<br />RHIZOME DIGEST: May 26, 2006<br /><br />Content:<br /><br />+opportunity+<br />1. 220hex: Piksel06 - CALL for PARTICIPATION<br />2. Hakan Topal: Freelance programmer position<br />3. Gene Gort: JOB - Sabbatical Replacement - Video/New Media<br />4. Tiff Holmes: Part-time instructors needed at SAIC-Chicago<br />5. Leonardo/ISAST: The Pacific Rim New Media Summit + Special Issue of<br />Leonardo<br /><br />+announcement+<br />6. ela.kagel@iconclub.de: web conference on curating netart<br />7. Luis Silva: Upgrade! Lisbon w/ Sofia Oliveira<br />8. Lauren Cornell: FW: GIVING PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT - Glassbox, Paris<br />9. Pau Waelder: PRIX ARS ELECTRONICA 2006: The Results<br />10. Greg Smith: mutek / may 30th - june 4th / montreal.canada<br />11. info: Urban Eyes at HTTP Gallery<br /><br />+Comment+<br />12. Eduardo Navas: NMF: TEXT: The Return of the Author by Avi Rosen<br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />Rhizome is now offering Organizational Subscriptions, group memberships<br />that can be purchased at the institutional level. These subscriptions<br />allow participants at institutions to access Rhizome's services without<br />having to purchase individual memberships. For a discounted rate, students<br />or faculty at universities or visitors to art centers can have access to<br />Rhizome?s archives of art and text as well as guides and educational tools<br />to make navigation of this content easy. Rhizome is also offering<br />subsidized Organizational Subscriptions to qualifying institutions in poor<br />or excluded communities. Please visit <a rel="nofollow" href="http://rhizome.org/info/org.php">http://rhizome.org/info/org.php</a> for<br />more information or contact Lauren Cornell at LaurenCornell@Rhizome.org<br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />1.<br /><br />From: 220hex <gif@220hex.org><br />Date: May 20, 2006<br />Subject: Piksel06 - CALL for PARTICIPATION<br />================================<br /><br />– Piksel06 - festival<br />– october 12-15 2006<br /><br />– Piksel06 - exhibition<br />– october 13-27 2006<br /><br />– call for participation<br />– deadline august 1. 2006<br /><br />================================<br />Piksel[1] is an annual event for artists and developers working with free<br />and open source audiovisual software. Part workshop, part festival, it is<br />organised in Bergen, Norway, by the Bergen Centre for Electronic Arts<br />(BEK) [2] and involves participants from more than a dozen countries<br />exchanging ideas, coding, presenting art and software projects, doing<br />workshops, performances and discussions on the aesthetics and politics of<br />free and open source software.<br /><br />This years event - Piksel06 ? continues the exploration of audiovisual<br />code and it's myriad of expressions, but also brings in open hardware as a<br />new focus area. At Piksel06 we will expand the exhibition part and build<br />upon the open<br />hardware theme, which represents a potential for a new paradigm shift of<br />vital importance for independent artistic expression in the digital<br />domain.<br /><br />Piksel06 is done in collaboration with HKS art centre[3] which will be the<br />main location for this years events. Piksel is organised by BEK and a<br />community of core participants including members of collectives dyne.org,<br />goto10.org, sustainablesource.net, hackitectura.net, riereta.net,<br />drone.ws, gephex.org and others.<br /><br />================================<br /><br />open CALL for PARTICIPATION<br /><br />The previous Piksel events has primarily focused on live art/audiovisual<br />performance and interactive installations, but for Piksel06 we also<br />introduce open hardware and hardware hacking as new themes. For the<br />exhibition and other parts of the program we are interested in submissions<br />in the following categories:<br /><br />1. Installations<br />Projects related to the open hardware theme including but not restricted<br />to: circuit bending, reverse engineering, repurposing, modding and DIY<br />electronics preferably programmed by and running on free and open source<br />software.<br /><br />2. Audiovisual performance<br />Live art realised by the use of free and open source software. We<br />specially encourage live coding and DIY hardware projects to apply.<br /><br />3. Software/Hardware<br />Innovative DIY hardware and audiovisual software tools or software art<br />released under an open licence.<br /><br />Please send documentation material - preferably as a URL to online<br />documentation with images/video to piksel06@bek.no<br />Deadline - august 1. 2006<br /><br />Please use the online submit form at:<br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.piksel.no/piksel06/subform.html">http://www.piksel.no/piksel06/subform.html</a><br /><br />Alternatively use this form for submitting<br /><br />================================<br /><br />1. Project name.<br />2. Email adr.<br />3. Project URL<br />4. Name of artist(s).<br />5. Short bio/CV<br />6. Category<br />7. Short statement about the work(s)<br />8. List of software used in the creation/presentation of the work(s)<br /><br />================================<br /><br />Or send by snailmail to:<br /><br />BEK<br />att: Gisle Froysland<br />C. Sundtsgt. 55<br />5004 Bergen<br />Norway<br /><br />More info: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.piksel.no/piksel06">http://www.piksel.no/piksel06</a><br /><br />piksel06 is produced in cooperation with Kunsthoegskolen in Bergen dep The<br />Academy of Fine Arts, Hordaland Kunstsenter. Supported by Bergen Kommune,<br />Norsk Kulturfond, BergArt and Vestnorsk Filmfond.<br /><br />links:<br /><br />[1] <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.piksel.no">http://www.piksel.no</a><br />[2] <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.bek.no">http://www.bek.no</a><br />[3] <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.kunstsenter.no">http://www.kunstsenter.no</a><br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />2.<br /><br />From: Hakan Topal <htopal@newmuseum.org><br />To: list@rhizome.org<br />Date: May 22, 2006<br />Subject: Freelance programmer position<br /><br />New Museum of Contemporary Art is looking for a highly talented PHP/Mysql<br />developer/programmer to implement a customized Content Management System<br />which will be used for an international collaboration project.<br />Requirements and Skills;<br /><br />- Willing to work collaboratively with a small but ambitious/creative<br />group of people; onsite/offsite<br /><br />- Self motivated, highly organized and willing to take responsibility<br /><br />- Database design knowledge is must!<br /><br />- Ability to work with designers and implement new design ideas to the<br />core system. CMS experience with audio/video components/formats is a big<br />plus. Understanding about flash/php/mysql integration is crucial.<br /><br />- Must have a bachelor's degree in computer science or other related<br />field, or equivalent professional experience with good references and site<br />examples<br /><br />This is a part time / freelancer position for at least 3 months starting<br />late June.<br /><br />Please send your resume, short cover letter and hourly salary requirement<br />with subject heading: 'PHP/MYSQL developer position' to:<br /><br />Hakan Topal, New Media Projects Manager<br />New Museum of Contemporary Art<br />e-mail: htopal(at)newmuseum.org<br />fax: 212-431-5328<br />NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE!!!<br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />3.<br /><br />From: Gene Gort <gort@hartford.edu><br />Date: May 24, 2006<br />Subject: JOB - Sabbatical Replacement - Video/New Media<br /><br />Sabbatical Replacement, Media Arts Department, Hartford Art School,<br />University of Hartford<br /><br />Two course replacement for Fall 2006 semester. Candidate should be able to<br />teach two, 3-credit undergraduate courses, 6 contact hours per week, per<br />course, in the following areas:<br />1) Introduction to Video, 2) Video post-production, (intermediate level)<br />OR 2) Special Topics in New Media applications with video integration.<br /><br />1) Introduction to Video must address experimental, non-commercial,<br />art-based video, and non-traditional narrative applications of video<br />production. Course should be directed toward creative uses of the moving<br />image with emphasis on the basics of portable video production and<br />non-linear editing using MiniDV format. This is a production course within<br />a creative problem-solving environment and must include critical<br />discussions and screenings in video/media art history and practice.<br />Projects can be collaborative or individually focused but each student<br />will be required to acquire an entry-level knowledge of shooting,<br />lighting, sound and editing. Cursory technical introduction to Final Cut<br />Pro 5 is required. There are no prerequisites to the course but most<br />students are from a fine arts or design background. Class enrollment is<br />approximately 14-18, sophomore through senior level.<br /><br />2) Post-production class (intermediate level) also must address<br />experimental, non-commercial, art-based video, and non-traditional<br />narrative applications in video. Collaborative projects encouraged.<br />Rigorous use of sound recording/mixing/editing preferred - not music video<br />format but "sound as material" approach. At least two projects can be<br />single channel, multi-channel, and/or installation/projection or<br />performance based with post-production focus. Critical discussions,<br />screenings, and readings in contemporary video/media practice must be a<br />part of the course as a generative vehicle for project production and<br />analysis. Non-art based course material is encouraged. Prerequisites<br />include Intro to Video or Intro to Media Arts. Class enrollment is<br />approximately<br />6-12, sophomore through senior level with an occasional graduate student.<br /><br />OR<br /><br />2) SPECIAL TOPICS in New Media studio class (intermediate level)<br />addressing web-based, data-base, interactive, programming, performance,<br />and installation with video production integration. Projects should be<br />experimental in nature and use any variety of computer applications for<br />execution (Flash, MAX, Isadora, Dreamweaver, Director, open source) but<br />should not be a "software-learning" course. Course structure should<br />encourage collaboration, interdisciplinary approaches and new approaches<br />to integrating old media and new media. Critical discussions, screenings,<br />readings, and research of contemporary cultural production in new media<br />should be integrated into syllabus. Class enrollment is approximately<br />6-12, sophomore through senior level with an occasional graduate student.<br /><br />Please send the following via email only (send no hard copy) to<br /><gort@hartford.edu><br />Gene Gort, Associate Professor, Media Arts, Hartford Art School:<br /><br />1) SHORT letter of intent (1 page max)<br />2) CV<br />3) Proposed course outlines including 15 week semester schedule,<br />reading/screening list, detailed project descriptions. NOTE: Project<br />descriptions will be reviewed closely.<br /><br />4) Include websites for work and projects online if available.<br />5) Names, professional titles and email addresses of 3 references.