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: 05.26.06
From: digest@rhizome.org (RHIZOME)
Date: Fri, 26 May 2006 11:36:57 -0700
Reply-to: digest@rhizome.org
Sender: owner-digest@rhizome.org

RHIZOME DIGEST: May 26, 2006

Content:

+opportunity+
1. 220hex: Piksel06 - CALL for PARTICIPATION
2. Hakan Topal: Freelance programmer position
3. Gene Gort: JOB - Sabbatical Replacement - Video/New Media
4. Tiff Holmes: Part-time instructors needed at SAIC-Chicago
5. Leonardo/ISAST: The Pacific Rim New Media Summit + Special Issue of
Leonardo

+announcement+
6. ela.kagel AT iconclub.de: web conference on curating netart
7. Luis Silva: Upgrade! Lisbon w/ Sofia Oliveira
8. Lauren Cornell: FW: GIVING PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT - Glassbox, Paris
9. Pau Waelder: PRIX ARS ELECTRONICA 2006: The Results
10. Greg Smith: mutek / may 30th - june 4th / montreal.canada
11. info: Urban Eyes at HTTP Gallery

+Comment+
12. Eduardo Navas: NMF: TEXT: The Return of the Author by Avi Rosen

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Rhizome is now offering Organizational Subscriptions, group memberships
that can be purchased at the institutional level. These subscriptions
allow participants at institutions to access Rhizome's services without
having to purchase individual memberships. For a discounted rate, students
or faculty at universities or visitors to art centers can have access to
Rhizome?s archives of art and text as well as guides and educational tools
to make navigation of this content easy. Rhizome is also offering
subsidized Organizational Subscriptions to qualifying institutions in poor
or excluded communities. Please visit http://rhizome.org/info/org.php for
more information or contact Lauren Cornell at LaurenCornell AT Rhizome.org

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1.

From: 220hex <gif AT 220hex.org>
Date: May 20, 2006
Subject: Piksel06 - CALL for PARTICIPATION


================================

-- Piksel06 - festival
-- october 12-15 2006

-- Piksel06 - exhibition
-- october 13-27 2006

-- call for participation
-- deadline august 1. 2006

================================


Piksel[1] is an annual event for artists and developers working with free
and open source audiovisual software. Part workshop, part festival, it is
organised in Bergen, Norway, by the Bergen Centre for Electronic Arts
(BEK) [2] and involves participants from more than a dozen countries
exchanging ideas, coding, presenting art and software projects, doing
workshops, performances and discussions on the aesthetics and politics of
free and open source software.

This years event - Piksel06 ? continues the exploration of audiovisual
code and it's myriad of expressions, but also brings in open hardware as a
new focus area. At Piksel06 we will expand the exhibition part and build
upon the open
hardware theme, which represents a potential for a new paradigm shift of
vital importance for independent artistic expression in the digital
domain.

Piksel06 is done in collaboration with HKS art centre[3] which will be the
main location for this years events. Piksel is organised by BEK and a
community of core participants including members of collectives dyne.org,
goto10.org, sustainablesource.net, hackitectura.net, riereta.net,
drone.ws, gephex.org and others.

================================

open CALL for PARTICIPATION

The previous Piksel events has primarily focused on live art/audiovisual
performance and interactive installations, but for Piksel06 we also
introduce open hardware and hardware hacking as new themes. For the
exhibition and other parts of the program we are interested in submissions
in the following categories:

1. Installations
Projects related to the open hardware theme including but not restricted
to: circuit bending, reverse engineering, repurposing, modding and DIY
electronics preferably programmed by and running on free and open source
software.

2. Audiovisual performance
Live art realised by the use of free and open source software. We
specially encourage live coding and DIY hardware projects to apply.

3. Software/Hardware
Innovative DIY hardware and audiovisual software tools or software art
released under an open licence.

Please send documentation material - preferably as a URL to online
documentation with images/video to piksel06 AT bek.no
Deadline - august 1. 2006

Please use the online submit form at:
http://www.piksel.no/piksel06/subform.html

Alternatively use this form for submitting

================================

1. Project name.
2. Email adr.
3. Project URL
4. Name of artist(s).
5. Short bio/CV
6. Category
7. Short statement about the work(s)
8. List of software used in the creation/presentation of the work(s)

================================

Or send by snailmail to:

BEK
att: Gisle Froysland
C. Sundtsgt. 55
5004 Bergen
Norway

More info: http://www.piksel.no/piksel06

piksel06 is produced in cooperation with Kunsthoegskolen in Bergen dep The
Academy of Fine Arts, Hordaland Kunstsenter. Supported by Bergen Kommune,
Norsk Kulturfond, BergArt and Vestnorsk Filmfond.

links:

[1] http://www.piksel.no
[2] http://www.bek.no
[3] http://www.kunstsenter.no

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2.

From: Hakan Topal <htopal AT newmuseum.org>
To: list AT rhizome.org
Date: May 22, 2006
Subject: Freelance programmer position

New Museum of Contemporary Art is looking for a highly talented PHP/Mysql
developer/programmer to implement a customized Content Management System
which will be used for an international collaboration project.


Requirements and Skills;

- Willing to work collaboratively with a small but ambitious/creative
group of people; onsite/offsite

- Self motivated, highly organized and willing to take responsibility

- Database design knowledge is must!

- Ability to work with designers and implement new design ideas to the
core system. CMS experience with audio/video components/formats is a big
plus. Understanding about flash/php/mysql integration is crucial.

- Must have a bachelor's degree in computer science or other related
field, or equivalent professional experience with good references and site
examples

This is a part time / freelancer position for at least 3 months starting
late June.

Please send your resume, short cover letter and hourly salary requirement
with subject heading: 'PHP/MYSQL developer position' to:

Hakan Topal, New Media Projects Manager
New Museum of Contemporary Art
e-mail: htopal(at)newmuseum.org
fax: 212-431-5328
NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE!!!

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3.

From: Gene Gort <gort AT hartford.edu>
Date: May 24, 2006
Subject: JOB - Sabbatical Replacement - Video/New Media

Sabbatical Replacement, Media Arts Department, Hartford Art School,
University of Hartford

Two course replacement for Fall 2006 semester. Candidate should be able to
teach two, 3-credit undergraduate courses, 6 contact hours per week, per
course, in the following areas:
1) Introduction to Video, 2) Video post-production, (intermediate level)
OR 2) Special Topics in New Media applications with video integration.

1) Introduction to Video must address experimental, non-commercial,
art-based video, and non-traditional narrative applications of video
production. Course should be directed toward creative uses of the moving
image with emphasis on the basics of portable video production and
non-linear editing using MiniDV format. This is a production course within
a creative problem-solving environment and must include critical
discussions and screenings in video/media art history and practice.
Projects can be collaborative or individually focused but each student
will be required to acquire an entry-level knowledge of shooting,
lighting, sound and editing. Cursory technical introduction to Final Cut
Pro 5 is required. There are no prerequisites to the course but most
students are from a fine arts or design background. Class enrollment is
approximately 14-18, sophomore through senior level.

2) Post-production class (intermediate level) also must address
experimental, non-commercial, art-based video, and non-traditional
narrative applications in video. Collaborative projects encouraged.
Rigorous use of sound recording/mixing/editing preferred - not music video
format but "sound as material" approach. At least two projects can be
single channel, multi-channel, and/or installation/projection or
performance based with post-production focus. Critical discussions,
screenings, and readings in contemporary video/media practice must be a
part of the course as a generative vehicle for project production and
analysis. Non-art based course material is encouraged. Prerequisites
include Intro to Video or Intro to Media Arts. Class enrollment is
approximately
6-12, sophomore through senior level with an occasional graduate student.

OR

2) SPECIAL TOPICS in New Media studio class (intermediate level)
addressing web-based, data-base, interactive, programming, performance,
and installation with video production integration. Projects should be
experimental in nature and use any variety of computer applications for
execution (Flash, MAX, Isadora, Dreamweaver, Director, open source) but
should not be a "software-learning" course. Course structure should
encourage collaboration, interdisciplinary approaches and new approaches
to integrating old media and new media. Critical discussions, screenings,
readings, and research of contemporary cultural production in new media
should be integrated into syllabus. Class enrollment is approximately
6-12, sophomore through senior level with an occasional graduate student.

Please send the following via email only (send no hard copy) to
<gort AT hartford.edu>
Gene Gort, Associate Professor, Media Arts, Hartford Art School:

1) SHORT letter of intent (1 page max)
2) CV
3) Proposed course outlines including 15 week semester schedule,
reading/screening list, detailed project descriptions. NOTE: Project
descriptions will be reviewed closely.

4) Include websites for work and projects online if available.
5) Names, professional titles and email addresses of 3 references.

