[-empyre-] Re: empyre Digest, Vol 32, Issue 17

["david jhave johnston" <jhave2@gmail.com>]

hello empyreans,

I am not overly familar with art hierarchies, and do not often speak
on list, instead lurk-listening-learning, just another marginal media
artist trying to avoid the larger debris of social pandemonium that
afflicts most human endeavors...
but the documenta conundrum concerns me at a curiosily personal level

on june 19th, i received an email (from someone i know nothing of) to
donate videos into an archive on 'bare life' ("take part in the
Documenta with us.")

the deadline is july 30th, i have not sent them anything yet, our
brief email exchange is included at the end of this post.

the project seems to be affiliated with a non-profit social services
organizations and the only video online when i received the invite was
a brief excerpt from a nursing home.... since i knew nothing of the
org (except thru the seemingly auspicious lustre of documenta's name),
i wrote back enquiring if i was to video some homeless folks (around
where i live in vancouver's downtown east-side, there are 1,000 of
folks on the streets round here who live a 'bare-life') would there b
any funds to donate to a charity here or directly to participants who
i filmed?...

reply said: no funds available but they look fwd to receiving my
work.... now at ethical levels its contentious problematic and just
down right weird to feel the weight of this great diffused call for
volunteers especially when that seems to involve video taping folks
with dementia (as in their first videos) or at risk street folks (as i
was thinking to do even before documenta popped up with this request)?

so question for christine (since you have been so lucidly candid) what
inspired u to give 4 months of work to documenta12?
beyond social capital and art for art's sake is there something i've missed ?

what follows below is the transcript of my email communications with
documenta (who is documenta? when its such a massive poly-headed hydra
of gift economy media?)...the emails make me chuckle since it almost
seems like a spam dialogue....

compounding the dilemna is the general degree of my ignorance: is it a
competition to see who gets to be on their site as the 'weekly' video?
or is it a real "invite" (as in yes come in, all who reply will join
us...) i don't read german.

comments? guidance?
jhave

/////////////////

On 6/19/07, videoproject at documenta <videoproject@awo-documenta.de> wrote:
Dear Mr Johnstson,
In regards to our video project "What is Life, stripped bare?" we
invite you to take part in the Documenta with us.  Please send us your
artistic video contribution by the beginning of August, at the latest,
so that we can release it on our project website www.awo-documenta.de.
Further information can be found in the attached document.

Sincerely,
Ulf GrieÃmann
State Business Director, AWO ThÃringen, Germany
P.S.: Click here to view the video of the week:
http://www.awo-documenta.de/index.php?id=15&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=2&tx_ttnews%5Byear%5D=2007&tx_ttnews%5Bmonth%5D=06&tx_ttnews%5Bday%5D=02

On 7/9/07, david jhave johnston <jhave@glia.ca> wrote:
> Dear Ulf,
>
> I will be honoured to contribute.
>
> 2 questions:
>
> Would it be alright if I built a web-video module and sent you a link?
>
> I am negotiating with a local homeless advocacy group for access to the
> community.
> Is there a possibility of offering a fee to this group / the actual homeless
> folks?
>
>
> Many thanks for the kind invitation,
> Jhave


On 7/10/07, videoproject@awo-documenta.de <videoproject@awo-documenta.de> wrote:
> Dear Mr. Johnston,
>
> IÂm very glad to hear that youÂll take part in our project.
>
> ItÂs okay if you send a link, where we can download your video.
>
> But there is no possibility to get any money for that take. We are a
> social, non-profit organization and we havenÂt got any budget to pay
> for your participation.
>
> I hope to hear from you soon and IÂm looking forward your video. If
> there are any questions feel free to ask.
>
> Best Wishes,
>
> i. A. Franziska Klemm
> www.awo-documenta.de