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Just got back from Interface + Society at the Henie-Onstad Kunstsenter (HOK) in Oslo. This was a 2 day conference and exhibition produced by Atelier Nord, for more details on the conference: http://anart.no/projects/interface-and-society. Platforms was included in the exhibition (up Nov. 10-19), along with some other great pieces by Agnes Meyer-Brandis and AbA Logic and more.

In addition to the show at HOK, we had a storefront display and panel discussion in Oslo’s red light district. Pix are posted to flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/platforms. The panel was fantastic: Liv Jessen (PRO-senteret), Janne Wintherbauer (PION), Nina Tangnæs Grønvold (Oslo AP/LO), Tom Fredrik Blenning Klaussen (Elektronisk Forpost Norge) and me, moderated by May-Len Skilbrei (FAFO). It was a passionate 2 hour discussion about sex work in Norway and the US, with an emphasis on the volatile situation in Norway. Will podcast it as soon as I’m able. After the panel, the audience was able to try on two pairs of the prototype platforms.

Norway’s largest paper wrote about the panel http://www.dagbladet.no, and the panel and show are in the blogosphere: http://www.free-soil.org, http://blog.b92.net, http://www.creativeurope.com, http://underskog.no.

Other recent press includes The Telegraph in Calcutta http://www.telegraphindia.com/1061030/asp/knowhow/story_6933555.asp.

Copenhagen is next, Ed Bringas + Melissa Gira will be bringing Platforms to the Nordic Exceptional Trendshop 2006 December 1 + 2 + 3 http://www.next2006.dk

Norene

photo by Melissa Gira from Desiree Alliance conference blog

The Desiree Alliance conference “Re-visioning Prostitution Policy: Creating Space for Sex Worker Rights and Challenging Criminalization,” was everything I hoped it would be. Organized by sex workers, it brought together workers, activists and academics to discuss sex work of all kinds in a safe, protected environment (the conference was closed to the general public and the media). It was also a call to action: sex workers’ rights are human rights. Topics for panels and discussion groups included activism, feminism, the Nevada brothel system, and harm reduction. To get a feel for the conference and to see some images, check out the conference blog by Platforms panelist Melissa Gira and Audacia Ray.

-Norene

Excerpts from our panel discussion featuring Krzysztof Wodiczko, Tracy Quan, Melissa Gira, and Natalie Jeremijenko at Eyebeam 05.13.06 are now available as a podcast: http://www.eyebeam.org/reblog/journal. Check it out, and send us your feedback.

The Platforms panel discussion at Eyebeam on 5.13.06 was a tremendous success. We would like to thank our panelists: Krzysztof Wodiczko, Tracy Quan, Melissa Gira, and Natalie Jeremijenko. The panel and project brought up a number of big topics at the intersection of art, sex work, design & technology. Notes & commentary from the panel will be posted to our blog in the coming weeks, so please keep checking back with us.

A few words from Melissa Gira’s blog Sacred Whore and Tracy Quan’s blog.

Images from the panel discussion & performance are now posted to flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/platforms.

Our other exciting news: Tracy Quan will also be doing a reading and booksigning, and Natural Sphere aka James Healy will be our DJ for the event.