The Rhizome Digest merged into the Rhizome News in November 2008. These pages serve as an archive for 6-years worth of discussions and happenings from when the Digest was simply a plain-text, weekly email.

Subject: RHIZOME DIGEST: 10.15.04
From: digest@rhizome.org (RHIZOME)
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 16:05:41 -0700
Reply-to: digest@rhizome.org
Sender: owner-digest@rhizome.org

RHIZOME DIGEST: October 15, 2004

Content:

+announcement+
1. defne ayas: DEMOCRACY IS FUN? opening at White Box/New York
2. Alexander Galloway: The Institute of Network Cultures, Amsterdam
3. Brooke Singer: BIOFEEDBACK: Benefit for Critical Art Ensemble at Tonic
4. Andrej Tisma: OUTDOORS - International Digital Art Exhibition - Novi Sad,
Serbia & Montenegro

+opportunity+
5. Joe Reinsel: JHU Digital Media Center seeks Digital Video/Animation
Specialist
6. Tomas: CALL FOR ENTRIES Today in Paradise â Genetics & Art
7. Marieke Istha: Call for proposals Artist in Residence Netherlands Media
Art Institute
8. Lev Manovich: UCSD Digital Media Production and Theory job

+work+
9. www AT trashconnection.com: Trashconnection dictionary

+comment+
10. Pall Thayer: On narrative, abstract and location
11. Mark Tribe: Joy Garnett\'s Columbia Lecture Available Online

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1.

Date: 10.09.04
From: defne ayas <defne AT nyu.edu>
Subject: DEMOCRACY IS FUN? opening at White Box/New York

DEMOCRACY IS FUN?
October 21 - November 6, 2004

OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday, October 21st, 6-8pm
With "Speech for the End of the World",   Randall M. Packer, Secretary, US
Department of Art & Technology
&
ELECTION NIGHT event: Tuesday, November 2, 2004
a night to unite for the democratic practice, featuring screenings, and
performances by Larry Litt and Screensavers Group.

Participating Artists:
Anne-Marie Schleiner / Bjørn Melhus / Hug & Magnan /
Jonah Bruckner-Cohen/ Kendell Geers/  Larry Litt/
Michael Anderson / Pursue the Pulse/ Randall Packer
/ Ricardo Miranda Zuñiga / Serkan Ozkaya / Assume
Vivid Astro Focus / Sisley Xhafa            
 
Actions:
Bikes Against Bush/ Blame Show/ Bush League /
CoDECK / Contagious Media/ Experimental Party /
Freedom Salon / K48 / Majority Whip / Screensavers
Group/ Six Feet Under: Make Nice / Imagine Festival
 
Concept origin: Eleanor Heartney and Larry Litt
Organized by Michele Thursz and Defne Ayas.
http://www.michelethursz.com/democracyisfun/
 
New York, NY - From October 14 - November 6, 2004,
White Box will present Democracy is Fun?, an
exhibition that explores how the cross-pollination of media, technology and
culture impacts artistic
production and the social mechanism of art in politically tense times.
Inspired to propose a new possibility for
curatorial process in the upsurge in election-related exhibitions and
adhering to the spirit of democracy, Democracy is Fun? is organized to
provide a physical and virtual platform to demonstrate, document and archive
curatorial and artist-led actions with a proficiency of technological
production tools. Democracy is Fun? brings together, through a collective
production-survey, a group of actions with the purpose to unite various
perspectives on American politics. Through the interruption of singular
actions, Democracy is Fun? exposes the distinctive concerns of these
cultural producers as a whole, while accentuating a stance of democracy
which can hold many perspectives.

http://www.michelethursz.com/democracyisfun

For further information and/or images please contact 212-714-2347 or
info AT whiteboxny.org

White Box is a 501[c][3] not-for-profit arts organization.  Donations are
Tax Deductible to the Full Extent of the Law.
 
WHITE BOX
525 West 26th Street
New York, NY  10001
Tel 212-714-2347
 
www.whiteboxny.org

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2.

