BIOGRAPHY
Interdisciplinary artist Robert Lawrence has engaged the unique conceptual opportunities of the Internet to examine issues of location, of ‘site’, of physical and cultural ‘position’. He approaches electronic art as social sculpture and he is very interested in the ways that digital technologies are reformulating the formerly restrictive rolls of media producer and media consumer. All his work is developed in three complimentary - and often contradictory - streams: one in the physical world, one in the virtual world, and one in the media world. Through this hybrid practice he directly engages the way contemporary life is lived, and identity is continually reconstructed, through our contradictory engagements with real, mediated and virtual influences.
His current project “Tango Intervention” has been produced in over 40 international cities since 2007, including New York, Vienna, Krakow, Johannesburg, Miami, Beruit, and Phnom Penh. On May Day 2010 “Tango Panopticon 2.0” used an innovative web interface displaying 6 channels of live video streaming from cell phones, linking hundreds of people on 4 continents in a synchronous public art intervention. He is currently developing this interface, Pango, as a free open source communication tool for synchronous video streaming from multiple remote locations.
Fulbright Scholar, Lawrence received his BA and MFA from the University of California at Berkeley and San Diego. His exhibits internationally, and has received numerous fellowships and awards including: NEA/Rockefeller Grant for Interdisciplinary Projects, Bush Foundation Artists Fellowship, McKnight Foundation Fellowship, Jerome Foundation Grants for Book Arts, for Film, and for Media Arts Installations.
Lawrence is Associate Professor of Art, at the University of South Florida where he has served as Director of Electronic Media, MFA Coordinator, and as Coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Center for Arts and Technology.
For more info visit www.h-e-r-e.com and www.tangointervention.org
CURRICULUM VITAE
ROBERT LAWRENCE
Fulbright Scholar Professor of Digital Video & Electronic Arts MFA Program Director USF College of the Arts |
8610 Oleander Drive, Tampa, FL, 33637 813 843 4921 |
SELECTED SOLO & GROUP EXHIBITIONS & PERFORMANCES
Tango Panopticon Berlin 11-11-11, Public art interventions in conjunction with pan-Euro live art festival, Exchange Radical Moments, organized by Fabrikanten, Linz Austria, in 11 cities in europe, 2011.
Tango Panopticon, solo installation, DRHA Conference (Digital Resources for Humanities and Arts), Brunel University, London, 2010
Tango Panopticon, London, dance interventions under public video surveillance in 32 locations including MI6, London Intelligence headquarters, London, 2010.
Tango Panopticon 2.0, website augmented public interventions before government and private surveillance cameras, with live video streaming from locations on 4 continents, 2010.
Tango Panopticon 2.0 Beta, website augmented public interventions before government and private surveillance cameras, with live video streaming from 5 locations in USA and Europe, included in ElectroSmog Festival in Amsterdam, with live internets links to a dozen other ElectroSmog venues including EyeBeam in New York, and MediaLab Prado Museum, Madrid; 2010.
Tango Intervervention, One-Person 9 monitor video installation, Salisbury Electronic Arts Gallery, Salisbury University, MD, 2010.
Gesture at Large, group exhibition in conjunction with Gesture at Large, an Interdisciplinary Conference on Gesture, Ohio State University, 2010.
Tango Panopticon 1.0, website augmented public interventions before government and private surveillance cameras in 15 international cities on May Day: Bath UK, Boston MA, Chicago IL, Cocoa Beach FL, Columbus OH, Fresno CA, Johannesburg SA, Krakow PL, Maui HI, Miami FL, New York, Richmond VA, Seattle WA, Utrecht NL, Washington DC, 2009.
Tango Intervention, Phnom Penh, public intervention with website presented during residency at Meta House, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2009.
Tango Intervention, Washington DC, public intervention presented as part of artist residency at Salisbury University, MD, 2009.
Tango Intervention, Brooklyn Bridge, public intervention presented as part of New York international art festival, Conflux08, NY, NY, 2008.
Tango Intervention, Vienna, public intervention with website and mobile phone component, presented at 5th International Mobile Music Workshop, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, 2008.
Tango Derive, Williamsburg Bridge, public intervention with website presented as part of Conflux07, NY, NY, 2008.
Tango Intervention, public interventions & websites, with performances in Tampa, FL; Chicago, IL; and Seattle, WA, 2007.
Un Message Evidemment, documentation presented at DAW07, Digital Art Week Festival, Zurich, Switzerland, 2007.
Ideas, juried group exhibition in conjunction with conference “Digital Media: Works in Progress”, International Digital Media and Arts Association, IDMA, San Diego, CA, 2006.
Location Sequence 2,Madison/Kuching, WWW.h-e-r-e.com/locationsequence.html, one person video installation with web page component, curated by Derrick Buisch, Mosse Gallery, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 2005.