Applications accepted until position is filled. Stipend is per course and
competitive, consistent with level of teaching experience. There are no
benefits and no committee work associated with this position. There is a
part-time department technician available for limited technical support.

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Support Rhizome: buy a hosting plan from BroadSpire

http://rhizome.org/hosting/

Reliable, robust hosting plans from $65 per year.

Purchasing hosting from BroadSpire contributes directly to Rhizome's
fiscal well-being, so think about about the new Bundle pack, or any other
plan, today!

About BroadSpire

BroadSpire is a mid-size commercial web hosting provider. After conducting
a thorough review of the web hosting industry, we selected BroadSpire as
our partner because they offer the right combination of affordable plans
(prices start at $14.95 per month), dependable customer support, and a
full range of services. We have been working with BroadSpire since June
2002, and have been very impressed with the quality of their service.

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4.

From: Tiff Holmes <tholme AT artic.edu>
Date: May 25, 2006
Subject: Part-time instructors needed at SAIC-Chicago

Several part-time instructors are needed for a special freshman course
called SAIC Wired at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. SAIC
Wired is a new curricular offering that is designed to orient freshman to
web research and publishing through their brand-new laptops.

Basic computing skills, basic HTML/Dreamweaver/FTP skills, and
intermediate imaging skills are required. An positive attitude toward
helping beginners become comfortable with software protocols and operating
systems, as well as software art is key. An appreciation of open source
software initiatives is also strongly encouraged.

If interested please send a letter of interest (email is fine) detailing
your skills and teaching experience. Please also include a CV with
contact information and June availability for interviews.

Direct all inquiries to:

Tiffany Holmes, Associate Professor
Chair, Department of Art and Technology
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
112 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago IL 60603
tholme (at) artic (dot) edu

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5.

From: Leonardo/ISAST <isast AT leonardo.info>
Date: May 19, 2006
Subject: The Pacific Rim New Media Summit + Special Issue of Leonardo

ANNOUNCING

The Pacific Rim New Media Summit
A Pre-Symposium to ISEA2006
7--8 August 2006, San Jose, California
Co-sponsored by CADRE Laboratory for New Media and Leonardo/ISAST

Plus

Special Issue of Leonardo
Leonardo Vol. 39, No. 4 (August 2006)
Pacific Rim New Media Summit Companion


The Pacific Rim New Media Summit

How are information technology and creativity shaping new directions in
the arts and sciences around the Pacific Rim? What challenges face
organizations and individuals in the region who are working in the fields
of architecture, design, literature, theater, music? How do the puzzle
pieces of academic research and information technology-based industry fit
into this picture?

The political and economic space of the Pacific Rim represents a dynamic
context for innovation and creativity. Experimentation in the many
disciplines that encompass art, science, and technology is resulting in
the emergence of new forms of cultural production and experience unique to
the region. The complex relations and diversity of Pacific Rim nations are
exemplified as well throughout the hybridized communities that comprise
Silicon Valley.

The Pacific Rim New Media Summit will be a gathering of organizations and
representatives from the Pacific Rim and Asia to look at the complex
relations and diversity of Pacific Rim nations and to focus on the
development of partnerships in order to address the multiple challenges
faced throughout the region as it develops its arts and sciences networks
in tandem with its increasing economic influence. This trans-disciplinary
event will have a specific focus on educational methodologies and
practices.

The summit is organized into seven working groups according to the
following topic areas:

* Distributed Curatorial (Chair: Steve Dietz)
* Education (Co-Chairs: Rob van Kranenburg, Gustaff H. Iskandar and Fatima
Lasay)
* Place, Ground and Practice (Chair: Danny Butt)
* Urbanity and Locative Media (Chair: Soh-Yeong Roh)
* Latin America/Pacific-Asia New Media Initiatives (Chair: Jose-Carlos
Mariategui)
* Piracy and the Pacific (Chair: Steve Cisler)
* The Invisible Dynamics of the Pacific Rim and the Bay Area (Co-Chairs:
Susan Schwartzenberg and Peter Richards)

Summit objectives include exploration of innovative models for cooperation
among institutions, development of interaction strategies with technology
corporations, investigation of radical responses to emergent cultural
issues and conditions, engagement with Diaspora communities, and the
establishment of an on-going Pacific Rim Network of New Media Educational
Institutions.

Special issue of Leonardo (Vol. 39, No. 4)

A special issue of Leonardo will be devoted to the work of the seven
Pacific Rim working groups, featuring new media educational programs and
artists from the Pacific-Asia region. The print issue of the journal, due
to be released in conjunction with the symposium, will include statements
by artists as well as articles by cultural theorists looking at issues
germane to the seven working group topics, plus introductory texts by the
working group chairs.

Some of the topics covered in the issue include:

- Surfing the Outernet: Where net art presented the medium of the
Internet, locative art brings to the fore those of mobile and wireless
systems. Drew Hemment unfolds a taxonomy of locative-art approaches to the
gap between the perfect grid and the reality of the mapped world.

- Cyber-Mythologies and Portraits of Dispossession: Rachel O'Reilly
examines how Asian and Pacific understandings of place in recent work by
Vernon Ah Kee, Lisa Reihana and Qiu Zhijie expand the frames of
contemporary locative art.

- Cartographies of the future: Annie Lambla discusses the San Francisco
Exploratorium's Invisible Dynamics project, which considers the museum's
relocation from a perspective integrating art, science and geographic
context.

- Culture, uncontained: Commerce, communication and technology intertwine
in the works of the Pacific Rim New Media Summit exhibition Container
Culture. Artists from Mumbai to Vancouver use the medium and metaphor of
shipping containers to explore regional and global complexities.

For more information about the summit and special issue of Leonardo,
please visit:
http://leonardo.info/isast/isast_activities/pacificrim_newmedia.html

ISEA 2006 and ZeroOne San Jose

The 13th International Symposium on Electronic Arts will be held in San
Jose, CA, August 7-13, 2006 in conjunction with the inaugural biennial
ZeroOne San Jose: A Global Festival of Art on the Edge. Three summits will
be held Monday August 7th and Tuesday August 8th prior to the main ISEA
2006 Symposium: the Global Forum on Economic and Cultural Development, the
Pacific Rim New Media Summit and the Interactive City Summit. Information
about all of the events and symposiums can be found on the official ISEA
2006 website: http://01sj.org.

FREE COPY of Leonardo 39:4 will be distributed to every Early Bird
registrant of the ISEA conference (through June 15th). Visit
http://01sj.org to register.

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Rhizome Exhibitions

The GIF Show, open May 3-June 3, at San Francisco's Rx Gallery, takes the
pulse of what some net surfers have dubbed ?GIF Luv,? a recent frenzy of
file-sharing and creative muscle-flexing associated with GIFs (Graphic
Interchange Format files). Curated by Rhizome Editor & Curator at Large,
Marisa Olson, the show presents GIFs and GIF-based videos, prints,
readymades, and sculptures by Cory Arcangel, Peter Baldes, Michael
Bell-Smith, Jimpunk, Olia Lialina, Abe Linkoln, Guthrie Lonergan, Lovid,
Tom Moody, Paper Rad, Paul Slocum, and Matt Smear (aka 893). GIFs have a
rich cultural life on the internet and each bears specific stylistic
markers. From Myspace graphics to advertising images to porn banners, and
beyond, GIFs overcome resolution and bandwidth challenges in their
pervasive population of the net. Animated GIFs, in particular, have
evolved from a largely cinematic, cell-based form of art practice, and
have more recently been incorporated in music videos and employed as
stimulating narrative devices on blogs. From the flashy to the minimal,
the sonic to the silent, the artists in The GIF Show demonstrate the
diversity of forms to be found in GIFs, and many of them comment on the
broader social life of these image files.

Become MySpace friends with the exhibit!
http://www.myspace.com/gifshow

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6.

From: ela.kagel AT iconclub.de <ela.kagel AT iconclub.de>
Date: May 21, 2006
Subject: web conference on curating netart

The challenges of curating net art - an international web conference
This web conference is presented within the framework of the local
Upgrade!-meeting in Sofia and is hosted by the Mobile Studios project
(www.mobile-studios.org) and Eyebeam (www.eyebeam.org) in New York.
A panel of international artists and curators is meeting up virtually to
discuss various aspects of the mediation, curation and funding of net art.