<br /><br />Applications accepted until position is filled. Stipend is per course and<br />competitive, consistent with level of teaching experience. There are no<br />benefits and no committee work associated with this position. There is a<br />part-time department technician available for limited technical support.<br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />Support Rhizome: buy a hosting plan from BroadSpire<br /><br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://rhizome.org/hosting/">http://rhizome.org/hosting/</a><br /><br />Reliable, robust hosting plans from $65 per year.<br /><br />Purchasing hosting from BroadSpire contributes directly to Rhizome's<br />fiscal well-being, so think about about the new Bundle pack, or any other<br />plan, today!<br /><br />About BroadSpire<br /><br />BroadSpire is a mid-size commercial web hosting provider. After conducting<br />a thorough review of the web hosting industry, we selected BroadSpire as<br />our partner because they offer the right combination of affordable plans<br />(prices start at $14.95 per month), dependable customer support, and a<br />full range of services. We have been working with BroadSpire since June<br />2002, and have been very impressed with the quality of their service.<br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />4.<br /><br />From: Tiff Holmes <tholme@artic.edu><br />Date: May 25, 2006<br />Subject: Part-time instructors needed at SAIC-Chicago<br /><br />Several part-time instructors are needed for a special freshman course<br />called SAIC Wired at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. SAIC<br />Wired is a new curricular offering that is designed to orient freshman to<br />web research and publishing through their brand-new laptops.<br /><br />Basic computing skills, basic HTML/Dreamweaver/FTP skills, and<br />intermediate imaging skills are required. An positive attitude toward<br />helping beginners become comfortable with software protocols and operating<br />systems, as well as software art is key. An appreciation of open source<br />software initiatives is also strongly encouraged.<br /><br />If interested please send a letter of interest (email is fine) detailing<br />your skills and teaching experience. Please also include a CV with<br />contact information and June availability for interviews.<br /><br />Direct all inquiries to:<br /><br />Tiffany Holmes, Associate Professor<br />Chair, Department of Art and Technology<br />The School of the Art Institute of Chicago<br />112 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago IL 60603<br />tholme (at) artic (dot) edu<br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />5.<br /><br />From: Leonardo/ISAST <isast@leonardo.info><br />Date: May 19, 2006<br />Subject: The Pacific Rim New Media Summit + Special Issue of Leonardo<br /><br />ANNOUNCING<br /><br />The Pacific Rim New Media Summit<br />A Pre-Symposium to ISEA2006<br />7–8 August 2006, San Jose, California<br />Co-sponsored by CADRE Laboratory for New Media and Leonardo/ISAST<br /><br />Plus<br /><br />Special Issue of Leonardo<br />Leonardo Vol. 39, No. 4 (August 2006)<br />Pacific Rim New Media Summit Companion<br />The Pacific Rim New Media Summit<br /><br />How are information technology and creativity shaping new directions in<br />the arts and sciences around the Pacific Rim? What challenges face<br />organizations and individuals in the region who are working in the fields<br />of architecture, design, literature, theater, music? How do the puzzle<br />pieces of academic research and information technology-based industry fit<br />into this picture?<br /><br />The political and economic space of the Pacific Rim represents a dynamic<br />context for innovation and creativity. Experimentation in the many<br />disciplines that encompass art, science, and technology is resulting in<br />the emergence of new forms of cultural production and experience unique to<br />the region. The complex relations and diversity of Pacific Rim nations are<br />exemplified as well throughout the hybridized communities that comprise<br />Silicon Valley.<br /><br />The Pacific Rim New Media Summit will be a gathering of organizations and<br />representatives from the Pacific Rim and Asia to look at the complex<br />relations and diversity of Pacific Rim nations and to focus on the<br />development of partnerships in order to address the multiple challenges<br />faced throughout the region as it develops its arts and sciences networks<br />in tandem with its increasing economic influence. This trans-disciplinary<br />event will have a specific focus on educational methodologies and<br />practices.<br /><br />The summit is organized into seven working groups according to the<br />following topic areas:<br /><br />* Distributed Curatorial (Chair: Steve Dietz)<br />* Education (Co-Chairs: Rob van Kranenburg, Gustaff H. Iskandar and Fatima<br />Lasay)<br />* Place, Ground and Practice (Chair: Danny Butt)<br />* Urbanity and Locative Media (Chair: Soh-Yeong Roh)<br />* Latin America/Pacific-Asia New Media Initiatives (Chair: Jose-Carlos<br />Mariategui)<br />* Piracy and the Pacific (Chair: Steve Cisler)<br />* The Invisible Dynamics of the Pacific Rim and the Bay Area (Co-Chairs:<br />Susan Schwartzenberg and Peter Richards)<br /><br />Summit objectives include exploration of innovative models for cooperation<br />among institutions, development of interaction strategies with technology<br />corporations, investigation of radical responses to emergent cultural<br />issues and conditions, engagement with Diaspora communities, and the<br />establishment of an on-going Pacific Rim Network of New Media Educational<br />Institutions.<br /><br />Special issue of Leonardo (Vol. 39, No. 4)<br /><br />A special issue of Leonardo will be devoted to the work of the seven<br />Pacific Rim working groups, featuring new media educational programs and<br />artists from the Pacific-Asia region. The print issue of the journal, due<br />to be released in conjunction with the symposium, will include statements<br />by artists as well as articles by cultural theorists looking at issues<br />germane to the seven working group topics, plus introductory texts by the<br />working group chairs.<br /><br />Some of the topics covered in the issue include:<br /><br />- Surfing the Outernet: Where net art presented the medium of the<br />Internet, locative art brings to the fore those of mobile and wireless<br />systems. Drew Hemment unfolds a taxonomy of locative-art approaches to the<br />gap between the perfect grid and the reality of the mapped world.<br /><br />- Cyber-Mythologies and Portraits of Dispossession: Rachel O'Reilly<br />examines how Asian and Pacific understandings of place in recent work by<br />Vernon Ah Kee, Lisa Reihana and Qiu Zhijie expand the frames of<br />contemporary locative art.<br /><br />- Cartographies of the future: Annie Lambla discusses the San Francisco<br />Exploratorium's Invisible Dynamics project, which considers the museum's<br />relocation from a perspective integrating art, science and geographic<br />context.<br /><br />- Culture, uncontained: Commerce, communication and technology intertwine<br />in the works of the Pacific Rim New Media Summit exhibition Container<br />Culture. Artists from Mumbai to Vancouver use the medium and metaphor of<br />shipping containers to explore regional and global complexities.<br /><br />For more information about the summit and special issue of Leonardo,<br />please visit:<br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://leonardo.info/isast/isast_activities/pacificrim_newmedia.html">http://leonardo.info/isast/isast_activities/pacificrim_newmedia.html</a><br /><br />ISEA 2006 and ZeroOne San Jose<br /><br />The 13th International Symposium on Electronic Arts will be held in San<br />Jose, CA, August 7-13, 2006 in conjunction with the inaugural biennial<br />ZeroOne San Jose: A Global Festival of Art on the Edge. Three summits will<br />be held Monday August 7th and Tuesday August 8th prior to the main ISEA<br />2006 Symposium: the Global Forum on Economic and Cultural Development, the<br />Pacific Rim New Media Summit and the Interactive City Summit. Information<br />about all of the events and symposiums can be found on the official ISEA<br />2006 website: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://01sj.org">http://01sj.org</a>.<br /><br />FREE COPY of Leonardo 39:4 will be distributed to every Early Bird<br />registrant of the ISEA conference (through June 15th). Visit<br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://01sj.org">http://01sj.org</a> to register.<br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />Rhizome Exhibitions<br /><br />The GIF Show, open May 3-June 3, at San Francisco's Rx Gallery, takes the<br />pulse of what some net surfers have dubbed ?GIF Luv,? a recent frenzy of<br />file-sharing and creative muscle-flexing associated with GIFs (Graphic<br />Interchange Format files). Curated by Rhizome Editor & Curator at Large,<br />Marisa Olson, the show presents GIFs and GIF-based videos, prints,<br />readymades, and sculptures by Cory Arcangel, Peter Baldes, Michael<br />Bell-Smith, Jimpunk, Olia Lialina, Abe Linkoln, Guthrie Lonergan, Lovid,<br />Tom Moody, Paper Rad, Paul Slocum, and Matt Smear (aka 893). GIFs have a<br />rich cultural life on the internet and each bears specific stylistic<br />markers. From Myspace graphics to advertising images to porn banners, and<br />beyond, GIFs overcome resolution and bandwidth challenges in their<br />pervasive population of the net. Animated GIFs, in particular, have<br />evolved from a largely cinematic, cell-based form of art practice, and<br />have more recently been incorporated in music videos and employed as<br />stimulating narrative devices on blogs. From the flashy to the minimal,<br />the sonic to the silent, the artists in The GIF Show demonstrate the<br />diversity of forms to be found in GIFs, and many of them comment on the<br />broader social life of these image files.<br /><br />Become MySpace friends with the exhibit!<br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.myspace.com/gifshow">http://www.myspace.com/gifshow</a><br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />6.<br /><br />From: ela.kagel@iconclub.de <ela.kagel@iconclub.de><br />Date: May 21, 2006<br />Subject: web conference on curating netart<br /><br />The challenges of curating net art - an international web conference<br />This web conference is presented within the framework of the local<br />Upgrade!-meeting in Sofia and is hosted by the Mobile Studios project<br />(www.mobile-studios.org) and Eyebeam (www.eyebeam.org) in New York.<br />A panel of international artists and curators is meeting up virtually to<br />discuss various aspects of the mediation, curation and funding of net art.