Beginning/Middle/End, Mississippi, site specific networked performance as part of conference, “Out of Time” University of Mn, 2005.
Ulysses in Borneo, one person installation in conjuction with James Joyce Festival, Dublin, Ireland, 2004
3 Horizontal Lines, one person installation USM Gallery, Penang, Malaysia, 2004
Elastic Test, w/Rozalinda Borcila, MST Performance Festival, University of Calgary, Canada. 2003
Beginning/Middle/End, St Pete, site specific installation for Szilage Gallery, St. Peter FL, 2002.
Reactions, group exhibition, Exit Art, N.Y., N.Y., 2002.
Shirakawa-go Art Festival, curated group exhibition,Shirakawa, Japan, 2002
Undercurrents Overview, curated group exhibition, Tampa Art Museum, Tampa, FL 2002.
Pyounghwa.html, Site specific installation in Kungju, Korea with web component, 2001.
An Acre Of Art, 2 person installation in the Minneapolis Institute of Art w/ Mark Knierim, 2000.
Location Sequence 1, , 1-person installation with web page component, Concourse Gallery, MCAD, Mpls., MN, 2000.
Art as Village, invitational group exhibition, YATOO, Won Gol, Kung Ju, South Korea, 1998 and 1999
The Way Things Grow, I person installation, Thomas Barry Fine Arts, Mpls, MN 1998
All Flesh is Grass, w/Extended Keyboard, 1 person installation, CSPS, Cedar Rapids, IW, 1997
Gene Culture, curated group show, Fordham University, N.Y., N.Y. 1995
SELECTED SCREEENINGS
Tango Intervention, Ybor, screened at DigiGoGo, during Art Basel Miami, 2009.
Un Message Evidemment, “The New Screen”, Open Space Arts Ctr, Victoria International Film Festival, Victoria, BC, Canada, 2007
Thailand New Media Festival, Bangkok, Thailand, 2006.
Negotiated Sequence, silent short ultimate resolution screened on worlds highest resolution seamless display during “Idea Festival”, Mersive Technolgies Inc with University of Kentucky Visualization Center, Louisville, KY 2006
Invitational 1 person screening, “Un Message Evidemment”, University California, Santa Cruz, CA, 2005
Stratford Upon Avon Film Festival, “Un Message Evidemment”, S. U. Avon, England, 2005
Invitational 1 person screening, “Un Message Evidemment”, Carleton College, Northfield, MN, 2005
VideoIN, Vancouver, One personal invitational screening of “Un Message”, BC, Canada, 2005
Invitational 1 person screening, “Un Message Evidemment”, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Perak, Malaysia, 2005
Great Lakes Film Festival, “Un Message Evidemment”, Erie, PA, 2005
Beyond Panopticon, Film Festival, “Un Message”, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia, 2004.
EDUCATION
University of California at San Diego, M.F.A.
University of California at Berkeley, B.A. Humanities, Cum Laude.
SELECTED HONORS, AWARDS, & GRANTS
Creative Scholarship Grant, USF Research Council, to support development and production of “Horizon”, worldwide synchronous performance action and live film, ($10,000), 2011.
Interdisciplinary Grant from College of Engineering and College of the Arts, USF, with Dr Adriana Iamnitchi, School of Computer Science, supporting Tango Panopticon 2.0, ($20,000), 2009.
Interdisciplinary Arts Fellowship, (top prize of group of three fellows) Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, ($5000), 2009.
College of the Arts Research Grant, University of South Florida, to support development of "Tango Intervention" ($1600), 2008.
College of the Arts Research Grant, University of South Florida, to support development of "Tango Intervention" ($2000), 2007.
Artist Opportunity Grant, Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, ($1000), 2007.
Creative Capital Professional Development Workshop grant, Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, ($1400), 2006.
Fulbright Fellowship, 10 month residency, University of Malaysia, ($45,000) 2003-2004.
USF Excellence in Teaching Grant, ($4000), 2003.
USF Creative Scholarship Grant, ($7000), 2002-3.
Career Opportunity Grant, Minnesota State Arts Board, ($1500), 2000.
ARTIST LECTURES
MICA, Baltimore MD, 2010.
Salisbury University, Salisbury MD, 2010.
Video In Studios, Featured guest artist for 'Cue Up', 2005.
Carleton College, Northfield, MN, 2005.
UCSC, Santa Cruz, CA, 2005.
University of Malaysia, Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Kuala Lumpur, 2003, 2004.
Indonesian Art Institute, Denpasar, Indonesia, 2004.
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Indris, Perak, Malaysia, 2004.
Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung, Java, Indonesia, 2004.
University of Wisconsin at Madison, 2003.
Tampa Art Museum, Tampa FL, 2002.