Hosts:
Ela Kagel, digital media producer and co-initiator of Mobile Studios,
http://www.mobile-studios.org
Ursula Endlicher, NY-based media artist & initiator of the round table in
New York, http://www.ursenal.net

Participants in Sofia/ Bulgaria:
Susa Pop, initiator of Mobile Studios
Galia Dimtrova, curator at InterSpace Sofia (www.i-space.org)
Petko Dourmana, director of InterSpace Sofia
Kyd Campbell, initiator of the Upgrade! Sofia (http://theupgrade.net/)

Participants in NY/ USA:
Yael Kanarek, media artist & initiator of the Upgrade! NY
(http://theupgrade.net/)
Liz Slagus, director of education at Eyebeam NY (http://www.eyebeam.org)
Michele Thursz, independant curator from NY, http://www.michelethursz.com
Lauren Cornell, director of Rhizome.org (http://www.rhizome.org)
Anne Barlow, curator of the New Museum NY (http://newmuseum.org/)

Participants in Boston/ USA:
JoAnne Green, director of turbulence.org (http://www.turbulence.org)
Helen Thorington, co-director and founder of turbulence.org

A live stream of this event will be available at
http://www.mobile-studios.org

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Rhizome.org 2005-2006 Net Art Commissions

The Rhizome Commissioning Program makes financial support available to
artists for the creation of innovative new media art work via
panel-awarded commissions.

For the 2005-2006 Rhizome Commissions, eleven artists/groups were selected
to create original works of net art.

http://rhizome.org/commissions/

The Rhizome Commissions Program is made possible by support from the
Jerome Foundation in celebration of the Jerome Hill Centennial, the
Greenwall Foundation, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and
the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional support has
been provided by members of the Rhizome community.

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7.

From: Luis Silva <silva.luis AT netcabo.pt>
Date: May 22, 2006
Subject: Upgrade! Lisbon w/ Sofia Oliveira

Lisboa 20 Arte Contemporânea welcomes next Wednesday, May 24th AT 19:30, The
Upgrade! Lisbon monthly gathering featuring Sofia Oliveira, executive
coordinator of Atmosferas - Digital Arts Center. The entrance is free and
drinks will be served.

Sofia Oliveira will present Atmosferas as well as the winners of the 2005
edition of the Atmosferas Ideas Contest:

Skechter by Gonçalo Tavares
an extension to the Firefox browser

Re-cordis by Tiago Pedroso
a project about memory, based on text and image

See-Music by Maria da Gandra
a project exploring the relations between sound and image, through the
creation of several systems for sound visualizing

Sofia Oliveira's work within Atmosferas has been one of developing a
platform for creation and reflection about the experimental aspect of new
technologies, by directly supporting artists, producing workshops,
starting an Ideas contest and putting up a tv show about the digital arts
in Portugal.

She has also curated the online projects Gas and Memória and is developing
a work and reflection platform dedicated to Processing, both a community
and language for generative visual programming.


Upgrade! is an international, emerging network of autonomous nodes united
by art and technology. Its decentralized, non-hierarchical structure
ensures that each Upgrade! node (i) operates according to local interests
and their available resources; and (ii) reflects current creative
engagement with cutting edge technologies. While individual nodes present
new media projects, engage in informal critique, and foster dialogue and
collaboration between individual artists, Upgrade! International functions
as an online, global network that gathers annually in different cities to
meet one another, showcase local art, and work on the agenda for the
following year. Upgrade! Lisbon is curated by Luís Silva

For more information or project submission, please go to
http://www.lisboa20.pt/upgrade or http://www.theupgrade.net/ .

Luís Silva
The Upgrade! Lisbon
http://theupgrade.net <http://theupgrade.net/>
http://www.lisboa20.pt/upgrade <http://www.lisboa20.pt/upgrade>
silva.luis AT netcabo.pt <mailto:silva.luis AT netcabo.pt>

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8.

From: Lauren Cornell <laurencornell AT rhizome.org>
Date: May 23, 2006
Subject: FW: GIVING PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT - Glassbox, Paris

New exhibition by London-based curator Hanne Mugaas

------ Forwarded Message
From: "hanne mugaas" <hanne.mugaas AT gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 16:58:11 +0100
To: hanne.mugaas AT gmail.com
Subject: GIVING PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT - Glassbox, Paris

GIVING PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT - GLASSBOX, PARIS
Curated by Hanne Mugaas and Ida Ekblad

**************************************************************************
Takeshi Murata | Cory Arcangel | Marius Engh | Fredrik Soderberg |
Michael Bell-Smith | Anders Nordby | Paper Rad | Ida Ekblad |
Fayçal Baghriche | Jonas Ohlsson | Lars Laumann | Jean-Paul Newman |
Lina Viste Groenli | Are Mokkelbost | Daniel Jensen | Matthieu Clainchard |

**************************************************************************
May 25th 2006 - from 18.00
The project is a commission by The Comissariat

**************************************************************************

*Question notions of the object, of authorship and distribution*

*To arrange and rearrange information is to personally or administratively
produce or document history*

Either using real documents, close copies or absolute fakes, information
exist to create meaning and commentary inside or beyond context. Truth and
evidence may be questioned, but the information is still there. We have
entered a culture of choice, emphasizing the importance of availability;
how to choose, arrange and use. Distribute. Being an expert means to be
confident there is always an easier way to do it, that there is always a
more direct confrontation with reality which might yield an interesting
spin-off, that there is always the possibility of an incalculable effect,
which might turn everything upside down.

************************************************************************
GLASSBOX

113bis, rue Oberkampf Paris 11ème · M° Parmentier/Ménilmontant
t 01 43 38 02 82 · glassbox AT free.fr
ouvert du vendredi au dimanche de 15h à 19h

Glassbox bénéficie du soutien du Ministère de la Culture
(Drac Ile-de-France), le Café Charbon, le Nouveau Casino
et l'Espace Paul Ricard.

le commissariat : 13 passage Sainte Anne Popincourt. paris 11ème
www.lecommissariat.org

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9.

From: Pau Waelder <pau AT sicplacitum.com>
Date: May 23, 2006
Subject: PRIX ARS ELECTRONICA 2006: The Results

Comprehensive Press Release for Download (pdf/795kb):
http://www.aec.at/documents/presse_prixars06_EN.pdf
Photographs for Download (6 pictures/jpg/300dpi): www.aec.at/presskit

PRIX ARS ELECTRONICA 2006: The Results

3,177 entries from 71 countries-the Prix Ars Electronica attracted a
record number of submissions once again this year. A total of ?117,500 in
prize money is being awarded to the winners.

Linz, May 23, 2006 (Ars Electronica). The Prix Ars Electronica, a
trailblazer in the cyberarts since 1987, is organized by the Ars
Electronica Center in cooperation with the ORF - Austrian Broadcasting
Company's Upper Austria Regional Studio, the Brucknerhaus and the O.K
Center for Contemporary Art. Four of its competitive categories - Computer
Animation / Visual Effects, Digital Musics, Interactive Art and Net Vision
- focus on digital media design. The introduction of the Digital
Communities category in 2004 is emblematic of Prix Ars Electronica`s
intensified confrontation with the impact art and technology are having on
social developments. The u19 - freestyle computing category for youngsters
and [the next idea] grant for up-and-coming artists showcase approaches to
new media being taken by promising young creatives.

The number of countries represented is indicative of the Prix`s
international importance. In addition to the major industrialized nations
of the West, Ars Electronica`s activities are also having an impact in
smaller countries in distant regions of the globe. Submissions from such
diverse places as Azerbaijan, Thailand, Nigeria and Brazil underscore the
Prix Ars Electronica´s intercultural reach.

A large contingent of experts from all over the world convened in Linz
April 27-30, 2006. In a series of intensive sessions, seven juries of
specialists evaluated a total of 3,177 projects. The verdicts were
finalized on April 30, when the juries named the winners of six Golden
Nicas, 12 Awards of Distinction and 73 Honorary Mentions. Two merchandise
prizes are being awarded in the u19 - freestyle computing category: one to
entrants up to age 10 and one to those 15 and under.

Once again, the prizewinning projects do justice to Prix Ars Electronica's
role as a barometer of current trends in the international media art
scene.

2006 Prix Ars Electronica: Trends

When asked about general trends evident among the submissions to the 2006
Prix Ars Electronica, the competition`s artistic co-directors mentioned
first and foremost that this year's entries were indicative of more
intensive involvement in social and political issues on the part of media
artists.

"The dream of utilizing digital technologies to make human societies more
democratic and more just has generally given way to the reality of
ever-more-pervasive commercialization, but media artists are holding out
against this development. They question conventional ways of looking at
things and are coming up with creative ideas to strengthen individuality,"
said Ars Electronica Artistic Director Gerfried Stocker.

"Something that has been of great concern to artists since time immemorial
is thus being expressed in a creative new way by means of digital media,
and this trend has further intensified this year," according to Christine
Schöpf, artistic co-director of the Prix Ars Electronica. In a public
sphere that has been radically changed by new media in recent years, new
technologies are thus becoming liberating means of expression beyond the
realm in which shoppers and brand managers have their say.

