The Artbox video player is a portable stand alone device that allows art enthusiasts to store and play sequenced video art. The player is produced by a visual arts collective created by Alex Gibson, with various artists such as Michael Meneghetti at its core. This collective want to see more video art exhibition spaces and more sales for visual artists.
Designing a video art player to specifically address the needs of video artists was the first step.
The Artbox video player is guaranteed to play seamless 1080p HD video loops, a feature lacking in domestic playback systems. It outputs 1080p HD video and is capable of multi-channel sound.
‘It’s designed for 24/7 using very little power – it uses five volts of power – so it can run for about one year on ten dollars. It’s also got scheduling built into it so it turns exhibition playback on and off, which means there’s no manual work involved in getting a show up,’ said Gibson.
The player interface is accessible from multiple computers within an intranet, with a future networked cloud on the horizon that will eventually allow people to curate simultaneous exhibitions across a global network of screens via remote access.
Once an Artbox video art player has been purchased, artists are encouraged to set up their own exhibition space. There are already a number of these active.
‘The Artbox exhibition spaces are currently with partner organisations such as the Victorian College of the Arts, Loop Project Bar, Federation Square, Electron Workshop, Engineers Without Borders, Arup and Link Festival. We also have one residential space in North Melbourne on Errol Street … These are all physical screen spaces located in strategic events and locations to maximise public exposure of new video artworks,’ said Gibson.
If a space subscribes to Artbox they are added to the Artbox network and given one new video artwork per month from an artist in the collective to own and exhibit. This allows the artist’s work to be shown on a wide network of screens, and also allows them to get paid.
‘The artist whose artwork is [featured] that month receives 80% of the total of the subscription money, with 20% covering costs. This model is applied as a social enterprise and developed to pay artists upfront for their work,’ said Gibson.
There is also an e-commerce outlet on the website that sells art from the collective, with all works reasonably priced. While currently only trading in moving image work, Artbox plan to show and sell still images, text and sound based work, and other forms of screen-based art in the future.
The Artbox approach is unique in its lack of division between artist, curator and collector. ‘I think most people engaging in the arts have more than one role to play,’ said Gibson. By creating a system that allows people to play multiple roles, more access points are created and more power given to each individual.
Gibson believes this networked, multimodal approach is more relevant to our current world than the 19th century boutique gallery models that are currently the primary mode of exhibition for artists.
‘The arts is ready. The arts have been ready for a while,’ said Gibson.
To find out more, visit the Artbox website. For those interested in becoming an exhibition space partner, contact Artbox at alex@artboxcloud.com.
Image: The Artbox video art player