Date: 10.12.04
From: Alexander Galloway <galloway AT nyu.edu>
Subject: The Institute of Network Cultures, Amsterdam

information on geert lovink's new research institute in amsterdam. -ag

>> The Institute of Network Cultures (INC)
>> http://www.networkcultures.org
>>
>>
>> The Institute of Network Cultures (INC), which was set up in June
>> 2004, caters to research, meetings and (online) initiatives in the
>> area of internet and new media.
>> The INC functions as a framework within which a variety of studies,
>> publications and meetings can be realized. As indicated by its name,
>> the INC itself will also be active in setting up and maintaining
>> networks. Not only will it facilitate, but also initiate and produce
>> its projects. Its goal is to create an open organizational form with
>> a strong focus on content, within which ideas (emanating from both
>> individuals and institutions) can be given an institutional context
>> at an early stage. The INC aims to organize both public and internal
>> meetings and to formulate new research, based on the fusion of old
>> and new media. The INC sees it as its special task to give shape and
>> content to the digital public domain, with emphasis on the
>> interaction between aesthetics and social relations within
>> technological environments. Special attention will also be paid to
>> intercultural aspects and international cooperation. 
>> The INC has no intention to remain on the sidelines, but rather, it
>> aims to analyse its field of action from the inside, and to make an
>> active contribution. Self-reflection and theoretical developments are
>> of vital importance in the creation of the rich autonomous language
>> that this new area of knowledge so desperately needs. New media are
>> not a religion, even though they are often presented as the solution
>> to all the misery in the world. Nevertheless, they still have a huge
>> potential for bringing about (social) change. The INC intends to
>> explore this potential, without losing track of reality.
>> The field of new media is becoming increasingly dominated by
>> marketing- and management-oriented thinking. This certainly has
>> advantages, in view of the recent history of the 1990s with its
>> speculative excesses. And yet, pragmatic thinking is threatening to
>> banish any further conceptual development to the background. In our
>> opinion, ?wild thinking¹ is still essential, be it in the form of
>> essays, case studies and discussions or incorporated in thorough
>> academic research.
>>
>> Network culture
>> Network culture is not so much about an anthropological eye observing
>> users as a new (sub)culture, or about studying the effects of new
>> technologies. Rather, it revolves around the interaction between new
>> media and their users, with these users themselves being able to give
>> shape to new technologies. This constructive aspect and the
>> multidisciplinary nature of new media are of primary importance, and
>> artistic, political and technical aspects are all paid an equal
>> amount of attention within this context. The INC¹s field of activity
>> is not confined to the internet and can vary from design, activism,
>> art and philosophy, to political theory and architecture.
>>
>> Background
>> The INC originates from the ?lectorate¹ of the department of
>> Interactive Media at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam. The media
>> theoretician Geert Lovink was appointed ?lector¹ of this department
>> in January 2004. The purpose of ?lectorates¹ is to introduce research
>> into the Dutch system of higher vocational education, and to enable
>> the development of so-called ?centres of excellence¹. Within the
>> department of interactive media, the responsibilities of the
>> lectorate include the provision of traineeships, a series of lectures
>> and the theory programme. The INC is also involved in the Media Lab
>> (initiated by the Hogeschool and the University of Amsterdam) which
>> will be launched in October 2005. Moreover, it organizes various
>> study groups for teachers, with themes relevant to their professional
>> practice.
>> The INC is also closely affiliated to the University of Amsterdam,
>> where Geert Lovink is senior lecturer at the department of media and
>> culture. The University of Amsterdam and the Hogeschool, which have
>> merged at a managerial level, are cooperating in many areas. The INC
>> will contribute to the content of this collaboration; not only by
>> providing input and by research at the Media Lab Amsterdam, but also
>> by means of various mutual research projects and thematic events.


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Rhizome is now offering organizational subscriptions, memberships
purchased at the institutional level. These subscriptions allow
participants of an institution to access Rhizome's services without
having to purchase individual memberships. (Rhizome is also offering
subsidized memberships to qualifying institutions in poor or excluded
communities.) Please visit http://rhizome.org/info/org.php for more
information or contact Rachel Greene at Rachel AT Rhizome.org.