2006 Prix Ars Electronica: Winners of the Golden Nicas

A total of six Golden Nicas are being awarded. The winning projects attest
to the Prix Ars Electronica's high-profile role as seismograph of global
media culture.

A very short film entitled "458nm" is the winner in the Computer Animation
/ Visual Effects
category. This is a simple but very remarkable story with a surprising
twist by Ilija Brunck, Tom Weber and Jan Blitzer from the Film Academy of
Baden Württemberg. Their superb direction, excellent use of filmmaking
techniques and ingenious dramaturgy captivated the jury.

The Golden Nica in the Digital Musics category goes to sound pioneer
Eliane Radigue for a
contemplative piece entitled "L'îIe re-sonante."

The winning project in the Interactive Art category, Paul DeMarinis'
installation "The Messenger," takes telegraphy as its point of departure
for an examination of the interrelationship of electricity and democracy.
"The Messenger" deals with how electronic communications technologies, in
addition to enriching our lives and experiences, also contribute to our
loneliness and isolation.

"The Road Movie" by the Japanese artists group exonemo takes the Golden
Nica in the Net Vision category. This project plays on the tradition of
origami, the Japanese art of folding paper to form objects, and, by
masterfully and nimbly merging it with the road movie genre, creates a Web
project of a very special sort.

canal*ACCESSIBLE, winner in the Digital Communities category, is an
ambitious project that combines new, generally available mobile technology
with digital photography and places them at the service of individuals
confined to wheelchairs as a way of enabling the handicapped to help
themselves.

canal*ACCESSIBLE is an example of how modern technologies can contribute
to strengthening and empowering socially disadvantaged segments of the
population.
The winning project in the u19 - freestyle computing competition for young
people is "Abenteuer - Arbeitsweg," an animated film by Alexander
Niederklapfer, David & Magdalena Wurm and Ehrentraud Hager, Linz
youngsters age 13 to 15. It offers excitement and suspense, a wide array
of optical effects and excellent pacing. The jury was also extremely
impressed by the public relations work that accompanied the project, which
featured a highly polished website including a trailer and a news service.

The jury awarded [the next idea] grant for up-and-coming creatives under
27 to Himanshu Khatri, a 23-year-old artist from India. "Aquaplay," an
ambitious application for displays, is based on air bubbles rising through
a special fluid. This concept constitutes a completely novel idea and a
dramatic contrast to pixel graphics.

Support from the Private and Public Sectors

The Ars Electronica Festival and the Prix Ars Electronica are financed by
private-sector sponsors and subsidies from the public sector. Ars
Electronica is especially grateful to our lead sponsors, Telekom Austria
and voestalpine. The Prix Ars Electronica is also supported by the City of
Linz, the Province of Upper Austria and the Austrian Federal Chancellery /
Art Section. Ars Electronica also wishes to thank KulturKontakt Austria,
Casino Linz, Pöstlingbergschlössl, Sony DADC, Spring Global Mail and Linz
AG.

The Prix Ars Electronica Gala: Highlight of the Ars Electronica Festival

The Prix Ars Electronica awards ceremony, a joint production of the Ars
Electronica Center and the ORF - Austrian Broadcasting Company's Upper
Austria Regional Studio, is held during the Ars Electronica Festival in
Linz's Brucknerhaus. The prizewinning works will go on display at the O.K
Center for Contemporary Art. This exhibition entitled CyberArts 2006 thus
offers a detailed and comprehensive look at current developments in the
digital arts. The prizewinners will discuss their works at the two-day
Prix Artist Forums.

During the Festival, Ars Electronica will premiere a special u19 -
freestyle computing exhibit that will run in the Museum of the Future
until March 2007.

At the Ars Electronica Festival, Hatje Cantz Verlag will release a media
package documenting the Prix competition. "CyberArts 2006" will consist of
a comprehensive catalog, a DVD and a CD.

Organizers

The Ars Electronica Festival and the Prix Ars Electronica competition are
produced by the Ars Electronica Center, the ORF - Austrian Broadcasting
Company's Upper Austria Regional Studio, the Brucknerhaus Linz and the O.K
Center for Contemporary Art.

Cooperating partners are the Linz University of Art, the Lentos Museum of
Art, Architecture Forum Upper Austria and Posthof Linz.

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10.

From: Greg Smith <smith AT serialconsign.com>
Date: May 24, 2006
Subject: mutek / may 30th - june 4th / montreal.canada

THE 7TH EDITION OF MUTEK :
5 DAYS THAT WILL EXCITE MONTREAL

Press Release

Montreal, Tuesday, April 25, 2006 ? From May 31 to June 4 this year, the
MUTEK Festival grabs hold of Montreal and ushers in the summer festival
season by shaking up the city for its 7th consecutive year. Gathering more
than 70 local and international artists, the programming for MUTEK 2006?as
always?boasts several headliners and overflows with new discoveries. With
approximately 40 performances divided over 10 programs, along with its
peripheral program (including panels, workshops and other diverse
activities), the Festival is shaping up to be genuine whirlwind of sound,
music and audiovisual creation where every event will reveal its own brand
of awe-inspiring creativity. Let yourself be transported by this maelstrom
of digital culture, making Montreal the epicenter of the world electronic
scene for 5 full days and nights.

Well-established in the heart of Montreal, MUTEK prides itself on
dutifully responding to the expectations of Montrealers as well as the
tourists visiting the city during the Festival. As such, MUTEK mobilizes
no less than six venues this year: Ex-Centris, the Society for Arts and
Technology (SAT), the Fonderie Darling, Metropolis, the Monument National
and Parc Jean-Drapeau. The 7th edition of MUTEK offers a captivating
itinerary, ideal for anyone seeking new experiences in and around
Montreal.

Ex-Centris: games and organic elements steal the show! In continuing the
tradition spanning the last 7 years, the MUTEK festivities kick off at
Ex-Centris on May 31st. A truly inspiring environment, the Cassavetes
theater welcomes the A/VISIONS 1 program born out of playful
progressivism, with: Pierre Bastien (France) and his automated mechanical
orchestra; the advance-premiere of the Cubing performance by Montreal
collective Artificiel, who rely on Rubik?s cubes to explore the infinite
relations between color and sound; the collective Sensors_Sonics_Sights
(France) reuniting artists Cécile Babiole, Laurent Dailleau and Atau
Tanaka in a sound/image performance based on harnessing the power of
movement, where the trio?s members maintain a real-time conversation
around which they modulate the flux of sound and light thanks to original
usages of sensor receptors.

Continuously involved with bringing you the evolution of form and
function, MUTEK presents the A/VISIONS 2 program on June 1st. Uniting
experienced artists whose different sensibilities combine to explore the
intimate relationship possibilities between image and sound, the evening
features the following line-up: Ryoichi Kurokawa (Japan), who treats image
and sound as a single entity and composes complex and detailed time based
sculptures; Marc Leclair and Gabriel Coutu-Dumont (Canada) with their
project 5mm, based on Marc Leclair?s (Akufen?s) album Musique pour 3
femmes enceintes, a performance that reveals a new side to the album as
layers of sound and images are reworked into the original soundtrack;
Simon Pyke (Britain), also presenting an audiovisual permutation of his
Freeform project, based on recent work with his brother Matt, who was
previously associated with the prestigious collective of graphic artists,
The Designers Republic.

The Society of Arts and Technology: at the heart of the action The 7th
edition marks a return to the Society of Arts and Technology (SAT) for
MUTEK. Wednesday, May 31st, SAT welcomes the first program in the MUTEK
NOCTURNE series, debuting in high regard with a new generation of artists:
younger brother of the talented Mathew Jonson, Hrdvsion AKA Nathan Jonson
(Canada) is considered the little genie of electro. He?s preparing an
exclusive new set for the MUTEK public that will linger on the
deconstruction of sounds by diverting them away from their primary
function. Next up, operating under the banner of the legendary British
label Warp is Jackson and his Computer Band (France), who proposes a
sophisticated and enigmatic electro demonstration. Then, a young artist
inundated with critical praise in Europe: Chris Clark (Britain), who?s
already mastered the art of creating strong imagery with his music. He
thrives on creating tension then relieving the pressure with strangely
soothing melodies... Your ears have been warned!

Thursday, May 31st, the NOCTURNE 2 program is painted with eclecticism,
variety and electricity. Three artists/groups, preceded by reputations of
the most enviable kind, will be united on the same frenzied bill. From
dub to electro-pop, from electronic to hip-hop, with elements of ragga and
tribal mixed in, the evening promises a veritable slalom among different
styles. Taking part will be Eliot Lipp (USA), 1-Speed Bike (Canada) and
Modeselektor (Germany). Indeed, surprises are guaranteed!

SAT also welcomes the INTER_ACT 1 and 2 programs, presented free of charge
during the ?5 à 7? periods on June 1st and 2nd. Canadian artists from
different backgrounds, experienced or new to the musical scene are invited
to collaborate and initiate creative/diffusionary works on site. The
line-up: Chris Bryan vs. Jamie Drouin; Piers Whyte vs. Scant Intone;
Dreamcatcher vs. Endos; Jonathan Parant vs. Subtle Movements; Gyges vs.
VROMB; Kolumkilli vs. Aidan Baker; Martin Tétreault vs. Ringo Starr. Other
similar activities will be added to the weekend calendar at SAT and will
be announced soon.

The Fonderie Darling: bridging the gap between Berlin and Montreal! The
new home to MUTEK throughout the year (the Festival offices are now up
and running), the Fonderie Darling welcomes festivalgoers to its venue
for the first time on Friday, June 2nd and on Sunday, June 4th for two
nights that are already shaping up to quite memorable. To usher in the
weekend, Friday?s NOCTURNE 3 program offers an immersion of warmth and
lightness within minimalist territory. Its artists practice relative
discreetness to more adequately channel the fluid and evocative nature of
their music, in a quest for a rapport and efficiency without comparison.
In action will be: Steve Beaupré (Canada) whose performance will
encompass his inimitable relaxed, yet restless style in blending funk
sounds with house and techno, while also underscoring the release of his
new album for the MUTEK_REC label; the young Spanish prodigy Alex Under,
one of the European producers of the moment, performing his personal
recipe of contrasting different micro-sounds from various techno streams
including deep, minimal and house; and, in the spirit of a collaboration
with Berlin?s Club TransMediale?s ?Festival for Adventurous Music and
Related Visual Arts?, three German artists: Lawrence, Guido Schneider and
Dimbiman.

Capping off the festival in style on Sunday, June 4th, the finale of the
NOCTURNE series, NOCTURNE 5, provides a display forum for Berlin-based
label SCAPE. Included is a world premiere of a live, group-backed
presentation of the recently released album for SCAPE by Mike Shannon
(Canada). Also on the menu: a performance by German artist Pole (founder
of SCAPE) who will be unveiling the North American premiere of his new
project with musicians Zeitblom (Bass) and Hanno Leichtmenn (drums); plus,
performances by Jan Jelinek (Germany) and Deadbeat (Canada),
unquestionably two flagship SCAPE artists highly respected in their
ability to astonish in a live setting.

Parc Jean-Drapeau: 2 Piknics to celebrate the first Festival of the
summer! In light of the successful results of their collaboration the last
2 years, MUTEK and Piknic Electronik have chosen to combine their
expertise once again to exceptionally offer 2 MUTEK/PIKNIC programs this
year. Combining conviviality and outdoor listening pleasure under the
Calder Stabile in the beautiful Parc Jean-Drapeau, the afternoon Piknics
foster a friendly and family-oriented atmosphere where you can enjoy the
weather, an impressive city view and quality electronic music.

Saturday afternoon will see artists Sonja Moonear (Switzerland), Audio
Werner (Germany), Henrik Schwarz (Germany), Guillaume Coutu-Dumont
(Canada) and Dandy Jack (Chile) provide a varied rhythmic soundscape for a
warm and easy atmosphere...What better way to lead up to the intensity of
the Metropolis event later that evening!

For the following afternoon, the synergy of MUTEK/PIKNIC shines bright by
offering festivalgoers the final North American tour stop for Minus
label?s min2MAX, led by Richie Hawtin. With accompanying performances by
Troy Pierce, Marc Houle and Magda, the afternoon promises to be a dynamic
one full of improvisations and more than likely a surprise or two...

These two programs will jointly inject a breathe of fresh air into the
weekend festivities, Saturday and Sunday, June 3rd and 4th! In case of
rain, the programs will be relocated at the Fonderie Darling.

Metropolis: the main evening-event keeps its promises... Over 7 years, the
Metropolis event has become an undeniable peak of the Festival. This year,
it?s with a supercharged ambience and an eclectic program that the
evening-happening (NOCTURNE 4) unfolds on Saturday, June 3rd. Accordingly,
there will be ample opportunity to be amazed by the original, striking
performances by caustic French duo Nôze, who harmoniously blend electronic
and acoustic, and by quintet Los Hermanos (USA), with their reworking of
salsa/techno drawn from the repertoire of mythical Detroit record label
Underground Resistance. The night will also serve as an occasion for the
public to witness a return to Montreal (after a 5-year absence) of one the
Festival?s favourite artists: Thomas Brinkman (Germany). Montreal producer
Mossa (Canada) will also take part in the procession?a crowning moment for
the artist who?s just released a remarkable new record on French label
Circus Company. Among these four presentations, the night will definitely
contain some surprises for the privileged crowd gathered at Metropolis on
that special evening...

Monument National: new experimental space for exploration The
Hydro-Quebec room at Monument National is where MUTEK will welcome
Montreal duo Skoltz_Kolgen for a third consecutive appearance, following
their Fluüx:/Terminal (2004) and Askaa (2005) projects. The duo, which
needs no introduction, has obtained a carte blanche from the Festival for
the installation of its EPIDERM v.2 project. Logically following EPIDERM,
successfully presented at Usine C in the summer of 2004, EPIDERM v.2 aims
to explore the world of the infinitely small, from the skin?s surface to
atomic particles. An innovative observational experiment for and with the
public, it proposes an immersive experience through participation by
lying on your back to interpret its visuals. A unique opportunity for the
spectator to witness the metamorphic reaction between media arts and
science!

Monument National will also play host to the MUTEK_INTERSECTION series:
three days of panels and workshops contemplating various issues relating
to the further development of electronic music. With keynote speakers from
here and abroad, the platform for exchange proves more successful each
year, proving that MUTEK_INTERSECTION is a forum not to be missed by any
artists involved in the genre.

From May 31st to June 4th, Montreal will witness full-force a multitude
of what the international electronic music scene has to offer. This 7th
edition of MUTEK will be presented at Ex-Centris, Fonderie Darling, the
Society for Arts and Technologies (SAT), Metropolis, Monument National
and Parc Jean-Drapeau.

This edition is made possible thanks to the generous support from all our
collaborators. MUTEK warmly thanks Ex-Centris, its principle partner,
incubator of the event and collaborator since its creation. MUTEK equally
thanks its major partners: le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec,
le Ministère des Affaires municipales et des Régions, Musicaction, the
Ministry of Canadian Heritage, Emploi-Québec, le Conseil des arts de
Montréal, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Canada, Tourisme Montréal, the
Arts Council of Canada, the city of Montréal, Flasher, Bandeapart.fm, VIA
Rail Canada, Flavorpill-Earplug, Ici Montréal and the Montreal Mirror.

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11.

From: info <info AT furtherfield.org>
Date: May 25, 2006
Subject: Urban Eyes at HTTP Gallery.

HTTP [House of Technologically Termed Praxis] presents
Urban Eyes
by Marcus Kirsch and Jussi Angesleva

Private View: 1st June 2006 7-9pm
Exhibition: 1st June - 9th July 2006
Friday- Sunday: 12noon-5pm

HTTP Gallery is pleased to present Urban Eyes, an intermedia project by
Marcus Kirsch and Jussi Angesleva. Urban Eyes uses wireless technology,
birdseeds and city pigeons to reconnect urban dwellers with their
surroundings.

The Urban Eyes feeding-platform stands in one of London's public spaces.
By landing on the platform, pigeons tagged with RFID chips send aerial
photographs of their locality to surrounding Bluetooth-enabled devices. In
this work pigeons become maverick messengers in the information
super-highway, fusing feral and digital networks. HTTP Gallery provides an
interface to the project, mixing live and documentary footage and offering
visitors an opportunity to experiment with Bluetooth.

Being one of the last remaining signs of nature in a metropolis such as
London, the urban pigeon population represents a network of ever-changing
patterns more complex than anything ever produced by a machine. However
pigeons' movements are based on a one-mile radius around their nest. Any
pigeon you see everyday shares the same turf as you. Urban Eyes crosses
and expands human mobility patterns offering to reconnect you with your
neighbourhood.

In the 1960s, situationists Debord and Jorn composed psycho-geographic
diagrams of Paris, which described navigational systems based on their
drift through the city. For this, they used Blondel la Rougery's Plan de
Paris a vol d'oiseau, a birds-eye map of Paris. Inspired by this
methodology, Urban Eyes enlists our feathered neighbours to establish a
connection between this view of the city as now distributed by Google
Earth and our terrestrial experience.

