[NetBehaviour] Taking the Protests to the Art World

[marc garrett]

Hi Joel,

It's an interesting point in respect of archaeology, because if we think 
about artworks, individuals and groups forgotten in time. Established 
art history, still has left out (as far as I am concerned), much of the 
important histories. In fact, even though we have the Internet where 
groups such as Furtherfield and its connected communities and 
individuals have managed bash out a presence now recognised. It has 
taken years of dedication, and constant action in challenging those 
writing about media art, in asking them to make an extra effort and look 
beyond their 'official' canons, which has usually only scratched the 
surface of a micro field, hermetically sealed, within its own particular 
(small) meta-hegemonies and rarified discourse. Being transdisciplinary 
helps to break the seal, allowing other situations and contexts to be 
seen and of course, evolve.

In fact, it's got the point that, if one was to authentically embark in 
researching the less accepted history of media art (net art also), and 
much of its related practices, the skills or mind-set of an 
archaeologist is precisely what we need now.

I have been reading an excellent chapter called 'On the Origins of the 
Origins of The Influencing Machine' from the publication - 'Media 
Archaeology: Approaches, Applications: and Implications' by Erkki 
Huhtamo & Jussi Parikka, which is fascinating. "This book introduces an 
archaeological approach to the study of media - one that sifts through 
the evidence to learn how media were written about, used, designed, 
preserved, and sometimes discarded." 
http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520262744

In much of my study I have been reading a lot of feminist literature, 
such as Dale Spender's 'Women of Ideas: and what men have done to them', 
Mary Wollstonecraft's 'The Rights of Woman', Mary Shelley's 
Frankenstein, 'A Feminist Critique of Science' by Anne K. Mellor, 
'Gender and Prehistoric Technology: On the Social Agency of Technical 
Strategies' by Marcia-Anne Dobres. And women writers more closely 
thinking around the subject of media art and its social complexities and 
activism such as Doll Yoko, Franscesca Da Rimini, Sadie Plant & Mary 
Flanagan; and also women writers who have explored ecological 
perspectives in challenging art and the market that dominates its 
potential to be more than it is now like Suzi Gablik, and also 'The 
Feminist Critique of Art History' by Thalia Gouma-Peterson and Patricia 
Mathews. This is a small list of a much larger collection of reading 
material consisting of men and women.

As we face what to many, feels like an overwhelming task to somehow 
incorporate into our everyday behaviours and art practice, is an 
understanding and hands-on response to climate change and neoliberalism; 
in contrast, making art and talking about it may seem a trivial activity 
in comparison. Yet, it is important to remember that even though the art 
establishment has not been active in the promotion of political art, 
other than as a sideline interest, or occasional novelty, or a cynical 
money making scheme. There is a rich history of art incorporating ideas 
and actions involving revolution and social change, some of it grass 
roots and some of it has inspired generations, audiences and art 
practitioners in accepted histories also. But to pick apart the engaged 
and critical practices from the over-promoted poodles, is the main task 
here. For things are not what they seem.

Wishing you well.

marc





 > Hi Marc;
 >
 > And "prehistory," as what we call history begins with what we call 
writing. While art extends much further back than written languages.
 > Many prehistories are now being taken seriously, mainly by 
archaeologists.
 > As for the "transdisciplinary." This is to where art traces its 
roots, so that it should be a natural sphere to artists who are aware of 
their tradition.
 >
 > Warm Regards,
 > Joel
 >
 >     ----- Original Message -----
 >     From: marc garrett
 >     To: NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity
 >     Sent: Sunday, October 23, 2011 6:28 AM
 >     Subject: Re: [NetBehaviour] Taking the Protests to the Art World
 >
 >     Hi Joel,
 >
 >     I feel that the 'art world' has always been much larger in 
reality, than
 >     certain establishments would like us to believe - whether this be in
 >     history or in everyday art practice.
 >
 >     It's alive & kicking anyway - and the transdisciplinary side of 
it all
 >     for me is the more interesting element, existing at the edge of 
things...
 >
 >     wishing you well.
 >
 >     marc
 >
 >
 >
 > > This is strange because the Art Market has been like this--an
 >     investment market for the rich--for centuries, and the only thing 
most
 >     artists did was try break into it.
 > > In any case, this protest is a good thing for art, and I hope it
 >     spreads to the Art World, which is much larger than New York 
thinks it is.
 > > -Joel
 > >
 > >
 > >     ----- Original Message -----
 > >     From: info
 > >     To: NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity
 > >     Sent: Saturday, October 22, 2011 4:22 AM
 > >     Subject: [NetBehaviour] Taking the Protests to the Art World
 > >
 > >     Taking the Protests to the Art World
 > >
 > >     By MELENA RYZIK
 > >
 > >     The Occupy Wall Street movement took on the art world, sort of, 
this
 > >     week, with a splinter group, Occupy Museums. Convened on Thursday
 > >     evening through a Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr posts, about 20 
people
 > >     made their way from the Museum of Modern Art to the New Museum to a
 > >     downtown gallery, protesting what they say is the conflation of
 >     art and
 > >     commerce, the snobbery of the art market and high ticket prices at
 > >     museums, which they called the “temples of the cultural elite.”
 > >
 > >
 >     
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/taking-the-protests-to-the-art-world/?smid=tw-artsbeat2&seid=auto
 > >
 > >     _______________________________________________
 > >     NetBehaviour mailing list
 > >     NetBehaviour at netbehaviour.org
 > >     http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
 > >
 > >
 > >
 > > _______________________________________________
 > > NetBehaviour mailing list
 > > NetBehaviour at netbehaviour.org
 > > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
 >
 >     _______________________________________________
 >     NetBehaviour mailing list
 >     NetBehaviour at netbehaviour.org
 >     http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
 >
 >
 >
 > _______________________________________________
 > NetBehaviour mailing list
 > NetBehaviour at netbehaviour.org
 > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour