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vol20no1bookseniorEditorsLanfrancoAceti,SusanneJasCHko,JulianStallabrass/bookEditorBillBalaskasTheLeonardoElectronicAlmanacisproudtoannouncethepublicationofitsfirstLEAbook,titled"RedArt:NewUtopiasinDataCapitalism.
"ThepublicationinvestigatestherelevanceofsocialistutopianismtothecurrentdispositionsofNewMediaArt,throughthecontributionsofrenownedandemergingacademicresearchers,criticaltheorists,curatorsandartists.
NewUtopiasinDataCapitalismISSN1071-4391ISBN978-1-906897-26-0VOL19NO4LEONARDOELECTRONICALMANACLEAisapublicationofLeonardo/ISASTandMITPress.
Copyright2014ISASTLeonardoElectronicAlmanacVolume20Issue1January15,2014ISSN1071-4391ISBN978-1-906897-28-4TheISBNisprovidedbyGoldsmiths,UniversityofLondon.
leapublishing&subscriptioninformationEditorinChiefLanfrancoAcetilanfranco.
aceti@leoalmanac.
orgCo-Editorzdenahinozden.
sahin@leoalmanac.
orgManagingEditorJohnFrancescuttijohn.
francescutti@leoalmanac.
orgEditorialManageralaretincaglar.
cetin@leoalmanac.
orgArtDirectorDenizCemnduygudeniz.
onduygu@leoalmanac.
orgEditorialBoardPeterJ.
Bentley,EzequielDiPaolo,ErnestEdmonds,FeliceFrankel,GabriellaGiannachi,GaryHall,CraigHarris,SibelIrzk,MarinaJirotka,BeauLotto,RogerMalina,TerrenceMasson,JonMcCormack,MarkNash,SallyJaneNorman,ChristianePaul,SimonPenny,JaneProphet,JeffreyShaw,WilliamUricchioCoverIllustrationBillBalaskas,Re:Evolution,2013CourtesyoftheartistandKalfayanGalleries,Athens-ThessalonikiEditorialAddressLeonardoElectronicAlmanacSabanciUniversity,Orhanli–Tuzla,34956Istanbul,TurkeyEmailinfo@leoalmanac.
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LeonardoElectronicAlmanacbook,Volume20Issue1RedArt:NewUtopiasinDataCapitalismBookSeniorEditorsLanfrancoAceti,SusanneJasCHko,JulianStallabrassBookEditorBillBalaskasLEONARDOELECTRONICALMANACVOL19NO4ISSN1071-4391ISBN978-1-906897-26-0TheLeonardoElectronicAlmanacacknowledgestheinstitutionalsupportforthisbookofThepublicationofthisbookisgraciouslysupportedbytheRoyalCollegeofArt(ProgrammeofCriticalWritinginArt&Design,ResearchMethodsCourseandtheSchoolofHumanitiesEventFund).
ThepublicationofthisbookiskindlysupportedbytheUniversityfortheCreativeArts.
45GROUNDSFORTHEPOLITICALAESTHETICSOFCULTURALCOMMONSINTHEPOST-MEDIUMCONDITION:THEOPENSOURCECULTURALOBJECTBorisukoviPOWEREDBYGOOGLE:WIDENINGACCESSANDTIGHTENINGCORPORATECONTROLDanSchiller&ShinjoungYeoHACKTERIA:ANEXAMPLEOFNEOMODERNACTIVISMBorisMagriniCOMMUNISMOFCAPITALANDCANNIBALISMOFTHECOMMON:NOTESONTHEARTOFOVER-IDENTIFICATIONMatteoPasquinelliMATERIALCONDITIONSOFPRODUCTIONANDHIDDENROMANTICDISCOURSESINNEWMEDIAARTISTICANDCREATIVEPRACTICESRuthPagès&GemmaSanCornelioGAMSUTLTausMakhachevaFROMTACTICALMEDIATOTHENEO-PRAGMATISTSOFTHEWEBDavidGarciaCOMMONISTREDART:BLOOD,BONES,UTOPIAANDKITTENSLanfrancoAcetiCHANGINGTHEGAME:TOWARDSAN'INTERNETOFPRAXIS'BillBalaskasSUGGESTIONSFORARTTHATCOULDBECALLEDREDSusanneJaschkoWHYDIGITALARTISREDJulianStallabrass8131618DISSENTANDUTOPIA:RETHINKINGARTANDTECHNOLOGYINLATINAMERICAValentinaMonteroPea&PedroDonosoTHETHINGHAMBURG:ATEMPORARYDEMOCRATIZATIONOFTHELOCALARTFIELDCorneliaSollfrank,RahelPuffert&MichelChevalierARTISTSASTHENEWPRODUCERSOFTHECOMMON()DaphneDragonaLONGSTORYSHORTNatalieBookchinTHEDESIRESOFTHECROWD:SCENARIOFORAFUTURESOCIALSYSTEMKarinHanssonFROMLITERALTOMETAPHORICALUTOPIA:INTERCONNECTIONSBETWEENTHEINNERSTRUCTUREOFTHENEWMEDIAARTANDTHEUTOPIANTHOUGHTChristinaVatsellaTHEPOINTSOURCE:BLINDNESS,SPEECHANDPUBLICSPACEAdamBrownINVISIBLEHISTORIES,THEGRIEVINGWORKOFCOMMUNISM,ANDTHEBODYASDISRUPTION:ATALKABOUTARTANDPOLITICSElskeRosenfeldTAKENSQUARE:ONTHEHYBRIDINFRASTRUCTURESOFTHE#15MMOVEMENTJoséLuisdeVicenteWHENAESTHETICISNOTJUSTAPRETTYPICTURE:PAOLOCIRIO'SSOCIALACTIONSLanfrancoAcetiINEIGENERSACHE(SPEAKINGFOROURSELVES)MAGAZINES,GDR,OCTOBER1989–JUNE1990ElskeRosenfeldARTWORK/DREAMWORKINNEWMEDIADOCUMENTARYKarenO'RourkeLeonardoElectronicAlmanacVolume20Issue1CONTENTSCONTENTS13614816417418219219821422423225126622445872829412467DoesRedArtexistAndifso,whocreatesitandwherecanwefinditThisspecialissueoftheLeon-ardoElectronicAlmanacaddressesthesequestionsandcollatesaseriesofperspectivesandvisualessaysthatanalyzetherole,ifany,thatRedArtplaysinthecontemporaryartworld.
RedArt,thesearetwosimplewordsthatcangener-atecomplexdiscussionsandverbalfeudssincetheyaligntheartisttoavisionoftheworldthatis'Red'or'Communist.