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3.

Date: 10.14.04
From: Brooke Singer <brooke AT bsing.net>
Subject: BIOFEEDBACK: Benefit for Critical Art Ensemble at Tonic

BIOFEEDBACK: Give Me Back My Lab and My Freedom of Speech!
A Benefit for Steve Kurtz and Critical Art Ensemble

Featuring Tony Conrad + HangedUp, Dj Olive + Toshio Kajiwara + Markus Miller
+ Dj North Guinea Hills, Tyondai Braxton, Services, New Humans, Dub Trio,
Talibam and special appearance by Barbara Bush (aka Martha Wilson)

Thursday, October 21, 8pm, $12 (two floors of music)

Tonic, 107 Norfolk Street (between Rivington and Delancy)

More Event Info: http://www.caedefensefund.org/biofeedback
Contact: Dion Workman (dionATtinynumbers.com), Brooke Singer
(brookeATbsing.net)

The Benefit:
"Biofeedback: Give Me Back My Lab and My Freedom of Speech!" is an energetic
round-up of musicians, entertainers and visual artists who are creating loud
and clear feedback in support of Steve Kurtz and the Critical Art Ensemble
(CAE). This benefit will help raise money for Kurtz's legal fees in a case
of FBI harassment and silencing dissent. To date, the CAE Defense Fund has
raised an impressive $30,000, but projected costs are estimated at $150,000.
There is still hope that the court will realize the absurdity of the case
and dismiss Kurtz of charges in December; if this does happen, the fund will
be used to help others who may find themselves in a similar unfortunate
position of political scrutiny.

For more information about the case, visit www.caedefensefund.org. And for
information about CAEâ??s projects, visit www.critical-art.net.

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4.

Date: 10.14.04
From: Andrej Tisma <aart AT eunet.yu>
Subject: OUTDOORS - International Digital Art Exhibition - Novi Sad, Serbia
& Montenegro

October 14 - October 20, 2004

"OUTDOORS: International Digital Art Exhibition"
Andrej Tisma, Curator

An international exhibition of digital art (net.art, video) has opened at
the Cultural Center Gallery, Novi Sad, Serbia & Montenegro, October 14.

Participants:

ANDY DECK (New York)
0100101110101101.ORG (Barcelona)
EVGENIJA DEMNIEVSKA (Paris)
GENCO GULAN (Istanbul)


External Digital View

In the public, there is an opinion that digital art and Internet are related
to closed spaces, rooms, or studios equipped with electronic technology, in
a word, it is said that they are something artificial, far from nature and
everyday reality, and most often they are called virtual reality. However,
digital artists are certainly interested in outside world, nature,
landscape, events in street, and this is, in several noticeable examples,
shown by this international group from three continents; Andy Deck (New
York), Evgenija Demnievska (Paris), 0100101110101101.ORG (Barcelona),and
Genco Gulan (Istanbul), in various ways, they, in their digital works, deal
with landscape, regardless of whether they use it as a means of social or
political engagement, personal expression, or for documentary purposes.

Andy Deck is software artist focused to the creation of Internet sites where
visitors may co-operate in creative manner. The work ³ROBOTROSS² is
dedicated to Bob Ross, American painter, who was extremely popular for his
television series ³The Joy of Painting² broadcast for many years, in which
he at the same time ironies his approach to creativity.
"ROBOTROSS", http://artcontext.org/act/04/robotross/


Evgenija Demnievska, in her digital video ³Between² uses the recordings of
landscape to show how she experiences time and existence.
"BETWEEN", digitalni video, 5'


Art group of Internet activists "0100101110101101.ORG" played with the name
and symbol of sport accessories ³Nike². Paraphrasing at their Internet site
official ³Nike² design, they first put the ³bug² in visitors¹ ears that this
multinational corporation, allegedly, in all major cities of the world,
intends to buy main squares and streets changing their names into ³Nike
Square² or ³Nike Street². The subject of their funny criticism was one of
multinational companies, which often rule our destinies, our everyday life,
and even the world of art.
"NIKE GROUND", http://www.nikeground.com/


