Ai Weiwei Video Experimental Dome Program to Premier at Concept
Concept, a new art fair for downtown Miami to launch during the 2014 Art Basel Miami Week, is pleased to announce its partnership with New Mexico Arts program and the premier of the Experimental Dome Program. The state-of-the-art mobile dome, outfitted with 50 ft. video projection, Oculus Rift glasses and an interactive digital panel for a truly immersive art installation experience, will open in Bayfront Park on December 2nd in conjunction with Concept’s opening night VIP vernissage aboard the SeaFair yacht, docked nearby, and will open to the public December 3-7th.

Visitors to the dome will have one of the first publicly accessible opportunities to view Ai Weiwei and light and sound artist Bert Benally’s collaborative time and land based installation Pull of the Moon. Commissioned by the TIME (Temporary Installations Made for the Environment) Land Art Program and exhibited this past June in Coyote Canyon on Navajo Nation land in New Mexico, the sand paintings were designed by Ai remotely from China, where he is restricted by the government from leaving, and executed by Navajo artist Bennally in transformation of the ancestral land.

Due to the temporal nature of the sand paintings that incorporated mediums of fire, sound, and powdered porcelain, only the community immediately surrounding the remote area was able to visit and view the works. In a bridging of land art and new media art, the piece was filmed by drones using the precision of photogrammetry and 3D modeling by Xrez Studios to create the art film, Pull of the Moon, in addition to a documentary produced by Blackhorse Lowe & Daniel Hyde, which attendees of Concept and the Experimental Dome Program will also be able to view.

In addition to the this monumental exhibition, the dome will feature In the Round, a program of artists selected to have their work translated into moving graphics formatted for the specialized dome projection. Artists were selected from the Seminole Tribe and Navajo Tribe, both early participants in the Experimental Dome Program, which plans to travel to other communities in the near future, and underscores the project’s mission to engage and exhibit artists in communities that may be overlooked by the international art world. The collaboration with the Seminole Tribe is especially relevant to Art Basel Miami Week, as Florida boasts one of the largest populations of Seminole Native Americans.

In the Round will feature videos of work by Muscogee(Creek)/Seminole artist, designer and metalsmith, Kenneth Johnson; animated paintings by Navajo artist, Tony Abeyta; an interactive video featuring graffiti artists Jaque Fragua, from Jemez Peulo, and Yattika Star Field, of the Seminole tribe, whose work will also be exhibited at The Wynwood Walls[1] ; and a music video created by Seminole rappers and composers, Spencer Battiest and Zachary Battiest, who will also perform aboard the SeaFair during Concept on Friday and Saturday night. Additionally, Blue Flower, a New Mexico Arts featured Art in Public Places project by Spanish born, new media artist, Federico Muelas, will also be on view.

Tickets to the Experimental Dome Project are available for $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Viewing hours are Wednesday, December, 3rd through Saturday, December 6th, 11:00am to 9:00pm; and Sunday, December 7th, 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. Advance reservations are recommended. www.concept-fair.com.

The performances by Spencer and Zachary Battiest on Friday, December 5th and Saturday, December 6th at 8:00pm are a fundraiser for iLSAF (the international Land Sensitive Art Foundation) a tax-exempt organization that supports programs like TIME, and the NM Arts Exchange Program. Tickets are $45.00 in advance online, or $50.00 at door. Advance reservations are recommended. www.concept-fair.com.

The interactive video featuring graffiti artists Jaque Fragua and Yattika Star Field is free and open to the public on Friday, December 5th and Saturday, December 6th at 9:00pm.

SPONSORS
international Land Sensitive Art Foundation (iLSAF)
New Mexico Arts Arts
CONCEPT- Next Level Fairs
Seminole Tribe of Oklahoma
Vortex Dome Immersion
Bayfront Park Trust