'Nevertheless,evenifthetwolittlewordswhenplacedtogetherarecontroversialandfilledwithanimus,theyarenecessary,ifnotindispensable,tounderstandcontemporaryaestheticissuesthatareaffectingartandhowartoperatesinthecontextofsocialversuspoliticalpowerrelationswithinanin-creasinglytechnologicalandsocially-mediatedworld.
RedArtcouldbetranslated–withinthecontempo-raryhierarchicalstructures–astheartofthepower-lessversustheartofthepowerful,astheartofthemassesversustheartofthefew,astheartoftheyoungversustheold,astheartofthetechnologicaldemocratsversusthetechnologicalconservatives,astheartofthepoorversustheartoftherich.
.
.
Oritcouldbedescribedastheartoftherevolutionaryversusthestatusquo.
Inthemultitudeofthevari-ouspossibledefinitions,oneappearstostandoutforcontemporaryartanditisthedefinitionofartasbottom-upparticipationversusartastop-downprepackagedaestheticknowledge.
Andyet,whatdoesRedArtstandforandcanitbeonlyrestrictedtoCom-munistArtThecontemporarymeaningofRedArtisdifferentfromwhatitmayhavebeenforexampleinItalyinthe1970s,sincesomuchhaschangedintermsofpolitics,ideologyandtechnology.
ItisnolongerpossibletodirectlyidentifyRedArtwithCommunistArt(astheartoftheexUnionofSovietSocialistRepublicsorofitssatellitestatesandglobalizedCommunistpoliticalpartieswhichwereandcontinuetobepresentintheWest–albeitinedulcoratedforms)norastheartoftheleft,butthereisaneedtoanalyzethecomplexityofthediversificationandotherizationofmultiplegeo-politicalperspectives.
1Iftoday'sRedArthastoredefineitsstructuresandconstructsitbecomesnecessarytounderstandwhoisencompassedwithinthelabelofRedArtistsandwhattheircommoncharacteristicsare.
RedArtists–ifwewantedtousethiscategory–andtheiraestheticpro-ductioncannotbereducedtotheword'Communist,'borrowingpasséideologicalconstructs.
Analternativetotheimpasseandtheideologicalcollapseofcom-munismistheredefinitionofRedArtastheartofthecommons:CommonistArt.
2IfRedArtweretobedefinedastheartofthecommons,CommonistArt,therebyentrenchingitclearlywithintechnoutopiasandneoliberalistcrowdsourcingapproachesforcol-lectiveparticipation,thiswouldprovideacontradic-torybutfunctionalframeworkfortherealizationofcommonpractices,sociallyengagedframeworks,shorttermsgoalsand'loose/open'commitmentsthatcouldbedefinedintechnologicaltermsasliquiddigitaluto-piasorasanewformofpermanentdystopia.
3TheXXIstcenturyappearstobepresentingus,then,withtheentrencheddigitizedconstructofthecommonversustheideaoftheParisCommuneof1871,therebyofferinganewinterpretationofthesocialspaceandanalternativetotraditionalleftist/neoliberalconstructs.
Theideaofthecommon–asanopenaccessrevolvingdoor,isopposedtotheconceptofthecommune–asahighlyregulatedandhierarchicalstructure.
The'semantic'distinguobetweencommonsandcom-munesbecomesimportantsincebothtermsarereflec-tionsofconstructionsandterminologicalframeworksforanunderstandingofbothsocietyandartthatisbasedon'likes,'actionsandcommitmentsforacom-monoracommune.
Thecommitment,evenwhendisparaginglyusedtodefinesomeoftheparticipantsasclick-activistsandarmchairrevolutionaries,4ispartialandleavesthesubjectabletoexpressotherlikesoftenincontradictionwithoneanother:e.
g.
IliketheprotestsagainstBerlusconi'sgovernmentandIliketheprogramsonhisprivateTVs.
Ifindtheideaofthecommons(knowledge,art,creativ-ity,healthandeducation)liberating,empoweringandrevolutionary,ifonlyitwasnotexpressedwithinitsowneconomiccorporativestructures,creatingfurtherlayersofcontradictionandoperationalcomplexities.
ThecontradictionsofcontemporaryRedArtandcon-temporarysocialinteractionsmaybelocatedinthedifferencebetweentheinterpretationsofcommonandcommune–thecommuneuponwhichtheItalianCommunistParty,forexample,baseditsfoundationsinordertobuildanew'church.
'TherelationshipsinthecommuneoftheItaliancom-munists(oxymoronicallydefinedCattocomunistiorCatholic-communist)restsinfaithandincompelledactions,inbeliefssorootedthatareasblindingasblindingisthelightofGodinthepaintingTheCon-versionofSaintPaulontheRoadtoDamascusbyMichelangeloMerisidaCaravaggio.
[…]andfromtheleadershipanaggressiveunwill-ingnesstoallowanydissentordeviation.
'ThattimeproducedoneofthesharpestmentalfrostsIcanrememberontheLeft,'thehistorianE.
P.
ThompsonwouldrecallfrompersonalknowledgeoftheCP.
.
.
5Itisthisblindfaiththathasgeneratedthemartyrsofcommunismandhereticalintellectuals,accusationsfromwhichnotevenAntonioGramsciwasabletoescape.
Theverticalhierarchicalstructureofthecom-muneandoftheCommunistPartyproducedhereticsandimmolations,butalsosupportedartists,intellectu-als,academicsandwritersthatoperatedconsonantlywiththeparty'sideals:peoplethatsangfromthesamepreapprovedinstitutionalhymnsheet.
Stefania:Thisyounggenerationhorrifiesme.
Hav-ingbeenkeptforyearsbythisstate,assoonastheydiscovertohavetwoneuronstheypackandgotostudy,toworkintheUSandLondon,withoutgivingadamnforwhosupportedthem.
Ohwell,theydonothaveanycivicvocation.
WhenIwasyoungattheoccupiedfacultyofliterature,Ioozedcivicvocation.
[…]IhavewrittenelevennovelsoncivicdutyandthebookontheofficialhistoryoftheParty.
JepGambardella:Howmanycertaintiesyouhave,Stefania.
IdonotknowifIenvyyouorfeelasensa-tionofdisgust.
[.
.
.
]NobodyremembersyourcivicvocationduringyourUniversityyears.
ManyinsteadCommonistRedArt:Blood,Bones,UtopiaandKittens89onthewhimsofaliquidInternetstructurewherepeoplesupportwithintheirtimelinesanidea,autopia,adreamortheimageofakitten.
