[-empyre-] Tactical Media - university research and funding

[Beatriz da Costa]

I will write more tomorrow, but just to avoid any misunderstanding. I  
never meant to say that identifying once practice as "research" is a  
bad thing. I do it myself, very publicly and in writing :). The  
"problem" is the association especially non-academics have with the  
term "research." Most people do think of "science" when they hear  
"research." I only have anecdotal evidence for that of course, but I  
worked on a project a few years ago that for better or worse got a lot  
of mass media attention. My bio at the time said "artist and  
researcher" or something along those lines. You have no idea how many  
emails I got from people thinking I had expertise in anything from  
aeronautic engineering/design, to veterinarian knowledge, to studies  
on pulmonary function tests, to behaviorism, ecology, earth sciences,  
public health & policy ... you get the picture. Nobody understood the  
term "research" to be "creative research" or hybrid art/research or  
however you want to call what we are doing. It said "artist" right  
next to "researcher" but all that people picked up on was  
"researcher." So, I think we have to be aware of that. And yes of  
course, it has ramifications within the university as well, but at  
least in the UC system this is rather straight forward. Everything is  
called "research" during merit/review and tenure time. Simple because  
there isn't a category for "art" on the form. But I don't really think  
that this is the issue here.

anyway, more on funding & tactical media tomorrow.
best
b.



On May 1, 2010, at 12:07 PM, Carl DiSalvo wrote:

> I totally agree that the arts (inclusive of design, and  
> architecture) can be research. Indeed, that is how I characterize  
> much of my own work. And Brett's point below are very important,  
> particularly the notion that the arts as research need not try to  
> adopt the same forms of research practice and product as are  
> produced in other fields. Rather, we need to understand how the arts  
> constitute a particular form (or forms) of knowledge production.
>
> How arts research research fits into "research universities" is a  
> complex question. As Marc points out, in part this forces us to  
> address issues of funding. It also brings up issues of tenure and  
> promotion. And, as we see in this current situation, the politics  
> that are often inherent of the arts in research universities has  
> very real consequences. I am always confused by the fact that so  
> many professors can do research on missile guidance systems or  
> develop algorithms for better prediction in hedge funds, but  
> somehow, this work is not cast as being political. Ok, maybe I'm not  
> really confused by that, but it seems like an important point of  
> contrast.
>
>
>
> One of my nagging concerns is how the arts and design are
> Carl DiSalvo
> Assistant Professor
> School of Literature, Communication, and Culture
> Georgia Institute of Technology
>
> On May 1, 2010, at 3:27 AM, Brett Stalbaum wrote:
>
>> I have always been at a loss as to why the arts and humanities  
>> would have any suspicion at all in embracing the term "research" as  
>> the very core of our practices. Research simply means the  
>> production of new knowledge. Certainly there are competing ideas  
>> regarding what the "research university" should enable, vexing  
>> questions about the term "research university" in comparison to  
>> other models (the implication that other types of higher education  
>> institutions don't themselves produce research), and questions  
>> regarding different methodologies for producing new knowledge. But  
>> at the end of the day, to cede the meaning of "research" to any  
>> particular established methodology (such as the scientific method)  
>> further marginalizes the arts and reinforces notions that the arts  
>> and culture must be by now antiquated and epistemically fixed  
>> projects. Art is research, and if there is anything to be concerned  
>> about today it is "research" institutions whose creative arts and  
>> humanities programs have settled into canonic assumptions and  
>> ceased boundary explorations. If the arts and humanities exist only  
>> to "round out" a liberal education for other fields, then we are  
>> obviously not doing our jobs. If we are unable to function as a  
>> critical or contestational response to the very real issues that  
>> Carl brings up below, shame on us. We need to work harder.
>>
>> Interestingly Ricardo's recent ECD investigations, "5 years of war!  
