integer on 2 Mar 2001 19:29:56 -0000 |
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"Talan Memmott" <talan@percepticon.com> - anodzr !nkompetent xy kr!ket !mbez!l t!pd 01 amalgam ov !nkompetent refusz [muztnt dezpa!r - dze ss f!ltrz = shl protekt u] >> Just yesterday I was lecturing in two of Mark Amerika's courses >> at University of Colorado. I can assure you most assumptions here >> are incorrect as to intent. >> >> What also must be mentioned concerns Mark's claim of net art >> being dead... Ever hear of IRONY, or HUMOR...? > > > > >I was contacted back channel and asked to provide some clarification of my >very brief critique of the 'net art histories' debate as it relates to >comments made about the new program at University of Colorado, Boulder. > >I am forwarding this message to the list... > > > >First, I held off on making any comment (on the program) until I had >attended (as a visiting artist) the courses to see for myself what was going >on. > >There were a number of comments in this thread on net art history that I >found presumptuous. > >1. the critique of the term "innovative ciriculum" being some sort of 'biz >talk'... When this is in fact something Mark is working around... By this I >mean, many of the students at this point seem to think that an Internet Art >course is going to be some sort of software introduction and training >course -- something that they believe will get them some cushy developers >job... Where the course are geared more toward exposing, exploring and >developing techniques in hypermedia. > >2. another comment in the thread that seemed a bit off is the idea that >based on Mark's Transmediale presentation there is an assumption that there >will be forthcoming 'necrologues' of net art... Hardly the case, as most of >the students are at the beginning of a learning curve. Another note is that >Mark is not teaching 'net art' only -- one of the courses I spoke in is >called "Histories of Internet Art"... History is plural here because the >media/um is so wide and exceeds any single definition, and Internet is used >rather than NET to avoid some of the political issues surrounding the term >'net art' and to keep the course open to a variety of work. > > > >(Concerning Mark's lack of engagement on Nettime, and being ONLY a >writer...) > >I could give you that one, if the discussion of this issue on the list was >not laid out in a third-hand fashion -- the comment that 'net art is dead' >was relayed to nettime by Olia Lialina who had heard the comment second-hand >from students that had attended the event. Mark's presentation was parodic >of American culture in that the 'net art is dead' comment was actually >placed in the context of a list -- "Top Ten Reasons Net Art is Dead"... The >irony and humor of this was premeditated and intentional... > >I think it is an error to called Mark ONLY a writer. When you think of >thinks like Phon.eme are we talking writing here? Also, some of the work >that is coming down the pipe from Mark in the very near future extends the >premise of Internet art to include live networked performance in some >interesting ways. I would mention more about this forthcoming work, but it >is not my place to spill the beans about an artist's work in progress... >Also, the notion that Mark should be teaching hypertext or something seems >odd to me -- both exclusionary and divisive -- as much of the discussion >revolves around determing the terms which determine the media/um. >As well, the notion of what writing 'is' is changing, and now includes the >graphical, and interactive elements of the work as part of 'text'... This >was very much a topic in my presentations, and one that draws into question >the differnetiation of network based ART and WRITING. > >The two courses I spoke in -- "Histories of Internet Art" and "Digital >Narrative" focus on a wide variety of work which includes everything from >traditional hypertext to web art, net art, to games, and a number of other >areas. And, some of the debate involves the 'naming' of the media/um. At >one point during my talks I placed all of the names for net.works under the >heading "Creative Cultural Practice through Applied Technology" -- though a >mouthful, and perhaps an overly academic heading, it seems to allow the >delimiting of various practices without being exclusionary... (a nice >convenience for teaching)... One thing that I would NOT want to see come >out of program like what is being established in Boulder is bunch of >students coming out as say 'net artists' and producing work that is >completely derivative of say, jodi.org... Or, saying they are 'hypertext >artists' and producing work that looks like some Eastgate title... The >courses are about continuing and furthering the media/um, while allowing the >students to follow their own creative path. > >I was actually quite surprised that I was able to get into some fairly heady >theory (particularly in the 'Digital Narative' course) about network >identity, agency, performative language, and the genre/media busting that is >so much a part of the over all network... > >__ - Netochka Nezvanova - r!ch.bored.edukated.all dolled up for autumn f3.MASCHIN3NKUNST @www.eusocial.com 17.hzV.tRL.478 e | | +---------- | | < \\----------------+ | n2t | > e _______________________________________________ Nettime-bold mailing list Nettime-bold@nettime.org http://www.nettime.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nettime-bold