[-empyre-] Netbehaviour - nettime and alan, mez, nn.

[marc <marc.garrett@furtherfield.org>]

Hi Andreas and list explorers,

>whether these sometimes excessive activities disrupt the lists too 
much. think of the 711 list, or palais_tokyo, etc. i >don't want to go 
into the old discussion of whatever happened to the original syndicate 
list, but i think it is >worthwhile to check the kind of channel that 
develops when the performers take over...

I find this question above, that Andreas asked - regarding my own 
personal experience at the moment is very poignant - Furtherfield.org - 
recently set up a list called www.netbehaviour.org a little while back.

We wanted to break down the over-seriousness that many lists have been 
reverting to. Sure intellectual debate is fine, but such a singular way 
of being is so dry and can just kill those fertile creative juices. Ok - 
yes, academic lists are cool - but what about the artists, they don't 
wanna be typing lengthy dissertations every time they post a message to 
a list - many do, but some also wish to be part of something that 
communicates in way that lets one relax a little and not feel 
self-conscious about what one is saying all of the time.

I certainly learned my lesson in respect of control and all - when I 
bumped someone off the netbehaviour list for posting hundreds of (what i 
thought) was non-sensical and dreary self referential emails about one;s 
persons personal life continuously. I felt that it was distracting and 
killing the soul of the list - so I kicked that individual out. The list 
members complained (a lot) and they had good reason to...

The consensus was that - 'for a small network of socially and culturally 
engaged people to, be able to discover a real sense of list-authenticity 
- things just have to be a little more relaxed and less worried. Less 
fear about whether the list is doing things right all of the time. So I 
was asked literally to stop fathering the list as though I owned it, cuz 
I didn't - it was their list, and mine, our list.

So control was offered over the list members to make decisions 
collaboratively in future, some people disagreed but it was 
democratically decided on....and more people wanted to take control of 
the list than just a small minority of people who wish to have their 
mission statements acted out by others.

Control is not in mine or furtherfield's little slippery paws anymore) - 
the moderation has evolved into a collaborative occasion(s), where there 
is a voting system that decides what goes down at the little' list of 
evolutionary behaviour.

On netbehaviour - the performers are taking over - yet in a way that is 
collaboratively decided. For instance we have set up list residencies so 
net creatives who have list noise, that they wish to declare, share & 
debate. They can ask the list members publicly, to have their work/ideas 
seen for 2 weeks as a list residency.

So far we have had Brad Brace, who showed some excellent work. We have 
archived the whole list-behaviour between list members and brad brace, 
and much critical and playful discussion was had by many on the list.

We now have Mez who is taking part in the list residency, and mez is 
piling and kinds of fantastical symbols, sigils and poetic noise that 
moves beyond academic reasonings alone, for it is performance - it is 
behaviour.

I feel that many (official) lists have missed out on a lot of 
creativity, by not encouraging list exploration - or not trying to 
change their own intentions to adapt to the very urgent and contemporary 
needs of list users. Lists should be alive, sinful, critical, breathing, 
breathing, breathing...

NetBehaviour List Residencies:
- an ongoing in-house project built by users of this list.

An networked artist/curator/writer residency lasting for 2 weeks where a 
practitioner's work is seen, as part of the list experience, adding an 
authentic sense of stuff to the list that does not necessarily rely just 
on debate alone, but also on behaviour. A grass roots form of 
intellectual behaviour that is creative just by being what it 
is...net.behaviour.

marc garrett
http://www.furtherfield.org

> folks,
>
> before you descend into nettime-bashing, i would suggest that we get 
> some clarification on what has or has not been posted there, and why 
> this is interesting for the current debate on empyre.
>
> nettime has a long history - it was started in 1995 - and it has gone 
> through many such discussions, and many transformations which have 
> been alienating for some, while for others they have saved the list 
> from falling into disarray.
>
> a crucial question that has shown up around net-performers like mez 
> and nn has been whether such lists should be open for the ongoing 
> performance activities by individual artists, or whether these 
> sometimes excessive activities disrupt the lists too much. think of 
> the 711 list, or palais_tokyo, etc. i don't want to go into the old 
> discussion of whatever happened to the original syndicate list, but i 
> think it is worthwhile to check the kind of channel that develops when 
> the performers take over: http://sympa.anart.no/sympa/info/syndicate
>
> it is a matter of choice, whether you want that.
>
> as far as i am concerned, nettime still offers interesting discussions 
> which are mostly net/political, sometimes other.
>
> http://amsterdam.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-0408/threads.html
>
> the fact that Florian Cramer spent a few hours every week putting 
> together the unstable digests is great.
>
> http://www.netzliteratur.net/cramer/unstable_html/
>
> to reprimand him for stopping that in the middle of finishing his PhD 
> thesis seems a bit awkward, given that it was voluntary work which i 
> am sure alan or anyone could just continue if s/he thinks that it is 
> important that it gets done.
>
> best regards,
>
> -a
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