>> Stop the Nanotech and Biotech War Profiteers!" March 19th-21st  
>> 2008, was something he was promoted for, and the March 4th 2008  
>> protest of exactly the same nature against the same Office of the  
>> President server but protesting student fee hikes and the racist  
>> environment on the UCSD campus are what bring about the attempt to  
>> fire him. (And all indications are, TBT is their real issue and the  
>> only policy violation they could find was in unrelated research.)  
>> It says something very interesting about UCSD's immune system and  
>> the dissent they actually seek to manage, no? Without an artist -  
>> perhaps functioning as a blind probe head in cultural response  
>> spaces - we might not know this. This represents the kind of  
>> methods that artists bring to bear in the production of new  
>> knowledge. It is many things, but research is one of those things.
>>
>> On Apr 29, 2010, at 3:59 PM, Carl DiSalvo wrote:
>>
>>> Hi, thanks for the invitation to join in this important discussion.
>>>
>>> Regarding tactical media and the university, one of the reasons  
>>> why I believe its imperative to have such work in universities,  
>>> and not to try to subsume it as some other kind of research, or  
>>> event as "research" at all, it because it provides an important  
>>> political check against the work done in engineering and computer  
>>> science programs. Moreover, increasingly, engineering and computer  
>>> science programs, and more broadly programs in related fields such  
>>> as Informatics and Human-Computer Interaction are attempting to  
>>> develop research programs with a social agenda. For example, the  
>>> institution I am at has an initiative entitled "Computing for  
>>> Good."  While some might argue that such as shift in engineering  
>>> and computer science is encouraging, I maintain it is, usually,  
>>> simply a reinforcement of standard neo-liberal agendas, with with  
>>> a "feel-good" attitude.  Usually the work in such programs simply  
>>> reinforces existing political mechanisms and norms, under some  
>>> guise of "democracy," for example, improving voting machines. The  
>>> problem with such work is that it invariably negates the  
>>> political, that is, any sense of contestation that characterizes  
>>> the contemporary condition.
>>>
>>> What tactical media (or whatever we want to call it) in the  
>>> university can provide is a) an opportunity for contestational  
>>> political work, and b) an opportunity to call-out the inherent  
>>> fraudulence in most (certainly, there are exceptions) seemingly  
>>> "socially-engaged" or "socially-committed" research being  
>>> conducted in engineering and computer science programs.
>>>
>>> Whether or not we want to call it research is unclear to me.
>>>
>>> That it is important, is without question.
>>>
>>> Carl
>>>
>>> Carl DiSalvo
>>> Assistant Professor
>>> School of Literature, Communication, and Culture
>>> Georgia Institute of Technology
>>>
>>> On Apr 28, 2010, at 7:10 PM, Marc Böhlen wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Thanks again all for interesting posts. Back to the ‘research at  
>>>> universities’ question....
>>>>
>>>> It is true, once a project is categorized as ‘research’ within  
>>>> the university, the boundary conditions of the work changes, the  
>>>> expectations on the work change; in short, the work can change.  
>>>> When such change is undesirable, then any change is nothing less  
>>>> than an obstacle to a potentially powerful artwork that is best  
>>>> expressed outside of institutional constraints.
>>>> But if the work engages territory that is shared across  
>>>> disciplines, the change in expectation can be an opportunity, and  
>>>> the change to the work can give it agency it would otherwise not  
>>>> have. The work may receive a new audience, an audience that  
>>>> otherwise would not care for the work or the questions it raises  
>>>> (because it would not be perceived in the isolated ‘art’  
>>>> context). This audience shift is potentially powerful.
>>>>
>>>> If one discusses research, funding can’t be relegated to the  
>>>> background. As mentioned in earlier posts, funding defines the  
>>>> university structure to a large part, dividing the system into  
>>>> ‘haves’, ‘have-somes’, and ‘have-nots’. Many public (American)  
>>>> universities fund their graduate art programs and faculty  
>>>> salaries to a good part with undergraduate tuition. How many soul- 
>>>> searching undergrads get milked annually such that art  
>>>> departments can maintain their tenured faculty? From that  
>>>> perspective, it might not be such a bad idea to soften the  
>>>> dependency of current funding models away from relying on middle  
>>>> class families (who deliver the tuition) and instead try to get  
>>>> cash from other sources....
>>>>
>>>> I have no final answers to these challenges. I am subject to  
>>>> these forces as many of you are as well.
>>>>
>>>> All the best,
>>>> marc bohlen
>>>> www.realtechsupport.org
>>>>
>>>>> ------------------------------
>>>>>
>>>>> Message: 4
>>>>> Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:31:05 -0700
>>>>> From: Beatriz da Costa<beatrizdacosta at earthlink.net>
>>>>> To: soft_skinned_space<empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au>
>>>>> Subject: Re: [-empyre-] Tactical Media; this week's guests
>>>>> Message-ID:<56CE84EB-01E5-46FF-B1FF-8B4EE790C92C at earthlink.net>
>>>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; Format="flowed";
>>>>> 	DelSp="yes"
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks for the thoughtful post Sara. It really brings up a few
>>>>> interesting points and I think goes back to understanding the  
>>>>> roles of
>>>>> the different type of institutions involved here. Museums, while  
>>>>> often
>>>>> conservative or simply careful when it comes to pushing legal
>>>>> boundaries, or even just the perception of a legal boundary (I  
>>>>> have
>>>>> been there many times), are still spaces that are in principle
>>>>> dedicated to supporting and showing artworks. This is not the  
>>>>> case for
>>>>> American universities. Art schools/departments are often the  
>>>>> necessary
>>>>> evil to complete either the "arts and humanities" or the "arts&
>>>>> science" colleges/schools at US universities. We are at the  
>>>>> absolute
>>>>> bottom of the hierarchy. We don't bring in any money, are quite
>>>>> useless overall and should count ourselves lucky to be allowed to
>>>>> exist of the dimes brought in from the more affluent parts of
>>>>> campus.... or so the common narrative goes. Now with the  
>>>>> emergence of
>>>>> the so called "new media" arts things shifted a little. Suddenly  
>>>>> that
>>>>> hybrid existence was seen as an avenue to bring money into the
>>>>> system... and it took a decade to realize that a lot these  
>>>>> attempts
>>>>> failed, and that many new media artists,  have absolutely no  
>>>>> interest
>>>>> to be in bed with the entertainment and/or ICT industries. So we  
>>>>> are
>>>>> being downgraded again :). But what happened in that time period  
>>>>> is
>>>>> that a loft of artists indeed merged/played/built alliances with  
>>>>> the
>>>>> sci and tech areas around the campuses, often resulting in very
>>>>> interesting work. The "problem" that arises is that suddenly all  
>>>>> the
>>>>> work has to be presented as "research" and once something is  
>>>>> called
>>>>> "research" the outside expectations as to what that is, what  
>>>>> function
>>>>> it should fulfill and within which boundaries it should operate  
>>>>> really
>>>>> change. I am pretty sure that I am preaching to choir here, so  
>>>>> please
>>>>> forgive, but since this list is not US centric, which is  
>>>>> wonderful, I
>>>>> thought I'd bring it up. Art education and its associated  
>>>>> institutions
>>>>> seem to vary a lot from country to country and in my experience  
>>>>> art
>>>>> education at American universities ranks pretty low in the eyes  
>>>>> of the
>>>>> public and the university itself.
>>>>> all best,
>>>>> Beatriz
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Apr 27, 2010, at 7:17 AM, Sarah Cook wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Dear empyre readers
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My apologies for my delay in catching up with the great  
>>>>>> discussion
>>>>>> and posting. I have just landed in Ottawa (where it is hovering
>>>>>> around zero degrees and lightly snowing this morning!) for a  
>>>>>> writing
>>>>>> residency with SAW Video. As a full time research academic  
>>>>>> within a
>>>>>> UK university, and freelance curator whose practice takes place
>>>>>> outside of the university physically but within the remit of my  
>>>>>> job,
>>>>>> I am lucky to be able to leave my desk at CRUMB and come sit at
>>>>>> someone else's desk at SAW Video studying and writing about the  
>>>>>> work
>>>>>> of other artists for a stretch of time this spring.
