Extrafile vs GLI.TC/H vs. A Vernacular of File Formats

   
For his graduate research into the role of the digital File Formats in the arts, Kim Asendorf developed Extrafile: "New image file formats for artistic purposes". The Extrafile software gives artists and designers the opportunity to create exclusive file formats to personalize works of art.
Extrafile offers an escape from the pandemonium of licensed image file formats (standards), the proprietary protocols that are under the rule of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), who authors, dictates and judges standardization laws since 1947 (way before 1984!). ISO, the part-time big brother of codecs, developed some of the most important encoding protocols in the digital realm, amongst whom for instance JPG. 
Extrafile could thus also be read as a critique and employed as a rebellion against an image-dictator that has been in power for over 60 (!) years.

Kim invited a group of databending/glitch artists to use the Extrafile software, to exhibit some of the results in his graduation show. I was proud to be one of invited artists and finally adopted the software to use it in collaboration with Monglot. Next week 3 of my favorite outcomes will be exhibited in Het Hoogt in Utrecht, as part of Re:Visie and the NFF, alongside the original prints of the Vernacular of File Formats. But here is a digital spoiler (the exhibition will last for a month and a half and the official opening will be on the 23th of September).

As guestcurator for the online gallery component of GLI.TC/H 2011, Kim open(sourc)ed the Extrafile software, which is since this night available for the public. You are invited to use Extrafile to develop bumpers, banners and posters for the GLI.TC/H festival which is confirmed to take place in the autumn of 2011, on different locations, on two different continents! Wohoo!