<br /><br />Hosts:<br />Ela Kagel, digital media producer and co-initiator of Mobile Studios,<br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mobile-studios.org">http://www.mobile-studios.org</a><br />Ursula Endlicher, NY-based media artist & initiator of the round table in<br />New York, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ursenal.net">http://www.ursenal.net</a><br /><br />Participants in Sofia/ Bulgaria:<br />Susa Pop, initiator of Mobile Studios<br />Galia Dimtrova, curator at InterSpace Sofia (www.i-space.org)<br />Petko Dourmana, director of InterSpace Sofia<br />Kyd Campbell, initiator of the Upgrade! Sofia (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://theupgrade.net/">http://theupgrade.net/</a>)<br /><br />Participants in NY/ USA:<br />Yael Kanarek, media artist & initiator of the Upgrade! NY<br />(<a rel="nofollow" href="http://theupgrade.net/">http://theupgrade.net/</a>)<br />Liz Slagus, director of education at Eyebeam NY (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.eyebeam.org">http://www.eyebeam.org</a>)<br />Michele Thursz, independant curator from NY, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.michelethursz.com">http://www.michelethursz.com</a><br />Lauren Cornell, director of Rhizome.org (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.rhizome.org">http://www.rhizome.org</a>)<br />Anne Barlow, curator of the New Museum NY (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://newmuseum.org/">http://newmuseum.org/</a>)<br /><br />Participants in Boston/ USA:<br />JoAnne Green, director of turbulence.org (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.turbulence.org">http://www.turbulence.org</a>)<br />Helen Thorington, co-director and founder of turbulence.org<br /><br />A live stream of this event will be available at<br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mobile-studios.org">http://www.mobile-studios.org</a><br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />Rhizome.org 2005-2006 Net Art Commissions<br /><br />The Rhizome Commissioning Program makes financial support available to<br />artists for the creation of innovative new media art work via<br />panel-awarded commissions.<br /><br />For the 2005-2006 Rhizome Commissions, eleven artists/groups were selected<br />to create original works of net art.<br /><br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://rhizome.org/commissions/">http://rhizome.org/commissions/</a><br /><br />The Rhizome Commissions Program is made possible by support from the<br />Jerome Foundation in celebration of the Jerome Hill Centennial, the<br />Greenwall Foundation, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and<br />the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional support has<br />been provided by members of the Rhizome community.<br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />7.<br /><br />From: Luis Silva <silva.luis@netcabo.pt><br />Date: May 22, 2006<br />Subject: Upgrade! Lisbon w/ Sofia Oliveira<br /><br />Lisboa 20 Arte Contemporânea welcomes next Wednesday, May 24th @19:30, The<br />Upgrade! Lisbon monthly gathering featuring Sofia Oliveira, executive<br />coordinator of Atmosferas - Digital Arts Center. The entrance is free and<br />drinks will be served.<br /><br />Sofia Oliveira will present Atmosferas as well as the winners of the 2005<br />edition of the Atmosferas Ideas Contest:<br /><br />Skechter by Gonçalo Tavares<br />an extension to the Firefox browser<br /><br />Re-cordis by Tiago Pedroso<br />a project about memory, based on text and image<br /><br />See-Music by Maria da Gandra<br />a project exploring the relations between sound and image, through the<br />creation of several systems for sound visualizing<br /><br />Sofia Oliveira's work within Atmosferas has been one of developing a<br />platform for creation and reflection about the experimental aspect of new<br />technologies, by directly supporting artists, producing workshops,<br />starting an Ideas contest and putting up a tv show about the digital arts<br />in Portugal.<br /><br />She has also curated the online projects Gas and Memória and is developing<br />a work and reflection platform dedicated to Processing, both a community<br />and language for generative visual programming.<br />Upgrade! is an international, emerging network of autonomous nodes united<br />by art and technology. Its decentralized, non-hierarchical structure<br />ensures that each Upgrade! node (i) operates according to local interests<br />and their available resources; and (ii) reflects current creative<br />engagement with cutting edge technologies. While individual nodes present<br />new media projects, engage in informal critique, and foster dialogue and<br />collaboration between individual artists, Upgrade! International functions<br />as an online, global network that gathers annually in different cities to<br />meet one another, showcase local art, and work on the agenda for the<br />following year. Upgrade! Lisbon is curated by Luís Silva<br /><br />For more information or project submission, please go to <br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.lisboa20.pt/upgrade">http://www.lisboa20.pt/upgrade</a> or <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theupgrade.net/">http://www.theupgrade.net/</a> .<br /><br />Luís Silva<br />The Upgrade! Lisbon<br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://theupgrade.net">http://theupgrade.net</a> <<a rel="nofollow" href="http://theupgrade.net/">http://theupgrade.net/</a>><br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.lisboa20.pt/upgrade">http://www.lisboa20.pt/upgrade</a> <<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.lisboa20.pt/upgrade">http://www.lisboa20.pt/upgrade</a>><br />silva.luis@netcabo.pt <<a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:silva.luis@netcabo.pt">mailto:silva.luis@netcabo.pt</a>><br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />8.<br /><br />From: Lauren Cornell <laurencornell@rhizome.org><br />Date: May 23, 2006<br />Subject: FW: GIVING PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT - Glassbox, Paris<br /><br />New exhibition by London-based curator Hanne Mugaas<br /><br />—— Forwarded Message<br />From: "hanne mugaas" <hanne.mugaas@gmail.com><br />Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 16:58:11 +0100<br />To: hanne.mugaas@gmail.com<br />Subject: GIVING PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT - Glassbox, Paris<br /><br />GIVING PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT - GLASSBOX, PARIS<br />Curated by Hanne Mugaas and Ida Ekblad<br /><br />**************************************************************************<br />Takeshi Murata | Cory Arcangel | Marius Engh | Fredrik Soderberg |<br />Michael Bell-Smith | Anders Nordby | Paper Rad | Ida Ekblad |<br />Fayçal Baghriche | Jonas Ohlsson | Lars Laumann | Jean-Paul Newman |<br />Lina Viste Groenli | Are Mokkelbost | Daniel Jensen | Matthieu Clainchard |<br /><br />**************************************************************************<br />May 25th 2006 - from 18.00<br />The project is a commission by The Comissariat<br /><br />**************************************************************************<br /><br />*Question notions of the object, of authorship and distribution*<br /><br />*To arrange and rearrange information is to personally or administratively<br />produce or document history*<br /><br />Either using real documents, close copies or absolute fakes, information<br />exist to create meaning and commentary inside or beyond context. Truth and<br />evidence may be questioned, but the information is still there. We have<br />entered a culture of choice, emphasizing the importance of availability;<br />how to choose, arrange and use. Distribute. Being an expert means to be<br />confident there is always an easier way to do it, that there is always a<br />more direct confrontation with reality which might yield an interesting<br />spin-off, that there is always the possibility of an incalculable effect,<br />which might turn everything upside down.<br /><br />************************************************************************<br />GLASSBOX<br /><br />113bis, rue Oberkampf Paris 11ème · M° Parmentier/Ménilmontant<br />t 01 43 38 02 82 · glassbox@free.fr<br />ouvert du vendredi au dimanche de 15h à 19h<br /><br />Glassbox bénéficie du soutien du Ministère de la Culture<br />(Drac Ile-de-France), le Café Charbon, le Nouveau Casino<br />et l'Espace Paul Ricard.<br /><br />le commissariat : 13 passage Sainte Anne Popincourt. paris 11ème<br />www.lecommissariat.org<br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />9.<br /><br />From: Pau Waelder <pau@sicplacitum.com><br />Date: May 23, 2006<br />Subject: PRIX ARS ELECTRONICA 2006: The Results<br /><br />Comprehensive Press Release for Download (pdf/795kb):<br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.aec.at/documents/presse_prixars06_EN.pdf">http://www.aec.at/documents/presse_prixars06_EN.pdf</a><br />Photographs for Download (6 pictures/jpg/300dpi): www.aec.at/presskit<br /><br />PRIX ARS ELECTRONICA 2006: The Results<br /><br />3,177 entries from 71 countries-the Prix Ars Electronica attracted a<br />record number of submissions once again this year. A total of ?117,500 in<br />prize money is being awarded to the winners.<br /><br />Linz, May 23, 2006 (Ars Electronica). The Prix Ars Electronica, a<br />trailblazer in the cyberarts since 1987, is organized by the Ars<br />Electronica Center in cooperation with the ORF - Austrian Broadcasting<br />Company's Upper Austria Regional Studio, the Brucknerhaus and the O.K<br />Center for Contemporary Art. Four of its competitive categories - Computer<br />Animation / Visual Effects, Digital Musics, Interactive Art and Net Vision<br />- focus on digital media design. The introduction of the Digital<br />Communities category in 2004 is emblematic of Prix Ars Electronica`s<br />intensified confrontation with the impact art and technology are having on<br />social developments. The u19 - freestyle computing category for youngsters<br />and [the next idea] grant for up-and-coming artists showcase approaches to<br />new media being taken by promising young creatives.<br /><br />The number of countries represented is indicative of the Prix`s<br />international importance. In addition to the major industrialized nations<br />of the West, Ars Electronica`s activities are also having an impact in<br />smaller countries in distant regions of the globe. Submissions from such<br />diverse places as Azerbaijan, Thailand, Nigeria and Brazil underscore the<br />Prix Ars Electronica´s intercultural reach.<br /><br />A large contingent of experts from all over the world convened in Linz<br />April 27-30, 2006. In a series of intensive sessions, seven juries of<br />specialists evaluated a total of 3,177 projects. The verdicts were<br />finalized on April 30, when the juries named the winners of six Golden<br />Nicas, 12 Awards of Distinction and 73 Honorary Mentions. Two merchandise<br />prizes are being awarded in the u19 - freestyle computing category: one to<br />entrants up to age 10 and one to those 15 and under.<br /><br />Once again, the prizewinning projects do justice to Prix Ars Electronica's<br />role as a barometer of current trends in the international media art<br />scene.<br /><br />2006 Prix Ars Electronica: Trends<br /><br />When asked about general trends evident among the submissions to the 2006<br />Prix Ars Electronica, the competition`s artistic co-directors mentioned<br />first and foremost that this year's entries were indicative of more<br />intensive involvement in social and political issues on the part of media<br />artists.<br /><br />"The dream of utilizing digital technologies to make human societies more<br />democratic and more just has generally given way to the reality of<br />ever-more-pervasive commercialization, but media artists are holding out<br />against this development. They question conventional ways of looking at<br />things and are coming up with creative ideas to strengthen individuality,"<br />said Ars Electronica Artistic Director Gerfried Stocker.