Re: [-empyre-] transgression anyway
> Hi Marc,
Thanks for a very interesting reply. I totally agree with what you said
about the boy-men at the helm. It is something that so troubles me as a
new media artist/theorist and more importantly as a citizen. The ideas I
have so far are pretty rough but I will mention them here. What about a
news portal that is international and readily available to young people as
a study aid and to the everyone as online reading. This would allow
access to
less filtered news and alternate perspectives as opposed to the dumbing down
here that leaves scandal in days as opposed to the history of
investigative journalism and is full of orwellian double speak and
negation. There have been more extremely important pieces in the bbc
news than I can count that were not mentioned here.
Another idea is of formulating an online and eventually locative empowerment
system to young people that are disenfranchised as a sort of blog web/
communication portal. This could give voice to alternative views as
shared and could eventually develop into a space like the navigatable
graphic online communities that are just beta testing in which the code is
open source and the environment is designed to be malleable and altered at
will. This could allow hacking and communication and intelligent
discussion in a fun and event based environment. This space in a sense is
the co- space as it exists to move in and tear parts down to
reformulate; The nurturing of the renegade spirit
is crucial as is the sense of community in voice and disagreement with the
powers that be.
The flaw in the rock the vote type move is that it is too entertainment
based, passive, and transitory in nature. I saw the effect of art school
on so many renegade oddball souls and this was empowerment and a sense of
belonging and personal power in the world.
I teach a lot of young students in the 18-25 range and they are terrified
of a reinstatement of the draft, of a sense of loss of voice, of economics
seeing them as unimportant and tangential in the larger societal paradigm.
I try to instill in them a sense of empowerment and the future their
skills and voice will bring to them from beyond the horizon line.
I feel that I/we need to help find a way technology and new tools can
assist us in the face of a regime that has broken apart the global
linkages and rules going back to world war 2 and before.
jeremy
Hi jeremy,
>
>
> >I mentioned the good hackers in my post, but very briefly,and I realize
> >now, in haste, very narrowly. I should have mentioned more examples to
> >make it seem more even.
>
> no problem - Regarding your comments on negative hacking by younger
> kids. I have been teaching students who are 18-20 years old (on average)
> who have been inspired by the various things that they can do with such
> methods/activities. Most of them when they first arrive (to lectures)
> are usually commenting on the more sensational aspects of
> hacking/cracking and phreaking, yet they are not that informed of the
> amazing ways of using and exploring such skills beyond the more clich'e
> elements. My job is to point them in the right direction, so that they
> can jump into it with a more enlightened and broader context of what
> type of hacking is happening out there. So, i get them to festivals in
> the UK and also show them much of the work that has been happening
> before and now around the globe that is creative.
>
> >I thank you for the urban explorer as hack
> >examples, I have done that myself and never thought of it in this
> context.
>
> I really appreciate and respect what urban explorers are doing - They
> are an interesting breed (touching on psychogeography in many degrees)
> opening/unearthing up alternative views and ways of experiencing our
> urban environments. And they tend to that function outside of
> established, curriculum based canons and incentives which is interesting
> in its own right. There is also an uncanny poetics at play with such
> actions that offer metaphors in respect of privacy, space, the unseen
> and much more, and fits well in regard to transgressive happenings, in a
> contemporary sense. Another site which enjoys urban exploration is from
> Brussels, searching underground mines, defunkt coal and steel industries
> (http://bxl2.free.fr/).
>
> >The artists that alter billboards have been around for a long time, this
> >is a hacking in a sense, and I have always been impressed by the work
> that
> >really makes commentary out of commodity.
>
> Yes, I have done much of this stuff in my time. in the late eigthties
> and early nineties changing streets signs, creating diversions by
> changing the meaning of the signs. Run pirate radio and tv stations that
> also broadcasted into the streets. One project which I am personally
> proud of is one I did with Heath BUnting and other firends at the time
> on the Avon Gorge, in Bristol UK about 1993.
