freeky, debates about curators in norway 
ok, I am calm despite the fact that I am going to my first job interview ever!
The project Art in Nordland that was initiated by the County of Nordland after they successfully did the Art Scape Nordland in the nineties.

The first director was Per Gunnar Tverbakk - city son of Bodø that studied fine arts at the Arts Academy in Bergen, and after that did run the indepentend space Otto Plonk mid- end nineties in the same city (and thus being one of those defining and shaping the norwegian art scene through that decade). After that time he became the Artistic Director of Kunstnernes Hus in 2001/02. After he stepped down - and after a hard internal debate they never ever employed someone else in this "curator" position, they (the artist in norway) felt that all what they have been fighting for was being taken over by the powerfull curator (and thus ignoring the fact that most of they they called "curator" in fact where artists that wanted to organize some shows for their friends and through this became trained and skilled. Most curators in norway where untill beginning of 2000...artists).

but anyway - they are seeking a ''nachfolger'', and me being one of them that might get the job. me happy.




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Monkey Island vs. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis 
Why did Monkey Island I and II have such a major success? The first one was hilariously funny and played with both slap stick and word plays (jumping off a cliff and bouncing back again by hitting a rubber three or that a monkey can be made into a (monkey) wrench to close the waterfall. Also some of the riddles where/ are almost impossible to solve.
They where developed and released at the end of the heydays of adventure games (starting with black cauldron (no, I am not thinking of the "wonderfull movie from disney" - but probably the first adventure game, made by Al Lowe) and so forth – space quest (the unofficial site spacequest.net is the one I wisit) , hero quest (now renamed to quest for glory due to copyright issues), king’s quest etc. By Sierra and ended more or less by the heavier graphic possibilities in the mid nineties turning 3D-shoot them up games with riddles to solve as well as the winner )
And why was Monkey Island better that Indiana Jones and The Fate of Atlantis, both made bylucasarts – both where hilariously. Well, I think anyone that have seen The Pirates of Caribbean knows that comedy played in pirate times is really enjoyable. One can remove some reality, make some new figures and make them funny.
Every game, and even game compilation has its own rules of game, there is a certain pattern to solve a riddle, there is certain things that has to be done in order to get forwards. In Indiana Jones – a LucasArt game has this. You pick up anything and try to use items at any time possible or impossible. And thnk logically. In Monkey Island there seems to be no certain logic. There are no really surprises because everything can happen at any give time.

And then there is the music. The music of Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (IJ4 from now) are annoying when it comes to sound. It is more pleasant to play the game without sound than with, but MI is pure pleasure to hear both music and other audio sounds.


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Art Criticism in Norway 
I think that the art criticism of norway has seen better days. Even though there are an inflation of criticts – and there have never been more magazines (Billedkunst as a major news magazine with criticism, the online kunstkritikk.no focusing on weekly criticism from domestic as well as abroad exhibitions and the magazine Kunst focusing on texts on exhibitions as well as shorter artist presentations) there is a decline or in quality – or maybe; not enough development according to the rising demands of the world of art.
Another thing is that there seems to be no own scene in any city besides Oslo although there might be art going on there. Now I know that this is not really true, there are some writing about art in Bergen and even in Stavanger, but they do not have an own try to publish, and no one reads it.
This is to bad, Both Stavanger and Bergen as well as maybe Trondheim should have their own magazine, if not permanently then just something that defines a generation of artist and art critics as well as curators in one town.

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Green and ArtForum 
Tyler Green is again attacking, or rather questioning the integrety of those writing for ArtForum when he - and rightfully so - concludes that Jack Bankowsky should not have written a piece about art fairs for the magazine due to personal relationship with one of the founders of The Armory Show in NY.

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King's Quest VIII - Mask of Eternity 
Finished playing KQ8 today. I got it at my local libary here in Leipzig - which is greatI

But for the game I am not so thrilled - am only used to the old type of sierra adventures where typing in what one wants to say or to be done - and I have played one Space Quest as they became mouse click based - but KQ8 is from '99 and it is more like a shoot them up game where one have to move things and can click on things and rund and jump back wards just like Laura Croft - not KQ as I remember it. Although there where some good ridles it came out to easy. I set the fighting to easy so that I didn't have to waste time on fighting monsters since what I wanted was to solve puzzles and riddles.

But the music was great, really great. It did build up the mood alot and helped the game through some more tricky part like the swamp - although being maybe the most boring place in terms of adventure game it had such a massive atmoshere due to the music that I was feeling unconfortable the first 15 minutes. Briliant composed and very good sound effects.
I do remember having the same creepy feeling playing third level of the first laura croft - the music building up before the dinosaure came - I was afraid and loved it. This was around '95 I think - so it is a good decade. I did play through laura croft again just some month ago and it was rather boring. The first thrill is the deepest.

But back to KQ8; it was boring boring boring. The libary had Hero Quest V as well, but my computer would open it and I have to return it today - maybe another time then.

But I would like to go through the whole KQ-series as they looked like before they redesigned it and made it into click and play games. That goes for the Space Quest as well as the Quest for Glory series as well. But I cannot find anyone who is selling them, and since they are still copy right protected it is impossible to get them at abandownware sites - BUT Amazon has the KQ and SQ AND the Leisure Suit Larry as compalitions now for sale for only $17.99. That is cheap, but not what I want.



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