Jon Kessler
Introducing The Web
Press conference: January 26, 2014, 4pm
Museum Tinguely
Paul Sacher-Anlage 2,
4058 Basel
Switzerland
Jon Kessler to head technology company GlblVlgIdiot; re-launches a new iPhone app.
The Museum Tinguely, Basel is pleased to present a special press conference and performance to mark the close of the exhibition METAMATIC Reloaded with Jon Kessler’s The Web. The press conference will announce the launch of Kessler’s new business enterprise, GlblVlgIdiot, devoted to the development of smartphone applications 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. Piper Marshall, GlblVlgIdiot Vice President of Media Relations, will introduce Neal Bledstone, GlblVlgIdiot’s Chief Technology Officer, who will unveil a special presentation. Bledstone will reveal The Web, an experiential app developed over the past two years, with 4 million USD in exclusive first-round funding from Alexander Provan and Joshua Cohen, co-principals of D.A.S. Capital. “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 January 26, GlblVlgIdiot will unveil a revolutionary interface for The Web that will transform how we see, touch, and share the future.
The Web is a commission by the Métamatic Research Initiative, Amsterdam.
