[-empyre-] Christina'a report and nationalisms

[renate ferro <rtf9@cornell.edu>, timothy murray <tcm1@cornell.edu>]

> Hey, Christina,

Thanks so much for representing -empyre- so well at Documenta. 
Reading your report made us think of the relevance of -empyre- itself 
to recent discussions of the lack of national identification at 
Documenta.  It's interesting that, even as -empyre-'s moderators have 
recently tended to migrate away from -empyre's Australian roots (the 
three of us are from the US) and reflect the migratory nature of 
digital practice and discourse, it's been important to all of us to 
recall, note, mark, and insist on -empyre-'s Australian roots and its 
continual Australian sponsorship (our work benefits from the server 
at the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, and we 
appreciate COFA's institutional commitment to our international 
project).  And it was not coincidental that the lively Australian 
scene of digital arts and discourse is what prompted Melinda to 
organize -empyre- as a networked structure that would expand the 
outreach of those national practices.

Just as we share a commitment to seeking broad international 
participation, we also consistently celebrate the national 
specificity of our guests and their projects that frequently derive 
from local conditions, politics, and practice.  Something I most 
appreciate about our -empyre- discussions is how frequently 
participants reflect on the national/local pulse of their projects 
within the context of an expansive global network.  This may help to 
explain why many our participants have been responding with curiosity 
to Documenta's strategy of effacing national particularity.  Our 
sense is that the particular weaves of national practice contribute 
to the critical strength of -empyre-'s global discourse.

Enjoy the rest of your stay.

Renate and Tim
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