³Cam-man² (cameraman) by Genco Gulan is Internet work which has the form of
human figure, and it is comprised of seven rectangles where live broadcast
through static digital cameras is made from the towns throughout the planet:
Istanbul, New York, London, Montreal, Kuala Lumpur, Moscow, and Taipei.
"CAM-MAN", http://istanbulmuseum.org/camman.htm

Andrej
Tisma

________________
Andrej Tisma - artist, art critic and curator
WEBSITE: http://tisma.net/


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5.

Date: 10.11.04
From: Joe Reinsel <joe AT joereinsel.org>
Subject: JHU Digital Media Center seeks Digital Video/Animation Specialist

The Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore Maryland) Digital Media Center (DMC)
seeks a Digital Video/Multimedia Artist. Please view the official job
description and apply online at https://hrnt.jhu.edu/jhujobs.

The DMC is a non-academic lab located on the Hopkins Homewood campus in the
Mattin Arts Center. In addition to supporting students in their use of
multimedia technology we develop extra-curricular programs that provide
opportunities to integrate art and science. Please view our web site at
http://digitalmedia.jhu.edu. This 28-hour per week professional position
has full benefits and the salary is enough to cover basic expenses in
Baltimore leaving the artist enough free time and flexibility to pursue
their own creative projects. Baltimore has a growing contemporary arts
community http://www.bop.org/.

General Job Description:
Set-up and maintenance of digital video equipment, instruct students in the
use of digital video and multimedia hardware and software, conduct
non-credit workshops and organize special projects and events. This 28-hour
per week position (with full benefits) requires some evening and weekend
hours.

Qualifications:
- MA, MFA, with emphasis in multimedia.
- Must be able to learn new information quickly
- Strong written and verbal communication skills;
- Ability to work with artists technicians and to assist students in the
creation of inter-disciplinary multi-media works or art.
- Superior knowledge of digital video hardware and software, cameras,
assorted lighting and audio-recording equipment
- System-level knowledge of both Macs and PCs;
- Ability to use animation, 3-D modeling and graphic design software such as
Flash, After Effects, InDesign, Quark, 3-D Studio, Maya
-Experience with video script writing, project management and planning,
shooting, recording, editing and output such as printing, CD, DVD, and
streamed media.

If you are interested in this position please apply online.

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Rhizome is now offering organizational subscriptions, memberships
purchased at the institutional level. These subscriptions allow
participants of an institution to access Rhizome's services without
having to purchase individual memberships. (Rhizome is also offering
subsidized memberships to qualifying institutions in poor or excluded
communities.) Please visit http://rhizome.org/info/org.php for more
information or contact Rachel Greene at Rachel AT Rhizome.org.


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6.

Date: 10.13.04
From: Tomas <tomas AT mobileart.se>
Subject: CALL FOR ENTRIES Today in Paradise - Genetics & Art

CALL FOR ENTRIES

Today in Paradise - Genetics & Art
Mobileart 05
Göteborg New Media Art Festival
at Röda Sten, Göteborg, Sweden
Submission Deadline: 24 November 2004
More info www.mobileart.se

The call for works is open to artists, designers and performers both
internationally and from the Nordic region willing to engage in the theme
'Today in Paradise - Genetics & Art'.

Mobileart is announcing a call for works for its exhibition and festival
which will open on the 26th Mars, 2005. This will consist of a 2-day
festival/symposium held on Saturday 26th Mars to Sunday 27th Mars,
concurrent with an exhibition at the same venue from Saturday 26th April â??
Sunday 17th April.

