[-empyre-] Tactical Media; this week's guests

[Timothy Murray]

>Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:48:30 -0400
>From: Marc Böhlen <marcbohlen at acm.org>
>Reply-To: marcbohlen at acm.org
>To: Timothy Murray <tcm1 at cornell.edu>
>Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: [-empyre-] Tactical Media; this week's guests
>X-PM-EL-Spam-Prob: : 8%
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>-------------------------
>Dear -empyre-
>Thanks to Tim and Renate for inviting me to 
>participate. Thanks also to the other 
>participants who have posted thoughtful 
>commentary on the situation.
>
>While I am also angry with UC administrators for 
>making BANG lab's life hell, I think it might be 
>worthwhile to consider some of the broader 
>issues this fiasco makes apparent.
>
>Beatriz da Costa's post from Apr15 2010 really 
>lays out the problem well. Can one really expect 
>academia to support tactical media? Not if the 
>university recognizes it as such. Passing the 
>development of tactical media as bona fide 
>research is probably over (da Costa). And seen 
>from that vantage point, BANG bit the hand that 
>feeds it, signing off on email correspondence 
>with CALIT research credentials.
>
>Are there alternatives?
>
>If one is going to operate in broad daylight, 
>there are two choices (I see). Wear a wig (so no 
>one knows who you are) or wear a uniform (so you 
>look like the others).
>
>In the wig model, the artist works a day job at 
>a university and keeps his/her critical practice 
>separate from the research at the university.
>
>In the uniform model, the artist works a day job 
>at the university and selectively melts his/her 
>practice into research recognized by the 
>university.
>
>I use a variation of the uniform model. I make 
>use of the fact that my work in alternate 
>information design (in the widest sense) is of 
>interest to the engineering community. I sit on 
>panels that I am not interested in, in order to 
>try to move the ensuing discussion along lines 
>it would otherwise not travel. I review 
>amazingly boring high end research papers in 
>order to be to make the authors consider the 
>social ramifications of their elaborate 
>experiments. Yes, they must revise their work 
>accordingly.
>
>This uniform model is not for everyone. But it 
>seems, on occasion, to help create diversity 
>where it is really needed.
>
>The point I would like to make is that research 
>in/from the arts at universities, on most basic 
>levels, needs to be re-evaluated.
>
>
>Greetings,
>marc bohlen
>www.realtechsupport.org
>
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>Timothy Murray wrote:
>>>Dear Marc,
>>
>>I am hope you received your introduction, which 
>>I sent out to the list on Monday. We had severe 
>>server problems over the weekend so I'm worried 
>>that this entire list might not have received 
>>this. I'm going to resend just in case.
>>
>>We're still hoping that you'll be able/willing 
>>to post a comment and join in conversation this 
>>week (today and through the weekend or even all 
>>through next week would be great).
>>
>>As for us, we were supposed to be Berlin at a 
>>conference right now but got volcanoed and are 
>>in Ithaca. Renate still launched her project 
>>virtually (which was going to be accompanied in 
>>Berlin by an analogue collective performance): 
>>www.privatesecretspubliclies.net
>>
>>Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on 
>>-empyre- and so sorry for any confusion.
>>
>>tim
>>
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>>>X-Original-To: empyre at gamera.cofa.unsw.edu.au
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>>>Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:02:50 -0400
>>>To: soft_skinned_space <empyre at gamera.cofa.unsw.edu.au>
>>>From: Timothy Murray <tcm1 at cornell.edu>
>>>Subject: Re: [-empyre-] Tactical Media; this week's guests
>>>X-BeenThere: empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
>>>Reply-To: soft_skinned_space <empyre at gamera.cofa.unsw.edu.au>
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>>>
>>>Hi, all. You might have noticed a quiet period 
>>>over the weekend, which appears to have been 
>>>the result of problems with our server at COFA 
>>>in Sydney. We know that one of our posts never 
>>>went through, so Tim posted it again this 
>>>morning. If you lost posts, please feel free 
>>>to resend. We apologize for the disruption, 
>>>but, hey, it seems not to have been the result 
>>>of volcanic ash (say two travelers currently 
>>>waiting to see whether we'll be flying to 
>>>Berlin on Wednesday...).
>>>
>>>We want to extend our warmest thanks to our 
>>>guests who so provocatively opened our first 
>>>week's discussion of Tactical Media, Research, 
>>>and the University. We have beenpondering all 
>>>the week the insightful posts by Horit Herman 
>>>Peled, Arthur Kroker, Geert Lovink, Nick 
>>>Knouf, and Rita Raley. We hope to hear more 