<br /><br />"Something that has been of great concern to artists since time immemorial<br />is thus being expressed in a creative new way by means of digital media,<br />and this trend has further intensified this year," according to Christine<br />Schöpf, artistic co-director of the Prix Ars Electronica. In a public<br />sphere that has been radically changed by new media in recent years, new<br />technologies are thus becoming liberating means of expression beyond the<br />realm in which shoppers and brand managers have their say.<br /><br />2006 Prix Ars Electronica: Winners of the Golden Nicas<br /><br />A total of six Golden Nicas are being awarded. The winning projects attest<br />to the Prix Ars Electronica's high-profile role as seismograph of global<br />media culture.<br /><br />A very short film entitled "458nm" is the winner in the Computer Animation<br />/ Visual Effects<br />category. This is a simple but very remarkable story with a surprising<br />twist by Ilija Brunck, Tom Weber and Jan Blitzer from the Film Academy of<br />Baden Württemberg. Their superb direction, excellent use of filmmaking<br />techniques and ingenious dramaturgy captivated the jury.<br /><br />The Golden Nica in the Digital Musics category goes to sound pioneer<br />Eliane Radigue for a<br />contemplative piece entitled "L'îIe re-sonante."<br /><br />The winning project in the Interactive Art category, Paul DeMarinis'<br />installation "The Messenger," takes telegraphy as its point of departure<br />for an examination of the interrelationship of electricity and democracy.<br />"The Messenger" deals with how electronic communications technologies, in<br />addition to enriching our lives and experiences, also contribute to our<br />loneliness and isolation.<br /><br />"The Road Movie" by the Japanese artists group exonemo takes the Golden<br />Nica in the Net Vision category. This project plays on the tradition of<br />origami, the Japanese art of folding paper to form objects, and, by<br />masterfully and nimbly merging it with the road movie genre, creates a Web<br />project of a very special sort.<br /><br />canal*ACCESSIBLE, winner in the Digital Communities category, is an<br />ambitious project that combines new, generally available mobile technology<br />with digital photography and places them at the service of individuals<br />confined to wheelchairs as a way of enabling the handicapped to help<br />themselves.<br /><br />canal*ACCESSIBLE is an example of how modern technologies can contribute<br />to strengthening and empowering socially disadvantaged segments of the<br />population.<br />The winning project in the u19 - freestyle computing competition for young<br />people is "Abenteuer - Arbeitsweg," an animated film by Alexander<br />Niederklapfer, David & Magdalena Wurm and Ehrentraud Hager, Linz<br />youngsters age 13 to 15. It offers excitement and suspense, a wide array<br />of optical effects and excellent pacing. The jury was also extremely<br />impressed by the public relations work that accompanied the project, which<br />featured a highly polished website including a trailer and a news service.<br /><br />The jury awarded [the next idea] grant for up-and-coming creatives under<br />27 to Himanshu Khatri, a 23-year-old artist from India. "Aquaplay," an<br />ambitious application for displays, is based on air bubbles rising through<br />a special fluid. This concept constitutes a completely novel idea and a<br />dramatic contrast to pixel graphics.<br /><br />Support from the Private and Public Sectors<br /><br />The Ars Electronica Festival and the Prix Ars Electronica are financed by<br />private-sector sponsors and subsidies from the public sector. Ars<br />Electronica is especially grateful to our lead sponsors, Telekom Austria<br />and voestalpine. The Prix Ars Electronica is also supported by the City of<br />Linz, the Province of Upper Austria and the Austrian Federal Chancellery /<br />Art Section. Ars Electronica also wishes to thank KulturKontakt Austria,<br />Casino Linz, Pöstlingbergschlössl, Sony DADC, Spring Global Mail and Linz<br />AG.<br /><br />The Prix Ars Electronica Gala: Highlight of the Ars Electronica Festival<br /><br />The Prix Ars Electronica awards ceremony, a joint production of the Ars<br />Electronica Center and the ORF - Austrian Broadcasting Company's Upper<br />Austria Regional Studio, is held during the Ars Electronica Festival in<br />Linz's Brucknerhaus. The prizewinning works will go on display at the O.K<br />Center for Contemporary Art. This exhibition entitled CyberArts 2006 thus<br />offers a detailed and comprehensive look at current developments in the<br />digital arts. The prizewinners will discuss their works at the two-day<br />Prix Artist Forums.<br /><br />During the Festival, Ars Electronica will premiere a special u19 -<br />freestyle computing exhibit that will run in the Museum of the Future<br />until March 2007.<br /><br />At the Ars Electronica Festival, Hatje Cantz Verlag will release a media<br />package documenting the Prix competition. "CyberArts 2006" will consist of<br />a comprehensive catalog, a DVD and a CD.<br /><br />Organizers<br /><br />The Ars Electronica Festival and the Prix Ars Electronica competition are<br />produced by the Ars Electronica Center, the ORF - Austrian Broadcasting<br />Company's Upper Austria Regional Studio, the Brucknerhaus Linz and the O.K<br />Center for Contemporary Art.<br /><br />Cooperating partners are the Linz University of Art, the Lentos Museum of<br />Art, Architecture Forum Upper Austria and Posthof Linz.<br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />10.<br /><br />From: Greg Smith <smith@serialconsign.com><br />Date: May 24, 2006<br />Subject: mutek / may 30th - june 4th / montreal.canada<br /><br />THE 7TH EDITION OF MUTEK :<br />5 DAYS THAT WILL EXCITE MONTREAL<br /><br />Press Release<br /><br />Montreal, Tuesday, April 25, 2006 ? From May 31 to June 4 this year, the<br />MUTEK Festival grabs hold of Montreal and ushers in the summer festival<br />season by shaking up the city for its 7th consecutive year. Gathering more<br />than 70 local and international artists, the programming for MUTEK 2006?as<br />always?boasts several headliners and overflows with new discoveries. With<br />approximately 40 performances divided over 10 programs, along with its<br />peripheral program (including panels, workshops and other diverse<br />activities), the Festival is shaping up to be genuine whirlwind of sound,<br />music and audiovisual creation where every event will reveal its own brand<br />of awe-inspiring creativity. Let yourself be transported by this maelstrom<br />of digital culture, making Montreal the epicenter of the world electronic<br />scene for 5 full days and nights.<br /><br />Well-established in the heart of Montreal, MUTEK prides itself on<br />dutifully responding to the expectations of Montrealers as well as the<br />tourists visiting the city during the Festival. As such, MUTEK mobilizes<br />no less than six venues this year: Ex-Centris, the Society for Arts and<br />Technology (SAT), the Fonderie Darling, Metropolis, the Monument National<br />and Parc Jean-Drapeau. The 7th edition of MUTEK offers a captivating<br />itinerary, ideal for anyone seeking new experiences in and around<br />Montreal.<br /><br />Ex-Centris: games and organic elements steal the show! In continuing the<br />tradition spanning the last 7 years, the MUTEK festivities kick off at<br />Ex-Centris on May 31st. A truly inspiring environment, the Cassavetes<br />theater welcomes the A/VISIONS 1 program born out of playful<br />progressivism, with: Pierre Bastien (France) and his automated mechanical<br />orchestra; the advance-premiere of the Cubing performance by Montreal<br />collective Artificiel, who rely on Rubik?s cubes to explore the infinite<br />relations between color and sound; the collective Sensors_Sonics_Sights<br />(France) reuniting artists Cécile Babiole, Laurent Dailleau and Atau<br />Tanaka in a sound/image performance based on harnessing the power of<br />movement, where the trio?s members maintain a real-time conversation<br />around which they modulate the flux of sound and light thanks to original<br />usages of sensor receptors.<br /><br />Continuously involved with bringing you the evolution of form and<br />function, MUTEK presents the A/VISIONS 2 program on June 1st. Uniting<br />experienced artists whose different sensibilities combine to explore the<br />intimate relationship possibilities between image and sound, the evening<br />features the following line-up: Ryoichi Kurokawa (Japan), who treats image<br />and sound as a single entity and composes complex and detailed time based<br />sculptures; Marc Leclair and Gabriel Coutu-Dumont (Canada) with their<br />project 5mm, based on Marc Leclair?s (Akufen?s) album Musique pour 3<br />femmes enceintes, a performance that reveals a new side to the album as<br />layers of sound and images are reworked into the original soundtrack;<br />Simon Pyke (Britain), also presenting an audiovisual permutation of his<br />Freeform project, based on recent work with his brother Matt, who was<br />previously associated with the prestigious collective of graphic artists,<br />The Designers Republic.<br /><br />The Society of Arts and Technology: at the heart of the action The 7th<br />edition marks a return to the Society of Arts and Technology (SAT) for<br />MUTEK. Wednesday, May 31st, SAT welcomes the first program in the MUTEK<br />NOCTURNE series, debuting in high regard with a new generation of artists:<br />younger brother of the talented Mathew Jonson, Hrdvsion AKA Nathan Jonson<br />(Canada) is considered the little genie of electro. He?s preparing an<br />exclusive new set for the MUTEK public that will linger on the<br />deconstruction of sounds by diverting them away from their primary<br />function. Next up, operating under the banner of the legendary British<br />label Warp is Jackson and his Computer Band (France), who proposes a<br />sophisticated and enigmatic electro demonstration. Then, a young artist<br />inundated with critical praise in Europe: Chris Clark (Britain), who?s<br />already mastered the art of creating strong imagery with his music. He<br />thrives on creating tension then relieving the pressure with strangely<br />soothing melodies… Your ears have been warned!<br /><br />Thursday, May 31st, the NOCTURNE 2 program is painted with eclecticism,<br />variety and electricity. Three artists/groups, preceded by reputations of<br />the most enviable kind, will be united on the same frenzied bill. From<br />dub to electro-pop, from electronic to hip-hop, with elements of ragga and<br />tribal mixed in, the evening promises a veritable slalom among different<br />styles. Taking part will be Eliot Lipp (USA), 1-Speed Bike (Canada) and<br />Modeselektor (Germany). Indeed, surprises are guaranteed!<br /><br />SAT also welcomes the INTER_ACT 1 and 2 programs, presented free of charge<br />during the ?5 à 7? periods on June 1st and 2nd. Canadian artists from<br />different backgrounds, experienced or new to the musical scene are invited<br />to collaborate and initiate creative/diffusionary works on site. The<br />line-up: Chris Bryan vs. Jamie Drouin; Piers Whyte vs. Scant Intone;<br />Dreamcatcher vs. Endos; Jonathan Parant vs. Subtle Movements; Gyges vs.<br />VROMB; Kolumkilli vs. Aidan Baker; Martin Tétreault vs. Ringo Starr. Other<br />similar activities will be added to the weekend calendar at SAT and will<br />be announced soon.