Since 9/11, Afghanistan, and Iraq, Independent Exposure has seen an increasing stream of submissions that interpret current events. Manifest Destiny highlights ten works from international directors that acutely interpret our times. The works range from the humorous, hysterical, ranting, serious, personal to disturbing - yet uniformly interesting.
Unsurprisingly, several works appropriate our nation’s figurehead: Kasumi’s The Free Speech Zone, a psychedelic Dada/techno opera, is a scathing condemnation of the American government’s quest for world domination; “Bush for Peace,” is a cut-up of the President’s 2003 “Moment of Truth” speech. Local filmmaker, Victoria Gamburg’s “Right Road Lost,” is the story of Phil Rios, a Vietnam and Gulf War veteran, and his attempt to cope with the memory of an unspeakable US military operation conducted in the Kuwaiti desert during the first Gulf War. Improvising noise musician, Scotty Irving builds instruments out of hockey masks and crutches, and bangs the ground with hammers, in the service of the Lord in “Armor of God.” Mario Escobar’s “What To Believe” is a short film that combines 16mm found footage, Digital Video, and assorted sound samples in a fast-paced piece that challenges the viewer’s ideas about mass media and everyday iconography.
21Grand is a volunteer-run interdisciplinary arts space hell-bent on presenting a macrocosmic panoply of emerging and experimental artists, focusing on genre-bending and innovative works of visual arts and live art (i.e. performative and media art presented to a live audience). Events range from the populist to the academic.
21 Grand was founded in June 2000, and held its first show on July 15, 2000 at its eponymous location (21 Grand Ave.). Since then, we've attempted to provide a consistent platform for experimental arts and fill the void of experimental arts presentation in the East Bay. We have since played host to some of the most ambitious new works that realm has to offer, and our programming has been much lauded and emulated.
21 Grand incorporated as 21 Grand Arts Group Inc. on August 8, 2001, so that we could apply to be a tax-exempt non-profit, in order to qualify for grant funding, as well as to provide fiscal sponsorship for artists' projects. We were granted tax-exempt status on September 20, 2002, so, technically, we've been a tax-exempt non-profit since our incorporation date.
As our audience and vision grew, so did our requirements for the space. On March 30, 2002, we bid farewell to our old location as we "moved on to a better place" at 449B 23rd St. (between Broadway and Telegraph Avenue). Though some find it absurd that we retained our site-specific name, we wished to maintain continuity, acknowledge our history, and represent 21 Grand as an organization defined by its mission and principles rather than by its physical location.