11Thispieceofwritingandthiswholevolumeisdedi-catedtothevictimsoftheeconomicandpoliticalviolencesincethebeginningoftheGreatRecessionandtomyfather;andtothehope,hardtodieoff,thatsomeutopiamaystillbepossible.
LanfrancoAcetiEditorinChief,LeonardoElectronicAlmanacDirector,KasaGalleryremember,personally,anothervocationofyoursthatwasexpressedatthetime;butwasconsumedinthebathroomsoftheUniversity.
Youhavewrit-tentheofficialhistoryofthePartybecauseforyearsyouhavebeenthemistressoftheheadoftheParty.
YourelevennovelspublishedbyasmallpublishinghousekeptbythePartyandreviewedbysmallnewspapersclosetothePartyareirrelevantnovels[.
.
.
]theeducationofthechildrenthatyouconductwithsacrificeeveryminuteofyourlife.
.
.
Yourchildrenarealwayswithoutyou[.
.
.
]thenyouhave-tobeprecise-abutler,awaiter,acook,adriverthataccompaniestheboystoschool,threebabysitters.
Inshort,howandwhenisyoursacri-ficemanifested[.
.
.
]Theseareyourliesandyourfragilities.
6Tothequestion,then,ifRedArtexistsIwouldhavetoanswer:YES!
IhaveseenRedArtinItaly(aswellasabroad),astheCommunistArtproducedinthenameoftheparty,withpartymoneyandforpartypropagan-da,notatalldifferentfromthesameartproducedinthenameofright-wingpartieswithstateorcorporatemoney–havingbothadoptedandco-optedthesamesystemsandframeworksofmalfeasancesharedwithsycophanticartistsandintellectuals.
InordertounderstandthemiseryofthiskindofRedArtonewouldhavetolookattheItalianaesthetiza-tionoffailure–whichsuccessfullycelebratesfailureintheGreatBeautybyPaoloSorrentinowhenthechar-acterofStefania,andher'oozingcivicduty,'isrippedapart.
Itisacivicresponsibilitythatisdeprivedanddevoidofanyethicsandmorals.
7Thisisbutoneofthemultiplemeaningsofthecon-ceptofRedArt–thedefinitionofRedArtasCom-munistArt,istheonethatcanonlyleadtosteriledefinitionsandautocelebratoryconstructsbasedonthe'aestheticobfuscationofthelackofmeaning'asatoolfortheobscurityoftheaesthetictoactasapro-ducerofmeaningwhentheartistproducingitisineptatcreatingmeaning.
8Evenmoretragically,RedArtleadstothemoldingoftheartistasspokespersonofthepartyandtothereductionoftheartwork,when-eversuccessful,toadvertisingandpropaganda.
CommonistArt,foundedonthewhimofthe'like'and'trend,'onthecommonthatspringsfromtheaggrega-tionaroundanimage,aphrase,amemeoravideo,isabletoconstructsomethingdifferent,aconvergenceofopinionsandactionsthatcanbecountedandweighedandthatcannotbetakenforgranted.
CouldthisbeaGramscianutopiaofre-constructionandre-fashioningofaestheticsaccordingto'lowercommons'insteadofhighandrich'exclusivity,'whichassuchisunattainableandcanonlybecelebratedthroughdia-mondskullsandgoldtoiletsCommonistArt–theartthatemergesfromacom-mon–isacelebrationofapersonaljudgment,par-tiallyknowledgeableandmostlyinstinctive,perhapsmanipulated–sinceevery'other'opinioniseitherma-nipulatedbythemediaortheresultofinternationallobby'sconspiraciesoritcanbenomorethanarein-forcementofthesocietyofthesimulacra.
Conversely,itmayalsobethattheimageanditsdisseminationonlineistherepresentationofapersonaldiffidencetowardssystemsofhierarchicalpowerandendorse-mentthatcanonlysupport'theirownimagesandmeanings'inoppositiontoimagesthatareconsumedandexhaustedthroughinfinitepossibilitiesofinter-pretationandre-dissemination.
9IfCommonistArtoffersthemostpopulistminimumcommondenominatorinanevolutionaryframeworkdeterminedbywhims,itisnotatalldifferentfromtheminimumcommondenominatorofinspirational/aspirationalcodifiedaestheticsthataredefinedbythehigherechelonsofcontemporaryoligarchiesthathaveincreasinglyblurredtheboundariesoffinancialandaestheticrealms.
CommonistArt–ifthecurrenttrendsofprotestwillcontinuetoaffirmthemselvesevenmorestrongly–willcontinuetodefypowerandwillincreasinglyseekwithinglobaltrendsanditsowncommonbaseviableoperationalstructuresthathierarchieswillhavetorecognize,atonepointortheother,bysubsumingCommonistArtwithinpre-approvedstructures.
RedArt,therefore,ifintendedasCommonistArtbecomesthesignofpublicrevolts,inthephysicalsquaresorontheInternet.
Itisartthatemergeswith-outinstitutional'approval'andinsomecasesinspiteofinstitutionalobstacles.
GramsciwouldperhapssaythatCommonistArtisaredefinitionofsymboliccul-ture,folkartandtraditionalimageriesthatprocessedandblendedthroughdigitalmediaanddisseminatedviatheInternetenableRedArttobuildupitsownlan-guagesanditsownaestheticswithouthavingtobeinstitutionallyre-processedandreceivehierarchicalstampsofapproval.
RedArtcanalsobetheexpressionofpeoplewhosebloodandtears–literally–markthepost-democra-ciesofthefirstpartoftheXXIstcentury.
Non-political,non-party,non-believers,10thecrowdsoftheIn-ternetrallyaroundanargument,asenseofjustice,afeelingofthefuturenotdominatedbycarcinogenicpoliticians,intellectualsandcurators,thatpresentthemselveseverytime,accordingtogeographicalandculturalspaces,asSultans,EnvoysofGod,orevenGods.
RedArt,theCommonistArtthatperhapsisworthconsideringasart,istheonethatisself-elevated,builtonthebloodandbonesofpeoplestillfightingintheXXIstcenturyforjustice,freedomandforapieceofbread.
Artthatralliescrowds'likesanddislikesbased1011ReferencesandNotes1.
LarryRay,"AttheEndofthePost-CommunistTransfor-mationNormalizationorImaginingUtopia,"EuropeanJournalofSocialTheory12(August2009),321-336.
2.
CommonismwasusedbyAndyWarhol.
InthisessaythewordisrootedinInternet'commons,'althoughsimilarities,comparisonsandcontiguitiesexistwiththeearlierusage.
