Philosophy

The current vitality found within contemporary art world stems from the fact that it has abandoned the artist's link to a chosen traditional material or technique. The divisions between the historical disciplines of painting and sculpture have become largely irrelevant, as artists have moved into a new mode of operating - a 'by what ever means necessary' approach.

In recent times, the agenda in contemporary art has often been artist led. Artists have addressed themselves to a wide variety of spaces and exhibiting contexts, employing a plethora of approaches to creating meaning and it is this adaptability and self-sufficiency that lies behind contemporary art's current strength. However, this is also the reason why it is only now that significant work is starting to be made specifically for the Internet. The World Wide Web has only recently become accessible to artists or artist-led projects and as such has not yet become another of their standard tools or platforms.

Container-ship aims to redress this imbalance by providing contemporary artists with an opportunity to address themselves to this new space. Container-ship's aim is to develop a program of diverse and innovative art work produced specifically for the Internet. The program will build credibility for the Internet as a serious medium for art and by commissioning a range of artists - from the internationally established, to a younger, emerging group, Container-ship aims to reflect the breadth of contemporary art practice.

Container-ship is curated by Simon Faithfull