Displaying pictures and sculptures is normally the purpose of an art exhibition, but not at EAST International '05 which is hitting the information super highway. This summer's event is being billed as 'the art exhibition without the art,' as the Norwich Gallery will be transformed into a communications hub where sights and sounds will be broadcast to the world via a range of electronic media. Turner Prize EAST is one of the country's biggest annual exhibitions of contemporary art and it's been a springboard for many artists' careers including the 2004 Turner Prize winner, Jeremy Deller. This year's vision comes from the internationally renowned artist Gustav Metzger. Metzger was born in Germany to Jewish parents and fled to England in 1939. He lived in King's Lynn during the 1950s and organised art exhibitions in the town before starting the 1960's movement Destruction In Art Symposium. This included actions by Yoko Ono, Gunter Brus and John Latham. Hitting the headlines Last year, he hit the headlines when a cleaner at London's Tate Britain threw away part of his work. For EAST '05, Metzger will pick the artists depending on whether their material fulfils his perception of the event. He intends the seven-week exhibition to be a vision of the world where artists explore economic, political and ethical issues. Media hub The Norwich Gallery at the Norwich School Of Art And Design will become a broadcast centre which will receive, mix and transmit images and sounds 24 hours a day through television, radio, the internet, e-mail, print, film and mobile phones. All of the exhibition's works will be transmitted in real time to Norwich during the seven weeks. Metzger wants artists to be bolder in the ways they present their work and challenge traditional boundaries with technology. Appealing theme Applications from artists across the world are now being sought until Saturday 26 February. In 2004, EAST received a record number of submissions - 30 artists had their work displayed after being whittled down from around 1,600 applications. Curator Lynda Morris hopes this year's theme will be just as appealing as well as highly relevant in a communications-obsessed world. "East has always been about showing physical objects - paintings, sculpture and video - but this year the selector, Gustav Metzger, has talked about the art exhibition without any art," said Lynda. "It's that idea of an overload of information that is happening because of the web. "Artists are now beginning to feel their way into channels and networks of international communication. "Artists working as individuals are able to do things before they become formalised in institutions and I think that's what Metzger is tapping into with this exhibition," she added. The EAST International '05 exhibition will run from 2 July to 20 August at the Norwich Gallery in Redwell Street. Application forms in four languages are available from the Norwich Gallery website.
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