>>>from you all over the course of the next two 
>>>weeks.
>>>
>>>This week, we are pleased to be joined by 
>>>Patricia Zimmermann, Marc Boehlen, Claudia 
>>>Costa Pederson, and Sarah Cook.
>>>
>>>Marc Böhlen is Associate Professor and 
>>>Director of Graduate Studies in the Department 
>>>of Media Study at University of Buffalo. 
>>>Co-Founder of the Emergent Practices MFA 
>>>concentration and of the 
>>>Media-Architecture-Computing Program. 
>>>Practicing under the moniker REAL TECH 
>>>SUPPORT, he designs and builds information 
>>>processing systems that critically reflect on 
>>>information as a cultural value. Marc's work 
>>>is informed by a long apprenticeship in the 
>>>crafts (stone masonry), humanities (art 
>>>history) and the engineering sciences 
>>>(electrical engineering and robotics). 
>>>Upcoming and recent shows and presentations 
>>>include events at the National University of 
>>>Singapore (Singapore 2010), the Beall Center 
>>>for Art and Technology (Irvine, USA 2010), and 
>>>Jiao Tong University (Shanghai, China 2009). 
>>>Recent publications include Micro Public 
>>>Places (Architectural League, New York 2010) 
>>>and Ambient Intelligence in the City 
>>>(Springer, Berlin 2010).
>>>
>>>Sarah Cook is a curator and writer based in 
>>>Newcastle upon Tyne, UK and co-author with 
>>>Beryl Graham of the book Rethinking Curating: 
>>>Art After New Media (MIT Press). She is 
>>>currently a research fellow at the University 
>>>of Sunderland where she co-founded and 
>>>co-edits CRUMB, the online resource for 
>>>curators of new media art and teaches on the 
>>>MA Curating course. In 2011 she will co-chair 
>>>Rewire, the Fourth International Conference on 
>>>the histories of media, science and technology 
>>>in art with FACT in Liverpool. Having grown up 
>>>in Canada, Sarah has a longstanding 
>>>association with The Banff Center where she 
>>>has worked as a guest curator and researcher 
>>>in residence for the Walter Phillips Gallery, 
>>>the International Curatorial Institute and the 
>>>New Media Institute, developing exhibitions, 
>>>summits, residencies and publications. After 
>>>completing her PhD in 2004, Sarah worked as 
>>>adjunct curator of new media at BALTIC funded 
>>>by the AHRC. In 2008 Sarah was the inaugural 
>>>curatorial fellow at Eyebeam Art and 
>>>Technology Center in New York, where she 
>>>worked with the artists in the labs to develop 
>>>exhibitions of their work. For over ten years 
>>>Sarah has curated and co-curated international 
>>>exhibitions including Database Imaginary 
>>>(2004), The Art Formerly Known As New Media 
>>>(2005), Package Holiday (2005), Broadcast 
>>>Yourself (2008) and Untethered (2008).
>>>
>>>Claudia Costa Pederson is a HASTAC Fellow and 
>>>PhD candidate in the History of Art and Visual 
>>>Studies Department at Cornell University. Her 
>>>interests center on exploring the 
>>>intersections between play, creativity, 
>>>critical theory, and social activism, with an 
>>>emphasis on digital games as devices for 
>>>artistic and critical inquiry. She is now 
>>>teaching a lab course with Nick Knouf for the 
>>>Finger Lakes Enviornmental Film Festival on 
>>>the theme of Open Space. She has presented her 
>>>work widely at international new media forums 
>>>from ISEA to DAC, most recently on "Towards an 
>>>Ecology of Excess," DAC 2010.
>>>
>>>Patricia R. Zimmermann is Shaw Foundation 
>>>Professor at the Wee Kim Wee School of 
>>>Communications at Nanyang Technological 
>>>University, Singapore; Co-Director of the 
>>>Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival 
>>>(FLEFF) and Professor in the Department of 
>>>Cinema, Photography and Media Arts at Ithaca 
>>>College, Ithaca, New York, USA. She is the 
>>>author of REEL FAMILIES: A SOCIAL HISTORY OF 
>>>AMATEUR FILM (Indiana, 1995) STATES OF 
>>>EMERGENCY: DOCUMENTARIES, WARS, DEMOCRACIES 
>>>(Minnesota, 2000), and coeditor of MINING THE 
>>>HOME MOVIE: EXCAVATIONS IN HISTORIES AND 
>>>MEMORIES (California, 2008). She was coeditor 
>>>with Erik Barnouw of THE FLAHERTY: FOUR 
>>>DECADES IN THE CAUSE OF INDEPENDENT CINEMA 
>>>(Wide Angle, 1996). Her book on digital arts, 
>>>PUBLIC DOMAINS: CINEMAS, HISTORIES, 
>>>VISUALITIES (Temple University Press, 
>>>forthcoming), explores the relationship 
>>>between historiography, political engagements 
>>>and digital art practices.
>>>
>>>We look forward to the contributions of our 
>>>new guests and to a lively week of commentary 
>>>from the -empyre- community.
>>>
>>>Best,
>>>
>>>Renate and Tim
>>>
>>>
>>>--
>>>Renate Ferro and Tim Murray
>>>Managing Moderators, -empyre- soft_skinned_space
>>>Department of Art/ Rose Goldsen Archive of New Media Art, Cornell University
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>empyre forum
>>>empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
>>>http://www.subtle.net/empyre


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