[-empyre-] Reclaiming creativity as agent of change

[magnus at ditch.org.uk]

Hi Saul,

Regarding the Copenhagen Free University, at about the same time, there
was this article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/jun/21/bpp-private-bid-run-public-universities

...according to which, the definition of university is being widened in
the UK. This seems to be in contrast to the Danish situation.

In regard to melting away, perhaps motley self-institution is best made
homeless?

Best wishes,

Magnus

> On Tue, Jul 19, 2011 at 11:09:33AM +0100, Simon Biggs wrote:
>> The jester worked up close and dirty with authority, right by the
>> monarch's side, but often in conflict with them.
>
> Mongrel http://www.mongrel.org.uk/ used the word 'motley' to describe
> their social/technical cultural practice and group identity.  It's a
> word derived from the mixed colours of the 16th C court jester's
> clothes, which was also used to describe colourful naval uniforms of the
> 'motley crew'. It has a literary heritage as the heroic or anti-heroic
> group, facing adversity using their varied skills and characteristics.
>
> This seems to be an integral part of the figure of the pirate: a heroic,
> oppositional posture, flagrantly adopting the ethos of nomadic
> pragmatism that Jussi brought up earlier via Rosi Braidotti.
>
> The discussion so far has outlined the ontology of the posture:
> kingdoms, republics, corporations and unions that adopt this ethos
> become 'vandals'. The moral archetype must remain embattled.
>
> 'Autonomous' practices may adopt similar strategies, but unopposed
> pirate practices have nothing to 'reclaim'. Infrastructure art may be
> very interesting, but only becomes sexy when it gets in trouble.
>
> Mongrel remained embattled by being embattled, not seeking opposition,
> but encountering it in language, technocracies, and the operations of
> the markets it was involved with, and its own motley subjectivity.
>
> This is not to say that dandy pirates are gentrifying the discourse.
> It's to say that Lulz did the right thing by melting away in the face of
> opposition. Not getting caught was a great strategy. So far at least.
>
> I was really disappointed to hear about the Danish government banning
> the operations of the Copenhagen Free University.
> http://www.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-1106/msg00079.html
>
> My disappointed wasn't because they were banned, I was disappointed that
> they came out of victorious retirement to announce their re-instatement
> in the face of opposition. The CFU had shown a thousand pirate
> universities how to take power simply through motley self-institution.
> http://copenhagenfreeuniversity.dk/sisuk.html The Free U Resistance
> Committee of June 18 2011 were the first to frame this as an intention.
>
>
> X
>
> Saul.
>
> --
> mob: +44(0)7941255210 / @saul
> sip: +44(0)2071007915 / skype:saulalbert
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