For more information:
http://www.http.uk.net/docs/exhib10/exhibitions10.htm

HTTP Gallery:
http://www.http.uk.net

Furtherfield:
http://www.Furtherfield.org

This project is supported by Arts Council England (London), V2 lab
(Rotterdam, Netherlands) and Furtherfield.org. Supported by Awards for
All.

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12.

From: Eduardo Navas <eduardo AT navasse.net>
Date: May 23, 2006 9:04 AM
Subject: NMF: TEXT: The Return of the Author by Avi Rosen

TEXT: The Return of the Author by Avi Rosen, Feb. 2006, English
translation ? Sonia Dantziger

http://newmediafix.net/daily/?p=557
http://newmediafix.net

This article can also be read at http://siglab.technion.ac.il/~avi
/mehaber/TheReturn.htm

The article transposes the text of Roland Barthes? ?Death of the Author,?
(La Mort de L?auteur (1968, 1977, 2005), to the arena of happenings in
cyberspace, and examines the implications from the point of view of
author-reader-text, active in the electronic environment.

?The Death of the Author? was written in a transition period between the
epoch of the written word and that of the electronic word. A transition
period is usually characterized by hybrid works, inspired by new ideas,
but realized by old means Gentner, D.R., & Grudin, J. (1996). The claim is
that over and above the use of the electronic medium for the needs of
creating, distribution, and the consumers of the text, a dramatic change
is effected in the whole, beyond the death of the author and the birth of
a new reader. Ozenfant (1952) gives an example of this process in his
description of a modern radio from the early decades of the last century.
It was installed in the pulpit of a Gothic-style made of carved wood, with
a heavy base, and at the top, a candlestick for a candle to illuminate the
reading book. The book rests on a support that contains the loudspeaker of
the radio. This ornate installation was an attempt to dignify new
technology and its message, by giving it a classical appearance, and by
adapting the manner of use to the old and familiar form. The pulpit
?vocalized? the text written in the book that lay above the pulpit,
instead of the reader standing in front of the illuminated book,
concentrating on reading the text.

These reading conditions were essential for conveying the meaning of the
author?s immutable text to the reader in the Newtonian world of fixed
linear givens. This is actually an arrangement for conducting an
experiment as in a physical laboratory, where rigid environmental
conditions are enforced to ensure that measurement results bear out
previous suppositions. Indeed, the pulpit kept the fixed relationships
between the traditional author, the text, the reader, and the reading
conditions. A change in the components of the experiment, through
including the radio set, introduces a random variable, that must
undermine the results.

_
Picture no.1, from Ozenfant, 1952, pp.160-161
On the left, fine wireless Receiving set. On the right. ?The Pulpit?, pure
Gothic style, containing set complete in every detail. The music book is
the loud speaker.

Readers of a written text in the media epoch of radio and television are
constantly subject to rapid changes in their understanding of their
environment and the texts they read. The shift creates a gap between
electronically fast changing consciousness and understanding, and the
printed texts that remain ?slow? and stable. The authors who make the
texts try to introduce changes that will match the dynamic environment,
but the moment the text is printed and fixed, it becomes separated from
its author; the author ?dies?. The article, ?The Death of the Author? was
written in the pre-internet transition period when the Aristotelian
dualistic approach, with its dichotomy between object and subject, was
still appropriate. The text was written, printed, and distributed by
?slow? technology, for a reading public that became ?fast? and its reading
subversive. For the new fast reader, the fixated concepts that originated
in the slow world, such as author, God, knowledge, and their derivatives,
disappeared. Carried away in space, the reader lost all points of
reference, and encountered random texts, to which he tried to give
meaning, as best he could.

Barthes describes the ?slow? linear world where there is a clear
distinction between different subjects and objects in space, and likewise,
between texts composed of diverse words having clear meanings: ?the
structure can be followed; ?run? (like the thread of a stocking)? (ibid.
p.16). Barthes then adds that ?We know now that a text is not a line of
words releasing a single ?theological? meaning (the ?message? of the
Author-God)?.

His intention is that in the new state, the text ceases to be
unambivalent, and causes the death of the traditional author. Barthes
describes the process ? As soon as a fact is narrated no longer with a
view to acting directly on reality but intransitively, that is to say,
finally outside of any function other than that of the very practice of
the symbol itself, this disconnection occurs, the voice loses its origin,
the author enters into his own death, writing begins.? (ibid. p.8). In the
?slow? world of Barthes, that preceded to cyberspace, the moment the text
or the voice (the object) is detached from its creator (the subject), it
is ?launched? into void that separates the various objects from the
subjects, and becomes detached from the significance that charged it when
it was first written or spoken by the author. The detached text moved in
free pathways in space, colliding with other texts that were transmitted
in similar fashion by various authors. The resulting total mass of texts
became ?multi-dimensional? space in which many diverse writings combined,
and collided, none of which were original (ibid p.14). This chaotic
state leads Barthes to the conclusion that writing or creating in his day
rejects defined meaning, and in his words, ?In the end, it means to deny
God and his hypostases?reason, science, law? (ibid p.16).

Changes in the consciousness of the experimenter alter the results of the
experiment. For the new reader biased by the electronic media, introduces
?chaotic? variables to the process; reading with a fixed meaning has
ceased. The existing reading arrangement no longer matched reality, and it
was necessary to update it. The Gothic pulpit was used for reading
information, while the reader was settled in front of the page, keeping
lighting conditions dictated by the candle. This was no longer suitable.
The reading arrangement resembling the Thomas Young?s two slits
experiment to demonstrate the properties of light. In Young?s experiment a
beam of light is directed to a plane with two slits through which light
rays pass, thus creating typical wave patterns on a screen. And so too,
reading a text from a book and its meaning is similar.

Because the consciousness of the reader becomes dynamic under the
influence of the electronic media, some measurement components are
constantly changed. The reading has ceased to be unambivalent. Although
the projecting beam of light (the text) is the same beam, the observer
(the reader) has changed, and reached a different understanding of the
?slaw? text. The result is the birth of a new, adaptive reader, biased by
the electronic media, in the world of the fixed text, and the anonymous
author. That was the state of things at the time of Barthes writing.

The changes in the arrangement of the experiment (the reading) did not
stop in Barthes? time. The printed, fixed text turned into electronic
signals and was transferred to communication networks, that is,
cyberspace. The new arrangement transformed the reading experiment and its
results drastically. The reader, the text, and author abandoned their
real, slow surroundings in favor of new, fast space containing numerous
fast texts. These texts are written and distributed electronically at the
speed of light, and within seconds reach any reader or author worldwide.
This activity equalized the speed of the author, text, and the reader.
The volume of texts in cyberspace is monitored by search engines such as
Google, involving tens of thousands of computers that store in their
memories the addresses of around ten billion WWW pages from all over the
world. (True as of October, 2004) from:
(http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php)


Picture no. 2. from: http//enwikipedia ong/wik/EPR_paradox
The EPR thought experiment, performed with electrons. A source (center)
sends electrons toward two observers, Alice (left) and Bob (right), who
can perform spin measurements.

The meaning is that a number of atoms in our bodies are connected to an
unseen atomic network on the other side of the universe, and influence the
state of billions of atoms light years away. The implications of the
experiment are that the universe is a-local, where events at one place on
the surface of the Earth instantaneously influence events on the other
side of the Earth and the universe. Locality matches the state of
dichotomy between object and subject. Therefore Alice and Bob are two
separate subjects, and in a state in which Alice will immediately know
something about Bob who is far away from her, which is impossible.
Barthes? ?slow? reader and author are in this state of one knowing nothing
about the other. Barthes? conclusion, as we said, is that the author is
dead, and the reader and the text remain. As we mentioned , Alice and Bob
and others are now ?fast?, joined together in cyberspace and their
measurements (their reading) of the two (or many) separate electrons
(texts) discharged by the atom(s) (the author(s)) becomes a single
measurement (reading) carried out by the super-reader-author (SRA), when
the wave function collapses. As in the John A. Wheelers? delayed-choice
two slits experiment, ?where single photons following two paths, or one
path, according to a choice made ?after? the photon has followed one or
both paths. The results indicate that wave-like or particle-like
properties are determined not just by the status of the two paths. They
are also determined by the decision of the experimenter to make a
measurement or observation by changing that status? the observer and the
observed system cannot be separate and distinct in space. They also show
that this distinction does not exist in time. ?(Kafatos & Nadeau, 1990,
45-47) The SRA observer, ?caused? something (super-meaning) to happen
?after? it has already occurred, at the separate slots (?isolated?
readers). A text of this kind appears impossible to the traditional slow
reader, exactly like in the EPR thought experiment, the ?slow? reader
located outside the event horizon ( of cyberspace), feels as though far
more time has passed from the moment the two electrons left the atom, till
they are measured by Alice and Bob. That is because he monitors the two
electrons image that is ?frozen? on the event horizon, before it is
?swallowed? up on the way to the cyb!
erspace singularity.


