SMART Project Space, EARN (European Artistic Research Network) and Manifesta Foundation present:

Tiong Ang, As The Academy Turns

Screening in Amsterdam / Dutch première:
November 27th, 2010 / 20.00 hrs
Auditorium, SMART Project Space
Arie Biemondstraat 111
1054 PD Amsterdam
www.smartprojectspace.net
with an introduction by the artist

SMART Project Space is pleased to announce the Dutch première of As The Academy Turns, by artist Tiong Ang. This marks a collaboration between SMART Project Space, EARN (European Artistic Research Network) and Manifesta Foundation / Manifesta 8, Region of Murcia, Spain

The fictional soap opera As the Academy Turns is a commissioned film project in the context of Manifesta 8 and developed and realized by artist Tiong Ang. The setting of this newly developed, singular television melodrama is the contemporary art academy where the characters – the art academy population of teaching staff and students – act within a situation of transformation in which the current master-pupil oriented educational system moves towards a seminar-based form of education with artists as scholars and researchers in an academic community.

As the Academy Turns brings together two diverging poles. On the one hand, it addresses contemporary artistic practice, and autonomous artistic research and production as outcomes of art education. On the other hand, it presents the art academy “remodeled” as a product of the entertainment industry in the context of popular daytime television serving a mainstream, neo-liberal, consumerist audience. Elements of critique and hoax are brought together through the soap opera form so that the genre’s exaggerated dramatic style vigorously and mockingly subverts and deconstructs popular views on graduate art education and the extended art world it seems to project.

As the Academy Turns is made possible by the financial support of Fonds BKVB, Amsterdam. Tiong Ang’s soap production is entirely shot on location at and generously supported by SMART Project Space, Amsterdam.

Tiong Ang, As The Academy Turns, 2010, 24’24 min., HD Video, colour, sound.

Cast: PAMELA MENZO, SINAN CIHANGIR, ELVIRA OUT, DERKAN ATAKAN, TSILLA VOET, JA RAM VAN AKE, FREDERIK DE GROOT, ELLEN RÖHRMAN, HUGO METSERS, ALI SULTAN Students: DENZEL VON DEIRA, MARILYN BARTMAN, SERGIO HASSELBAINK, ROOSJE METJE SMIT Written, directed, produced and edited by TIONG ANG Director of photography JAAP VELDHOEN Gaffer WIETZE VOS Sound recording MARK WITTE Make up / hair LOREDANA SECCI Styling / clothing YOLENTH VAN DEN HOOGEN Director’s assistant NARO SNACKEY Camera / light assistant FLORIS VERWEIJ Set decorator / props ZWAAN KRAIJER Script girl NAWAL LEHIANE Catering TING ANG Still photography THOMAS LENDEN Location manager ALEX LEBBINK Music composer SINTA WULLUR Leader design DJIE HAN THUNG Sound editor MARTIN RASCHER Color correction JAMES LULL Script consultant JEAN MCNEIL Casting supported by HUGO METSERS / FAAAM AMSTERDAM Additional casting AUDITIONCHANNEL / SJOUERCASTING Producers HENK SLAGER & TIONG ANG Shot on location at and supported by SMART PROJECT SPACE, AMSTERDAM Commissioned by EUROPEAN ARTISTIC RESEARCH NETWORK for Manifesta 8, Murcia 2010 Funded by THE NETHERLANDS FOUNDATION FOR VISUAL ARTS, DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE

The extended project As The Academy Turns is currently to be visited at Manifesta 8:
As the Academy Turns is a multilayered project exploring the potentials and the tensions in the growth of artistic research and the current academization of art education. The ‘academization’ of art is increasingly marked by the strong expectation of research trajectories and how these will be shaped within the changing institutional framework of art education. In that context, the present possibilities of PhD research within visual art are particularly at the center of attention and debate. What do those challenges mean for the art academy as such? Will novel forms of academic elitism pop up or will research induce a novel form of intellectual conscience in the art academy? How will research and artistic practice be intertwined? Will they produce redefinitions in both domains or is research rather doomed to be a fringe phenomenon at the art academy? And the ultimate question, how will research be conducted within art academies? These themes will be tackled in three different dissemination platforms: a three day international symposium, an infolab presentation and an artwork in the form of a soap opera set in an art academy.
During a three-day symposium twelve exemplary research projects from prominent European art academies will be presented and discussed and their presentations will be critically addressed by a number of high-profile authorities. In addition, a special infolab presentation in Cendeac including research statements provided by the twelve researchers will delve further into their research trajectories and practices.

Artistic Research Statements and presentation of soap opera As the Academy Turns: Cendeac, basement. Centro Parraga, Pabellon 5, Antiguo Cuartel de Artilleria. During the duration of Manifesta 8: October 9, 2010 – January 9, 2011.
International Symposium: Cendeac, Centro Parraga, Murcia. December 2-4, 2010.
Information and reservations: mediacion@manifesta8.es

The project As the Academy Turns is developed by EARN (European Artistic Research Network)/Professorship Artistic Research (Henk Slager, maHKU, Utrecht Graduate School of Visual Art and Design) in collaboration with Manifesta 8, Murcia University and Cendeac. www.artresearch.eu