<br /><br /> The Fonderie Darling: bridging the gap between Berlin and Montreal! The<br />new home to MUTEK throughout the year (the Festival offices are now up<br />and running), the Fonderie Darling welcomes festivalgoers to its venue<br />for the first time on Friday, June 2nd and on Sunday, June 4th for two<br />nights that are already shaping up to quite memorable. To usher in the<br />weekend, Friday?s NOCTURNE 3 program offers an immersion of warmth and<br />lightness within minimalist territory. Its artists practice relative<br />discreetness to more adequately channel the fluid and evocative nature of<br />their music, in a quest for a rapport and efficiency without comparison.<br />In action will be: Steve Beaupré (Canada) whose performance will<br />encompass his inimitable relaxed, yet restless style in blending funk<br />sounds with house and techno, while also underscoring the release of his<br />new album for the MUTEK_REC label; the young Spanish prodigy Alex Under,<br />one of the European producers of the moment, performing his personal<br />recipe of contrasting different micro-sounds from various techno streams<br />including deep, minimal and house; and, in the spirit of a collaboration<br />with Berlin?s Club TransMediale?s ?Festival for Adventurous Music and<br />Related Visual Arts?, three German artists: Lawrence, Guido Schneider and<br />Dimbiman.<br /><br />Capping off the festival in style on Sunday, June 4th, the finale of the<br />NOCTURNE series, NOCTURNE 5, provides a display forum for Berlin-based<br />label SCAPE. Included is a world premiere of a live, group-backed<br />presentation of the recently released album for SCAPE by Mike Shannon<br />(Canada). Also on the menu: a performance by German artist Pole (founder<br />of SCAPE) who will be unveiling the North American premiere of his new<br />project with musicians Zeitblom (Bass) and Hanno Leichtmenn (drums); plus,<br />performances by Jan Jelinek (Germany) and Deadbeat (Canada),<br />unquestionably two flagship SCAPE artists highly respected in their<br />ability to astonish in a live setting.<br /><br />Parc Jean-Drapeau: 2 Piknics to celebrate the first Festival of the<br />summer! In light of the successful results of their collaboration the last<br />2 years, MUTEK and Piknic Electronik have chosen to combine their<br />expertise once again to exceptionally offer 2 MUTEK/PIKNIC programs this<br />year. Combining conviviality and outdoor listening pleasure under the<br />Calder Stabile in the beautiful Parc Jean-Drapeau, the afternoon Piknics<br />foster a friendly and family-oriented atmosphere where you can enjoy the<br />weather, an impressive city view and quality electronic music.<br /><br />Saturday afternoon will see artists Sonja Moonear (Switzerland), Audio<br />Werner (Germany), Henrik Schwarz (Germany), Guillaume Coutu-Dumont<br />(Canada) and Dandy Jack (Chile) provide a varied rhythmic soundscape for a<br />warm and easy atmosphere…What better way to lead up to the intensity of<br />the Metropolis event later that evening!<br /><br />For the following afternoon, the synergy of MUTEK/PIKNIC shines bright by<br />offering festivalgoers the final North American tour stop for Minus<br />label?s min2MAX, led by Richie Hawtin. With accompanying performances by<br />Troy Pierce, Marc Houle and Magda, the afternoon promises to be a dynamic<br />one full of improvisations and more than likely a surprise or two…<br /><br />These two programs will jointly inject a breathe of fresh air into the<br />weekend festivities, Saturday and Sunday, June 3rd and 4th! In case of<br />rain, the programs will be relocated at the Fonderie Darling.<br /><br />Metropolis: the main evening-event keeps its promises… Over 7 years, the<br />Metropolis event has become an undeniable peak of the Festival. This year,<br />it?s with a supercharged ambience and an eclectic program that the<br />evening-happening (NOCTURNE 4) unfolds on Saturday, June 3rd. Accordingly,<br />there will be ample opportunity to be amazed by the original, striking<br />performances by caustic French duo Nôze, who harmoniously blend electronic<br />and acoustic, and by quintet Los Hermanos (USA), with their reworking of<br />salsa/techno drawn from the repertoire of mythical Detroit record label<br />Underground Resistance. The night will also serve as an occasion for the<br />public to witness a return to Montreal (after a 5-year absence) of one the<br />Festival?s favourite artists: Thomas Brinkman (Germany). Montreal producer<br />Mossa (Canada) will also take part in the procession?a crowning moment for<br />the artist who?s just released a remarkable new record on French label<br />Circus Company. Among these four presentations, the night will definitely<br />contain some surprises for the privileged crowd gathered at Metropolis on<br />that special evening…<br /><br /> Monument National: new experimental space for exploration The<br />Hydro-Quebec room at Monument National is where MUTEK will welcome<br />Montreal duo Skoltz_Kolgen for a third consecutive appearance, following<br />their Fluüx:/Terminal (2004) and Askaa (2005) projects. The duo, which<br />needs no introduction, has obtained a carte blanche from the Festival for<br />the installation of its EPIDERM v.2 project. Logically following EPIDERM,<br />successfully presented at Usine C in the summer of 2004, EPIDERM v.2 aims<br />to explore the world of the infinitely small, from the skin?s surface to<br />atomic particles. An innovative observational experiment for and with the<br />public, it proposes an immersive experience through participation by<br />lying on your back to interpret its visuals. A unique opportunity for the<br />spectator to witness the metamorphic reaction between media arts and<br />science!<br /><br />Monument National will also play host to the MUTEK_INTERSECTION series:<br />three days of panels and workshops contemplating various issues relating<br />to the further development of electronic music. With keynote speakers from<br />here and abroad, the platform for exchange proves more successful each<br />year, proving that MUTEK_INTERSECTION is a forum not to be missed by any<br />artists involved in the genre.<br /><br /> From May 31st to June 4th, Montreal will witness full-force a multitude<br />of what the international electronic music scene has to offer. This 7th<br />edition of MUTEK will be presented at Ex-Centris, Fonderie Darling, the<br />Society for Arts and Technologies (SAT), Metropolis, Monument National<br />and Parc Jean-Drapeau.<br /><br />This edition is made possible thanks to the generous support from all our<br />collaborators. MUTEK warmly thanks Ex-Centris, its principle partner,<br />incubator of the event and collaborator since its creation. MUTEK equally<br />thanks its major partners: le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec,<br />le Ministère des Affaires municipales et des Régions, Musicaction, the<br />Ministry of Canadian Heritage, Emploi-Québec, le Conseil des arts de<br />Montréal, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Canada, Tourisme Montréal, the<br />Arts Council of Canada, the city of Montréal, Flasher, Bandeapart.fm, VIA<br />Rail Canada, Flavorpill-Earplug, Ici Montréal and the Montreal Mirror.<br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />11.<br /><br />From: info <info@furtherfield.org><br />Date: May 25, 2006<br />Subject: Urban Eyes at HTTP Gallery.<br /><br />HTTP [House of Technologically Termed Praxis] presents<br />Urban Eyes<br />by Marcus Kirsch and Jussi Angesleva<br /><br />Private View: 1st June 2006 7-9pm<br />Exhibition: 1st June - 9th July 2006<br />Friday- Sunday: 12noon-5pm<br /><br />HTTP Gallery is pleased to present Urban Eyes, an intermedia project by<br />Marcus Kirsch and Jussi Angesleva. Urban Eyes uses wireless technology,<br />birdseeds and city pigeons to reconnect urban dwellers with their<br />surroundings.<br /><br />The Urban Eyes feeding-platform stands in one of London's public spaces.<br />By landing on the platform, pigeons tagged with RFID chips send aerial<br />photographs of their locality to surrounding Bluetooth-enabled devices. In<br />this work pigeons become maverick messengers in the information<br />super-highway, fusing feral and digital networks. HTTP Gallery provides an<br />interface to the project, mixing live and documentary footage and offering<br />visitors an opportunity to experiment with Bluetooth.<br /><br />Being one of the last remaining signs of nature in a metropolis such as<br />London, the urban pigeon population represents a network of ever-changing<br />patterns more complex than anything ever produced by a machine. However<br />pigeons' movements are based on a one-mile radius around their nest. Any<br />pigeon you see everyday shares the same turf as you. Urban Eyes crosses<br />and expands human mobility patterns offering to reconnect you with your<br />neighbourhood.<br /><br />In the 1960s, situationists Debord and Jorn composed psycho-geographic<br />diagrams of Paris, which described navigational systems based on their<br />drift through the city. For this, they used Blondel la Rougery's Plan de<br />Paris a vol d'oiseau, a birds-eye map of Paris. Inspired by this<br />methodology, Urban Eyes enlists our feathered neighbours to establish a<br />connection between this view of the city as now distributed by Google<br />Earth and our terrestrial experience.<br /><br />For more information:<br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.http.uk.net/docs/exhib10/exhibitions10.htm">http://www.http.uk.net/docs/exhib10/exhibitions10.htm</a><br /><br />HTTP Gallery:<br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.http.uk.net">http://www.http.uk.net</a><br /><br />Furtherfield:<br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.Furtherfield.org">http://www.Furtherfield.org</a><br /><br />This project is supported by Arts Council England (London), V2 lab<br />(Rotterdam, Netherlands) and Furtherfield.org. Supported by Awards for<br />All.<br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />12.<br /><br />From: Eduardo Navas <eduardo@navasse.net><br />Date: May 23, 2006 9:04 AM<br />Subject: NMF: TEXT: The Return of the Author by Avi Rosen<br /><br />TEXT: The Return of the Author by Avi Rosen, Feb. 2006, English<br />translation ? Sonia Dantziger<br /><br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://newmediafix.net/daily/?p=557">http://newmediafix.net/daily/?p=557</a><br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://newmediafix.net">http://newmediafix.net</a><br /><br />This article can also be read at <a rel="nofollow" href="http://siglab.technion.ac.il/~avi">http://siglab.technion.ac.il/~avi</a><br />/mehaber/TheReturn.htm<br /><br />The article transposes the text of Roland Barthes? ?Death of the Author,? <br />(La Mort de L?auteur (1968, 1977, 2005), to the arena of happenings in<br />cyberspace, and examines the implications from the point of view of<br />author-reader-text, active in the electronic environment.<br /><br />?The Death of the Author? was written in a transition period between the<br />epoch of the written word and that of the electronic word. A transition<br />period is usually characterized by hybrid works, inspired by new ideas,<br />but realized by old means Gentner, D.R., & Grudin, J. (1996). The claim is<br />that over and above the use of the electronic medium for the needs of<br />creating, distribution, and the consumers of the text, a dramatic change<br />is effected in the whole, beyond the death of the author and the birth of<br />a new reader. Ozenfant (1952) gives an example of this process in his<br />description of a modern radio from the early decades of the last century.