Roam If You Want To Dept.: There’s no better way to say “screw that noise” to the current geopolitical brouhaha than by diving into a big art project and coming up with something new, divergent, and totally unique. Wartime, for all its horrific downsides, traditionally spawns its own artistic backlashes — check Picasso’s Guernica or the varied countercultural films of the Vietnam era. This Saturday, April 19, at precisely 8:14pm, Austin-based artist Cinqué Hicks will unveil a sprawling live and online “cyber artwork” in Republic Square Park (Fourth and Guadalupe). Titled We All Are Global Nomads, the piece incorporates digital photos and text uploaded to Hicks’ Web site — www.weareallglobalnomads.com — by anyone who feels like it. That means you, dear reader, can upload your own image and thoughts as part of Hicks’ installation, which will then be streamed live over the Web and projected on special canvasses at Saturday evening’s event. The site has already attracted many interactive patrons from both Austin and everywhere else (including a number of people from Baghdad) and promises to be a monumental and truly all-encompassing artistic endeavor. Say yes to life, art, and Mogwai by becoming part of the free daisy chain of digital art and free expression. It’s easy, fun, and one of the most unique art installations to come around in ages. (See Virtual Tribe for more.)
This article appears in April 18 • 2003.