> http://irational.org/heath/gorge_poster/
>
> >The appeal in advertising has always been what is sexy, alluring,
> >mysterious yet somehow possible. The same is true of subcultures and
> this
> >can be good or bad. The "black" hacking, or malignant hacking however
> >small a sub-sub culture does not need to be glorified in discourse as a
> >reaction and empowerment against capitalism. The kids that have
> >repeatedly caused problems and hurt the larger protests of the current
> war
> >in irag and on globaliztion have been the young , overly reactionary,
> not
> >fully informed teens in ski masks breaking windows and looking for a
> >direct and strong attack on the larger systems. Anarchy seemed very
> sexy
> >to me and a million other punks when we were teens in the 80's; when we
> >grew up we realized just how impossible and bleak anarchy by definition
> >really would be and has been in history. The signifier changed into
> more
> >subtle and broader needs for action and voice, but the music still
> sounds
> >great.
>
> I feel that we are not able to suspend the passionS of a younger
> generation, even if it is seen as misguided or ill -informed in certain
> ways. The roles models out there are not reflecting successfully a way
> out the trapping of state induced wars...
>
> One of my main beefs is how immature the behaviour is by our own male
> representatives that run our institutions and governments, and there
> over eagerness to kill people due to their own lack of vision and
> empathy for other swho are not from their own culture. As mediation and
> the social construction of our lives have become more evident. With the
> wake up call that many of the issues around de-humanization are not just
> distant happenings, theory or story, written and demonstrated about by
> the politically enlightened who dared to see beyond officially imposed
> vistas. With us all experiencing the everyday upheaval of centuries old
> civil rights being threatened by what now seems to be a perpetual "war
> on terror". Orchestrated by powerful people who are not interested in
> the well being of our world. Such as Rupert Murdoch's 'War on
> Journalism', and the American administration's determination to dominate
> via fundamentalist and dogmatic agendas. As weak willed governments and
> corrupt heads of state fall into line supporting sadist principles not
> just on other states, but also on their own civilians. The trickle down
> effect of this is that our youths are going to be just as extreme via
> reactionary means, because they are being educated that it is ok to be a
> bully and violent, it is officially sanctioned.
>
> marc
>
>
> http://www.http.uk.net/
> http://www.furtherfield.org (offline at present)
>
>
> Hi Jeremy,
>
> >>
> >> I half agree with your notion regarding the spectacle related notions
> of
> >> hackers. Yet, there are actually many positive things in respect of
> >> hacker sensibilties and much more than the singular over-promoted
> hacker
> >> 'sensationalism' mode. Hacking of course, has been filtered and
> >> mediated, packaged to a mainstream adience culture (like movies) in a
> >> usually non creative way. Not delving or thinking about the more fluid
> >> and creative ways that artists have used such (flexible) methods in
> >> order to create engagement with the world, as material for art and
> >> diversion.
> >>
> >> > Hell, I was one myself; I tested highly gifted and still did the
> >> answers
> >> >in my head, was anooyed and tuned out for a while as i still wasn't
> >> >challenged. I think the academic community really needs to be
> careful
> >> >about what seems sexy in discourse. I have had several major virus
> >> >attacks over the years ruin files, require complete re-installation
> of
> >> >the hard drive etc....
> >>
> >> Yes, a complete pain in the never regions. Yet, even though we have
> been
> >> hacked at Furtherfield (last October 04) we are open to the wider
> gamut
> >> of hacking and its many different, fluent and imaginative strategies.
> It
> >> is a way out of conforming to imposed ideologies from top down, ruling
> >> organizations. Much important work has come out of such actions that
> do
> >> offer creative minds alternative ways in presenting their ideas and
> >> work, beyond institutionalized remits and limited, historicized
> canons.
> >>
> >> If one views (activist/creative) hacking by its behaviour rather than
> by
> >> its physical tools alone, and the extremely limited propogations and
> >> many misrepesentations labeling it. Hacking can be and is to many a
> >> transgressive way of playing and finding ways around systems. Hackers
> >> are usually mistaken to be Evil, and Crackers are the ones who screw
> >> things over as far as creating virus, cracks, spyware, and destroying
> >> data.
> >>
> >> It was Hakim Bey, who put forward the idea of 'poetic terrorism'. Of
> >> course to use such a term these days would get many people's alarm
> bells
> >> ringing. But once, poetic terrorism was seen as a positive form of
> >> protest using a kind of hacker sensibilty.
> >>
> >> "Organize a strike in your school or workplace on the grounds that it
> >> does not satisfy your need for indolence & spiritual beauty."
> >>
> >> "Grafitti-art loaned some grace to ugly subways & rigid public
> >> momuments--PT-art can also be created for public places: poems
> scrawled
> >> in courthouse lavatories, small fetishes abandoned in parks &
> >> restaurants, xerox-art under windshield-wipers of parked cars, Big
> >> Character Slogans pasted on playground walls, anonymous letters mailed
> >> to random or chosen recipients (mail fraud), pirate radio
> transmissions,
> >> wet cement..." Hakim Bey.
> >>
> >> Urban hacking is a less discussed mode of activity worth ex0plring as
> >> well...
> >> "UEM is a small group of urban explorers based in Montreal, Canada.
> Our
> >> particular characteristics such as name or age are not important: the
> >> cynosure of our group is a passion for the exploration of urban
> >> locations. See the Group section for more information on us."
> >> http://uem.minimanga.com/index.php?section=about_us
> >>
> >> "Urban exploring is the art of going places off limits to most and
> >> unseen by many. Explorers are brave souls who often dredge through
> great
> >> dangers for their art. Often they research and document historic
> >> abandoned places to accompany pictures and video taken on the
> locations
> >> of sites with enormous history. Otherwise they are simply in search of
> a
> >> beautiful view." The Hacking Quaterly.
> >>
> >> Hacking possesses many different levels of acting and not all of it is
> >> directly digitally connected. Art and activism, has worked well with
> >> creative hacking ands transcends structural conformity. And perhaps
> >> discussing the more imaginative and variant functions and its
> >> transgrssive forms of hacking is more likely to touch upon what
> hacking
> >> really is.
> >>
> >> Definition of Hacktivism: A person who enjoys exploring the details of
> >> programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities" and one
> who
> >> is capable of "creatively overcoming or circumventing limitations".
> >> Metac0m (December 2003).
> >>
> >> "HACK (1) to change a program so that is does something the original
> >> programmer either didn't want it to do or didn't plan for it. Hacking
> a
> >> program is not neccessarily cracking, and vise versa.
> >> http://www.irational.org/APD/HE/html/H.htm
> >>
> >> Perhaps others can offer examples, for I just wanted to put across the
> >> point that hacking can be a positive and creative action...
> >>
> >> marc
> >>
> >> some links below:
> >>
> >> http://shop.store.yahoo.com/2600hacker/urexhacphysw.html
> >>
> http://www.v2.nl/FreeZone/ZoneText/Diversions/Broadsheets/PoeticTerrorismBS.html
> >> http://www.hackaday.com/
> >> http://www.thing.net/~rdom/ecd/oecd.html
> >>
> >> >>What is the line between tech fetish and intellectual rebel
> fetish and
> >> >
> >> >the discussion of this "new" voice? The good hacker works with
> >> >security systems and tests bugs and holes but is benign. The bad
> >> >hacker......well, i'd be a fool to even bother to redundantly define
> >> >this. Isn't it really dangerous to glamourize this outlaw stance
> and
> >> >shadow mythology? This is what creates the malignant hacker ( the
> >> >manifesto even says so). The dangerous rebel is exciting to
> analyze at
> >> a
> >> >distance, but that distant voice if reiterated in publication
> seems very
> >> >dangerously equivalent to just making this invisible netherworld and
> >> >impotent virulence seem that much sexier to more awkward 15 year
> olds
> >> >bored in school.