>>>>>> This kind of transborder curatorial working, where I find  
>>>>>> myself a
>>>>>> guest in someone else's organisation but often with the role of
>>>>>> hosting artists of my choosing there, has some link to the
>>>>>> discussion at hand. (Perhaps it is the 'borrowed uniform' model).
>>>>>> The university shares in (or owns in part or at least takes  
>>>>>> credit
>>>>>> in return for funding) all new research I generate (about  
>>>>>> curating,
>>>>>> about media art, such as through the books I've authored/edited).
>>>>>> But the host organisation (this spring it is SAW Video, last year
>>>>>> the list included xcult.org, Eyebeam, and others) trusts in me to
>>>>>> generate new ideas and international connections of relevance to
>>>>>> them and supports those outcomes financially and intellectually  
>>>>>> as
>>>>>> well. In a decade of curating in this freelance manner rarely  
>>>>>> have I
>>>>>> ever had to sign an agreement with the host organisation about  
>>>>>> what
>>>>>> I will and will not put on their letterhead and how I will or  
>>>>>> will
>>>>>> not use their name and brand and support of me beyond the  
>>>>>> project we
>>>>>> are agreed to work on. I deeply appreciate that this trust  
>>>>>> exists,
>>>>>> to know my work is valued and seen as adding value, without  
>>>>>> having
>>>>>> to negotiate at every stage from brief to realisation.
>>>>>> Now I suspect that were I to be working predominantly with  
>>>>>> artists
>>>>>> whose work borders on the edges of legality or employs  
>>>>>> deliberately
>>>>>> questioning or questionable strategies to make a point -- from
>>>>>> copyright infringement to importing biological components,  
>>>>>> let's say
>>>>>> -- perhaps the host organisations (the museums, galleries,  
>>>>>> artist-
>>>>>> run centres, publishers) would be more wary in trusting in me,  
>>>>>> but I
>>>>>> actually don't know if that would be the case. As a middle- 
>>>>>> person /
>>>>>> mediator-curator I can propose (indeed I am expected) to work  
>>>>>> with
>>>>>> any artists or ideas I see fit (and see fit in relation to that  
>>>>>> host
>>>>>> organisation). But what would happen if a higher authority  
>>>>>> called in
>>>>>> to question what we were doing? Would the organisation let the
>>>>>> freelancer take the blame, or would they fight it together? Would
>>>>>> stronger contractual agreements about whose idea it was be put in
>>>>>> place the next time?
>>>>>> In these discussions I think of the work of my former colleague  
>>>>>> at
>>>>>> CRUMB, Ele Carpenter, who curated an exhibition at the CCA  
>>>>>> Glasgow
>>>>>> as part of her PhD research with us - Risk: Creative Action in
>>>>>> Political Culture http://crumb.sunderland.ac.uk/~ele/risk/riskwebsitenov06/risk.htm
>>>>>> . She might be better placed to discuss this kind of guest- 
>>>>>> hosting
>>>>>> arrangement than I, where the work on show challenges political
>>>>>> authority and the host organisation covers for it. The exhibition
>>>>>> was a case study her PhD was based upon, but the University  
>>>>>> didn't
>>>>>> particularly take ownership of the content of the show so much as
>>>>>> the knowledge she gained in the process of curating it. On the  
>>>>>> other
>>>>>> hand one could ask curator Steve Dietz about the Open Source Art
>>>>>> Hack show at the New Museum in 2002 in which a work was withdrawn
>>>>>> from the show over concerns the museum had about infringing its
>>>>>> agreement with its service provider. http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2002/05/52546
>>>>>> or ask Scott Burnham about his withdrawl from organising the
>>>>>> Montreal Biennial after his proposed 'open source' audience-as-
>>>>>> artist-collaborator curatorial platform was seen as too public  
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> too risky and not 'Art' enough by the board and other directors  
>>>>>> (you
>>>>>> can watch my interview with him here: http://eyebeam.org/press/media/videos/eyebeam-summer-school-curatorial-masterclass-day-1)
>>>>>> . One could also ask the Tate how they negotiated with Heath  
>>>>>> Bunting
>>>>>> over his online commission of the BorderXing project, where  
>>>>>> they got
>>>>>> around the sticky question of actually 'distributing' information
>>>>>> which could be used to break laws (cross borders illegally) by
>>>>>> suggesting what they commissioned was research and documentation,
>>>>>> not the work itself.
