A mediactivist, artist-researcher, composer / musician, poet and tongues destroyer, experimental film maker and anarchitect, founder and member of Apo33, Julien Ottavi is involved in research and creative work, combining sound art, real-time video, new technologies and body performances. Since 1997, he develops a composition work using voice and its transformation through computer. Active developer of audio/visual programs with Puredata, he has also developed since many years DIY electronics (radio transmitters, oscillators, mixers, amplifiers, video transmitters...etc) in the perspective of knowledge sharing on technological development. Main developer for the Gnu/Linux operating system APODIO for digital art and A/V & streaming diffusion. His practices is not limited to the art spheres but crosses different fields from technological development to philosophy / theoretical research, biomimetic analysis & experimentation. Since many years he reflects on the relations between experimental practices and collective practices within the creation of autonomous collective groups, putting in question the authorship strategy of the “art ideology”.
Regular collaborators of reconized artists : Jenny Pickett, Brandon Labelle, Keith Rowe, Kasper T. Toeplitz, Jerome Joy, Ryan Jordan, Joachim Montessuis, Christian Galarretta, Achim Wollscheid, Elpueblodelchina, Zbigniew Karkowski, Randy Yau, Ilios, Philippe Roux, Dominique Leroy, Dion Workman, Yvan Etienne, Mike Bullock, Phill Niblock, Seth Cluett, KKnull, Jean-Louis Costes...etc.
Julien Ottavi has exhibited, performed and presented his work extensively over the last 15 years : STEIM – Amsterdam, Junctions/Verbidingen Festival – Brussels, Piksel festival – Bergen – Norway, Knitting Factory Old Office, NYC, Art museum of Nantes – France, DEAF (V2.nl) Rotterdam, Salon Bruit - Berlin,, TWEAK FESTIVAL- Limerick/Ireland, PDCONF09 - Sao Paulo / Brazil, Subtle Technologies Festival - Toronto / Canada, MAL AU PIXEL - Paris / FR, Goldsmiths College / London - UK, Riam Festival - Marseille - France, MobilFest III - Sao Paulo / B&razil, Bandits-mages Bourges - France, RadiaLx2008 - Lisbon, European Sound Delta - Bulgaria/Roumania, Architectones & Nuit Bleues - Arc & Senans/France, Aloardi todo es chevere!! Festival - Peru, sound art festival - Krakow/Poland - novembre 2006, Arteleku Saint Sébastien / Spain, Earthsquake Festival – New-York/US, radioqualia - Amsterdam, residency at Festival Parochial - Berlin, Montevidéo - Marseille, Festival Musique Action - Nancy, CCN - Belfort, CCN - Rennes, Le centre d’Art la Criée - Rennes, La Halle aux Grains - Blois, Festival La batie - Genéve, Festival Dança Na Cidade - Lisbone, Festival Fast Forward - Salzbourg, La ménagerie de Verre - Paris, Kunsten Festival Des Arts - Bruxelles, ZDB Lisbonne - Portugal, Electronic Orphanage - Chinatown - Los Angeles, Fitigogo Gallery - Albuquerque - New Mexico, Dodorama - Rotterdam - Hollande, Recyclart - Bruxelles - Belgique, Musée d’art Contemporain – Strasbourg...etc
Julien Ottavi is part of a generation of audio artists to emerge in the 90`s that indicated some of the directions that music and soundart is taking. While at art school, he organized a series of concerts, bringing international artists from the experimental scene to Nantes, drawing touring musicians to movements happening outside of Paris. This became not just a destination but a nexus for collaborations. This resulted for example in the group Formanex to perform graphical scores of electro-acoustic music, and in Apo33, an artists collective to facilitate, nurture, and disseminate creative audio practice. In this way, Julien represents the energy and initiative of a present day artist – activist through practice, organizing as performance, publishing as networking, open source and open aesthetic. This fluidity of working across boundaries of style and role are seen in his music, physical with computer, performative and reflective. (introduction by Atau Tanaka)