> >> >
> >> > Hell, I was one myself; I tested highly gifted and still did the
> >> answers
> >> >in my head, was anooyed and tuned out for a while as i still wasn't
> >> >challenged. I think the academic community really needs to be
> careful
> >> >about what seems sexy in discourse. I have had several major virus
> >> >attacks over the years ruin files, require complete re-installation
> of
> >> >the hard drive etc....
> >> >
> >> >This manifesto is a call to arms, nothing more.
> >> >
> >> >jeremy
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > We have to reinvent; if we went out of the era of the production
> (of
> >> the
> >> >
> >> >>criticism of the political economy) then let us take place beyond
> the
> >> >>question of the technique as resource of class: which possesses
> it, who
> >> >>produces thanks it, who fires his resource from it, etc...?
> >> >>
> >> >>But ubiquity of hypermedia and the recent laws of control which
> >> accompany
> >> >>it: what do you think of? What transgression (malpractice) is
> possible
> >> >>which
> >> >>can be otherwise watched or only of the mist expert hackers?
> (thus far
> >> >>from
> >> >>the common social practice shared in the every day life?)
> >> >>
> >> >>We are far from situtationnists in that case.
> >> >>
> >> >>I know well that there is a position at the same moment new,
> poetic,
> >> but
> >> >>ambiguous
> >> >>at the same time -traditionally political- of McKenzie Wark in A to
> >> hacker
> >> >>manifesto (of which personally I get ready to publish the long
> version
> >> to
> >> >>French-speaking territories with his agreement; because I
> followed the
> >> >>development of this text since the first version in subsol - that
> we
> >> have
> >> >>translated to our symposium in 2002- until the publication by
> Harvard
> >> >>Press -in any case) and moreover: what do you think of it
> concerning
> >> the
> >> >>theme of this debate?
> >> >>
> >> >>http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/WARHAC.html
> >> >>
> >>
> >>http://www.google.fr/search?hl=fr&q=a+hacker+manifesto&btnG=Recherche+Google&meta=
> >> >>(but I am sure that you know of Ken -ever you feel good ever you
> feel
> >> bad
> >> >>of
> >> >>him - personally he sis a friend of me but I can hear any
> criticisms
> >> - and
> >> >>I
> >> >>make so for any one by myself)
> >> >>http://www.criticalsecret.com/n10/A%20HACKER%20MANIFESTO/index.php
> >> (short
> >> >>version and translation)
> >> >>
> >> >>http://subsol.c3.hu/subsol_2/contributors0/warktext.html
> >> >>
> >> >>His conference during our symposium
> >> >>http://www.criticalsecret.com/n10/McKENZIE%20WARK/ (bi-lingual) "
> >> Escape
> >> >>from the dual empire "
> >> >>
> >> >>http://www.criticalsecret.com/n10/index.php#sommaire
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>Frankly what you do think?
> >> >>
> >> >>""You will go at the church and say of your voice: "God is dead" "
> of
> >> the
> >> >>Stasbourg manifesto is far from us... Or say: hypermedia -that of
> the
> >> >>early
> >> >>time of Free media- is dead and say it online. Could you imagine
> >> that? -or
> >> >>not possible.
> >> >>
> >> >>We are addict with the hypermedia, addict with the transitive
> >> >>communication
> >> >>in real time and all that... But for another part it is our
> peculiar
> >> >>knowledge, this way to invent of a part of us, this way to meet
> >> together
> >> >>with this part and to meet all anyway from East to West and from
> North
> >> to
> >> >>South of the planet and much more: so what right now?
> >> >>
> >> >>And this another vision of the hacker as the mentor?
> >>
> >>http://cybercrimes.net/Property/Hacking/Hacker%20Manifesto/HackerManifesto.html
> >> >>where transgression is the subject.
> >> >>
> >> >>(all the contrary of the situationnism: so what? which changes and
> >> >>differences of our times is it designed in such texts?)
> >> >>
> >> >>A.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>_______________________________________________
> >> >>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
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> empyre forum
> >> empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> >> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> >>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
>
>
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