Today in Paradise - Genetics & Art will be held at Röda Sten
(www.rodasten.com), a cultural landmark which lies on the sea entrance to
the city of Gothenburg. Previously housing a huge industrial boiler, Röda
Sten today is a hub for exhibitions and arts events, and offers everything
from huge open spaces to small intimate rooms distributed over its
approximate 1000 square metres. The outside of the building is a free zone
for the graffiti artists of the city, and this unconventional exhibition
space sets the scene for innovative explorations. The goal of Project Röda
Sten is to develop itself as a nordic cultural centre for art, theatre,
music and dance and to host international exhibitions of high standard.

Mobileart is an organisation focussing on the advancement of digital and
net-based art. Through exhibitions both on- and off-line, Mobileart seeks to
create a forum for activities, meetings and information revolving around
such art forms as visual art, music, design and architecture.

THEMATIC BACKGROUND
Since the middle of the 90's, a public debate about the possible
consequences of biotechnology and genetics has emerged, with particular
focus on how they might affect our lives and environment.

The Scottish sheep Dolly, born in 1996 and deceased in 2003, was a catalyst
for the emergence of this debate. The first mammal to be born through
cloning, Dolly became symbolic of and synonymous with the new biotechnology.
Biotechnology gave us a new perspective on ourselves with the completed
mapping of the human genome.

Many ethical questions have been opened up regarding the new biotechnology.
Several aspects of our lives have been influenced over the last few years
â?? living organisms and bodily organs can be reproduced, genes can be
patented, genetic manipulation has found its way into agriculture, new
medicines have been produced in the wake of the new biotechnology. The
discoveries of genetic science and technology leaves us faced with several
questions that deal with ethics, social relations, economics, religion and
culture.

In our every day life today we look out for the tags of 'genetically
modified' on groceries, get offers from commercial bio-banks when we give
birth and there's even an American company willing to take your order to
clone your pet cat.

Today biological and evolutionary processes are simulated by computers and
information technology. Genetic and evolutionary algorithms are finding
their way into many different fields of interest, within and outside of
scientific areas of exploration. Examples of unusual applications of these
algorithms can be already found in music, art and design.

We are now in the era of post genetic revolution. The cloning technologies
and gene mapping that once shocked are now commonplace, silently and often
invisibly integrating themselves into the everyday. It is in such a climate
that we would like to re-stimulate the debate and re-frame the question of
how these are affecting us, and how we can express this through art.


EXHIBITION AND FESTIVAL
The exhibition is open to works based on the theme 'Today in Paradise -
Genetics & Art' from various fields such as visual arts, architecture,
design, music, dance and performance. Artists are invited to interpret the
theme in various ways, either through direct commentary on genetics and
biotechnology, or from a sociological/cultural perspective. Liberal
interpretations and more abstract approaches to the theme will also be
encouraged. Works utilizing genetic algorithms and evolutionary processes
are also of interest, and need not be thematically or aesthetically related
to the topic.

For the exhibition from the 1st to 17th April we are looking for artists
working in all kinds of media, for example interactive installations,
photography, video, sound, and net based art. As this will be a group
exhibition, space will be shared among the participants so this in an
important factor to be aware of when submitting works.

For the festival from the 1st to 3rd April we are seeking participants from
the fields of music (especially electronic), dance and performance art to
present pieces on site.

A part of the exhibition will also hold information and visions from ongoing
research from Biotechnology institutions and companies.

IMPORTANT DATES
Submission deadline: 24th November 2004
Notification of participation: 21st December
Exhibition dates: Saturday 26th Mars to Sunday 17th April, 2005
Festival/Symposium dates: Saturday 26th Mars to Sunday 27th Mars, 2005

SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Please fill in the on-line Apply Form found on the Mobileart website at:
www.mobileart.se
or print out the PDF- Apply Form an post it to address (postmarked latest 24
Nov. 2004):

Mobileart.se
c/o Tomas Lundberg
Sveagatan 22
413 14 Göteborg
Sweden

Supporting Documentation:
This will consist of a maximum of 3 printed A4 pages of
pictures/text/material needs. Describe any space requirements you might
have, preferably in a simple sketch.

