Re: Re: [-empyre-] race net art bots

[<aka.leafa@xtra.co.nz>]

Right on Linda!!!
that is exactly the beauty of what your website is doing Damali - it is actually emphasising on-line the very point that underpins your work-you just have to BE- to get abused for being your black self.
much love
leafa
> 
> From: Linda Wallace <linda@machinehunger.com.au>
> Date: 2003/07/24 Thu AM 11:32:04 GMT+12:00
> To: soft_skinned_space <empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au>
> Subject: Re: [-empyre-] race net art bots
> 
> thanks mendi for posting those links, the exhibition program for the race in
> digital cultures conference looks amazing -- what an incredible screening
> program
> http://cms.mit.edu/race/about.html
> --------
> 
> as to the response damali posted here from the rent a negro site, that guy -
> what a jerk. 
> 
> I have had an internet stalker for over five years now, who continually
> since 1998 has sent the most deranged and ugly mails to me. It also got on
> the telephone endlessly and repeatedly -- significant as it was calling
> australia from hungary, so we had to change all the telephone numbers. it is
> a historic legacy, a legacy system, someone else's baggage etc that I
> inherited (like a lot of other things in this world) but nonetheless...
> 
> I call it an "IT' as it as a communication entity, some kind of bot
> 
> that is how I read that response, as if it was from an automated hate
> machine
> 
> emails such as the 'response' damali got are meant to do just that, attack
> you, be a blast through the screen with hate and vitriol. they radiate. they
> have a form of power that I don't think we have articulated very well yet,
> in internet theory/discussions, as it is difficult to articulate, but I
> think they work at the level of the body. they go straight to your heart,
> little poison arrows.
> 
> if you let them of course. but you have to work out a way to defend yourself
> against them and that is why they are so powerful initially. one can't say
> that they don't come as a shock at first. then you kind of see them as
> symptoms of something else.
> 
> I think that is one of the things that is so interesting about the site rent
> a negro -- it is triggering bots all over the place, it seems, which allow
> the machine of hate, confusion and contradiction to become more transparent,
> to be able to be seen in motion, wheels turning, engines roaring, emails
> flying
> 
> linda
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> > Obviously people who access it are not, and there are many complex
> > issues raised such as:
> > is [American] English now the default language? and does this bring
> > with it any racial issues?
> > can you afford to connect? and does this bring with it  any racial issues?
> > 
> > and whether satire and humor is appropriate applied to an issue such
> > as race in the context of art and everyday life...
> > I like and find very amusing the sites that have been discussed so
> > far, however I can also see the difficulty for some in dealing with
> > them on a personal level. I cannot tell if this experience has
> > altered or somehow reflects my beliefs or behaviour in relation to
> > race issues... does that matter to anyone else?
> > I find the way the responses have affected the artists more
> > interesting than the number or qualities of the responses themselves.
> > 
> > Obviously responses to the use of the word 'nigger' can vary
> > dramatically from amusement to outrage, [aside from the other
> > content]. I think it is perfectly valid to use this type of work as a
> > mechanism for both comment and thoughtful provocation. However you
> > can also expect a heartfelt response from some, just as you can from
> > burning either a cross or an American flag on the lawns in front of
> > the white house - or doing it online where there are going to be a
> > lot of US citizens with strong connections to both iconic
> > representations.
> > 
> > An interesting [to me] comparison is the 'deck of cards' the USA has
> > circulated with the faces of iraqi identities.
> > Is this really amusing? or racist? or functionally useful? or
> > pointless? or unsuspecting provoking art?
> > 
> > on a related issue...
> > for those interested there is a great conference coming up in South
> > Africa in Jan next year
> > 
> > http://idlelo.uwc.ac.za/
> > 
> > First announcement
> > Dates: Jan 12-16, 2004
> > Venue: The University of the Western Cape
> > Cape Town, South Africa
> > The Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa (FOSSFA), the
> > African Virtual Open Initiatives and Resources (AVOIR) project at
> > the University of the Western Cape in collaboration with the United
> > Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) invite you to
> > participate in this seminal event.
> > 
> > The conference will address the challenges and opportunities of the
> > creation and use of free / open source software and open content and
> > their development potential for Africa. The conference has both
> > strategic and practical objectives, bringing together participants
> > from government, education, business and civil society together with
> > the developer community. The purpose of this conference is to:
> > 
> > * Review progress on implementation of open source and open content in Africa
> > * Create opportunities for peer-to-peer networking and learning among
> > Africans participating in open source and open content initiatives
> > * Lay the groundwork for collaborative creation of open source
> > software in Africa
> > * Expose Open Source companies and products to a variety of participants
> > 
> > The conference will operate through a number of plenary sessions
> > given by world leaders in the area of open source and open content,
> > parallel sessions with contributed papers and posters addressing
> > specific themes, breakaway sessions for for networking, a mini trade
> > fair, and a hackathon that will run in parallel with the conference
> > beginning two days before the conference starts.
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > empyre forum
> > empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> > http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> 
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