"ThusWarhol'sinitialpreferencefortheterm'Commonism'wasasambivalent,andambiguous,astheoscillatingsigns'Factory'and'Business.
'Althoughitflirtedwithconflationsofthe'common'withthe'Communist'(fromcheapandlowto'dignityofthecommonman'),thetermbetrayednohidden,left-wingagendaonWarhol'spart.
"CarolineA.
Jones,MachineintheStudio:ConstructingthePostwarAmericanArtist(Chicago,IL:TheUniversityofChicagoPress,1996),205.
3.
"Foronething,utopiahasnowbeenappropriatedbytheentertainmentindustryandpopularculture–whatistermedthecontemporaryliquidutopia–asakindofdystopia.
"AnthonyElliott,TheContemporaryBauman(Abingdon:Routledge,2007),17.
4.
Theblurredlinesbetweenrealandvirtualdonotexemptclick-activistsorarmchairrevolutionariesfromthepersecutionsandabusesofthestatepolice.
Thesittingroomwithinone'shomebecomesthepublicspaceforconflictandrevolts.
Oneexampleofmanyaroundtheglobe:AlexanderAbad-Santos,"TurkeyIsNowArrestingDozensforUsingTwitter,"TheWire,June5,2013,http://www.
thewire.
com/global/2013/06/turkey-twitter-ar-rests/65908/(accessedJanuary10,2014).
5.
DavidKynaston,AusterityBritain,1945-1951(London:Bloomsbury,2007),342.
6.
TheEnglishtranslationfromtheItalianisfromtheauthor.
LaGrandeBellezza,DVD,directedbyPaoloSorrentino(ArtificialEye,2014).
7.
"Anti-communismwasneveracceptedasthemoralequiva-lentofanti-fascism,notonlybymyparentsbutalsobytheoverwhelmingmajorityofliberal-mindedpeople.
TheLeftwasstillmorallysuperior.
"NickCohen,What'sLeft:HowtheLeftLostitsWay(London:HarperPerennial,2007),3.
Laquestionemoraleorthe'moralissue'inEnglishistheproblemindentifiedbyEnricoBerlinguerandthatquestionedtheroleoftheCommunistpartyandtheLeftingeneralinItaly.
ThemoralissuehasnotbeenresolvedtothisdayandisatthecoreofthecurrentimpossibilitytodistinguishbetweentheideologicalframeworksofLeftandRight–sincebothpoliticalareasareperceivedasequallyandintrinsicallycorruptaswellastoolsforanoligarchicoccupationofdemocracy.
FortheoriginalinterviewinItalianofEnricoBerlinguersee:EugenioScalfari,"IntervistaaEnricoBerlinguer,"LaRepubblica,July28,1981availablein"LaquestionemoralediEnricoBerlinguer,"RifondazioneComunista'swebsite,http://web.
rifondazione.
it/home/index.
php/12-home-page/8766-la-questione-morale-di-enrico-berlinguer(accessedMarch20,2014).
8.
"Underthesurfaceofimages,oneinvestsbodiesindepth;behindthegreatabstractionofexchange,therecontinuesthemeticulous,concretetrainingofusefulforces;thecircuitsofcommunicationarethesupportsofanac-cumulationandacentralizationofknowledge;theplayofsignsdefinestheanchoragesofpower;itisnotthatthebeautifultotalityoftheindividualisamputated,repressed,alteredbyoursocialorder,itisratherthattheindividualiscarefullyfabricatedinit…"MichelFoucault,"Panopti-cism,"inTheNineteenth-CenturyVisualCultureReader,ed.
VanessaR.
SchwartzandJeanneneM.
Przyblyski(NewYork,NY:Routledge,2004),78.
9.
Therearethosewhothinkthattheimageisanextremelyrudimentarysystemincomparisonwithlanguageandthosewhothinkthatsignificationcannotexhausttheim-age'sineffablerichness.
RolandBarthes,"RhetoricoftheImage,"inVisualCulture:TheReader,ed.
JessicaEvansandStuartHall(London:SagePublications,1999),33.
10.
Non-believersstandsforskepticsanddoesnothaveareligiousconnotationinthiscontext.
11.
LanfrancoAceti,OurLittleAngel,LanfrancoAcetiInc.
,personalwebsite,January10,2014,http://www.
lanfran-coaceti.
com/portfolio-items/our-little-angel/(accessedJanuary10,2014).
Thereisanewspectrehauntingtheartworld.
Notsurprisingly,ithasbeenputforwardinrecentarti-cles,paneldiscussionsandbooksasthe'ism'thatcould,possibly,bestdescribethecurrentdisposi-tionsofcontemporaryart.
Thenameofthespectreis"post-internetart.
"1Unlike,however,itscounter-partthatwasreleasedintheworldbyKarlMarxandFriedrichEngelsin1848,2thiscontemporaryspectrehasnotarrivedinordertoaxiomaticallychangetheestablishedorderofthings;conceivably,ithasarrivedinordertosupportit.
Post-internetartreferstotheaestheticqualitiesdefiningtoday'sartisticproduction,whichisofteninfluencedby,mimics,orfullyadoptselementsoftheInternet.
Atthesametime,thetermincorporatesthecommunicationtoolsandplatformsthroughwhichcontemporaryartworksreachtheirintended(ornon-intended)audiences.
Notably,inhisbookPostInternet(2011),artwriterGeneMcHughsuggeststhatregard-lessofanartist'sintentions,allartworksnowfindaspaceontheWorldWideWeband,asaresult,"[…]contemporaryart,asacategory,was/isforced,againstitswill,todealwiththisnewdistributioncontextoratleastacknowledgeit.
"3Quitenaturally,thiswouldseemlikeastrongoppositionalforcedirectedagainstthemodusoperandiofthemainstreamartworld.
Yet,furtherdowninthesamepage,McHughcharacterizesthisacknowledgementasaconstituentpartofthemuchlarger"game"thatisplayedbycommercialgal-leries,biennials,museumsandauctionhouses.
Thus,thereareinevitablecontradictionsandchal-lengesintherolethatpost-internetartiscalledtofulfilasamovementand/orasastatusofculturalproduction.
Firstly,thereisaneasilyidentifiable'anxi-ety'tohistoricizeaphenomenonthatisverymuchinprogress:theInternetischangingsorapidly,thatifwethinkoftheonlinelandscapetenyearsago,thiswouldberadicallydifferentfromourpresentexperienceofit.
Furthermore,thepost-internettheorizationofcontemporaryartrunsthedangerofaestheticizing(orover-aestheticizing)acontextthatgoeswellbeyondthebordersofart:inthesamewaythatwecouldtalkaboutpost-internetart,wecouldalsotalkaboutpost-internetcommerce,post-internetdating,post-internettravel,post-internetjournalism,etc.
