Re: <eyebeam><blast> net criticism

[blast-agent <agent@blast.org>]

3 messages, from Alan Sondheim, Josephine Bosma, and Mike Stubbs.


Alan Myouka Sondheim <sondheim@panix.com> writes:

What the Buffer Keeps

"To whom does the schizophrenic write?
To whom the psychotic?
Would you be that person?"
To whom does the schizophrenic speak?
To whom the psychotic?
Would that you would be, that person?
Would that you would be, that person spoken to?
>From whom is the speaking?
For whom is the speaking?
For your desire, for the desire of the psychotic or schizophrenic.
For the purpose of circumscriptions of everywhere the unknown world.
For the caress of the analyst through the therapeutic transference.
For the career of the patient.
Now you are far afield!
Now you do not recognize that your parents want to murder you!
Now you do not feel the trembling hands holding the tiny infant!
Now you do not feel the pain squeezed out through the keyboard!
Now you do not understand what _the buffer keeps._


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Josephine Bosma <jesis@xs4all.nl> writes:

My reaction to Geerts mail is a rewrite and improvement of a part
of his text.


-Any singular entry point is a dead end street when it comes to a better
understanding of the emerging cyber culture. Taking the arts as entry
point there is 'net.art'. There is the older discipline of the
'electronic arts' (the ISEA-ZKM-V2-ICC-ARS gangs), with its ties in
video art, performance, conceptual arts etc. These art forms (like older
art generations) were not explicitally political, yet they have often
sought to connect to it, investigating bio metaphors f.ex., thereby
taking a view on what is going on in the real world. This even includes
the Internet.
However, older 'new media arts' institutions have no comprehensive idea
about the essence of networking because they themselves have become
bureaucratic and 'closed'. This can be compared to the (now traditional)
'conceptual art' establishment, which is preoccupied with slides, video
and a bit of sound here and there, but has no vision whatsoever
concerning multimedia and the Net (and does not want too either, out of
denial for the purpose of keeping positions in a changing art social and
political environment).
-Net criticism should try to bring together economic analyses and an
awareness with a playfull sense of politics, ethics and aesthetics,
which are written down in the software (to form a larger and more
thorough basis for 'fancy buttons' or high tech cockyness). This goes
beyond 'cultural studies' which identified itself with the poly
ambivalent consumer. This is, in part, about old school power broking
between big firms, governments and banks. It is also about humans living
in this same environment, irreversible connected to it, a life worth
living.
The shaping of culture consists of many disciplines, and art is still
important there. It does not matter it often gets odd definitions. Art
can rarely work with just the systems and definitions of politics, as
politics cannot work well in the traditions of the arts. Still each
becomes sick without the other.
There is plenty of interesting theory which either balances beautifully
between the different disciplines or simply stimulates the thinking,
like for instance the (re)birth of film criticism in the sixties or
seventies, marginal media art publications (marginal stands for the
arts, not so much the publications), newer versions of the non-dogmatic
marxist political economy (how non-dogmatic of course for a large part
depends on its practical interpreter), old and new stuff on the
tele-communication business; in general a lot of what you can read on
the financial pages, but then from a weird, intellectualist or poetic
point of view.
---

Dinnertime in Amsterdam again.

greetings from a rainy city


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mike stubbs <stubbs@easynet.co.uk> writes:

I'd like to support andreas and fuck off gert (affectionate english turn
of phrase)

As an organsiation coming form the 'old world' of using traditional art
making materials: (electronic, paint, smoke, stuff, dead animals,
performance etc.) and interfaces with traditional art audiences and
viewing places: (galleries, streets, council chambers, irc's, books,
etc.), Hull Time Based Arts has been on the periphery of art,
government, business, education and new media.  It has used a number of
strategies and artists interventions - political, economical and
artistic to get up peoples noses and ask questions.

Never really having been part of the dead end street gang (not through
want of trying matthew at frieze please note) we certainly have not
became "deeply anti-poltical, obsessed with all kinds of bio metaphors,
thereby taking away the view on what is going on in the real world of
global economics (and its exclusions)." Why is it people want to
polarize things ? (ok I know why).  Perhaps Gert wants to out
marginalise himself? and just remain outside ? fair enough, know the
feeling.

The absolute realms of theory which post rationalise activity have been
of less interest to me (and gert really) than a mix of trial and error,
artistic and economic pragmatism and a general desire to try things out
and fuck things up.

Clean divisions between the sanitised world of the web is relative to
the arrid environments of video sculpture.

I like playing with clay - i like mucking about on the web
I like to dwell on life whilst gardening - i like to apply theory when
necesarry.

The meshing between online communities and occassional physical meetings
(subject to aeroplane fuel/subsidy) is important - polar circuit and the
syndicate have proved this.

Equally the adjustments between the 'old world' and the new is not so
easy to audit - both environments provide conceptual models to each
other, I am sure that social groupings and patterns of behaviour are
already being influenced by on line society  and vice versa.

Art is a combination of that which is visceral and intellectual -
neither are mutually exclusive - or has gert turned into a dalek (did
you get that in holland ?)


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