Synthetic Performances is a series of historical performative reenactments that take place in virtual worlds and videogames. This ongoing project, which started in January 2007, includes reenactments of: Chris Burden's Shoot; Vito Acconci's Seedbed; Valie Export's Tapp und Tastkino, and Joseph Beuys' 7000 Oaks (in progress).

For PERFORMA07, Eva and Franco Mattes will stage a selection of three of their Synthetic Performances, including a new reenactment of a performance by Marina Abramovic. The artists will conduct these performances through avatars, constructed from the shape and surface of their own bodies, in the online world Second Life. For this event, people are invited to attend the live performances at Artists Space or to connect through Second Life from anywhere in the world.

About the Artist
Eva and Franco Mattes are internationally recognized as supreme interventionists. Most of their projects involve different forms of media hacking and bogus culture trafficking. In one instance, the duo temporarily hijacked the Nike logo for a public installation in Vienna; in another, they created an entirely fictional artist, only to murder him once he was sufficiently famous.

Curated by Benjamin Weil.

Eva and Franco Mattes' performance at Artists Space was produced with the generous support of Aksioma-Institute for Contemporary Art, Ljubljana.

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Subject: RE:akt!

Action: Reenactment of Marina Abramovic and Ulay's Imponderabilia (Synthetic Performance in Second Life, 2007)
Artists: Eva and Franco Mattes aka 0100101110101101.ORG
Location: Artists Space, New York and Odyssey, Second Life
Frame: PERFORMA07
Date: Nov. 13th 2007

Curator: Benjamin Weil, Artists Space
Video documentation: Amy Owen, Electronica Arts Intermix
Live director: Paolo Ruffino
SL hosting: Sugare Seville, Beavis Palowakski, Odyssey