Re: [-empyre-] hi from EFW

"Sue" <psuedodd@optusnet.com.au> · Fri, 4 Jun 2004 12:54:19 +1000

hi,

Apologies. Have been installing the exhibition at the gallery hence my slow
response.
Usually I work in small artist run spaces and 'do it myself' but the NGV is
huge and there are teams of people which is great but feels wierd, out of
control...
 I'm installing a DVD projection and posters (sticking them up and tearing
them off like a fake streetscape)  but all this is secondary to the
performances I'll do in the space. It is during the 'live' experience I feel
the work communicates most effectively... Sometimes there are only a dozen
people there but it don't matter.
As an emerging artist I feel honoured to contribute to this discussion. Out
of my depth too...
 I do things in a very anaolgue/haphazard way I guess because working
independantly I'm always scamming to do things on the cheap with secondhand
equipment, borrowed stuff etc. The aesthetics are kinda eighties. I've only
recently got a domain name but nothing's there yet...
My practise is political in a kind of William Burroughs way (my take). i.e.
If you wear a suit everyday you can blend into corporate culture and subvert
from within.
I use the 'language'of the mass media (my 'suit')  - pop songs/tabloid
journalistic narratives to demonstrate(?) the gulf between the addictive
obsessions that emerge through this material and 'real' life. To me, life
often feels like a huge phony advertising campaign.(hypocritical,
suprerficial, isolated, alienated, apathetic....)  I guess my work is asking
the audience to consciously acknowledge this and sing along to the
jingles... 'cos we do. We are. (sigh)
Perhaps art/tactical media are 'allowed' to be subversive cos we're wearing
'art' suits. So we're allowed entry...
We're entertaining. Yay. (My work is I hope)
oh, and in one of my videos i wear a real suit too

sue

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kipper" <kipper@escapefromwoomera.org>
To: "soft_skinned_space" <empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au>
Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2004 7:54 PM
Subject: [-empyre-] hi from EFW

> and hi from me.
>
> I'm from the mob at http://www.escapefromwoomera.org
>
> I'm glad Sam raised the spectre of tactical media, because it's a term
> that has on occasion been applied to our project.
>
> My perspective on the this subject is that of someone who's been out of
> established art circles and academia, and spent all my adult life
> hanging out with old left activist hacks (which i guess i classify as
> now).
>
> >From the outside, it seems to me that not so long ago art that was
> unapologetically political was considered rather naive and decidely
> uncool, and would attract no small amount of po-mo sneering. But now,
> radical political art seems to be considered hip in the art world
> again. It's been rebranded with a new name, and not only that - it even
> makes the bold claim to function as a form of political
> action: "tactical media activism". I think this turn is generally a
> positive sign, and very heartening. But one has to ask (again, from the
> outside)- how long will this last? How much of this is based on
> curatorial trends and how much on genuine political commitment? More of
> the latter, I hope.
>
> When I started to hear the phrase about the place it reminded me of a
> similar sounding term that has also been used with great
> enthusiasm: "Non-Violent Direct Action Tactician". This term seemed to
> become extremely fasionable for a time in some of the campaigns i was
> involved in a while ago (it probably always was, and probably still is
> in some narrower circles). "NVDA Tactician" for short. I remember that
> leading up to s11 (the blockade of the World Economic Forum in
> Melbourne) everyone seemed to be running around either trying to find
> one, claiming to be one, or arguing over just exactly what *is* one.
> Regardless, everybody seemed convinced that it was inadvisable to be
> seen in public without one.
>
> I'm probably in danger of exaggerating here, but Tactical Media
> Activism seems to me to be a phrase that's applied to almost all
> political "new media" projects these days. However, from what i've read
> (which is by no means a comprehensive survey of what's been written)
> the original meaning behind the term is actually quite specific.
>
> We were invited to present at the Next Five Minutes festival of
> tactical media in Amsterdam last year - which was a very rewarding and
> heartening experience for us. But based on what I understand to be the
> original definition of TMA, I would imagine Escape From Woomera would
> be classified by TMA theorists as a piece of what they call old-
> fashioned "strategic media", based on the context and intent of its
> development. We as game developers are concerned with the development
> of a form of independent media, rather than creating a rapid response
> style reaction. We choose the game medium strategically (ie as game
> developers, game development for most of the team is our means of
> expression in the long term) rather than tactically (ie choosing the
> medium for conjunctural reasons).
>
> Well anyway, there's a very pragmatic evaluation of how I think EFW
> sits in relation to tactical media activism.
>
> But from a more personal perspective, there are some underlying
> political premises motivating some threads of the media activist
> movement (if it's not oppressive of me to lump everyone in together
> like that ;) ) - in particular the Critical Art Ensemble - that are at
> odds with my particular take on the world.
>
> k
>
> > hi also,
> >
> > i too am honoured to be invited :-) though i am not sure what
> contribution i
> > can make here.
> >
> > maybe the following:
> >
> > * tactical media is the cry/hype that occurs between the clicking and
> > releasing of a mouse click
> >
> > * tactical media gets you invited to conferences around world
> >
> > * tactical media gets you guest lecturer spots
> >
> > * tactical media helps your career path
> >
> > * tactical media helps sell books
> >
> > * clap for tactical media. cluck for activism. clop for boredom.
> >
> > see ya, sam :-)
> >
> > ps. i started up and continue to run the myspinach server (which is
> very very
> > different to the spinach7 magazine) ... click for background:
> > http://www.myspinach.org/sam/spinhistory.html
> >
> >
> >
> > On Thursday 03 June 2004 17:20, Boat People wrote:
> > > greetings to the Empyre list.
> > > Boat-people.org are honoured to be invited.
> > >
> > > I thought I'd start by saying that our bio statement originally said
> > > that our work has encompassed sending online instructions for
> > > 'subversive, er, origami'.
> > >
> > > That 'er' is critical to our understanding of ourselves: we wish we
> > > could claim with zero irony to be deadset subversive, but we can't.
> > >
> > > The boat-people crew rack our collective brains for ways to talk
> > > back to the miasma of mendacity characterising public life here in
> > > australia; how to be antidotes to amnesia, how to illuminate the
> > > lies & what they obscure, how to mobilise wit, passion & creativity
> > > to undermine the empires' rule over us... and everything we come
> > > up with is gestural, symbolic, frail at best.  It blows away.
> > >
> > > We wish it were possible to 'click for activism'.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > empyre forum
> > > empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> > > http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> >
> > -- 
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > empyre forum
> > empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> > http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> >
> >
>
> --
> "I am in command - obey me and be free! You are free to go!"
> - The Prisoner
>
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