<br />It was installed in the pulpit of a Gothic-style made of carved wood, with<br />a heavy base, and at the top, a candlestick for a candle to illuminate the<br />reading book. The book rests on a support that contains the loudspeaker of<br />the radio. This ornate installation was an attempt to dignify new<br />technology and its message, by giving it a classical appearance, and by<br />adapting the manner of use to the old and familiar form. The pulpit<br />?vocalized? the text written in the book that lay above the pulpit,<br />instead of the reader standing in front of the illuminated book,<br />concentrating on reading the text.<br /><br />These reading conditions were essential for conveying the meaning of the<br />author?s immutable text to the reader in the Newtonian world of fixed<br />linear givens. This is actually an arrangement for conducting an<br />experiment as in a physical laboratory, where rigid environmental<br />conditions are enforced to ensure that measurement results bear out<br />previous suppositions. Indeed, the pulpit kept the fixed relationships<br />between the traditional author, the text, the reader, and the reading<br />conditions. A change in the components of the experiment, through<br />including the radio set, introduces a random variable, that must<br />undermine the results.<br /><br />_<br />Picture no.1, from Ozenfant, 1952, pp.160-161<br />On the left, fine wireless Receiving set. On the right. ?The Pulpit?, pure<br />Gothic style, containing set complete in every detail. The music book is<br />the loud speaker.<br /><br />Readers of a written text in the media epoch of radio and television are<br />constantly subject to rapid changes in their understanding of their<br />environment and the texts they read. The shift creates a gap between<br />electronically fast changing consciousness and understanding, and the<br />printed texts that remain ?slow? and stable. The authors who make the<br />texts try to introduce changes that will match the dynamic environment,<br />but the moment the text is printed and fixed, it becomes separated from<br />its author; the author ?dies?. The article, ?The Death of the Author? was<br />written in the pre-internet transition period when the Aristotelian<br />dualistic approach, with its dichotomy between object and subject, was<br />still appropriate. The text was written, printed, and distributed by<br />?slow? technology, for a reading public that became ?fast? and its reading<br />subversive. For the new fast reader, the fixated concepts that originated<br />in the slow world, such as author, God, knowledge, and their derivatives,<br />disappeared. Carried away in space, the reader lost all points of<br />reference, and encountered random texts, to which he tried to give<br />meaning, as best he could.<br /><br />Barthes describes the ?slow? linear world where there is a clear<br />distinction between different subjects and objects in space, and likewise,<br />between texts composed of diverse words having clear meanings: ?the<br />structure can be followed; ?run? (like the thread of a stocking)? (ibid.<br />p.16). Barthes then adds that ?We know now that a text is not a line of<br />words releasing a single ?theological? meaning (the ?message? of the<br />Author-God)?.<br /><br />His intention is that in the new state, the text ceases to be<br />unambivalent, and causes the death of the traditional author. Barthes<br />describes the process ? As soon as a fact is narrated no longer with a<br />view to acting directly on reality but intransitively, that is to say,<br />finally outside of any function other than that of the very practice of<br />the symbol itself, this disconnection occurs, the voice loses its origin,<br />the author enters into his own death, writing begins.? (ibid. p.8). In the<br />?slow? world of Barthes, that preceded to cyberspace, the moment the text<br />or the voice (the object) is detached from its creator (the subject), it<br />is ?launched? into void that separates the various objects from the <br />subjects, and becomes detached from the significance that charged it when<br />it was first written or spoken by the author. The detached text moved in<br />free pathways in space, colliding with other texts that were transmitted<br />in similar fashion by various authors. The resulting total mass of texts<br />became ?multi-dimensional? space in which many diverse writings combined,<br />and collided, none of which were original (ibid p.14). This chaotic<br />state leads Barthes to the conclusion that writing or creating in his day<br />rejects defined meaning, and in his words, ?In the end, it means to deny<br />God and his hypostases?reason, science, law? (ibid p.16).<br /><br />Changes in the consciousness of the experimenter alter the results of the<br />experiment. For the new reader biased by the electronic media, introduces<br />?chaotic? variables to the process; reading with a fixed meaning has<br />ceased. The existing reading arrangement no longer matched reality, and it<br />was necessary to update it. The Gothic pulpit was used for reading<br />information, while the reader was settled in front of the page, keeping<br />lighting conditions dictated by the candle. This was no longer suitable.<br />The reading arrangement resembling the Thomas Young?s two slits<br />experiment to demonstrate the properties of light. In Young?s experiment a<br />beam of light is directed to a plane with two slits through which light<br />rays pass, thus creating typical wave patterns on a screen. And so too,<br />reading a text from a book and its meaning is similar.<br /><br />Because the consciousness of the reader becomes dynamic under the<br />influence of the electronic media, some measurement components are<br />constantly changed. The reading has ceased to be unambivalent. Although<br />the projecting beam of light (the text) is the same beam, the observer<br />(the reader) has changed, and reached a different understanding of the<br />?slaw? text. The result is the birth of a new, adaptive reader, biased by<br />the electronic media, in the world of the fixed text, and the anonymous<br />author. That was the state of things at the time of Barthes writing.<br /><br />The changes in the arrangement of the experiment (the reading) did not<br />stop in Barthes? time. The printed, fixed text turned into electronic<br />signals and was transferred to communication networks, that is,<br />cyberspace. The new arrangement transformed the reading experiment and its<br />results drastically. The reader, the text, and author abandoned their<br />real, slow surroundings in favor of new, fast space containing numerous<br />fast texts. These texts are written and distributed electronically at the<br />speed of light, and within seconds reach any reader or author worldwide.<br />This activity equalized the speed of the author, text, and the reader. <br />The volume of texts in cyberspace is monitored by search engines such as<br />Google, involving tens of thousands of computers that store in their<br />memories the addresses of around ten billion WWW pages from all over the<br />world. (True as of October, 2004) from:<br />(<a rel="nofollow" href="http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php">http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php</a>)<br />Picture no. 2. from: http//enwikipedia ong/wik/EPR_paradox<br />The EPR thought experiment, performed with electrons. A source (center)<br />sends electrons toward two observers, Alice (left) and Bob (right), who<br />can perform spin measurements.<br /><br />The meaning is that a number of atoms in our bodies are connected to an<br />unseen atomic network on the other side of the universe, and influence the<br />state of billions of atoms light years away. The implications of the<br />experiment are that the universe is a-local, where events at one place on<br />the surface of the Earth instantaneously influence events on the other<br />side of the Earth and the universe. Locality matches the state of<br />dichotomy between object and subject. Therefore Alice and Bob are two<br />separate subjects, and in a state in which Alice will immediately know<br />something about Bob who is far away from her, which is impossible. <br />Barthes? ?slow? reader and author are in this state of one knowing nothing<br />about the other. Barthes? conclusion, as we said, is that the author is<br />dead, and the reader and the text remain. As we mentioned , Alice and Bob<br />and others are now ?fast?, joined together in cyberspace and their<br />measurements (their reading) of the two (or many) separate electrons<br />(texts) discharged by the atom(s) (the author(s)) becomes a single<br />measurement (reading) carried out by the super-reader-author (SRA), when<br />the wave function collapses. As in the John A. Wheelers? delayed-choice<br />two slits experiment, ?where single photons following two paths, or one<br />path, according to a choice made ?after? the photon has followed one or<br />both paths. The results indicate that wave-like or particle-like<br />properties are determined not just by the status of the two paths. They<br />are also determined by the decision of the experimenter to make a<br />measurement or observation by changing that status? the observer and the<br />observed system cannot be separate and distinct in space. They also show<br />that this distinction does not exist in time. ?(Kafatos & Nadeau, 1990,<br />45-47) The SRA observer, ?caused? something (super-meaning) to happen<br />?after? it has already occurred, at the separate slots (?isolated?<br />readers). A text of this kind appears impossible to the traditional slow<br />reader, exactly like in the EPR thought experiment, the ?slow? reader<br />located outside the event horizon ( of cyberspace), feels as though far<br />more time has passed from the moment the two electrons left the atom, till<br />they are measured by Alice and Bob. That is because he monitors the two<br />electrons image that is ?frozen? on the event horizon, before it is<br />?swallowed? up on the way to the cyb!<br /> erspace singularity.<br />Picture no.3. Alice and Bob, author-reader united in cyberspace.<br /><br /> The same moment that Barthes describes when ?the voice loses its origin,<br />the author enters into his own death,? actually no longer exists! In<br />cyberspace existence is the experience of eternal self feedback writing<br />and reading.<br />(Connecting to the cyberspace by a central hub that links all the<br />references in the network, for example, GPS, Google and cell phone,<br />resemble reading information stored at the event horizon of a black hole<br />by connecting its singularity. Every user, reader or author connected to<br />the cyberspace ?downloads? the data stored in its singularity. The act of<br />reading the text from the network simulates the cyberspace information<br />wave function collapsing by means of the reader?s submitted query. The<br />text that was in a state of superposition throughout the network, or in<br />Barthes? definition ?multi-dimensional space in which many and varied<br />writings are combined and meet, and none are foremost.? (Roland Barthes,<br />p.4) becomes a single peak wave function that appears on the reader?s<br />display). The reader in Barthes? ?Death of the Author? is biased by media<br />propagated at the speed of light, and dominated by Heisenberg?s<br />uncertainty principle. According to this principle it is never possible to<br />know with absolute certainty the position of a particle and its speed, at<br />one and the same time. However much one knows about one of these with<br />greater accuracy, one knows less accurately about the other. (Steven<br />Hawking, 2003,214) For example a one peak wave function, describes a state<br />in which the location of the particle (the word and its meaning) is<br />absolutely defined, but the gradient of the function changes sharply, thus<br />the speed changes fast, and is not defined. One can compare this state to<br />the action of reading in the ?slow? or static world, in which objects<br />(words) and meanings are well defined, but if the reader moves fast, the<br />text will disappear together with the meaning. In our example the reader<br />(and his consciousness) moving fast is distanced from the ?slow? printed<br />word, and so the meaning is not clear, or disappears.