Re: <eyebeam><blast> Internet, modernisation and net.art

[zonezero <zonezero@mail.internet.com.mx>]

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I find the writing by Lev Manovich quite stirring. To begin with, I have
to question his metaphor of the CocaCola which at first sight appears to
fit in perfectly with his argument.  It turns out that CocaCola indeed
is not the same everywhere, not even the taste. For instance Coke in
Mexico has a much higher content of sugar than it's counterpart in the
US. So much so, that there are stores in Los Angeles, who "import" Coke
<bottled in Mexico> to cater to the coke-addicts who prefer the Mexican
version from "back home".  I would imagine this same localisation might
be taking place in different parts of the world, however the marketing
"genius" would have you believe that it's the same all over.  If Lev
takes a look at the marketing manuals of the 500 top Fortune Companies,
he will discover how much of this so called world homogeneity is not so
at all, and how the fortunes of such Companies ride on the fact that
they acknowledge such diversity, not the opposite.

I question the validity of "one size fits all" argument, on or off the
internet. Any time one is faced with such "totalitarian" ( from
totality) notions one should be ready to question such assumptions
because they don't acknowledge our real diversity.

Modernity or not, and in not doing so, we all end up the worse off.   So
I would conclude, quite the opposite from his "on the impossibility of
national schools" , I say that indeed there will be "national schools",
and not as Lev suggests a WWW (world wide washout).  That such "national
schools" are not yet happening, has more to do with the unequal levels
of technological development through out the world, and artistic
communities being at the tail end of it all, due to their traditional
lack of  resources, than any post modernist arguments.  I would even go
as far as stating the exact opposite from Lev, that it is precisely the
internet that will offer the possibility for art to create "national
schools" as an expressions of diversity, because no longer does such art
require for them to be seen and to circulate, that they travel through
the gauntlet of the traditional metropolitan centres of dominance.

Let's face it, even Euro-Dysney had to adjust their formulas to France,
even as they offered their traditional dysneyeque vision of fantasy.
Yes, MacDonalds are selling hamburgers in Mexico, but let us not forget
that they are also selling tacos ( yes tacos!) in Los Angeles.

Best regards
Pedro Meyer




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