>>>>>> These are tangential to the case of the BANG lab at CALIT, but  
>>>>>> could
>>>>>> present lessons for how to be tactical in placing university-
>>>>>> supported research into other public contexts.
>>>>>> Apologies again if this posting seems out of kilter with the
>>>>>> discussion thus far, as I read threads backwards and try to  
>>>>>> catch up.
>>>>>> from an unseasonably chilly morning,
>>>>>> Sarah
>>>>>>
>>>>>> www.crumbweb.org
>>>>>> www.sarahcook.info
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:48:30 -0400
>>>>>>>> From: Marc B?hlen<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%
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> -------------------------
>>>>>>>> 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
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> empyre forum
>>>>>> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
>>>>>> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
>>>>>>
>>>>> Beatriz da Costa
>>>>>
>>>>> www.beatrizdacosta.net
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>> ------------------------------
>>>>>
>>>>> Message: 5
>>>>> Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:42:40 -0700
>>>>> From: Brett Stalbaum<stalbaum at ucsd.edu>
>>>>> To: soft_skinned_space<empyre at gamera.cofa.unsw.edu.au>
>>>>> Cc: soft_skinned_space<empyre at gamera.cofa.unsw.edu.au>
>>>>> Subject: Re: [-empyre-] Tactical Media; this week's guests
>>>>> Message-ID:<28C877BB-242A-42F4-A0A3-B262AF7C11D0 at ucsd.edu>
>>>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed;  
>>>>> delsp=yes
>>>>>
>>>>> While wrought with its own difficulties, radical transparency is  
>>>>> also
>>>>> a model that I think we should fight for. It has (so far)  
>>>>> functioned
>>>>> well for EDT, usually by the end of the day. To clarify a few  
>>>>> things,
>>>>> CALIT2 has actually been one of Ricardo's biggest supporters,  
>>>>> right up
>>>>> the the line where the police arrive. (Which happened.) They have
>>>>> funded the software development in the past by hiring Jason  
>>>>> Najarro,
>>>>> who developed the innovative dousing interface for the tool. So  
>>>>> I do
>>>>> want to make sure that the list understands that CALIT2  
>>>>> administration
>>>>> is not the problem here at UCSD. In fact, CALIT2 will host a  
>>>>> panel on
>>>>> TBT in the near future. (I understand that the situation at  
>>>>> Irvine is
>>>>> quite different, btw.) The issue here, really back to Kroker, is  
>>>>> the
>>>>> atavistic right and its administrative influence within the main  
>>>>> core
>>>>> of UC administration, not so much various research cores. UCOP,  
>>>>> Drake,
>>>>> and others have been carrying water for three right wing
>>>>> congresspeople by supporting their preferred narratives  
>>>>> regarding ECD
>>>>> and TBT. In the end, I think outspending the project itself on the
>>>>> investigation of the project is not going to look very good to the
>>>>> general public.