<br /><br />Opposite successive peaks wave function, enters uncertainty regarding the<br />location of a word (meaning), but there is great certainty about its<br />speed. That is similar to the state of reading a fast text in cyberspace,<br />where the content is in superposition. The text that becomes a hypertext<br />is ?stretched? widely in meanings and variable links that explain it, but<br />is no longer understandable as it was when it was read in the traditional<br />?slow? way. As in cyberspace all the elements, the author, the reader, the<br />text and the space become ?fast?, the reader is able synchronizing himself<br />with that text, and to understand it in relation to the time and place of<br />reading, as we saw previously in the example of searching for a specific<br />text on WWW with the help of a search engine.<br />Picture no.4. The wave function determines the probabilities of particle<br />in being present in different places at different speeds, in such way that<br />?x and ?v obey the uncertainty principle. In Steven Hawking, 2003, p.114.<br /><br />In order to understand the meaning of a text in cyberspace, one must<br />understand the characteristics of fast space, which are different from<br />the traditional slow space in which human beings operated for thousands of<br />years. The traditional slaw text is converted into electronic particles<br />with high kinetic potential, in their ability to convert that energy into<br />mass, after colliding with another particle. The result can be a chain<br />reaction of particles whose sum of mass is greater than the mass of the<br />original particles (Zvi Yanai, 2005, p.41). In other words, the text that<br />underwent transformation into electronic particles is introduced into a<br />particle accelerator which is cyberspace, and collided at high speed with<br />the target which is the reader?s consciousness, also connected to<br />cyberspace, and moves at the speed of light. The result of the collision<br />is a ?chain reaction? that releases energy, or added hyper-meaning,<br />embedded in a hypertext, something that cannot be expressed in slow<br />traditional space. The ?chain reaction? impacts the cyberspace inner and<br />outer content. The traditional low-speed text that suited Newton?s local<br />and deterministic world, in which there was clear understanding of a<br />separate subject and object, and time was fixed and stable, is transformed<br />into a text in superposition. The components of the hypertext moving in<br />cyberspace in every possible trajectory at one and the same time, collapse<br />into a final state determined by the decision of the reader. The<br />electronic text, the author and the reader resemble quantum mechanics that<br />removed the concepts ?certainty? and ?causality? from the dictionary, and<br />replaced them by probability. The reader in the world of quantum physics<br />has stopped being an observer or objective reader, and has become an<br />inseparable part of the subject of his reading, and an active partner in<br />creating the text and the reality, in contrast to the classical ?slow?<br />world in which the identity of the object and the text were independent of<br />the decisions and actions of the<br /><br />reader (Zvi Yanai, 2005, p.135).<br />Niles Bohr wrote, ?The lack of ability to differentiate in the accepted<br />way between physical phenomena and their observation, which frequently<br />puts us in a position familiar in psychology, where we often encounter the<br />difficulty of distinguishing between subject and object? (Zvi Yanai, <br />p.137).<br /><br />If we return to Thomas Young?s two slits experiment, we will see that an<br />electron has the character of both, a particle and wave, and every<br />electron has the wave function diffused throughout entire space. With a<br />light detector installed on one of the slits in the experiment, and<br />radiating photons instead of a light beam, according to the uncertainty<br />principle, the resolution measurement of the detector determines the<br />results. If the detector has a high enough resolution, its action<br />interferes with the photons and destroys the wave pattern on the target<br />screen. If the detector has a resolution sufficiently low so as not to<br />interfere with the pattern of condensation then its accuracy is too low to<br />say from which slit the photon enters.<br />Picture no.5. Human sight, as part of Thomas Young two slits experiment.<br /><br />The fast reader linked directly to cyberspace is part of the two slits<br />experiment, and serves as a detector. The text changes into photons<br />projected on the reader?s retina, and are passed on to the optic nerve,<br />reader?s brain and consciousness. The brain and consciousness becomes the<br />experimental target screen on which the information is projected. <br />However, unlike the passive screen in Young? experiment, this is an active<br />screen. Projection of the photons influences the characteristics of the<br />brain, by changing the electric pulses, and with it the discharge of<br />chemical materials from it. As a result, new pathways are created in the<br />brain, memory changes and thus consciousness also changes. In other words,<br />the characteristics of the detector (the reader) and the resolution change<br />following the action of measuring, and so the result is not ?objective?,<br />and neither is the reading of the electronic text. The brain and<br />consciousness act as feedback and control the reading of the next text<br />that will be carried out in cyberspace as would an operator of a Scanning<br />Electron Microscope, whose gaze onto the examined matter transmits an<br />electrons beam which alter the location of the particles and the<br />properties of the observed matter. The similar impact is accomplished in<br />a reality TV show , when the audience voting using remote controller, cell<br />phone, or internet, determines the participants fate. Similarly, the<br />reader of a text in cyberspace creates constant transformation of content<br />and meaning, because texts connected to him, which explain and expand,<br />change all the time. The reader in cyberspace becomes reader-author,<br />whereas the electrons that make up the text become the consciousness and<br />its body, in superposition, until the critical moment when the MIND of<br />the reader interferes and creates a central meaning in reading the text.<br />(David Bohm, 1987, p.82). At that moment the wave function of the text<br />collapses to a discrete point and meaning.<br />Picture no.6. Scheme of creating the Super-Reader-Author in cyberspace.<br /><br />The fast reader in cyberspace is an ?isolated? item among many fast<br />readers, who together create the Super-Reader-Author (SRA) used in the<br />?hyper-neo-cortex,? a unit that contains the combined power of computation<br />in cyberspace, to understand the super-text (hyper-text). That text that<br />is read by every reader separately is channeled by hubs similar to Google<br />and GPS which serve as an optic nerve and the super-consciousness of the<br />?hyper-neo-cortex? and are stored within them. According to need and in a<br />short time, the text undergoes the Bose- Einstein condensate like, in<br />order to obtain a clear meaning, and is channeled to every ?isolated?<br />reader or ?cell? that creates the SRA. The ?matter? wavelengths of the<br />reader, text and author ?will be of the same order of magnitude as the<br />distance between them. It is at that point that the different waves of<br />matter can ?sense? one another and co-ordinate their state, and this is<br />Bose-Einstein condensation?<br />(<a rel="nofollow" href="http://nobelprize.org/physics/laureates/2001/public.html">http://nobelprize.org/physics/laureates/2001/public.html</a>).<br /><br />Thus Barthes was correct in determining that the traditional author<br />disappeared from the critical dialogue of contemporaneous literature, and<br />was replaced by the reader. But since then, the new reader has become the<br />electronic super-reader in cyberspace. The borders of his body have<br />expanded to cyberspace size, and have combined with the bodies of other<br />authors that were lying dead somewhere in Barthes? slow physical space. <br />The question is, is there still significance to anti-hegemonic subversive<br />reading of a text? Indeed the reader in cyberspace is linked to the<br />network that unites far distances so that they are equal to the other<br />organs of his body. When he reads a text, he actually reads himself who is<br />in an everlasting state of becoming. Illustration of such idea can be<br />found in ?MyLifeBits?- Gordon Bell?s project, where he has captured a<br />lifetime?s worth of articles, books, cards, CDs, letters, memos, papers,<br />photos, pictures, presentations, home movies, videotaped lectures, and<br />voice recordings and stored them digitally. He is now paperless, and is<br />beginning to capture phone calls, IM transcripts, television, and radio<br />(<a rel="nofollow" href="http://research.microsoft.com/barc/mediapresence/MyLifeBits.aspx">http://research.microsoft.com/barc/mediapresence/MyLifeBits.aspx</a>).MyLifeBits<br />is digital real-time implementation of Georges Perec?s novel -?Life, a<br />User?s Manual? , where he created an omni-image of memories, feelings,<br />dreams, desires that are his life summary. MyLifeBits is the SRA<br />omni-real-time-hyper-summary. This radical change in the concept of self,<br />the surroundings in which the ?Self? acts, and the text the same ?Self?<br />reads reflect the viewpoints of two photographs taken at an interval of<br />about 70 years, at the beginning and the end of the 20th century.<br />Picture no. 7. Listening to the radio at its inception.<br />From: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://codesign.scu.edu/chad/12/Overview.html">http://codesign.scu.edu/chad/12/Overview.html</a><br /><br />The first photo, it seems, is from the 20s of the 20th century; it<br />pictures two young women with earphones listening to a small radio set.<br />The room is full of objects typical of that period (the ?slow? world)<br />including a bookcase full of books, books on the table, a mirror, a solid<br />clock, pictures and photographs on the wall and on the mantelpiece, a<br />bowl, and little figurines. The books and objects in the room contain<br />?slow? texts and messages, in which information is passed on from object<br />to subject (author-reader) artifacts worthy of regular reading or<br />attention. The introduction of new electronic technology represented by<br />the radio set creates a new focus in the forefront and center of the room,<br />while the past items remain at the background. The listeners are<br />physically attached to the radio by an electronic umbilical cord ? the<br />wires and the earphones; they are united in the common experience of<br />listening to electronic waves. Their consciousness is carried through the<br />instrument to a far singularity, leaving the slow material objects behind.