Picture no.3. Alice and Bob, author-reader united in cyberspace.

The same moment that Barthes describes when ?the voice loses its origin,
the author enters into his own death,? actually no longer exists! In
cyberspace existence is the experience of eternal self feedback writing
and reading.
(Connecting to the cyberspace by a central hub that links all the
references in the network, for example, GPS, Google and cell phone,
resemble reading information stored at the event horizon of a black hole
by connecting its singularity. Every user, reader or author connected to
the cyberspace ?downloads? the data stored in its singularity. The act of
reading the text from the network simulates the cyberspace information
wave function collapsing by means of the reader?s submitted query. The
text that was in a state of superposition throughout the network, or in
Barthes? definition ?multi-dimensional space in which many and varied
writings are combined and meet, and none are foremost.? (Roland Barthes,
p.4) becomes a single peak wave function that appears on the reader?s
display). The reader in Barthes? ?Death of the Author? is biased by media
propagated at the speed of light, and dominated by Heisenberg?s
uncertainty principle. According to this principle it is never possible to
know with absolute certainty the position of a particle and its speed, at
one and the same time. However much one knows about one of these with
greater accuracy, one knows less accurately about the other. (Steven
Hawking, 2003,214) For example a one peak wave function, describes a state
in which the location of the particle (the word and its meaning) is
absolutely defined, but the gradient of the function changes sharply, thus
the speed changes fast, and is not defined. One can compare this state to
the action of reading in the ?slow? or static world, in which objects
(words) and meanings are well defined, but if the reader moves fast, the
text will disappear together with the meaning. In our example the reader
(and his consciousness) moving fast is distanced from the ?slow? printed
word, and so the meaning is not clear, or disappears.

Opposite successive peaks wave function, enters uncertainty regarding the
location of a word (meaning), but there is great certainty about its
speed. That is similar to the state of reading a fast text in cyberspace,
where the content is in superposition. The text that becomes a hypertext
is ?stretched? widely in meanings and variable links that explain it, but
is no longer understandable as it was when it was read in the traditional
?slow? way. As in cyberspace all the elements, the author, the reader, the
text and the space become ?fast?, the reader is able synchronizing himself
with that text, and to understand it in relation to the time and place of
reading, as we saw previously in the example of searching for a specific
text on WWW with the help of a search engine.


Picture no.4. The wave function determines the probabilities of particle
in being present in different places at different speeds, in such way that
?x and ?v obey the uncertainty principle. In Steven Hawking, 2003, p.114.

In order to understand the meaning of a text in cyberspace, one must
understand the characteristics of fast space, which are different from
the traditional slow space in which human beings operated for thousands of
years. The traditional slaw text is converted into electronic particles
with high kinetic potential, in their ability to convert that energy into
mass, after colliding with another particle. The result can be a chain
reaction of particles whose sum of mass is greater than the mass of the
original particles (Zvi Yanai, 2005, p.41). In other words, the text that
underwent transformation into electronic particles is introduced into a
particle accelerator which is cyberspace, and collided at high speed with
the target which is the reader?s consciousness, also connected to
cyberspace, and moves at the speed of light. The result of the collision
is a ?chain reaction? that releases energy, or added hyper-meaning,
embedded in a hypertext, something that cannot be expressed in slow
traditional space. The ?chain reaction? impacts the cyberspace inner and
outer content. The traditional low-speed text that suited Newton?s local
and deterministic world, in which there was clear understanding of a
separate subject and object, and time was fixed and stable, is transformed
into a text in superposition. The components of the hypertext moving in
cyberspace in every possible trajectory at one and the same time, collapse
into a final state determined by the decision of the reader. The
electronic text, the author and the reader resemble quantum mechanics that
removed the concepts ?certainty? and ?causality? from the dictionary, and
replaced them by probability. The reader in the world of quantum physics
has stopped being an observer or objective reader, and has become an
inseparable part of the subject of his reading, and an active partner in
creating the text and the reality, in contrast to the classical ?slow?
world in which the identity of the object and the text were independent of
the decisions and actions of the

reader (Zvi Yanai, 2005, p.135).
Niles Bohr wrote, ?The lack of ability to differentiate in the accepted
way between physical phenomena and their observation, which frequently
puts us in a position familiar in psychology, where we often encounter the
difficulty of distinguishing between subject and object? (Zvi Yanai,
p.137).

If we return to Thomas Young?s two slits experiment, we will see that an
electron has the character of both, a particle and wave, and every
electron has the wave function diffused throughout entire space. With a
light detector installed on one of the slits in the experiment, and
radiating photons instead of a light beam, according to the uncertainty
principle, the resolution measurement of the detector determines the
results. If the detector has a high enough resolution, its action
interferes with the photons and destroys the wave pattern on the target
screen. If the detector has a resolution sufficiently low so as not to
interfere with the pattern of condensation then its accuracy is too low to
say from which slit the photon enters.


Picture no.5. Human sight, as part of Thomas Young two slits experiment.

The fast reader linked directly to cyberspace is part of the two slits
experiment, and serves as a detector. The text changes into photons
projected on the reader?s retina, and are passed on to the optic nerve,
reader?s brain and consciousness. The brain and consciousness becomes the
experimental target screen on which the information is projected.
However, unlike the passive screen in Young? experiment, this is an active
screen. Projection of the photons influences the characteristics of the
brain, by changing the electric pulses, and with it the discharge of
chemical materials from it. As a result, new pathways are created in the
brain, memory changes and thus consciousness also changes. In other words,
the characteristics of the detector (the reader) and the resolution change
following the action of measuring, and so the result is not ?objective?,
and neither is the reading of the electronic text. The brain and
consciousness act as feedback and control the reading of the next text
that will be carried out in cyberspace as would an operator of a Scanning
Electron Microscope, whose gaze onto the examined matter transmits an
electrons beam which alter the location of the particles and the
properties of the observed matter. The similar impact is accomplished in
a reality TV show , when the audience voting using remote controller, cell
phone, or internet, determines the participants fate. Similarly, the
reader of a text in cyberspace creates constant transformation of content
and meaning, because texts connected to him, which explain and expand,
change all the time. The reader in cyberspace becomes reader-author,
whereas the electrons that make up the text become the consciousness and
its body, in superposition, until the critical moment when the MIND of
the reader interferes and creates a central meaning in reading the text.
(David Bohm, 1987, p.82). At that moment the wave function of the text
collapses to a discrete point and meaning.


Picture no.6. Scheme of creating the Super-Reader-Author in cyberspace.

The fast reader in cyberspace is an ?isolated? item among many fast
readers, who together create the Super-Reader-Author (SRA) used in the
?hyper-neo-cortex,? a unit that contains the combined power of computation
in cyberspace, to understand the super-text (hyper-text). That text that
is read by every reader separately is channeled by hubs similar to Google
and GPS which serve as an optic nerve and the super-consciousness of the
?hyper-neo-cortex? and are stored within them. According to need and in a
short time, the text undergoes the Bose- Einstein condensate like, in
order to obtain a clear meaning, and is channeled to every ?isolated?
reader or ?cell? that creates the SRA. The ?matter? wavelengths of the
reader, text and author ?will be of the same order of magnitude as the
distance between them. It is at that point that the different waves of
matter can ?sense? one another and co-ordinate their state, and this is
Bose-Einstein condensation?
(http://nobelprize.org/physics/laureates/2001/public.html).

Thus Barthes was correct in determining that the traditional author
disappeared from the critical dialogue of contemporaneous literature, and
was replaced by the reader. But since then, the new reader has become the
electronic super-reader in cyberspace. The borders of his body have
expanded to cyberspace size, and have combined with the bodies of other
authors that were lying dead somewhere in Barthes? slow physical space.
The question is, is there still significance to anti-hegemonic subversive
reading of a text? Indeed the reader in cyberspace is linked to the
network that unites far distances so that they are equal to the other
organs of his body. When he reads a text, he actually reads himself who is
in an everlasting state of becoming. Illustration of such idea can be
found in ?MyLifeBits?- Gordon Bell?s project, where he has captured a
lifetime?s worth of articles, books, cards, CDs, letters, memos, papers,
photos, pictures, presentations, home movies, videotaped lectures, and
voice recordings and stored them digitally. He is now paperless, and is
beginning to capture phone calls, IM transcripts, television, and radio
(http://research.microsoft.com/barc/mediapresence/MyLifeBits.aspx).MyLifeBits
is digital real-time implementation of Georges Perec?s novel -?Life, a
User?s Manual? , where he created an omni-image of memories, feelings,
dreams, desires that are his life summary. MyLifeBits is the SRA
omni-real-time-hyper-summary. This radical change in the concept of self,
the surroundings in which the ?Self? acts, and the text the same ?Self?
reads reflect the viewpoints of two photographs taken at an interval of
about 70 years, at the beginning and the end of the 20th century.


