From December the 13th, 2006 till April 1st, 2007 Mediamatic took care of the cultural programming of the large urban screen, the Rembrandt screen. Along with video artists such as Reza Abedini, Sofie Cerutti, Wu Zhi Gang and other cultural institutions an alternating short clips arts program is offered on Rembrandt Square.
The Girlfriend Experience
On January the 26th, the opening of the exhibition The Girlfriend Experience a multi-player game with avatars. Visitors log in at skype as four avatars of flesh and blood. You can log into the exhibition space, but also from home. A large number of blogs mentions The Girlfriend Experience leading to those who log in from Australia, Japan and America.
During the Harp Karaoke on February the 23d visitors can perform their own version of one of the 30 songs with harpists Maximilian Ehrhardt and Anastasia Makropoulou, from the White Stripes to Aretha Franklin.
Machinima Workshop
From 27th of February to the 2d of March the Machinima workshop took place. Led by Machinima creators Daniel van Gils, Jonas Hielscher and Ricard Gras, participants learn what a machinima can all do, how to make it, and the participants will make a machinima clip or will set up another game-based project.
Vergessene Fahnen
The interactive exhibition Vergessene Fahnen Florian Thalhofer and Juliane Henrich is from March the 30th until the 11th of May at Mediamatic Post CS. With an interactive road movie and photos Thalhofer speaks about compatriots who, months after the World Cup in 2006, still hanging the national flag. The exhibition was an edition of the CD-ROM magazine Mediamatic Off-Line with the full version of Korsakow Vergessene Fahnen. The photographs in the exhibition are by Juliane Henrich. As part of the exhibition there is a DIY dinner with Weißwurst from Schwandorf, Brezel from Stuttgart, Senf of Haendelmayr, real Dutch radish and Naabecker beer from Bavaria.
It's Happening Now!
On May the 6 It's Happening Now! took place: an unpredictable, and totally sold out evening with more than 20 artists who still believe a Happening have any chance of success. With performances and contributions by Alexandra Bachzetsis, Marc Bijl, Tina Bleuler, Martin Butler, Mr. and Mrs. Cameron, Bogomir Doringer, Nezaket Ekici, Cyrus Frisch, Arnoud Holleman, Rob Malasch, Junko Murakawa, LA Raeven, Tarik Sadouma, Style Free, Stefanos Tsivopoulos, Ulay, Lies and Vanborm Louwrien Wijers.
Hybrid World Lab
During the new workshop Hybrid World Lab from the first until the 11th of May participants develop prototypes of "hybrid world" applications conducted by highly experienced new media makers as Timo Arnall. We work with RFID, unique digital identification, cell phones, and GPS receivers to link digital media to physical places and things. The workshop examines the role of media makers in the context of the increasingly intimate fusion of digital and physical space.
You Only Live Twice
On June the 10th, students present their graphic design at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy on You Only Live Twice. With work around the virtual world of Second Life 'avatar mirroring', performances, lectures and a Second Life Art Magazine.
El Hema Late night
In preparation for the El HEMA Mediamatic organises nine salons 'public research' in which everyone is welcome to think about the El HEMA. Every late night shopping, there are presentations and ideas of designers, artists and other specialists on the creation of imaginary El Hema.
Starting point of the El Hema its Arab digital fonts and book Typographic Matchmaking Huda Smitshuijzen Abifares of the Khatt Foundation. On this second late night shopping Huda says along with designer Tarek Attrisi about the Arabic script and the possibilities for designing in the Arab world.
During the third brainstorming evening the main topic was: "How could a project about an imaginary Arabic HEMA look like?". All kinds of ideas appear on the wall.
El HEMA is about digital letters, so an Arab chocoladeletter can not and should not be missed. This is the very first prototype of the mold in order to make chocolate Arabic letters.
Opening El HEMA
In the weekend of 24 - August 26 the opening of El HEMA. The opening coincides with the Uitmarkt. A catwalk fashion show, in association with choreographer Martin Butler, Kufi typographical workshops, mint tea, Arabic music and long queues in front of the store. The opening makes news at the NOS news, NOVA, the BBC, all over the radio stations and in every newspaper.
This weekend as well the symposium Khatt, Kufi & Kaffiya. A symposium in the new Amsterdam Public Library in cooperation with the Khatt Foundation. Almost 200 international participants talked about digital fonts and designs. Together they celebrated the opening of El HEMA, the start of a new community of designers, and the launch of the book Typographic Matchmaking.
Everything about the El HEMA can be found on www.mediamatic.net/elhema
First FabLab in the Netherlands at Mediamatic
From August the 24th, the First FabLab in the Netherlands at Mediamatic. A FabLab allows artists, product designers, small companies, but especially individuals themselves can execute a product idea. Access to the FabLab is free. Plenty of attention in the NRC Next, in various other Newspapers and radio. Dozens of interested people register themselves and start with the production of all kinds of ideas.
Lecture by Casey Reas
During the salon on September the 20th, Casey Reas gives a lecture on Processing. This is an open source software with special cultural features. With Processing visually oriented people can fairly easily create interactive and visual things on their computer.
Picnic 2007
Picnic is an annual event for professionals in the field of creativity, innovation and cross media. Prior to this event Mediamatic organises from the 22d until 25th of September, the Social RFID Hacker Camp.
The results of this Hacker Camp where presented at PICNIC, where people can play with their own RFID tags.
All visitors of PICNIC had a profile on the PICNIC website and got a RFID tag to which this profile was linked. With this you could tag along with someone you do not know go to the friend drinking stations, scan your badge and then the profiles are linked on the website and you will receive a voucher for a free drink.
Mediamatic also presents PICNIC The Girlfriend Experience Back Online Martin Butler. During four days, everyone could go on PICNIC from home and log in to four human avatars.
Dutch Design Prize for THE HEMA
On October the 20th Jort Kelder presents the Dutch Design Prizes in Eindhoven. El HEMA wins in the category "Visual Identity".
Moving Image Lab @ B3 Media Workshop London
Under supervision by Jakob Schillinger (D), Sascha Pohflepp (D) and Klaas Kuitenbrouwer (NL) the Moving Image Lab takes place, from October the 28th until November the 2d. Here you will learn about trends in a web culture and learn about new cultural practices related to the Internet.
EL HEMA design
During the Museum Night on November 3d the winners of the EL HEMA design will be announced. Anyone can join the design. The website made more than one hundred new products. During the Museumnacht Schotelsticker wins the prize, the Vaat-i-maatjes and the 1000-en-een-nacht-kussen wins the second prize, furthermore there were honorable mentions for, among others, Arab tea towels and sprinkles. René Repko from the real Hema was one of the judges.