<br />The women are listening to rapidly changing information, both by the<br />producers of the program of the broadcasting station, and by one of the<br />women who controls the volume of reception, adjusting the stations when<br />occasionally the receiver overlaps two stations at once, producing an<br />ambivalent message. The information or the text that populates the<br />electronic space is in superposition, the wave function of the broadcast<br />content collapses into the state defined by the interference of the<br />listeners. The new information joins the reading of the slow familiar<br />surroundings, in which the wave function of the slow objects, remains<br />defined, with a clear meaning. The manner of reading changed by the agency<br />of radio is subversive compared to the previous traditional slow, defined<br />way of reading. The moment the women began to listen to the electric<br />broadcast, and from then on, the interpretation of the slow written text<br />exemplified by the books in the room, in the pictures, the photographs,<br />the objects, even the clock, and the mirror that reflect their image, will<br />not return to what was before. These objects whose purpose was to<br />accurately define meaning, place and time, relative to themselves and<br />various subjects, lost that ability from the moment that consciousness of<br />the subject was accelerated by the fast and volatile electronic medium.<br />Broadcasting and television that succeeded radio only enhanced the<br />process, by accelerating the sense of sight and generating additional<br />detachment of the listener-viewer from the physical environment.<br />Picture no. 8. A Student with head set, wandering in VR.<br />From: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.yonago-k.ac.jp/hikona/118/photo/equip/e1.jpg">http://www.yonago-k.ac.jp/hikona/118/photo/equip/e1.jpg</a><br /><br />The second photograph, taken at the end of the 20th century, about 70<br />years after the first, shows a text and other data being read in Virtual<br />Reality surroundings. The reader is equipped with his VR headset including<br />display, earphones, microphone, and data gloves that connect him via<br />computer to cyberspace. Similar to someone using a Scanning Electron<br />Microscope, the reader moves within the electronic hypertext that changes<br />while reading. The reader while reading becomes an author, thanks to the<br />technical ability to alter the location of the observed data. The wall<br />video screen, the computer display and the VR headset display multiple<br />hypertext windows, which the author-reader reads writes and activates. The<br />room where the reading is taking place looks ?anonymous,? minimalistic,<br />clean of any object from the slow world, and populated with technical<br />equipment used in cyberspace. The only object similar to those in the<br />first picture with the women listeners is the analog clock on the wall, on<br />the right of the picture. The clock is waning in significance, because it<br />is only used for moments, when the author-reader ?returns? to slow<br />reality, in which analogical local time is still valid. The cyberspace<br />clock is subject to the digital global time synchronizing all users and<br />texts. Even the author-reader in the photograph looks anonymous, with his<br />headset hiding his identity, ethnic origin, age, and characteristics that<br />are not significant in cyberspace. The author-reader is wholly detached<br />from the material world by means of his electronic equipment; his sense<br />detached from the physical environment, because it no longer has the same<br />meaning. The extensions of his electronic sense, controlled by his<br />consciousness, recreate his virtual space where he acts within the<br />?arrangement? of cyberspace data in discrete relative states. He remains<br />alone, separated from the ?real? world, while the rest of the subjects<br />accompanied him in the real world, become digitally represented avatars.<br />He has no authors and other readers be<br /><br />sides himself; all have ?died?. That is in sharp contrast to the room with<br />the two radio listeners, where according to what is in the picture one can<br />decode: their socio-economic status, geographical location, fields of<br />interest, the identity of the books in the bookcase, and so on. Their<br />uniform clothing and hairstyles give a clue as to their age, education,<br />opinions, religion, etc. The listeners are sitting at ease, aware to their<br />physical surroundings, time and to each other. For them, each is a<br />separate and independent subject, occupying space in the defined room. The<br />separation from the real world is hardly felt, and is accomplished by the<br />headphones. While sitting, they are attentive to the real world around<br />them, and to the virtual world of the broadcast on the radio. The two<br />women symbolize Alice and Bob of the EPR thought experiment, which in<br />short time will be united, to form the SRA in cyberspace, depicted in the<br />single image of the cyberflaneur in the later photograph.<br /><br />The passage from being a reader of a slow text to a fast one is a daily<br />happening for most of us. For example, take a series of paintings along<br />the wall of platform in a London Underground station. From a stationary<br />train, the passenger looking out of the window sees a single frame of the<br />series of paintings, and reads it as a single, clear peak wave function.<br />When the train leaves the platform and accelerates, the frames change at<br />speed, creating a filmstrip with a different meaning from the single<br />frame, and having a wave function with the width of the number of frames<br />on the platform strip. When the passenger then looks over the cellular<br />phone display or the PALM computer in his hand, he accelerates to the<br />speed of light, and watches the data situated in superposition in<br />cyberspace. His glance and actions bring about a crash in the wave<br />function of the contents of the super-space text, in the singularity of<br />his consciousness. We may say that in this instance the cyberspace and<br />the subject became aware one to each other.<br /><br />In conclusion, one can infer that the ?Death of the Author,? was written<br />in a similar period to that reflected in the photograph of the two women<br />listeners, or at the speed of the subway leaving the platform. It was the<br />old, slow world dominated by dichotomy between object and subject, and<br />text printed on paper. The process of acceleration of the reader?s<br />consciousness was just beginning, through radio broadcasts and television.<br />Cyberspace accelerated the reading process to the speed of light, and led<br />to a dramatic turning point of the disappearing of the traditional author,<br />text, and reader, and the birth of the new SRA. The SRA can render the<br />chaotic text of cyberspace meaningful from his point of view, while<br />carrying out electronic reading. That ability is similar to the physical<br />phenomenon of the Bose- Einstein condensate of atoms of a substance<br />uniting at nearly absolute zero temperature, to one ?super atom? that<br />sustains super-fluidity (he.wikipedia.org).<br />Picture no. 9. A page from Albert Einstein?s paper ?Quantum theory of<br />uni-atom ideal gas? (1924), describing the Bose- Einstein condensate. From<br />?Ha?aretz? newspaper, 23.8.2005<br /><br />In this new state the atoms act in symbiotic harmony, demonstrating the<br />characteristic of ignoring gravity and friction. For example, gas will<br />become fluid, and will climb up the sides of the glass it is in, unlike<br />the behavior of isolated atoms that constituted the gas at a higher<br />temperature, and moved in a chaotic manner (Barabasi 2002, 324), similar<br />to the image in Barthes? ?multi-dimensional space in which a variety of<br />writings, none of them original, blend and clash?. The condensation<br />ability of the SRA, allows turning the text in cyberspace into the super<br />-atom, that can be identified and followed; the hypertext and SRA then<br />embodies ?God and his hypostases?reason, science, law.? The existence of<br />the united reader-author-space creates a paradigmatic shift from<br />dualistic, Aristotelian object-subject thought, to the holistic thought of<br />being, realized in the singularity of consciousness and connecting real<br />space, the spiritual and cyberspace (Rosen, 2005).<br /><br />Sources<br />Barabasi, Albert-Laszlo.(2002). Linked the New Science of Networks. Hebrew<br />translation: Blisha Drora. Yediot Aha?ronot Press.<br /><br />Barthes, Roland. (2005). La Morte de L?auteur. Hebrew translation: Dror<br />Mishani. Resling Tel-Aviv.<br />Barthes, Roland. (1977). The Death of the Author. From - Image, Music,<br />Text - <a rel="nofollow" href="http://faculty.smu.edu/dfoster/theory/Barthes.htm">http://faculty.smu.edu/dfoster/theory/Barthes.htm</a><br /><br />Bohm, David, and Peat, F. David.(1987). Science, Order and Creativity.<br />Bantam Books, Toronto & New York.<br /><br />Gentner, D.R., & Grudin, J. (1996). Design models for computer- human<br />interfaces. Computer, June, 28-35.<br /><br />Hawking, Steven. (2003).The Universe in a Nutshell. Hebrew translation:<br />Emanuel Lotem. Or Yehuda. Ma?ariv Book Guild, p.214.<br /><br />Kafatos Menas & Robert Nadeau, (1990). The Conscious Universe, Part and<br />Whole in Modern Physical Theory. Springer-Verlag. Pp. 45-47.<br /><br />Ozenfant.(1952). Foundations of Modern Art. Translation: John Rodker Dover<br />Publications, New York. Pp. 160-161.<br /><br />Rosen, Avi. (2005). Art at the Event Horizon.<br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://siglab.technion.ac.il/~avi/horizon/Horizon.htm">http://siglab.technion.ac.il/~avi/horizon/Horizon.htm</a><br /><br />Yanai, Tsvi. (2005).A journey to the Consciousness of Nature, Am-Oved,<br />p.41.<br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />Rhizome.org is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization and an affiliate of the<br />New Museum of Contemporary Art.<br /><br />Rhizome Digest is supported by grants from The Charles Engelhard<br />Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the<br />Visual Arts, and with public funds from the New York State Council on the<br />Arts, a state agency.<br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br /><br />Rhizome Digest is filtered by Marisa Olson (marisa@rhizome.org). ISSN:<br />1525-9110. Volume 11, number 20. Article submissions to list@rhizome.org<br />are encouraged. Submissions should relate to the theme of new media art<br />and be less than 1500 words. For information on advertising in Rhizome<br />Digest, please contact info@rhizome.org.<br /><br />To unsubscribe from this list, visit <a rel="nofollow" href="http://rhizome.org/subscribe">http://rhizome.org/subscribe</a>.<br />Subscribers to Rhizome Digest are subject to the terms set out in the<br />Member Agreement available online at <a rel="nofollow" href="http://rhizome.org/info/29.php">http://rhizome.org/info/29.php</a>.<br /><br />+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<br />