Therefore,theroleandtheidentityofthepost-internetartistarenotindependentofamuchwidersetofconditions.
Thisfalsenotionofautonomyisquiteeasytorecognizeifwethink,forinstance,of'post-radioart'or'post-televisionart'or,even,'post-videogamesart,'andtheinherentstructuralandconceptuallimitationsofsuchapproaches.
4Mostimportantly,however,anykindofaestheticiza-tionmayreadilybecomeaveryeffectivetoolofde-politicization.
Theideaofdistributingimages,soundsandwordsthatmerelyformpartofapre-existingsystemofpower,inescapablyeradicatesthepoliticalsignificanceofdistribution.
Thesubversivepotential-ityinherentinthecharacterisationofanetworkas'distributed'wassystematicallyunderminedoverthe1990sandthe2000s,duetotheideologicalperva-ChangingtheGame:Towardsan'InternetofPraxis'1213sivenessofneoliberalismduringthesameperiod.
Dis-tribution–nottomention,equaldistribution–couldhaveenjoyedamuchmoreprominentroleasanaturalfundamentoftheWeband,accordingly,asacon-tributingfactorinanyinvestigationofdigitalart.
Lastbutdefinitelynotleast,onecannotignorethecrucialfactthatapoliticalartismucheasiertoentertheartmarketandplaythe'game'ofinstitutionalization(andviceversa).
Tothequestion:couldtheInternetandnewmediaatlargebecometrue'gamechangers'inthecurrenthistoricalconjunctureWhatdoes'redart'havetopropose,andhowdoesitrelatetothepreviouslyde-scribed'post-internetcondition'Interestingly,theterm"post-internetart"wasbornandgrewparalleltotheglobaleconomiccrisisandtheGreatRecessionof2009.
Onethemostimportantobjectivesofthesocialmovementsthatwereengen-deredbythecrisishasbeentheeffortto"reclaim"and"re-appropriate.
"Thisaspirationreferrednotonlytoeconomicresources,butalsotosocialroles,demo-craticfunctions,humanrights,and–ofcourse–urbanspaces.
SyntagmaSquareinGreece,PuertadelSolinMadrid,ZuccottiParkinNewYork,aswellassomeofthemosticonicpubliclocationsaroundtheworldsawdiverse,oreven'irreconcilable'insomecasescrowdsdemandchange.
WithintherealityofDataCapitalismanditsmultipleself-generatedcrises,peopleincreas-inglyfeltthattheyhavenowbeentotallydeprivedofaplace("topos"inGreek).
Itisworthrememberingthatthecoinerof"utopia,"ThomasMore,choseanislandasthelocationwhereheplacedhisidealsociety.
5Anyislandconstitutesageographicformationthatprivilegesthedevelopmentofindividualtraitsthroughanaturalprocessof'appro-priation.
'Thisencompassesboththematerialandtheimmaterialenvironmentasexpressedinthelandscape,thebiologyofthedifferentorganisms,and–mostrelevanttoourcase–culture.
Notably,whenitcomestoconnectingutopianismwiththeculturalparadigmofnewmediaart,weshouldnotfocusmerelyonthelackofaphysicalspace(asarticulated,forinstance,throughcyberspace);rather,weshouldaddressthejuxtapositionof"topos"withapotentially'empty'no-tionof"space.
"Thetranscendenceofspaceina'digi-talutopia'absolutelynecessitatestheexistenceofa'topos.
'InasimilarwaytotheonethatMarxseescapi-talismasastagetowardsasuperiorsystemofproduc-tion(communism),6theconstructionofa'topos'isaprerequisitefortheflourishingofutopianism.
'RedArt'canbeunderstoodasatoolforthecreationofsuch'topoi.
'Thelessonthatnewmediaartistscanlearnfromthepoliticalosmosescatalyzedbytheeconomiccrisisisthat,inordertobeeffective,cyberspaceshouldbecomepartofastrategythatcombinesphysicalandonlinespaces,practicallyandconceptually,whilsttakingintoaccounttheindividualtraitsofboth.
Thenecessityexpressedthroughthiscombinationconstitutes(atleastpartly)adeparturefromthedevelopingdiscoursesaroundthe'InternetofThings'orthe'InternetofPlaces.
'7Alternatively,oradditionally,whatisproposedhereistheformulationofan'InternetofPraxis'(including,ofcourse,artisticpraxis).
Thisapproachisvividlyreflectedinseveraloftheprojectsexaminedinthispublication,aswellasinthetheoreticalframeworksthatareoutlined.
Digitalartistodayinapositiontocapitalizeontheparticipatorypotentialitiesthathavebeenrevealedbythesocio-politicaleventsthatdefinedtheearly2010s.
Thereconceptualizationofcyberspaceasa'cybertopos'isaconstituentpartofthisnewgroundonwhichpeoplearecalledtostandandbuild.
Accord-ingly,theemergenceofacultureof'post-netpartici-pation'inwhichdigitalmediatranscendphysicalspacebyconsolidatingit(insteadof'merely'augmentingit),mayallowustoexplore"concreteutopias"8toagreaterextentthaneverbeforeinrecenttimes.
Itisbyactivelypursuingthisobjectivethatwewouldexpecttochangetherulesofthegame.
Artistsareoftenthefirsttotry.
BillBalaskasReferencesandNotes1.
Theterm'post-internetart'isattributedtoartistMarisaOlson.
SeeGeneMcHugh,PostInternet(Brescia:LINKEditions),5.
2.
KarlMarxandFriedrichEngelspublishedTheManifestooftheCommunistPartyinLondon,onFebruary21,1848.
3.
GeneMcHugh,PostInternet,6.
4.
Theetymologicalcomparisonbetweentheterms'post-internetart'and'postmodernart'couldalsohighlightthiscontext.
Notably,inthecaseofthisjuxtaposition,'post-internetart'putsatool(theInternet)inthepositionofamovement(Modernism).
IfweweretoconsidertheInter-netasamovement,then,thenaturalhistoricallinkthatwouldbeestablishedthroughtheterm'post-internetart'wouldbewithnetart.
Nevertheless,suchadecisionwouldassignnetarttoastatusof'legitimization,'towardswhichmajormuseums,curatorsandartfairshaveshownaratherconsistenthostility.
Inthisinstance,historicizationbe-comesafoe,sinceitwouldrefutea'neutral'relationshipoftheWebwithart.
Thisperspectiveiscloselyconnectedwiththeformationofanabstractnotionofuniversalism,towhichIreferfurtherdown(seeendnote8).
