By Media Bridges

The annual festival, AutuMedia, returns this weekend to Media Bridges. Video images like the one above, created by various local and regional artists, will be projected on buildings surrounding the parking lot at Race Street and Central Parkway, across from the home of the organization that provides training and facilities for residents interestred in video technology.

Kevin King says, "Get yourself off the couch and come experience mind-blowing independent media art." King is assistant executive director at Media Bridges, where he's been busy selecting artists to show media work at AutuMedia 04, an annual festival returning on Saturday, 7 p.m.-midnight.

At dusk you can walk across the blacktop parking lot at Central Parkway and Race Street and watch buildings donned in dancing light beneath the black sky. Artists from around the country and world have contributed short silent films to be projected on the buildings surrounding the parking lot.

"It's like going to a drive-in movie," says Carol Skawinski, Media Bridges' development and communications coordinator. What you will see on the buildings are "digital videoscapes," short films and other original works projected 20 feet high on the buildings.

"The only criterion was for the submissions of work to be primarily aesthetic," King says. He looked for short films that did not rely on dialogue or storytelling. The large geographic range of submissions reflects Media Bridges' connection to a global web of arts organizations. King put out his call-to-artists on several Cincinnati arts Web sites, which were linked to other national and international sites. Andy Marko, art professor at Miami University and director of Semantics Gallery, also recruited several artists. Marko is a featured artist in this year's event.

Skawinski challenges Cincinnati's young professionals to show up. "They have often been quoted as saying Cincinnati doesn't show enough edgy, experimental art," she says. "Here's their chance."

Issues of power, resistance and spirituality are central themes to AutuMedia. Much of the work is experimental, playing with improvised live audio or reinterpreting biblical passages. But there's also eye candy, beer, bugs and speaking in tongues.

King wants this year's event to be more interactive and tangible, offering a sense of immediacy for viewers. Works of computer-generated spirituality and spatial displacement might engage viewers or throw them off kilter. Installations in the parking lot are intended to generate public interaction. These installations are works of light and sound, according to King.

Last year's AutuMedia also showcased short, aesthetic films. The avant-garde and sometimes abstract films included Blue Movie dancers, scenes of racial profiling and abstract images put to music. Installations invited people to put on makeup and question whether it made them beautiful.

This year AutuMedia begins with live audio-visual performances from a multimedia performance artist, Roesing Ape, and local band Culture Queer.

At 7:15 p.m. the Kids of Broadway will perform several music theater routines from musicals such as Rent, Fame and Hairspray. The kids range in age from 8-22 and perform at community and corporate events.

During the show, street performers from Clear Stage Cincinnati will drift among the crowd offering further spectacle. There will also be three improvisational performances, including some video accompaniment.

Inside the doors of Media Bridges, a silent auction of jewelry and artwork of local artists will take place between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. It will continue throughout the following week.

In keeping with the interactive feel of AutuMedia is "Sound Off," an interactive exhibit inviting participants into a "video confessional" to put on masks and speak freely incognito. Their words will be recorded, then projected on the walls of Over-the-Rhine.

Jerry Galvin, radio host of "Those Stupid Galvins" on WVXU, will be the AutuMedia emcee. Galvin is also a Media Bridges producer. AutuMedia is free and is part of Enjoy the Arts' 20 Days/20 Nights Festival.

Media Bridges, a nonprofit organization, receives some of its funding from community access fees derived from Time Warner Cable subscribers. However, a portion of funding for Media Bridges also comes from other forms of fund-raising, such as grants and private sponsorships. AutuMedia is a component of Media Bridges' fall fund-raising campaign. Skawinski plans to raise money during the event through food, wine and beer vendors who have offered to share a portion of their proceeds.

The educational department at Media Bridges offers free media classes to the public. Anyone who completes a certification in operating media equipment can check the equipment and use Media Bridges' production facilities free of charge. The organization also provides production assistance to other nonprofit organizations.

"We are heavy into media literacy," says Skawinski. Along with technical classes in using the media the organization offers classes in scrutinizing the media and discussing the ethics of mass media. Media salons are another way that producers can discuss their work with the public. Skawinski sees AutuMedia as a chance to showcase what Media Bridges has to offer.

"We are looking to demonstrate our commitment to the arts and show people what Media Bridges is all about," she says.

Skawinski (513-651-4171) is still seeking vendors and artists who want to submit their work.