Minneapolis Institute of Art, 1998, 2000.
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 1995, 1998, 2000.
PUBLICATIONS
"Open Source, Open Channels, Open Minds: Contextualizing the Physical With the Virtual” published in MediaN, the Journal of the New Media Caucus of the College Art Association, 2011.
"Integrative Distance Technologies for National & International Student Collaboration and Critical Exchange", accepted for publication in College Teaching Methods and Styles Journal, 2005.
Toward a Definition of Collaboration, International Digital Media and Arts Association Journal, Conrad Gleber, Editor, Summer p57-59, 2005.
Jerome Foundation Media Artist Grant Exhibition Catalogue, Five one page essays on individual artists’ work, published by Intermedia Arts, 2000.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
“Spontaneous Combustion”, Participant/Presenter for CAA New Media Caucus Panel, Los Angeles, 2012.
"Open Source, Open Channels, Open Minds: Contextualizing the Physical With the Virtual” presentation on the first open source film, Un Message Evidemment, and Pango my open source web app to allow unlimited multiple live video streams from cell phones, College Art Association Annual Conference, New York, New York, 2011.
Fulbright Foundation Annual Conference, Leader of roundtable discussion, Innovating Traditions, Buenos Aires, Argentina 2010.
“New Media curriculum Development”, CAA New Media Caucus roundtable. I served as one of 4 discussants, Chicago, 2010.
Chair and organizer of CAA Panel, Sound Art, CAA national annual conference, Dallas, Texas, 2008.
Un Message Evidemment, Ongoing Open Source collaborative film documentation, Digital Art Week Festival, poster session, Zurich, Switzerland, 2007.
Integrative Distance Technologies for National & International Student Collaboration and Critical Dialogue, at
“International College Teaching Methods & Styles (CTMS) Conference”, Reno, Nevada, September 19, 2005.
Conference on Applied and Fine Arts” presentation made by distant video conferencing, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia, December 5, 2005.
Historical Gene Transit, public/web art project scheduled to be presented in panel at The 19th Annual Conference of the Society for Literature, Science and the Arts, “Emergent Systems and Cognitive Environments”, Chicago, IL, November 1, 2005.
ARTIST RESIDENCIES
Salisbury University, residency in conjunction with production of “Tango Intervention”, 7 channel video installation, 2010.
Meta-House, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 6 week artist residency, winter of 2009.
Salisbury University, residency in conjunction with production of “Tango Intervention” in Washington DC, 2009.
Creative Capital Professional Development Retreat, sponsored by Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, 2007
Department of Film and Media, Carleton College, Northfield, MN, 2005.
Sculpture Society of Ireland, James Joyce Festival, Dublin, Ireland, 2004.
Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung, Java, Indonesia, 2004.
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Indris, Perak, Malaysia, 2004.
YATOO arts center, Won Gol, Kung Ju, Magoksa, Korea, 1998, 1999, 2001.
Ucross Foundation, Claremont, Wyoming, 1998.
PRESS
St Petersburg Times, “A Tango for the World”, Hillary Lehman, Lead Story Metro section, Sunday May 2, 2010.
Tampa Tribune, “Dancers Tango Through Ybor as Surveillance Camera Protest” Lindsay Peterson, April 29, 2010.
Phnom Penh Post, “A Tango Team…”, captioned lead photo on front page, March 10, 2009.
Greenpoint-Williamsburg Gazette, Sept 26, 2007; review of ‘Tango Intervention, Williamsburg Bridge”, Conflux07, Marc Amigone.
Flux News, Fall 2004, review of ‘Wandering Rocks Revolving Doors’, Ulysses in Borneo, Pierre-Yves Daisault.
New York Arts Magazine, vol 9, 2003, .Sci-Art: Mapping Movement, discussion of “Historical Gene Transit” Project in Progress for New York Subways and the Internet, M–1000, Mina Cheon.
St Petersburg Times, 7-21, 2002, review of Dad’s Boots, in “UnderCURRENT/overVIEW”, at Tampa Museum of Art, Lennie Bennet.
Weekly Planet, July 10, 2002, review of Dad’s Boots, in group show “UnderCURRENT/overVIEW”, at Tampa Museum of Art, Adrienne M Golub.
Art Papers, Feb 2000, Review of An Acre Of Art, Michael Fallon.
Sculpture Magazine, Feb 2000, Review of An Acre Of Art, Mason Riddle.
Academic Experience
Professor, School of Art & Art History, MFA Director, Director of Electronic Media program, USF, 2001 to present.
Director of Electronic Media, Art Department, USF 2001 to 2007.
MFA Director, Art Department, USF 2007 to present.
Professor, head of Film, Video and Sound programs, MCAD, Minneapolis, 1990-2000.