>>>>>
>>>>> On Apr 26, 2010, at 4:53 PM, Timothy Murray wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>> Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:48:30 -0400
>>>>>>> From: Marc B?hlen<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%
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> -------------------------
>>>>>>> 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
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 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
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> X-IronPort-Anti-Spam-Filtered: true
>>>>>>>>> X-IronPort-Anti-Spam-Result:
>>>>>>>>> AmsBAKqZzEuVqxQebmdsb2JhbACTb4gPFT8dtG+IXYUOBINPgnyIJw
>>>>>>>>> X-IronPort-AV: E=Sophos;i="4.52,238,1270389600";
>>>>>>>>> d="scan'208";a="65941058"
>>>>>>>>> X-Original-To: empyre at gamera.cofa.unsw.edu.au
>>>>>>>>> Delivered-To: empyre at gamera.cofa.unsw.edu.au
>>>>>>>>> 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>
>>>>>>>>> List-Id: soft_skinned_space<empyre.lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au>
>>>>>>>>> List-Unsubscribe:<https://mail.cofa.unsw.edu.au/mailman/options/empyre
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> ,
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> <mailto:empyre-request at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au?subject=unsubscribe 
>>>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>>> List-Archive:<https://mail.cofa.unsw.edu.au/pipermail/empyre>
>>>>>>>>> List-Post:<mailto:empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au>
>>>>>>>>> List-Help:<mailto:empyre-request at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au?subject=help
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> List-Subscribe:<https://mail.cofa.unsw.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/empyre
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> ,
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> <mailto:empyre-request at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au?subject=subscribe 
>>>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>>> Sender: empyre-bounces at gamera.cofa.unsw.edu.au
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> 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 B?hlen 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
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> empyre forum
>>>>>> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
>>>>>> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Brett Stalbaum, Lecturer, LSOE
>>>>> Coordinator, Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts Major (ICAM)
>>>>> UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
>>>>> Department of Visual Arts
>>>>> 9500 GILMAN DR. # 0084
>>>>> La Jolla CA 92093-0084
>>>>> http://www.walkingtools.net
>>>>>
>>>>> OFFICE HOURS (Note: these change every quarter)
>>>>>
>>>>> FALL 2009: Wednesdays, 1-3PM, Mandeville 221 (Near Vis Arts  
>>>>> Advising)
>>>>>
>>>>> WINTER 2009:  Tuesdays, 1-3PM, Mandeville 221 !!!*Moving to VAF,  
>>>>> TBA,
>>>>> sometime during Winter Quarter*!!!
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> ------------------------------
>>>>>
>>>>> Message: 6
>>>>> Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 23:29:16 +0200
>>>>> From: geert lovink<geert at desk.nl>
>>>>> To: soft_skinned_space<empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au>
>>>>> Subject: Re: [-empyre-] Tactical Media; this week's guests
>>>>> Message-ID:<7EA4F72F-011D-44AB-A65D-029591409324 at desk.nl>
>>>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed;  
>>>>> delsp=yes
>>>>>
>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>
>>>>> interesting debates. Sorry to come back to the activist  
>>>>> approaches of
>>>>> my previous mail.
>>>>>
>>>>> Here a link to a blog posting by one of our MA students at new  
>>>>> media/
>>>>> mediastudies of the University of Amsterdam. The blog of our one  
>>>>> year
>>>>> masters program is called Masters of Media.
>>>>>
>>>>> The topic is carthography of migration.
>>>>>
>>>>> http://mastersofmedia.hum.uva.nl/2010/04/27/cartography-of-migration-flows/
>>>>>
>>>>> Best, Geert
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> ------------------------------
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> empyre mailing list
>>>>> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
>>>>> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
>>>>>
>>>>> End of empyre Digest, Vol 65, Issue 21
>>>>> **************************************
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> empyre forum
>>>> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
>>>> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
>>>
>>> <ATT00001..txt>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Brett Stalbaum, Lecturer, LSOE
>> Coordinator, Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts Major (ICAM)
>> UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
>> Department of Visual Arts
>> 9500 GILMAN DR. # 0084
>> La Jolla CA 92093-0084
>> http://www.walkingtools.net
>>
>> OFFICE HOURS (Note: these change every quarter)
>>
>> FALL 2009: Wednesdays, 1-3PM, Mandeville 221 (Near Vis Arts Advising)
>>
>> WINTER 2009:  Tuesdays, 1-3PM, Mandeville 221 !!!*Moving to VAF,  
>> TBA, sometime during Winter Quarter*!!!
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> empyre forum
>> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
>> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
>
> _______________________________________________
> empyre forum
> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> http://www.subtle.net/empyre

Beatriz da Costa

www.beatrizdacosta.net



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