Introducing The Web

Jon Kessler to head technology company GlblVlgIdiot, launches a new iPhone app

Press Conference: April 28, 2013, 7PM

Swiss Institute is pleased to present a special press conference and performance to mark the close of Jon Kessler’s exhibition “The Web.” The press conference will announce the launch of Kessler’s new business enterprise, GlblVlgIdiot, devoted to the creation of iPhone applications—such as The Web, which powers the eponymous exhibition—that bridge the gap between art and life. The Global Village Idiot, the visionary maverick who has inspired so many disruptions at the intersection of art and technology, will make a rare public appearance to consecrate Kessler’s endeavor. GlblVlgIdiot’s Chief Technology Officer will reveal the company’s plans to build on the success of The Web, which was recently sold for $2.5 million to a Manhattan-based startup widely recognized for its algorithmic approach to organizing, experiencing, and buying art.

“This is a very exciting time, we’re on the verge of making history,” said Kessler upon assuming the role of GlblVlgIdiot CEO. “The Web has the power to make you part of a work of art, to draw on the creativity—and photo libraries—of regular people to revolutionize art for the networked age. We stand at the forefront of Art 3.0: a truly immersive social experience, an evolutionary leap in how we use technology to relate to one another and become our true creative selves.”

Rather than use kinetic installation and closed circuit surveillance to expose the layers of mediation that frustrate our attempts to attain authentic experiences as he has in the past, Kessler will now employ social media to dissolve those layers of mediation. Even in beta, The Web is a breakthrough step toward that unmediated, authentic experience. And for Kessler, this is just the beginning: On April 28 GlblVlgIdiot will unveil a revolutionary interface for The Web that will transform how we see, touch, and share the future.

The press conference at Swiss Institute is developed in collaboration with Alexander Provan, a prominent theorist of apps and the editor of Triple Canopy, and in consultation with Joshua Cohen, the novelist and Internet expert. Both Provan and Cohen have been retained by GlblVlgIdiot as advisors.

Seating is limited.
RSVP by April 26:

rsvp@swissinstitute.net

The Web | Vernissage TV

Last week our friend Heinrich Schmidt passed by The Web. Siebe Tettero and Gianni Jetzer took him on a tour that highlights the importance of installation as interface.