Picture no. 7. Listening to the radio at its inception.
From: http://codesign.scu.edu/chad/12/Overview.html

The first photo, it seems, is from the 20s of the 20th century; it
pictures two young women with earphones listening to a small radio set.
The room is full of objects typical of that period (the ?slow? world)
including a bookcase full of books, books on the table, a mirror, a solid
clock, pictures and photographs on the wall and on the mantelpiece, a
bowl, and little figurines. The books and objects in the room contain
?slow? texts and messages, in which information is passed on from object
to subject (author-reader) artifacts worthy of regular reading or
attention. The introduction of new electronic technology represented by
the radio set creates a new focus in the forefront and center of the room,
while the past items remain at the background. The listeners are
physically attached to the radio by an electronic umbilical cord ? the
wires and the earphones; they are united in the common experience of
listening to electronic waves. Their consciousness is carried through the
instrument to a far singularity, leaving the slow material objects behind.
The women are listening to rapidly changing information, both by the
producers of the program of the broadcasting station, and by one of the
women who controls the volume of reception, adjusting the stations when
occasionally the receiver overlaps two stations at once, producing an
ambivalent message. The information or the text that populates the
electronic space is in superposition, the wave function of the broadcast
content collapses into the state defined by the interference of the
listeners. The new information joins the reading of the slow familiar
surroundings, in which the wave function of the slow objects, remains
defined, with a clear meaning. The manner of reading changed by the agency
of radio is subversive compared to the previous traditional slow, defined
way of reading. The moment the women began to listen to the electric
broadcast, and from then on, the interpretation of the slow written text
exemplified by the books in the room, in the pictures, the photographs,
the objects, even the clock, and the mirror that reflect their image, will
not return to what was before. These objects whose purpose was to
accurately define meaning, place and time, relative to themselves and
various subjects, lost that ability from the moment that consciousness of
the subject was accelerated by the fast and volatile electronic medium.
Broadcasting and television that succeeded radio only enhanced the
process, by accelerating the sense of sight and generating additional
detachment of the listener-viewer from the physical environment.


Picture no. 8. A Student with head set, wandering in VR.
From: http://www.yonago-k.ac.jp/hikona/118/photo/equip/e1.jpg

The second photograph, taken at the end of the 20th century, about 70
years after the first, shows a text and other data being read in Virtual
Reality surroundings. The reader is equipped with his VR headset including
display, earphones, microphone, and data gloves that connect him via
computer to cyberspace. Similar to someone using a Scanning Electron
Microscope, the reader moves within the electronic hypertext that changes
while reading. The reader while reading becomes an author, thanks to the
technical ability to alter the location of the observed data. The wall
video screen, the computer display and the VR headset display multiple
hypertext windows, which the author-reader reads writes and activates. The
room where the reading is taking place looks ?anonymous,? minimalistic,
clean of any object from the slow world, and populated with technical
equipment used in cyberspace. The only object similar to those in the
first picture with the women listeners is the analog clock on the wall, on
the right of the picture. The clock is waning in significance, because it
is only used for moments, when the author-reader ?returns? to slow
reality, in which analogical local time is still valid. The cyberspace
clock is subject to the digital global time synchronizing all users and
texts. Even the author-reader in the photograph looks anonymous, with his
headset hiding his identity, ethnic origin, age, and characteristics that
are not significant in cyberspace. The author-reader is wholly detached
from the material world by means of his electronic equipment; his sense
detached from the physical environment, because it no longer has the same
meaning. The extensions of his electronic sense, controlled by his
consciousness, recreate his virtual space where he acts within the
?arrangement? of cyberspace data in discrete relative states. He remains
alone, separated from the ?real? world, while the rest of the subjects
accompanied him in the real world, become digitally represented avatars.
He has no authors and other readers be

sides himself; all have ?died?. That is in sharp contrast to the room with
the two radio listeners, where according to what is in the picture one can
decode: their socio-economic status, geographical location, fields of
interest, the identity of the books in the bookcase, and so on. Their
uniform clothing and hairstyles give a clue as to their age, education,
opinions, religion, etc. The listeners are sitting at ease, aware to their
physical surroundings, time and to each other. For them, each is a
separate and independent subject, occupying space in the defined room. The
separation from the real world is hardly felt, and is accomplished by the
headphones. While sitting, they are attentive to the real world around
them, and to the virtual world of the broadcast on the radio. The two
women symbolize Alice and Bob of the EPR thought experiment, which in
short time will be united, to form the SRA in cyberspace, depicted in the
single image of the cyberflaneur in the later photograph.

The passage from being a reader of a slow text to a fast one is a daily
happening for most of us. For example, take a series of paintings along
the wall of platform in a London Underground station. From a stationary
train, the passenger looking out of the window sees a single frame of the
series of paintings, and reads it as a single, clear peak wave function.
When the train leaves the platform and accelerates, the frames change at
speed, creating a filmstrip with a different meaning from the single
frame, and having a wave function with the width of the number of frames
on the platform strip. When the passenger then looks over the cellular
phone display or the PALM computer in his hand, he accelerates to the
speed of light, and watches the data situated in superposition in
cyberspace. His glance and actions bring about a crash in the wave
function of the contents of the super-space text, in the singularity of
his consciousness. We may say that in this instance the cyberspace and
the subject became aware one to each other.

In conclusion, one can infer that the ?Death of the Author,? was written
in a similar period to that reflected in the photograph of the two women
listeners, or at the speed of the subway leaving the platform. It was the
old, slow world dominated by dichotomy between object and subject, and
text printed on paper. The process of acceleration of the reader?s
consciousness was just beginning, through radio broadcasts and television.
Cyberspace accelerated the reading process to the speed of light, and led
to a dramatic turning point of the disappearing of the traditional author,
text, and reader, and the birth of the new SRA. The SRA can render the
chaotic text of cyberspace meaningful from his point of view, while
carrying out electronic reading. That ability is similar to the physical
phenomenon of the Bose- Einstein condensate of atoms of a substance
uniting at nearly absolute zero temperature, to one ?super atom? that
sustains super-fluidity (he.wikipedia.org).


Picture no. 9. A page from Albert Einstein?s paper ?Quantum theory of
uni-atom ideal gas? (1924), describing the Bose- Einstein condensate. From
?Ha?aretz? newspaper, 23.8.2005

In this new state the atoms act in symbiotic harmony, demonstrating the
characteristic of ignoring gravity and friction. For example, gas will
become fluid, and will climb up the sides of the glass it is in, unlike
the behavior of isolated atoms that constituted the gas at a higher
temperature, and moved in a chaotic manner (Barabasi 2002, 324), similar
to the image in Barthes? ?multi-dimensional space in which a variety of
writings, none of them original, blend and clash?. The condensation
ability of the SRA, allows turning the text in cyberspace into the super
-atom, that can be identified and followed; the hypertext and SRA then
embodies ?God and his hypostases?reason, science, law.? The existence of
the united reader-author-space creates a paradigmatic shift from
dualistic, Aristotelian object-subject thought, to the holistic thought of
being, realized in the singularity of consciousness and connecting real
space, the spiritual and cyberspace (Rosen, 2005).

Sources
Barabasi, Albert-Laszlo.(2002). Linked the New Science of Networks. Hebrew
translation: Blisha Drora. Yediot Aha?ronot Press.

Barthes, Roland. (2005). La Morte de L?auteur. Hebrew translation: Dror
Mishani. Resling Tel-Aviv.
Barthes, Roland. (1977). The Death of the Author. From - Image, Music,
Text - http://faculty.smu.edu/dfoster/theory/Barthes.htm

Bohm, David, and Peat, F. David.(1987). Science, Order and Creativity.
Bantam Books, Toronto & New York.

Gentner, D.R., & Grudin, J. (1996). Design models for computer- human
interfaces. Computer, June, 28-35.

Hawking, Steven. (2003).The Universe in a Nutshell. Hebrew translation:
Emanuel Lotem. Or Yehuda. Ma?ariv Book Guild, p.214.

Kafatos Menas & Robert Nadeau, (1990). The Conscious Universe, Part and
Whole in Modern Physical Theory. Springer-Verlag. Pp. 45-47.

Ozenfant.(1952). Foundations of Modern Art. Translation: John Rodker Dover
Publications, New York. Pp. 160-161.

Rosen, Avi. (2005). Art at the Event Horizon.
http://siglab.technion.ac.il/~avi/horizon/Horizon.htm

Yanai, Tsvi. (2005).A journey to the Consciousness of Nature, Am-Oved,
p.41.

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