Souvenirs from Earth, a 24-hour media art cable TV channel, to launch in Korea in 2012


Imagine enjoying the latest art from the hottest media artists around the world 24/7 simply by turning on the TV.

Such an easy way of relishing contemporary art is possible through Souvenirs from Earth, a cable TV channel which broadcasts video art, art films, music, installations and performances by over 1,000 artists. It has been airing in France and Germany since 2006 and will come to South Korea next year.

It was Marcus Kreiss, a German media artist, who came up with the idea.

“I started my career as a film maker but later got interested in paintings as well and created a genre, ‘video painting.’ But it was difficult to commercialize because there was no market for it. Then I thought of TV,” said Kreiss at a press conference held on Thursday at Culture Station 284 in central Seoul.

He premiered the idea in 1998 at the Institute of Contemporary Art in the U.K., again at the 1999 Venice Art Biennale, and got excited reviews. In 2006 his idea was realized in the form of a cable TV channel in the two European countries. SFE is also accessible online at its website (www.sfe.tv). 

Kreiss said that Korea-born media artist Paik Nam-june greatly influenced him.

“He had already created cultural TV way back in the 1960s, which is now finally emerging as a new genre. He influenced me by the fact that he turned TV into something cultural instead of having it go in a way a TV normally goes. It is meaningful that SFE will get to be seen in Korea,” he said.

SFE is open to any artist who wants to use it as a platform to showcase their works and Kreiss hopes to build connections with media artists in Korea.

Before the official launch in Korea, the channel is holding a pilot preview event at the old Seoul Station in central Seoul, which is now called Culture Station 284. Visitors can also enjoy media art screened inside the station as well as on the media canvas of the Seoul Square building nearby, at Nam June Paik Art Center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and on portal site Naver. The screenings are supported by Louis Quatorze, a luxury leather goods company.

Noted media artists including Jeff Manzetti and Julianne Rose, Robert Cahen and Daniel Masson will showcase their works during the period. Jung Jae-hyung, a Korean musician who recently shot to fame after appearing in MBC’s popular show “Infinity Challenge,” is the goodwill ambassador of the event. He has been using media art in his performances and plans to collaborate with SFE next year.

The pilot event will run from Oct. 5 to Feb. 12, 2010 at Culture Station 284 in central Seoul. For more information on Souvenirs from Earth, visit www.sfe.tv.

By Park Min-young  (claire@heraldcorp.com)