Re: [-empyre-] speaking of flim flam

[Stella Brennan <stevid@xtra.co.nz>]

> the discussion's fluidity and wrong-end-of-the-telescope view of
> new media in NZ provokes in me the recognition of an endemic attitude; 
> an
> attitude that locally finds expression in an again market-led (however
> illegitimately applied the ideology) obsession with national icons
> specifically as branding tools inside a world cultural topos. This 
> attitude searches Whale Rider, Once Were Warriors and even Lord of the 
> Rings, in order to find something, some
> clue to an identity that clearly is hiding.

I made an exhibition called 'end user' (on my website www.stella.net.nz 
under 2003)  digitally manipulating images of new zealand i found on 
the microsoft clip art download gallery.  this is a range of images 
(animated paperclips to generic images of multicultural office 
situations) free for download, intended to embelllish your powerpoint 
presentations, spreadsheets, whathaveyou.  i was astounded that someone 
obviously uploaded their holiday photos from what looked like a very 
pretty ( sheep in the sunset, yachts, forest) trip around new zealand.  
i took the images, manipulated them, printed them at the highest 
resolution i could squeeze out of my printer and presented them with 
'100 per cent new zealand' branded magnifying glasses for closer 
examination.  interestingly enough, this was the first work i ever 
sold...

did you know that the bit torrent icon is derived from one of these 
images? - a waterfall in the milford sound, i think...
best
stella