[-empyre-] "Networked Catastrophe and Political Response"

[Renate Ferro]

Dear empyreans,

We hope you will understand our decision to postpone the beginning of 
this month's discussion for a few days in order for us to engage in 
political work prior to today's American elections.  Given the 
frightful results of recent American presidential elections, we have 
been concerned that the beginnings of our discussion of networked 
catastrophe might be consumed by depressing verifications of Paul 
Virilio's skeptical hesitancy in the face of networked culture.  We 
are delighted to report, as of the past hour, that catastrophe has 
not repeated itself, at least at this moment, at least from an 
American perspective.

We  will post our thoughts individually about our plans for this 
month's discussion in the next day or so, after we finish celebrating 
and clean our tables of calling lists, regional election 
calculations, and tabulated results.  A little more than a week ago 
we were in San Francisco discussing the insights of Paul Virilio and 
the alternate, affirmative approach to speed and networked culture 
recommended and practiced by many of the artists who joined with us, 
from Stelarc and Lynn Hershmann to D. J. Spooky, Jordan Crandall, and 
Ricardo Dominguez.  This month we'll be joined by Ricardo as well by 
other theoreticians of speed culture--Verena Andermatt Conley. 
Navjotika Kumar, and Steve Redhead who may well now frame their 
discussions in a different light.  We are also hoping for brief 
visits from other participants, from Jordan Crandall to Arthur and 
Marilouise Kroker.

For now, we hope that you all share the delight and guarded optimism 
that overwhelms us this evening.

With warmth, and in the spirit of last month's discussion, lot's of love.

Renate and Tim



>Renate Ferro and Tim Murray
>CoModerators, -empyre-
>Department of Art/Rose Goldsen Archive of New Media Art
Cornell University
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