Mediamatic 1985

In December 1985 the first Mediamatic Magazine comes out. The magazine was aunched during the media art festival "Talking back to the Media" in Amsterdam. Housed in Groningen, Mediamatic organised in cooperation with Artotheek Groningen different events in which video art is central.

Video Art

Five evenings with video art and performance on January the 3th, February the 7th, March the 7th, April the 4th and October the 3th in Artotheek in Groningen, with different themes, such as British Video Art and Decors/Miniatures. With work from Ulrike Rosenbach, Marina Abramovic, Ulay, Rose Finn Kelsey Michal Shabtay, Raul Marroquin Daniel Brun, Jaap de Jonge, Underhill and Sixma, Pieter Baan Müller, David Hall, Jezz Welsch, Graham Young, Sandra Goldbacher, Mark Wilcox, Beatrice Hulskes Frits Maats and Capelle.

Japan Syndrome
"The Mecca for video artists is Japan, with its advanced electronics and technology."

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Japan Syndroom - An evening about video art and Japan. Organised by Mediamatic in Artotheek Groningen, January 3, 1985 Willem Velthoven

With: Astrid Heibach, Bill Viola

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Poster Video/Performance - Video/Performance evening organised by Mediamatic in Artotheek Groningen, 7 February 1985 Willem Velthoven

With: Ulrike Rosenbach, Marina Abramovic, Ulay, Rose Finn-Kelcey, Michal Shabtay

Decors/Miniatures

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Poster Decors/Miniaturen - Evening with a variety of video works which center around decors and miniatures. Organised by Mediamatic in Artotheek Groningen, 7 March 1985 Willem Velthoven

With: Raul Marroquin, Daniel Brun, Jaap de Jonge, Vijselaar en Sixma, Pieter Baan Müller

British video art in Deconstructions

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Poster Deconstructions - Presentation of British video art in de Artotheek Groningen, 4th of April 1985 Willem Velthoven

With: Mark Wilcox, Hall, David, Jez Welsh, Graham Young, Sandra Goldbacher

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Poster Beatrijs Hulskes / Frits Maats / Capelle - Video art Presentation of video art by Hulskes, Maats en Capelle, shown in de Artotheek Groningen, Oktober 3, 1985.

With: Beatrijs Hulskes, Frits Maats, Herbert Capelle

Canada Arts Videos & Live Performance

In July, there were three nights around Canadian video art. With video presentations and performances by Randy & Berenicci and other Canadian artists.

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Poster Canadian Art Video and Live performance 2 - Three evenings around video art and performances by Canadian artists. On the second evening, June 27, 1985, six video works are shown from a variety of Canadian artists.

With: Dimitrije Martinovic, Les Levine, Colin Campbell, Neam Cathod, Lisa Steele, Bernar Hebert

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Canadian Art Video & Live Performance - Evening 3 On this evening, July 4 1985, six Canadian art videos were shown. 

With: Randy Lake, Sare Diamond, Elizabeth Vander Zaag, Paul Wong, Cornelia Wijngaarden, Kate Craig

Mediamatic Magazine

The ambition of Mediamatic Magazine was to launch a substantive discussion about video art: "...a place where in public, theory is being discussed, a place where this form of art (= video art) is made valid. But where also the excessive preoccupation with certain media is put into question, a stimulus for reflection" (Jans Possel and Willem Velthoven."Editorial." Mediamatic Magazine vol. 0 # 0 (1985)).

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Front Page Mediamatic Magazine Vol. 0#0 1985 - 1985 Since the invention of video art in the early 1960s by Nam June Paik, more and more artists have started using electronic media. Until the mid-1970s, often as an extension of the conceptual and performance activity that was at its height in that period. Or because of their (those media) intangible quality and multiplicability (difficult to market, democratic). Later, more interest arose in the intrinsic visual possibilities of video in particular. Willem Velthoven

With: Willem Velthoven, Jans Possel

Talking Back to the Media

Talking Back to the Media was a collaboration of Time Based Arts, De Appel, Shaffy Theater, Kriterion, VPRO Radio and AORTA. To spread Mediamatic Magazine during this large-scale festival was a smart move. It immediately put the Magazine on the map and brought it a lot of popularity in the world of media art.
In the Artotheek in Groningen, Mediamatic showed two programs that had been broadcast on the Amsterdam cable as part of Talking Back, supplemented with a number of additional video productions.

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Poster Talking Back to the Media - Talking Back to the Media was a Media-Art manifestation that took place in Amsterdam in November. The starting point of the event was that at that time many artists working in the disciplines of video, film, photography, theatre, sound, posters and printing translated, used and commented on elements from the mass media in their work. The event presented that work again through the same mass media. On December 5, Mediamatic showed two programs in the Artotheek Groningen that had been broadcast…