5.
ThomasMore'sUtopiawasfirstpublishedin1516,inBel-gium.
Thereareseveraltranslationsofthebook.
6.
KarlMarxandFriedrichEngels,TheCommunistManifesto,withanintroductionbyDavidHarvey(London:PlutoPress,2008),51:"Whatthebourgeoisiethereforeproduces,aboveall,areitsowngrave-diggers.
Itsfallandthevictoryoftheproletariatareequallyinevitable.
"7.
TheInternetofThingsrepresentsavisioninwhichphysi-calitemsbecome'smart'objectsbybeingequippedwithsensorsthatcanberemotelycontrolledandconnectedthroughtheInternet.
TheInternetofPlacesfocusesonthespatialdimensionofthecapacitiesthatWeb2.
0of-fers.
ForanaccountoftheInternetofThings,seeMattern,FriedemannandChristianFloerkemeier,"FromtheInter-netofComputerstotheInternetofThings,"inInformatik-Spektrum,33(2010):107–121,http://www.
vs.
inf.
ethz.
ch/publ/papers/Internet-of-things.
pdf(accessedFebruary20,2014).
ForanaccountoftheInternetofPlaces,seeGiuseppeConti,PaulWatson,NicShape,RaffaeledeAmi-cisandFedericoPrandi,"Enablingthe'InternetofPlaces':avirtualstructureofspace-time-taskstofindanduseInternetresources,"inProceedingsofthe2ndInterna-tionalConferenceonComputingforGeospatialResearch&Applications(NewYork:ACM,2011),9.
8.
Formoreontheconceptof'concreteutopias'seeErnstBloch,ThePrincipleofHope,tr.
NevillePlaice,StephenPlaice,andPaulKnight,3vols(Oxford:Blackwell,1986).
Blochdifferentiatesbetween'abstractutopias'and'con-creteutopias,'associatingthelatterwiththepossibilityofproducingrealchangeinthepresent.
'Concreteutopias'shouldnotbeconfusedwithseeminglysimilartheoriza-tionssuchasNicolasBourriaud's'microtopias,'whichstructurallyaimatpreservingtheexistingstatusquo.
BourriaudassertsinRelationalAesthetics(2002)that"itseemsmorepressingtoinventpossiblerelationswithourneighboursinthepresentthantobetonhappiertomor-rows.
"Quiteevidently,thisapproachstandsfarfromtheuniversalismthatheadvocatesinhisAltermodernMani-festo(2009)asadirectresultofnewtechnologiesandglobalization.
Atatimewhenneoliberalcapitalismwasenteringitsworstevercrisis,Bourriaudchosetolargelyignorethiscontextandbuildonaconceptthat–intheend–isapoliticalandcounter-utopian.
'Post-internetart'appearstofollowacomparablydangeroustrajectory.
1415WhatisRedArtOrrather:whatcouldRedArtbeintoday'spost-communist,post-utopianworld,aworldshakenbyconflictsengenderedbycontrarybeliefsandideologieswhichhavelittletodowithcommunismAworldinwhichcountriesandsocie-tiesaredisruptedbyterritorialdisputes,andbybloodyfightsaboutquestionsofreligiousidentity,nationalidentity,andideologyWherecommunismhasbeenoverrunbycapitalismwithrareexception;wheretheEuropeanleftmovementisweak.
Wherethepost-industrialerahasproducedaneconomicrealitythatisordersofmagnitudemorecomplex,transnationalandthereforemoredifficulttocontrolorchange,thanhis-toryhaseverseen.
Inthissituation,canthere(still)beartthatdealswithideasofcommunismconstructively,ordoescontemporaryartlookatcommunistidealsonlywithnostalgiaAndlet'sbeclear:isartthatsimplyspeaksoutagainstcapitalism,globalisationandneo-liberalismfromaleftistposition–isthiskindofart'red'perseDoweexpectRedArttobe'red'incontent,forinstance,indirectlyaddressingtopicssuchasclassstruggle,thenegativesofcapitalismandanewneo-liberalworldorderAndifitdoes,isitenoughtobedescriptiveordowewantarttobemorethanthat,i.
e.
,provok-ing,forward-thinkingorevenmilitantIn1970,Jean-LucGodarddrafteda39-pointmanifestoQuefaireWhatistobedonethatcontrastedtheantagonisticpracticesofmakingpoliticalfilmsandmakingfilms'politically.
'ItcalledunequivocallyforartthatactivelytakesupthepositionoftheproletarianclassandthatSuggestionsforArtThatCouldBeCalledRedaimsfornothinglessthanthetransformationoftheworld.
Withhislegacy,whatkindofobjectivesdowerequestfromRedArtDowereallystillthinkthatartcanchangetheworldoristhatanotherideafromthepastthathasbeenoverwrittenbysomethingthatweliketocallrealityCanartthatisforthemostpartcommercialisedandproducedinacapitalistartmar-ketbe'red'atall,ordoesithavetorejectthesystemestablishedbygalleries,fairsandmuseumsinordertobetruly'red'Decadesago,whenartistsstartedtousenewmediasuchasvideoandthecomputer,theirworkswere'new'inthewaytheywereproducedanddistributed,andchangedtherelationshipbetweenartistsandtheircollaboratorsaswellasbetweentheartworksandtheiraudiencesand'users'respectively.
Mostofthisnew-media-basedartcirculatedoutsidetheordinarymarketandfoundotherdistributionchannels.
Themajorityofworkswereinspiredbyaquestforthe'new'andconsistentlybrokewitholdaestheticprin-ciplesandfunctions.
Muchofitwasalsodrivenbyasearchforthe'better,'byoverthrowingoldhierarchiesandintroducingamoreliberalandinclusiveconceptoftheworld,basedonself-determinationandactiveparticipation.
LastbutnotleasttheemergenceoftheInternetbroughtusafertiletimefornewandrevisitedutopiasandartisticexperimentsdealingwithcollabo-ration,distributionofknowledge,sharedauthorship,andappropriationoftechnologies.
TodayweknowthatneithertheInternetnoranyothernewtechnol-ogyhassavedus,butthatthehopesforamoredemo-craticworldandalternativeeconomiessparkedbyithavecometrue,ifonlytoaminordegree.
Sohowdoartistsrespondtothispost-communist,post-utopianconditionWhatcanbediscussedasRedArtintherecentpastandpresentInthisissueofLeonardowehavegatheredsomeanswerstothesequestionsintheformofpapers,essaysandartworks,thelatterproducedespeciallyforthispurpose.
