BRANDON derives its title from Brandon/Teena Brandon of Nebraska, USA, agender-crossing individual who was raped and murdered in 1993 after his female anatomy was revealed. Cheang's project deploys Brandon into cyberspace through multi-layered narratives and images whose trajectory leads to issues of crime and punishment in the cross-section between real and virtual space. Conceived as a multi-artist / multi-author / multi-institutional collaboration, BRANDON will unfold over the course of the coming year, with 4 interface developed (1996-1997) for artists' participation and public intervention:
bigdoll interface
roadtrip interface
mooplay interface
panopticon interface
During 1998-1999, guest curators will be invited to select other artists and writers to contribute additional uploads for each of these interfaces.
BRANDON is launched with a netlink between Amsterdam's Theatrum Anatomicum and The Guggenheim Museum in Soho on June 30, 1998. Two netlinked forums, Theatrum Anatomicum interface, are developed with DeWaag, Society for Old and New Media, Amsterdam.
The Brandon site is shown at regularly scheduled hours on Guggenheim Soho's videowall.
for information: Scott L. Gutterman, Director of Public Affairs. sgutterman@guggenheim.org
BRANDON is curated by Matthew Drutt
Associate Curator for Research,Guggenheim Museum
produced in association with
Society for Old and New Media
Caroline Nevejan and Suzanne Oxenaar / curators;
Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue
Anna Deavere Smith and Andrea Taylor / directors
Banff Center for the Arts
Sara Diamond / director of media arts
BRANDON is part of a broader program in the media arts being led by John G. Hanhardt, Senior Curator of Film and Media Arts at the Guggenheim Museum.
Funding for BRANDON has been made possible by grants from The Bohen Foundation, a Moving Image Installation and Interactive Media Fellowship from The Rockefeller Foundation, a Computer Arts Fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts, and in Holland, grants from The Mondriaan Foundation and the Ministry for Cultural Affairs. This project is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Challenge Program. The project is being hosted by USWeb Los Angeles. Artist in residency provided by Woo Art International (New York) and Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst.