* 08.06.1967

Jobs:
2004-6.2006 Professor für Broadcast Design, Visual Effects und Video Arts „Savannah College of Art“, Savannah, USA

2003 – 8.2004 Visual Effects freelancing for Film and TV
e.g. „Blink.fx“, NY; „Broadway Video“, NY;
"Das Werk“, Frankfurt/Berlin; „Ultra Images“, Zürich.
Nominated for VDW-Award 2002, category "Visuelle Effekte",
for the Afri-Cola Spot "Message", Director: Wim Wenders

Studies/Sscholarships

1987-95 Studies in Philosophy and German language and literature studies, Freie Universität, Berlin
1988-94 Study in Fine Arts, Hochschule der Künste, Berlin
1992-94 CalArts, Valencia, USA, (scholarship of Hochschule der Künste)
1991-92 St. Martins School of Art, London, UK (Erasmus-scholarship)
2005 Artist in residence, Büchsenhausen Labor, Innsbruck, Austria

Exhibitions Festivals Projects

- “The Salt of Water”, Kaliningrad, Russia, 2006
- Non-Stop, Kunstverein Wolfsburg, 2005
- Erosion, allgirls, Berlin, 2005
- Videonight, Fortress Gallery, Targu Mures, Romania, 2005
- Contemporary Arts Museum, Bucharest, Romania, 2006
- Global Call Marx, Saalbau, Dezentrale Kulturarbeit, Berlin Neukölln, 2005
- Aquädukt, Buchsenhausen AIR, Innsbruck, Austria 2005
- 21. Kasseler Dokumentarfilm- & Videofest, 2004
- ARTeast Foundation, Culture Palace, Targu-Mures, Romania 2004
- Tranzit House, Cluj, Romania, 2005
- Hungarian Cultural Center, Bucharest, Romania, 2005
- Contemporary Art Museum, Dunaujvaros, Hungary, 2005
- Vector Gallery, Iasi, Romania, 2005
- 3. RestCycling Art Festival, Berlin, 2004
- FICA, Cidade de Goias, Brasil, 2004, www.fica.art.br
- VI Salon Internacional de Arte Digital, Havanna, Cuba, 2004
- 10. Envirofilm Festival, Banská Bystrica, Zvolen, Banská Stiavnica, Slovakei, 2004
- Media Forum-05, Moscow International Film Festival, Russia, 2004
- The Encounter Filmfestival, Kairo, Egypt, 2004
- A-clip, Berlin, London, LA 2003, www.aclip.net
- Arsenal Experimental, Berlin, 2006
- Cité International des Arts, Paris, France, 2005
- Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe, 2005
- 6. Werkleitz Biennale, Halle, 2004
- Adaptations, 16 Beaver, NY, USA, 2004
- Off Filmtage, Potsdam, 2004
- Open Mike, Galerie für Landschaftskunst, Hamburg, 2004
- Kasseler Dokumentarfilmfestival, 2003
- Next Five Minutes, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2003
- Biennale di Havana, Kuba, 2003
- International Filmfestival Ankara, Turkey, 2003
- Stuttgarter Filmwinter, 2003
- Bühnenfernsehen, Volksbühne Berlin, 2003
- Kiosk, Dresden, 2003
- Siauliai Art Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania, 2003
- Clermont-Ferand Short Film Festival, France, 2003
- IG, RAW, Atlanta, USA, 2003
- Connect, Hastings Seed Factory, Atlanta, USA 2000
- Speed, Gerschwin Hotel, New York, USA, 2000
- Vortex, Burning Man, Nevada, USA, 2000
- arctic circle, Bellevue, New York, USA, 2000
- Thermal Dynamic Reading Project,Tonic, New York, USA, 2000
- Ambi-In-Out, Berlin, 1999, www.ambi-in-out.de
- Listen to my House, Forum Stadtpark, Graz, Austria, 1998
- No Budget, Hope 57, Brooklyn, NY 1997
- 9 Dimensional Theory, Nikolai Contemporary Art Center, Kopenhagen, DK, 1996
- Bulletin Board, Spot 71, New York, USA, 1996
- April 19, Neu, Berlin, 1995
- Bedrock, A Night of Conventional Technologies, allgirls, Berlin,1995
- Portrait of an Action Film Maker, Friedensallee 12, Hamburg, 1995
- Making out, Transmission Gallery, Glasgow, UK, 1995
- atomic, Rum för Aktuell Konst, Göteberg, Sweden;
- Art Attack, Oslo, Norway
- Oberwelt e,V., Stuttgart, 1994-95
- Diarrhö, allgirls, Berlin, 1994
- 30 Seconds Plus Title, Transmission Gallery, Glasgow, UK, 1994
-Art Gallery Of Ontario, Toronto, Kanada, 1995
- 37 Räume, Kunstwerke, Berlin, 1992
- Berlin, fahr ich hin, Lukas & Hoffmann, Berlin, 1992
- joint venture, Botschaft e.V., Berlin, 1991
- Everything is perfectly right, Botschaft e.V., Berlin, 1991

Research proposal

The project I would like to propose will be connected to the UNDP/GEF Danube Regional Project. I’m interested in the symbolic and economic significance of the Danube as the river connects several countries and cultures. Regional differences in water quality are one focus. Another aspect of the research is to assess the environmental impact of the Balkans conflict on the Danube and to visit potential pollution "hot-spots" up and down-stream of the Novi-Sad oil refinery, which was bombed during the war. A a consequence, toxic and hazardous waste was carried down the river Danube.

