—– Original Message —–
From: Michael Szpakowski


'An Enemy of the People'

http://www.somedancersandmusicians.com/enemy/AnEnemyOfThePeople.html

Arrested on a trumped up charge in 1939 by Joseph Stalin's secret police =
the NKVD, Lukasz Szpakowski spent the next two years as a slave labourer in=
the giant Russian system of penal camps, the Gulag.
Two years ago, aged 87, he was interviewed at length by his son, the UK c=
omposer and net artist Michael Szpakowski.

Ivan sez:
Only two years, he was lucky.
The US governmet has started placing people in its own gulag. Recently a =
US citizen was seized off a plane and condemned by the President and all hi=
s henchmen as a terrorist. Handed over to the US army, this individual has =
disappeared into an army camp. The people and the courts, fearful for all s=
orts of reasons, refuse to condemn this action or other similar actions How=
many years these people will spend in the US gulag, who knows. Hopefully, =
when they are 87 they will be interviewed by their own children and art wil=
l be made about their experiences. We won't learn from it, of course, as we=
never can.

Ivan
In the main I agree absolutely with you.
One of the reasons I wanted to make 'An Enemy of the
People' is precisely that I think in a way my father's
experience was actually a sort of 'everyman'
experience .( in fact he was originally sentenced to
20 years but was amnestied in '41 when Hitler turned
on Stalin)
What I don't share is your fatalism.
I believe we can and must learn from the past.
Not only do I think the piece about my Dad is relevant
to the question of unjust imprisonment today whether
it be in Guantanamo Bay or Beijing, I also think it's
relevant to the witch hunt against asylum seekers
going on in the UK currently.
When my father came to Britain as a refugee he was
welcomed with open arms ( as cheap labour I suspect)-
today the Sun calls Poles and Slovaks- 'The White
Trash of Europe'
That's why I took time off doing arty type things a
couple of weeks back to march for asylum seekers
rights ( 'they're welcome here!'- that's my kind of
slogan) and likewise on a number of occasions
recently to protest US and British imperialism im
Afghanistan.
I remain optimistic that it is worth struggling for a
world where one day these sorts of things will seem
like a bad dream.
Having said that- what do you think of the piece?
best
michael

— Ivan Pope <ivan@ivanpope.com> wrote:
>
> —– Original Message —–
> From: Michael Szpakowski
>
>
> 'An Enemy of the People'
>
>
>
http://www.somedancersandmusicians.com/enemy/AnEnemyOfThePeople.html
>
> Arrested on a trumped up charge in 1939 by Joseph
> Stalin's secret police the NKVD, Lukasz Szpakowski
> spent the next two years as a slave labourer in the
> giant Russian system of penal camps, the Gulag.
> Two years ago, aged 87, he was interviewed at
> length by his son, the UK composer and net artist
> Michael Szpakowski.
>
> Ivan sez:
> Only two years, he was lucky.
> The US governmet has started placing people in its
> own gulag. Recently a US citizen was seized off a
> plane and condemned by the President and all his
> henchmen as a terrorist. Handed over to the US army,
> this individual has disappeared into an army camp.
> The people and the courts, fearful for all sorts of
> reasons, refuse to condemn this action or other
> similar actions How many years these people will
> spend in the US gulag, who knows. Hopefully, when
> they are 87 they will be interviewed by their own
> children and art will be made about their
> experiences. We won't learn from it, of course, as
> we never can.
>


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In a message dated 7/4/2002 2:06:44 PM Central Daylight Time,
szpako@yahoo.com writes:


> Having said that- what do you think of the piece?
> best
> michael

Well, if we suppose there were six rules of g2k documentary video, I think
this one would conform to three and the other three would be non-applicable.
I loved it, but I love "Come and See" and Fathers and Sons too. I guess I'm
not qualified to Judge the piece but I enjoyed it very much. Archived direct
stories and interviews like that would be budgeted fully if I ever pull a Ted
Turner. Reinventing Studs Terkel.

There's also the new Bill Moyers' show NOW and Frontline to think of re
documentary, not to mention the artistic questions around documentary versus
imaginative art in general, in all artistic media.

I'm calling it "the vengeful return of occasionalism" on ArtforumTalkBack,
does that relate to nemesesia and fluxus space? For me it does.

Max

++

Now this is what I call a brilliant work - reaching further than typical ar=
t-pseudo. I felt humbled whilst viewing the whole piece as it communicated =
to me via the voice of a man who (like many men, women & children) deserved=
so much more than what these (soulless) power seekers have shamefully disi=
ngenuously given. I am not going to cheapen this piece with any more verbal=
nonsense - just thanx for being truthful and intuitive in your intentions =
in making this piece.

thanx again - marc
—– Original Message —–
From: Michael Szpakowski


'An Enemy of the People'

http://www.somedancersandmusicians.com/enemy/AnEnemyOfThePeople.html

Arrested on a trumped up charge in 1939 by Joseph Stalin's secret polic=
e the NKVD, Lukasz Szpakowski spent the next two years as a slave labourer =
in the giant Russian system of penal camps, the Gulag.
Two years ago, aged 87, he was interviewed at length by his son, the UK=
composer and net artist Michael Szpakowski.

Ivan sez:
Only two years, he was lucky.
The US governmet has started placing people in its own gulag. Recently =
a US citizen was seized off a plane and condemned by the President and all =
his henchmen as a terrorist. Handed over to the US army, this individual ha=
s disappeared into an army camp. The people and the courts, fearful for all=
sorts of reasons, refuse to condemn this action or other similar actions H=
ow many years these people will spend in the US gulag, who knows. Hopefully=
, when they are 87 they will be interviewed by their own children and art w=
ill be made about their experiences. We won't learn from it, of course, as =
we never can.

Max
I'm delighted you like the piece.

&..I'm not playing faux dumb but you lose me
completely about here….
< I'm calling it "the vengeful return of
occasionalism" on ArtforumTalkBack,
does that relate to nemesesia and fluxus space? For
me it does.>

maintain the Stakhanovite post rate!-
obscure- sometimes
vexing- occasionally
boring- never

best
michael

— Nmherman@aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 7/4/2002 2:06:44 PM Central
> Daylight Time,
> szpako@yahoo.com writes:
>
>
> > Having said that- what do you think of the piece?
> > best
> > michael
>
> Well, if we suppose there were six rules of g2k
> documentary video, I think
> this one would conform to three and the other three
> would be non-applicable.
> I loved it, but I love "Come and See" and Fathers
> and Sons too. I guess I'm
> not qualified to Judge the piece but I enjoyed it
> very much. Archived direct
> stories and interviews like that would be budgeted
> fully if I ever pull a Ted
> Turner. Reinventing Studs Terkel.
>
> There's also the new Bill Moyers' show NOW and
> Frontline to think of re
> documentary, not to mention the artistic questions
> around documentary versus
> imaginative art in general, in all artistic media.
>
> I'm calling it "the vengeful return of
> occasionalism" on ArtforumTalkBack,
> does that relate to nemesesia and fluxus space? For
> me it does.
>
> Max
>
> ++
>


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Sign up for SBC Yahoo! Dial - First Month Free
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In a message dated 7/5/2002 4:15:43 AM Central Daylight Time,
szpako@yahoo.com writes:


> boring- never

all I'm about to say is part hope and part despair
too dumb and muddy not to get pulled off arterial