shortcut talks to ann poochareon, all around new media girl

How did a Thai girl get involved with European giant Benetton?

It's a bit of story, but in a nutshell:  after I finished graduate school (Interactive Telecommunications Program, New York University), I was lucky enough to be selected as part of a team from NYU to do an art installation project in Nice, France at MAMAC (Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain).  At the end of the 5-week residency, my partner (Mark Argo) arranged for a short visit to Fabrica, which is located near Venice, in Italy.  So the team, which is myself, Mark Argo (www.markargo.com), and another artist Daniel Hirschmann (www.plankman.com), showed up at Fabricaand did a little show-and-tell of our work.  A few short months later, we were all back at Fabrica as research fellows for the Interactive department.  Fabrica is a creative research center sponsored by Benetton, so that's how I am connected with Benetton.  And no, we don't design the clothes.  :)  

You've just had a busy month, tell us about your work/projects.

I guess all-around-new-media-art-stuff is a good description for what I do, yet that is still a bit too vague for most.  Earlier this month, one of my old video projects ("Hello Kitty Is Dead" 2003) was screened as part of a film festival in Rome.  At the same time, we shipped our (Mark and I) installation, CommPose, which is a frame that displays cameraphone images and viewers can upload their own on the spot, to be exhibited in Bangkok and Mark also had a show in Toronto.  Last week, we helped put on a fashion show of wearable computing garments in Pisa as part of a technology conference, for this we ran the visual projection and music.  At Fabrica, I am running the blog.Fabrica website (http://www.fabrica.it/blog), which is one of the communication channel that, I hope, connects us to the rest of the world.  Occasionally I write about contemporary and new media art practices and theories in regards to our research in the interactive department, and from time to time I do website work (both design and back-end).  I used to do theater performance with my friends in the U.S., and I try to write extensively on my personal blog, but it's been a bit sparse as of late.

How long and where have you been living in Europe? What do you think of the quality of graphic and web design of young European designers? Is the envelope being pushed or is that happening elsewhere?

Besides my 5-week resident at the Villa Arson in Nice in 2004, I've been here for only a year and a few months living in Treviso, which is a beautiful small town in Northern Italy.

As for young European designers, I don't really know the scene, so I'm not in a position to say much about them.  As far as pushing the envelope on graphic and web design, I almost feel like we've seen much more refreshing/new work a few years back than we do now.  Maybe we're still in the period of figuring out the technologies, and finding the right medium/message for our generation?  I don't really know.  To me, good design is effective design, and that simply means getting the message across.  Nowadays, I feel like the minimalist approach is best in our overwhelmingly connected world, but then how much can you push the envelope of being minimal?

What made you want to ditch corporate slavery for artistic uncertainty? Any advice on how to go about it?

I think if you really have an itch to pursue a creative life, then you'll just have to do it.  There's really not much advice one can give because it is quite personal, though I'd recommend reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.  It was recommended to me and I feel like I should pass on the blessing.

Italy is going through turbulent times, economically, socially and politically - what's your take on the country's problems? Does it affect your work? Does the current climate limit the range of professional and artistic opportunities?

Because I'm protected first by this corporate bubble that is Benetton, and second by being a non-Italian speaker in Italy, none of what you mentioned actually affect my work or personal life and therefore, I'm afraid, I don't really have any educated take on the country's problems as I'm still trying to learn the system and understand the attitude and cultural background.  However, it was really interesting for me to be here during the last national election where the party mostly responsible for their economic disaster for the last five years was voted out, however marginal.  I'd have to say that the more I observe politics from different countries, the more similar they seem, which is kind of a depressing outlook. 

Asia is the happening place at the moment with China's meteoric rise to economic superstardom. Any plans to relocate East?

I'll be heading to Thailand at the end of my Fabrica contract (since they give me a flight to leave Italy :-D), and I will probably figure out what to do there.  To a certain degree, I believe that the China's perceived rise in economy is blown out of proportion.  We in the West are focusing so much on how "China is the next power", which could be true, but we aren't paying any attention to the other side of the story or the effects that China has over less powerful Asian countries.  I'd like to be in Asia to observe it all in perspective.

Can you recommend a place (restaurant, park, museum, house, anything) in Europe that is absolutely worth seeing or experiencing?

A swim in the Mediterranean, a drive through Toscana, a train ride through Austria, the Alps, Rome, museums in Amsterdam, the Leopold Museum in Vienna, biking in the country side in the spring time, fresh markets in Italy, food in Italy, oh my, I could go on and on.  If I have to pick one, I'd say come to Italy and eat some gelato -- you'll never regret it for the rest of your life.