OR

The equivalent material presented in web format and submitted as an URL or
FTP

AND (optional)

CD-ROM with audio/visual documentation (no additional text)

Please NOTE: do not send documentation as attachments to email.
Unfortunately, we are not able to return submitted material.

A jury that will be announced later will take part in the selection of
submitted works.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Equipment hire costs of participating artists will be covered by the
exhibition. As we will be working on a modest budget, we recommend that
artists explore the possibility of local funding for transport and travel
costs. There will however be specific funding allocated to support Nordic
artists. The budget will be finalized in December, and support for
participating artists will be determined from then onwards.

For those who are interested in webpages and articles about genetics there
are some links at www.mobileart.se.

The exhibition/festival is a collaboration between:
Mobileart.se www.mobileart.se
Kulturprojekt Röda Sten www.rodasten.com
Chalmers, Art & Technology www.id.gu.se/info/arttech


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For $65 annually, Rhizome members can put their sites on a Linux
server, with a whopping 350MB disk storage space, 1GB data transfer per
month, catch-all email forwarding, daily web traffic stats, 1 FTP
account, and the capability to host your own domain name (or use
http://rhizome.net/your_account_name). Details at:
http://rhizome.org/services/1.php

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7.

Date: 10.14.04
From: Marieke Istha <istha AT montevideo.nl>
Subject: Call for proposals Artist in Residence Netherlands Media Art
Institute

Call for proposals: Artist in Residence
Netherlands Media Art Institute
DEADLINE PROPOSALS NEXT PERIOD November 1, 2004

Starting in 2002, the media lab at the Netherlands Media Art Institute is
offering artists from The Netherlands and other countries the possibility of
carrying out investigations in three areas:
* Streaming media
* Wireless applications
* 3D applications
Artistic concept, innovation and cooperation are to be central in these
investigations. Preference will be given to research which makes use of
"open source" and that develops "tools" which will be available for further
use. Investigations that have an interdisciplinary character will also
receive preference. The artists will be working together with Dutch
universities and academies in the research.

Facilities
An Artist in Residence will have at his/her disposal
* Technical facilities, including assistance
* Working budget
* Housing
Technical specialists advise the participating artists during research,
experiments and production.

Results
The outcome of the research will be presented in an appropriate manner,
through exhibitions, discussions, seminars, publications and workshops.

Applications
Applications will be evaluated on the basis of a research proposal with a
work plan, which must include a formulation of the problem, and a
description of the resources needed (technical and facilities) and the
result. The artist should also submit a comprehensive biography, with
documentation on his/her previous projects. The final round of the selection
process will be based on an interview. The duration of the work will depend
on the research proposal, but should run an average of three to six months.

APPLICATION FORM
Is to be found on <http://www.montevideo.nl/en/index.htm> under Research/AIR

For more information:
Gaby Wijers, Artlab
gaby AT montevideo.nl <mailto:gaby AT montevideo.nl>


Netherlands Media Art Institute
Montevideo/Time Based Arts
Keizersgracht 264
1016 EV Amsterdam
The Netherlands
T +31 (0)20 6237101
F +31 (0)20 6244423
info AT montevideo.nl
www.montevideo.nl

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8.

Date: 10.14.04
From: Lev Manovich <manovich AT jupiter.ucsd.edu>
Subject: UCSD Digital Media Production and Theory job

UCSD Department of Communication

http://communication.ucsd.edu/Jobs/temppositions.html


Digital Media Production and Theory.
The Department seeks a
professor, strongly preferred at the assistant or early associate level,
who is a creative producer/scholar in digital media arts with a strong
background in critical studies and who can work with a faculty that
spans the social sciences, humanities, and the arts. Specialization
areas may include but are not limited to: net art, net radio, electronic
performance, interactive installation, electronic curating, computer
music, digital sound, robotics, architectural design; conceptual or
public media art, and transitions between old and new media forms. We
seek applicants who are engaged with digital media scholarship and who
are qualified to teach at the graduate level and in areas of the
curriculum beyond production. Candidates should hold a PhD, MFA or
equivalent qualifications and have a strong exhibition record and
demonstrated potential for teaching excellence.
Additional sites that may be of interest:
http://crca.ucsd.edu
http://www.calit2.net

TO APPLY:
Send vita, statement of research and teaching interests, one work sample
(a single publication or media work), home page URL, and contact
information for three references by October 30, 2004 (late applications
will be accepted) to:

Professor Lisa Cartwright.
Department of Communication (0503)
University of California at San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla CA 92093-0503


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9.