Another aspect will be to render the importance of the river for the local population. Especially the exchange with scientists and the analysis of environmental facts will show the current state of the ecosystem. There is also the possibility to discuss methods for developing effective mechanisms for regional cooperation and coordination in order to ensure protection of international waters, sustainable management of natural resources and biodiversity.

Formally and conceptually the research picks up where former projects began, e.g.:

“Aquedukt” is the first part of a long-term research project analyzing water as a global resource. The attempts to privatize the water supply and the rising profits from bottled water are addressed, as well as the differences in water quality. It will depict some of the mechanisms of the water market, research alternative resources and question corporate responsibility. First stops of this research were Borsec (an old spa-town in Romania), Hamburg, Berlin and swamp areas in the south of the United States.

My projects are constant investigations of dialectic issues like urbanism/utopia, dis-information architecture and communication/propaganda/beautyganda/infotainment. They attempt to question the present and future possibilities of the human environment and analyze the complex links between economical and social developments.

Future work examines territorial tensions and related ecological, economical and social aspects. It tries to find new ways to investigate the relationship between the physical environment, corporations, the society and the press mediating political conflicts. In particular, the research focuses on issues of responsibility, accountability, eco-sustainability and the influence that technological development has on natural and social environments.

A playful and critical approach combines a remix of images, facts and stories. Continuing research of the political, urban and ecological background is the base for a montage of images, which tries to render the influence and consequences of economical and political ideology on every day live. The research deals with the topic of political responsibility as well as questions resulting from the process of privatization, renewable energies, and the current state of global resources like water.

Focus is on changes in every day life as a result of globalization and privatization. Although the practice includes scientific methods, data and interviews, the work doesn’t follow a straight documentary approach. The projects have experimental character and attempt to combine several layers: narrative structures, scientific data, documentary and associative elements.

1. “element 94”, 4 min, 2003 E 10 / aka: Rolf Pilarsky and Lisa Ward „element 94” documentates the evolution of nuclear power. With an exhuberantly growing black-market for radioactive materials global distribution of this sort of energy is revealed from discovery until currently existing 500 reactors worldwide.

2. “Virus Of The Day”, 3. min, 2004 E 10 / aka: Rolf Pilarsky and Lisa Ward “Virus Of The Day” explores the relationship between biological and technological viruses and analyses identity and restraints by means of interfering between virtuality and reality.

3. A-Clip: “demoncrazy”, 1 min, 2003 Ulrich Heinke, Rolf Pilarsky, Florian Zeyfang Additional video footage: Iibia Perez de Siles de Castro & Olafur Arni Olafsson sound: Philipp Scheffner (Titel der CD: pong 001) „McIrak - McSyria - McKorea - McSaudia - McCuba - McIran: Bringing democracy/demoncrazy to you! Soon a franchise everywhere. Interested? Call Don's friends: 1-800-DESTROY or Dick«s friends: 1-800-REBUILD“

4. A-Clip: “Ausverkauf”/"sellout", 1 min, 2003 A filmic text-image collage as critical approach to increasing selling of governmental institutions to international investors: Cross Border Leasing. www.aclip.net

5. Borsec Projekt: - “stumbler”, video, 2 min, - digital photographs, 2004 “A few years ago, Borsec, situated at the border of the Sekler-country used to be one of the most popular spas of Transylvania. The little town had been attractive for holidaymakers, not only on account of its wonderful location and alpine climate, but also because of its mineral springs with healing powers. Their water is called “wine-water” in the Sekler-region. The medicinal qualities of the 15 springs were known as early as the 16’th century. By the end of the 19’th century Borsec had become a fashionable resort.” Jozsef Bartha

6. “Erosion”, Video, 4 min and digital photographs, 2005 The videos “stumbler” and “erosion” go on a journey in filmic time. After the decline of communism and social break-up accompanying speeded up capitalism the question is to what extent the camera is able to refer on existing reality in order to replace, recreate or erase it. The videos mark footnotes on to movies as well as laconic comment on the terms of civilisation and its intermediation.Acceleration and repitition work as priciple structures who conduct the walk throught time leftovers.

7. “Aquädukt” video installation: 4 screens, 1 beamer “Aquädukt” forms the first phase of a long-term research on the dealing with water as global resource and commercial business. Background are efforts in privatisation of water supply and commercialisation of bottles with drinkable water. Istanbul, Zurich und Evian will be following stations of work.

8. “Fairy Dust”, installation for “Non Stop” Video, 9 min, and digital photographs “Fairy Dust” deals with the problem of the usage of Depleted Uranium (DU) DU munition was used by the US forces in both Gulf wars as well as in Kosovo, Bosnia, Serbia and Afganistan without clarifying long-term effects on human health and environment.

9. “Global Call Marx” digital photographs and video, 5 min, 2005 A view over the visual surface of Neukölln in order to encode and reflect archeological traces of the Berlin district. A micro cosmos mirroring processes of different historical periods as well as political, cultural occurences and human destiny. It especially focuses on Karl-Marx Avenue being then and now occupied with places of consumption and shopping contrasting to Marxian ideas.

10. Fotoessays: - “Der Rand der Synergie”/"Edging of Synergy", 2000-2004 The photographs are generated while driving through public spaces like industrial parks, office cities and bridges.- “slump”, 2000-2004 Starting from observating objets trouves boundaries of consumption culture are argued. With attempting to documentate real states from subjective prospect traces of consumption, branding, acceleration, offshoring, Outsourcing and virtuality are shown. - “slough”, 2005

Please check my website for further information: www.rolfpilarsky.net
E-mail: leeezer@t-online.de