ESeL

eSeL is an Art-Platform in Vienna, Austria. Founded 1998 by Lorenz Seidler, it provides a weekly newsletter "eSeL Mehl", various mailing lists, a photo-archive and an event-database. The label "eSeL" is also serving as a nickname for the artist Lorenz Seidler (originating in the phonetic pronunciation of his initials), who also is initiating, curating and conducting various art projects. eSeL's offices are located at Museumsquartier.

The label eSeL (also serving as a nickname for founder Lorenz Seidler) prototypically represents the crossover of the roles of artist, curator, online medium and infrastructure-provider in contemporary artistic practise in the New media genres.

“Esel” means “donkey” in German. The label originates in the phonetic pronunciation of its founder's initials and soon became standalone brand, expanding its animal analogies into a multitude of animals-participants. Qualities attributed to the eponymous animal are consciously matching with the initiative's characteristics: stubbornness (autonomy and independence), grey fur (searching for options beyond the polarity of right/wrong or good/bad), long ears (overhearing insider's information), asininity (asking alleged “stupid” questions).

eSeL aims at revealing and changing conventions and coherences in the art field – putting a special focus on structural implications and representation in the media sphere.

“Kunst kommt von Kommunizieren” (engl. “art derives from communication”) is eSeL's slogan - Contributions of the term “art” are shown as a constant process of (transitory) quality agreements.

The eSeL-initiative grew from an independent online medium for of art information and event listings to an institutional carrier and server for art activities in Vienna, combined with focused interventions through projects, performances and exhibitions.

The website www.eSeL.at offers a selected database/calendar covering art events in Vienna and surrounding areas, a weekly newsletter ("eSeL Mehl") as well as a photo archive. eSeL.at has been awarded with the second prize at the "IG Kultur Wien Innovation Award 2010".

Current audio features by eSeL remix statements and sources of various contexts and origins, unveiling hidden implications and experimenting with new ways of representation. Since 2006 these “discourse remixes” developed into staged performances including “Tableaux Vivants” with audience participation.

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Wikipedia