Date: 10.10.04
From: www AT trashconnection.com
Subject: Trashconnection dictionary

http://dict.trashconnection.com


"Am Anfang war das Wort, und das Wort war Wort. Am Ende wird das Wort
sein, und das Wort wird Wort sein." Roman Minaev

***

Matze Schmidt:

i tried today with the word "description" of course... it's still
running. would like to hear more about it, how the machine works, gets
material from www.dict.org and so on.
first idea: the thing with words (how to do things with words) is one
field, it's the field of grammar/grammatology, but that's just it. the
concept of language is even more than just words. but the dict-machine
makes somehow clear that there is a relation of words as system and
sense (interpretation).
ah, i get now this here: Warning: fopen() [function.fopen]:
php_hostconnect: connect failed in
/home/minaev/public_html/dict/index.php on line 158
out of the 'word-system' of the machine.

Miga:

Most likely i will be better explaining the technical solution as
philosophical.
With php it is pretty easy to take the source from the internet and to
use it for own stuff -- cut and replace, add and to rearrange it. The
project i was talking to trashconnection was about the word itself or to
be more precise, the meaning of it. Like, for example, nobody asks why
we use the word 'mother'. The dict.trashconnection asks the question on
_logic_ -- if we try to explain one word, we get a series of other words
to explain. the project initially was discussed as endless or till the
'end of known words'. The system though stops on its way, because the
computer (or settings of it) is not able to handle endless things. So
lets say in this case system gets 'overheated' and stops functioning
giving an _error_. The error is also not so bad thing, because in this
case we could explain the irrational side of human-being. I think that
the project is not about grammar -- it is purely based on 'cut and
paste' technology. dict.trashconnection is visual work. At least for me.

Trashconnection:

Well, there is a system based on the human flaw. You sometimes search
for a word in the dictionary and find an unknown word in its
description. To enrich your vocabulary you turn to the next word and so
on. The dict.trashconnection.com makes it easier to find out all
meanings of the basic word in the sequence.

Example:
A = B+C+D
B = E+F+G
C = H+J+K
D = L+M+N
E = ...
F = ...
G = ...
...
The result of the search (even with the error message) won't bring you
closer to the real sense of the word. "Interpretation" could be only the
label for the searching process. It exposes on the one hand that
invented symbols (words) can just explain themselves, on the other hand
it clarifies the complexity of trust in power of words.

Matze Schmidt:

with the idea of words explaining the dict-project is very close to what
semiotics, especially after pierce and the structuralists, says about
the system of symbols or symbol clusters, lets say "words". yes, every
word can just be explained by words (or by pictures?). but words
'themselves' do not exist, as roman's sentence in his e-mail could suggest:

> "Interpretation" could be only the label for the searching process.

because, if interpretation is a search process, how come that it (the
word) MEANS something to the behaviour of the interpreter if he or she
finds a word, that is important for his or her aims? if i have a ton of
words, i will just find the right one (the right one for my aims in
behaviour) by heuristic strategies. ok, dict can help. well, this
discussion leads very fast to the discussion of machine-man-relations,
besides of the problem of chains of words = chains of meanings made by a
'machine called human being'.
but one assumption: the dict is not just "cut and replace" as you say
miga, it is, but it is also "power of words", as roman says, right. cut
and paste, yes, but then also splitting, pushing, pitching. paul d.
miller would agree with you, as he say that DJing is like working with
text.
but words never can just explain 'themselves'. they are not them-selves,
because they do not have a (i don't believe the meme-theory) own,
authentically subject, they are not their subject, because they are ever
in relationship to other words with meaning. and don't forget, the dict
is about written words (text) in the context of a machine. the struggle
of the priority of written words and spoken words is still going on (->
derrida in his book [sic] _de la grammatologie_). grammatology is not
just grammar, it is about the logics of speech. tech and phil can never
be divided in this field, as dict shows too.

