NEW MEDIA ART
D E S C R I P T I O N S
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In Progress:
Veiling US
Multimedia Project

This project is exploring ways in which we veil ourselves in the U.S. In one facet of the project, women are exploring the Judeo-Christian practice of veiling areas of the body from the neck down in response to the Adam and Eve story of shame in the garden, and thinking about how their own modes of dress relate to and rebel against that tradition. Muslim women in the U.S. talk about their chosen modes of dress in terms of privacy, protection, and spirituality. People of other lifestyles and beliefs are interviewed as well. The work will culminate in an online multimedia project that responds to an invitation to be part of a traveling museum exhibition on veiling, organized by artist and author Jennifer Heath.

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In Progress:
WE-2: A NEW MEDIA ADAPTATION
OF YEVGENY ZAMYATIN'S
CLASSIC NOVEL ENTITLED WE
A Collaboration Directed by Juliet Davis
and others To Be Announced
www.we2interactive.net

Exhibition Versions:
1) CD-ROM/Web Site (for monitor-only exhibits)
2) Full exhibition (show including 2D, 3D, video, interactive media, and live performance--or combinations of these)

In 1920, the Russian-born Yevgeny Zamyatin wrote the world’s first dystopian novel—a profoundly subversive act that would ultimately result in his exile. Supporting Fredric Jameson's assertion that dystopian narrative is not peculiarly relevant to socialist politics, WE2 maps Zamyatin's dystopian critique of socialism onto late capitalism, exploring globalization, biotechnologies, and gender/sexuality construction, questioning not only our current political climate, but also how our traditional narrative constructions of dystopia and utopia narrow our understandings and imaginings of alternative societies. Funded by the individual artists and the Delo Grant from The University of Tampa.

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PIECES OF HERSELF
Web Site & CD-ROM (v2 2005)
www.julietdaviscom/studio/piecesofherself

"Pieces of Herself" has won awards and shown in museums and festivals worldwide, including MAXXI Museum (Rome), Institute of Contemporary Art (London), FILE (Brazil/Rio), Web Biennial (Istanbul), Tampa Museum of Art, and others. The project is an ironic exploration of feminine embodiment and identity in relationship to public and private space. Using a drag-and-drop game interface, viewers scroll through familiar environments (e.g., domestic, outdoor, work) to collect metaphoric "pieces" of the self and arrange them in compositions inside the body. As each piece enters the body, it triggers audio clips from interviews with women, music loops, sound effects, etc., so that layered narratives form. The project, which was inspired by Elizabeth Grosz's theories about embodiment, comments on social inscription of the body. The environments are composites of more than 400 photographs, the pieces include 40 vector drawings, and the audio clips include segments from interviews with 10 women.

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POLYSTYRENE DREAM
Web Site & CD-ROM (v2 2003)
www.julietdavis.com/studio/barbie.html

This project has exhibited in festivals and museums internationally, including the Juan Castiglione Museum ( Argentina), the Tampa Museum of Art, and the Web Biennial 2005. "Polystyrene Dream" uses our country's four-decade fascination with the Barbie doll to look at how we package even the most unnerving aspects of culture, from war to religion and reproductive technologies.

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THE AMAZING INVISIBLE WOMAN
Web Site & CD-ROM
(in progress at http://www.julietdavis.com/studio/invisiblewoman/)

An exploration of the visibility and invisibility
of women and minorities in relationship
to dominant culture. Selecting attributes for the character will trigger audio clips of interviews with women and minorities, as well as graphic backdrops such as New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

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GOOD MEASURE
Video (2003)

This video questions ways in which we seek to "measure" and control femininity, weight, and overall worth of the female body, while exploring ambiguities of exploitation.