremantle from 13 – 31 January 1998. Tuturs were Lloyd Sharp, Francesca da Rimini and John Tonkin.

Participants: Keith Armstrong, Brisbane, QLD; Isabelle Delmotte, Sydney, NSW; Leah Irving, Perth, WA; Robyn Backen, Sydney, NSW; Joy Hardman, Alice Springs, NT; Jun-ann Lam, Melbourne, VIC; Di Ball, Brisbane, QLD; Timothy Hancox, Brisbane, QLD; Brian Martin, Hobart, TAS; Lisa Beilby, Darwin, NT; Simone Hockley, Adelaide, SA; Paul Thomas, Perth, WA; Tim Burns, Perth, WA; Teri Hoskin, Adelaide, SA; Trevor van Weeren, Darwin, NT.

1999 National Summer School in Science and Art

Rodney Berry, Feeping Creatures

This Tenth National Summer School, at Metro Screen, Sydney, NSW, 11 – 29 January, 1999 addressed the interaction between art and science as a key component of our research and investigation into this area. The school investigated the discourses surrounding sciences and media arts and encouraged the generation of unexpected and alchemic outcomes.

Tutors were: John Tonkin, Mr Snow, Horst Kiechle, Dennis Wilcox, Justine Cooper, Paul Brown, Sophea Lerner, Andrew Lyons, Suzanne Buljan, Stephen Jones, Ben Simons, Derek Kreckler, and Metro’s Digital Media Manager, Brad Miller. As well as the intensive program at Metro, the artists also participated in workshops at Sydney’s Vislab facilities, and contextualised their training with excursions, studio visits and outings to performances and radio shows by Triclops International, Gravity Feed, Skadada, and Zina Kaye.

To contextualise the school, a satellite event, entitled anamorphosis, combined a forum with an open day of the school, giving the public and media an opportunity to view the work-in-progress produced by the students. Paula Dawson, internationally renowned holographic artist, contextualised the science focus of the Summer School within the framework of her own practice. She made reference to the skills she developed as a participant of the Summer School in 1990; Rodney Berry discussed his artificial ecology, Feeping Creatures. Ionat Zurr and Oron Catts, artists from Perth, discussed the Tissue Culture and Art research project.

Participants: Rodney Berry, Sydney, NSW; Liz Hughes, Sydney, NSW; Geni Weight, Adelaide, SA; Melinda Burgess, Werri Beach, NSW; Solange Kershaw, Sydney, NSW; Jordan Wynnychuk, Melbourne, VIC; Lea Collins, Canberra, ACT; Gordon Monro, Sydney, NSW; Ionat Zurr, Perth WA; Adam Donovan, Brisbane, OLD; Stephen Poljansek, Hobart.TAS; Jeremy Yuille, Brisbane, OLD; Chris Fortescue, Sydney, NSW; Rea, Sydney, NSW