> Well, there is a system based on the human flaw.

but why "human flaw"? why is the words-system full of mistakes? there
the interpretation of semiotic practice (anthropology of media) _as a
problem_ begins. this flaw-idea is a deep line in anthropology of media,
it has always to do with the idea of human as a incorrect system and
loss (loss of precision, loss of power etc.). too fast it leads to the
image of better, more precise systems at last to machines which can do
it better. the computer is too often the machine on which the wishes of
a better functioning system running are projected on.

> dict.trashconnection.com makes it easier to find out all meanings of
> the basic word in the sequence.

it just shows, that there is relation, as everybody who uses
dictionaries and, in increased sense who uses hypertext, knows (the
serendipity effect). so dict.trashconnection is a exemplification of
that. if you read the post-structuralists (again derrida for example),
you will find out, that the main thesis is, that there is always a rest
in the system (call it series, chains ore grammatology) of language.
based on the empirical knowledge you said, roman, nothing will "bring
you closer to the real sense of the word." it is endless, or groundless.
"endless" would mean, that there is just a linear process, but it's not.
it is relation, more like a terrain, but without any hard ground,
because every word as the placeholder of sense is just a placeholder,
but a placeholder with 'tradition' (the Signifikant/Signifikat-theory).

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10.

Date: 10.10.04
From: Pall Thayer <palli AT pallit.lhi.is>
Subject: On narrative, abstract and location

On narrative, abstract and location
A few words on location-based data in art

http://pallit.lhi.is/~palli/NarAbsLoc.pdf


--
_______________________________
Pall Thayer
artist/teacher
http://www.this.is/pallit
http://pallit.lhi.is/panse
_______________________________

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11.

Date: 10.14.04
From: Mark Tribe <mark.tribe AT gmail.com>
Subject: Joy Garnett\'s Columbia Lecture Available Online

On September 23, Joy Garnett inaugurated the Fall 2004 Columbia University
Art & Technology Lectures. In "Painting Mass Media and the Art of Fair Use,"
Garnett discussed her run-in with a Magnum photographer whose image she
found on the web and used as the basis for a painting. She also discussed
the Rhizome community's amazing response, and the "Joy War" that ensued.

Streaming video of this lecture, with a synchronized slide show and
clickable outline, is now available online at
http://www.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/itc/soa/dmc/joy_garnett/index.html.

Joy Garnett is a painter and editor of NEWSgrist, a blog focusing on art,
politics and digital culture. In Riot, her most recent solo exhibition at
Debs & Co. in New York, she presented paintings based on news photographs of
figures in states of emotional or physical extremity. In 2000 she created
The Bomb Project, a web resource conceived and designed for artists and
activists interested in making politically relevant work about nuclear
issues. She is currently working on a series of paintings about war and
global nomadism.

The Columbia University Art & Technology Lectures are organized by the
Digital Media Center <http://www.columbia.edu/cu/arts/dmc> and sponsored by
the Computer Music Center <http://www.music.columbia.edu/cmc>. Streaming
video of the lectures is produced in collaboration with the Center for New
Media Teaching and Learning <http://www.ccnmtl.columbia.edu>.


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Rhizome.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and an affiliate of
the New Museum of Contemporary Art.

Rhizome Digest is supported by grants from The Charles Engelhard
Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for
the Visual Arts, and with public funds from the New York State Council
on the Arts, a state agency.

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Rhizome Digest is filtered by Kevin McGarry (kevin AT rhizome.org). ISSN:
1525-9110. Volume 9, number 41. Article submissions to list AT rhizome.org
are encouraged. Submissions should relate to the theme of new media art
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Digest, please contact info AT rhizome.org.

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Please invite your friends to visit Rhizome.org on Fridays, when the
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