Bring-ingtogetherandeditingthisissuewaschallengingbecausewedecidedfromthestarttokeepthecallforcontributionsasopenaspossibleandtonotpre-definetoomuch.
Wewereinterestedinwhatkindofresponsesourcallwouldproduceatamomentwhentheworldisoccupiedwithother,seeminglyhottertopics,anditisfascinatingtonotethattheresultingeditionquitenaturallyspansdecadesofartproduc-tionandtherespective'new'technologiesastheyrelatedtoideasofsocialequalityandempowerment–fromvideoarttonetarttobioart.
Thisissueshowsthatthesearchforalternativeideasandperspectives,andanadherencetoleftistidealsisneitherfutilenorsimplynostalgic.
Butthatthissearchisevermorerelevant,particularlyatatimewhenEuropeanpoliticsisseeminglyconsolidatingandwarsaroundtheworldareestablishingnewregimesofsocialandeconomicinequality.
SusanneJaschko1617Thedividebetweentheartshowninmajormuse-umsandartfairsandthatassociatedwiththenewmediascenehasbeendeepanddurable.
Manycrit-icshavepuzzledoverit,particularlybecausethereismuchthatthetworealmsshare,includingthedesiretoputpeopleintounusualsocialsituations.
1Yetsomeofthereasonsforthedivideareplainenough,andtheyareaboutmoney,powerandsocialdistinc-tion.
Theeconomicdivideisacrosscompetingmodelsofcapitalistactivity:theexclusiveownershipofob-jectssetagainstthereleaseofreproduciblesymbolsintonetworkswiththeambitionthattheyachievemaximumspeedandubiquityofcirculation.
Thesocialdivideisbetweenaconservativeclubofsuper-richcollectorsandpatrons,andtheirattendantadvisors,whobuytheirwayintowhattheyliketothinkofasasophisticatedculturalscene(DuchampLand),againstarealmwhichisclosertothemundaneandmoreevidentlycompromisedworldoftechnologicaltools(TuringLand).
2Powerrelationsarewherethedivideappearsstarkest:inoneworld,specialindividualsknownasartistsmakeexceptionalobjectsoreventswithclearboundariesthatdistinguishthemfromrun-of-the-milllife;andthrougheliteownershipandexpertcuration,theseworksarepresentedfortheenlighten-mentoftherestofus.
Inthenewmediaworld,some'artists'butalsocollectivesandothershiftingandanonymousproducersofferuptemporarycreationsontoasceneinwhichtheirworksareopentocopying,alterationandcomment,andinwhichthereislittlepossiblecontrolofcontext,frameorconversation.
Thisdescriptionofthedividehasbeenputinextremetermsforthesakeofclarity,andthereareafewinstancesofthesplitappearingtoerode.
3Yetitspersistenceremainsoneofthemoststrikingfeaturesofthegeneralfragmentationofthefast-growingandglobalisingartworld.
Thatpersistencerestsonsolidmaterialgrounds,laidoutbyMarx:theclashofeconomicmodelsisaclearcaseofthemodeandrela-tionsofproductioncomingintoconflict,andispartofamuchwiderconflictoverthelegal,politicalandsocialaspectsofdigitalculture,anditssynthesisofproductionandreproduction.
4Copyrightisonearenawheretheclashisveryclear.
Thinkoftheeffortsofmuseumstocontrolthecirculationofimagesandtolevycopyrightcharges,whileatthesametimesur-renderingtothecamera-phoneastheyabandontheattempttoforbidphotographyintheirgalleries.
SowhereisRedArtandtheleftinthisscenarioAmidstthegeneralgloomandlassitudethathasbesetmuchoftheLeftinEuropeandtheUS,thedevelop-mentofthedigitalrealmstandsoutasanextraor-dinarygain.
Itallowsforthedirectcommunication,withouttheintermediaryofnewspapersandTV,ofmassesofpeopleglobally–whoturnouttobemoreegalitarian,moreenvironmentallyconcernedandmoreseditiousthantheelitehadbargainedfor.
Alex-anderCockburn,withhislongcareerinactivismandjournalism,remarks:Thirtyyearsago,tofindoutwhatwashappeninginGaza,youwouldhavetohavehadadecentshort-waveradio,afaxmachine,oraccesstothosegreatnewsstandsinTimesSquareandNorthHollywoodthatcarriedtheworld'spress.
Notanymore.
Wecangetanewsstoryfrom[…]GazaorRamallahorOaxacaorVidarbhaandhaveitouttoaworldaudienceinamatterofhours.
5Itishardtobansocialmedia,ithasbeenclaimed,be-causeitentwinesvideofads,kittensandpolitics(andbanningkittenslooksbad).
SotheinsightattributedbysometoLenin–thatcapitalistswillsellustheropewithwhichtohangthem–isstillrelevant.
6Inanerainwhichthepoliticalandartisticavant-gardeshavefaded,theaffiliationoftheartworldthatisfoundeduponthesaleanddisplayofrareanduniqueobjectsmadebyafewexceptionalindividuals–inwhichhighpricesaredrivenbymonopolyrentef-fects–tendstobewiththeconspicuousconsumptionofthestateandthesuper-rich.
7Here,theslightesttaintofthecommondesktopenvironmentisenoughtokillaestheticfeeling.
Theaffiliationofatleastsomeofnewmediaartisrathertothekitsch,thepopulist,andtotheegalitariancirculationofimagesandwords,alongwithdiscourseandinteraction.
Newmediaart-istswhopushthoseattachmentsworkagainstsomeofthedeepestseatedelementsoftheartworldethos:individualism,distinction,discretenessandpreservationforposterity(andlong-terminvestmentvalue).
Itshouldbenosurprisethattheyarefrequent-lyandwithoutqualificationdeniedthestatusof'artist.
'Itisalsoclearwhythedeathofleftistideasinelitediscoursedoesnotholdinnewmediacircles,wheretherevivalofthinkingabouttheLeft,MarxismandCommunismisveryevident.
8Thebordersofartareblurredbyputtingworkstoexplicitpoliticaluse(inviolationoftheKantianimperativestillpolicedinthemainstreamartworld).
9Verylargenumbersofpeo-plearecontinuallymakingculturalinterventionsonline,andvalueliesnotinanyparticularexceptionalworkbutinthemassiveflowofinteractionandexchange.
Inthatworld,asitnevercouldinagallery,thethoughtmaycreepinthatthereisnothingspecialaboutanyoneofus.
Andthismayleadtothegreatestscandalofall:thinkofthestatementsthatartistswhodealwithpoliticsinthemainstreamartworldareobligedtomakeastheirticketofadmission–'myarthasnopoliticaleffect.
'Theyhavetosayit,evenwhenitispa-tentlyabsurd;andtheyhavetosayit,evenastheartworlditselfbecomesmoreexposedtosocialmedia,andiseverlessabletoprotectitsexclusivedomainandregulatetheeffectsofitsdisplays.
Soatbase,thedivideiseconomic,butatthelevelofwhatcausestherepulsionfromdigitalart–thatputscollectorsandcriticstoflight–itisdeeplyandincontrovertiblypoliti-cal.
10Theyrunheadlongfromthered.
JulianStallabrassWhyDigitalArtisRed1819ReferencesandNotes1.
Ontheaffinitybetweennewmediaartandsociallyengagedart,includingrelationalaesthetics,seeEdwardShanken,"ContemporaryArtandNewMedia:TowardaHybridDiscourse,"http://hybridge.
files.
wordpress.
com/2011/02/hybrid-discourses-overview-4.
pdf(accessedMarch31,2014).
2.
ThereferenceistoLevManovich,"TheDeathofCom-puterArt,"LevManovich'swebsite,1996,http://www.
manovich.
net/TEXT/death.
html(accessedMarch31,2014).
Thecomplicityofbothworldswithestablishmentpowershasbeencriticisedsincetheoriginofthedivide.
Foranearlyexampleoftheengagementofcomputerartwiththemilitary-industrialcomplex,seeGustavMetzger,"AutomatainHistory:Part1,"StudioInternational(1969):107-109.
3.
SeeDomenicoQuaranta,BeyondNewMediaArt(Brescia:LinkEditions,2013),4-6.
Quaranta'sbookoffersathoughtfulandaccessibleaccountofmanyoftheaspectsofthedivide.
4.
Marxdiscussestheeffectsofthetransformationsoftheindustrialrevolutioninthechapter"MachineryandLarge-ScaleIndustry,"inCapital.
Seeespecially,KarlMarx,Capital:ACritiqueofPoliticalEconomy,VolumeI,trans.
BenFowkes(Harmondsworth,Middlesex:PenguinBooks,1976),617f.
Ontheonlinesynthesisofproductionandreproductionseemybook,InternetArt:TheOnlineClashofCultureandCommerce(London:TateGalleryPublish-ing,2003),ch.
1.
CapitalisavailableonlineatMarxist.
org,http://www.
marxists.
org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/index.
htm(accessedMarch31,2014).
5.
AlexanderCockburn,AColossalWreck:ARoadTripThroughPoliticalScandal,CorruptionandAmericanCul-ture(London:Verso,2013),441.
6.
AccordingtoPaulF.
Boller,Jr.
andJohnGeorgeitisamisattribution.
SeeTheyNeverSaidIt:ABookofFakeQuotes,Misquotes&MisleadingAttributions(Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress,1989),64.
7.
Onmonopolyrentandart,seeDavidHarvey,"TheArtofRent:Globalization,MonopolyandtheCommodifica-tionofCulture,"SocialistRegister(2002):93-110.
HarveyusesMarx'sexampleofvineyardsasaprimeexampleofmonopolyrent:thewinefromaparticularvineyardisauniqueproduct,liketheproductsofaparticularartist.
Thearticleisavailablehere:http://thesocialistregister.
com/index.
php/srv/article/view/5778/2674(accessedMarch31,2014).
8.
See,forexample:AlainBadiou,TheCommunistHypoth-esis,trans.
DavidMaceyandSteveCorocoran(London:Verso,2010);BrunoBosteels,TheActualityofCommu-nism(London:Verso,2011);CostasDouzinasandSlavojiek,eds.
,TheIdeaofCommunism(London:Verso,2010)andthefollow-upvolumeSlavojiek,ed.
,TheIdeaofCommunism2:TheNewYorkConference(London:Verso,2013);BorisGroys,TheCommunistPostscript,trans.
ThomasFord(London:Verso,2010).
ForthemostconcertedattempttoreviseandextendMarxistthinking,seethejournalHistoricalMaterialism,http://www.
histori-calmaterialism.
org/journal(accessedMarch31,2014).
9.
SeeJolineBlaisandJonIppolito,AttheEdgeofArt(Lon-don:Thames&Hudson,2006).
10.
RememberBataille:"Communistworkersappeartothebourgeoistobeasuglyanddirtyashairysexualorgans,orlowerparts[…]"GeorgesBataille,VisionsofExcess:SelectedWritings,1927-1939,ed.
AllanStoekl(Minneapo-lis:UniversityofMinnesotaPress,1985),8.
2021ABIO-LABINLJUBLJANAAttheendofthestairsleadingdowntotheun-dergroundSlovenianhackerspaceKiberpipa,inKersnikovaStreetinLjubljana,thereisalightboxdisplayingthewords:"Allourcodearebelongtoyou[sic].
"Thesloganisareferencetothewell-knownphrasefromthebadlytranslatedJapanesevideogameZeroWing,thatquicklybecameafavouritesentenceamongtheglobalInternetandhackerfraternity.
ThePhDCandidateUniversityofZurich,FacultyofArtsandSocialSciencesInstituteofArtHistoryborismagrini@yahoo.
frABSTRACTAsaplatformforknowledgesharingandartisticexploration,Hackteriaconstitutesanetworkofartistsandresearchersthatmergestheuseofbiotechnologieswithhackinganddo-it-yourselfstrategies.
Itsprocess-ori-entedandperformativeapproaches,whichopposethematerialisticimper-ativesoftheartmarket,followthetraditionofpoliticalart.
Inthispaper,IarguethatHackteriaembodieswhatcouldbeconsideredasaneomodernactivism,otherrecentexamplesofwhichareemergingwithinthenewme-diaartfield.
Insteadofrejectingcontroversialnewtechnologies,theypro-poseavisionofasocietythatispropelledbyamoredemocraticuseanddiscussionofthesetechnologies.
TheactivitiesofHackteriaareexaminedthroughthepresentationofabio-labcreatedinLjubljana.
byBorisMagrinilightboxatKiberpipastatesexactlytheoppositeofthefamousmeme.
However,itconservesthesyntacticerrorsthatgenerateditsappeal,andaffirmsthat,in-steadoftakingpossessionofaremotemachine,theyaresharingtheirsoftwareandknowledge.
TheideaofhackingiscommonlyassociatedwiththeimageprovidedbyHollywoodmoviesandtheactivitiesofAnonymousandtheirdenial-of-serviceattacks(DoS)inthenameofafreeInternet.
Forthisreason,hackerspaceslikeKiberpipamakeitclearthattheyconsiderhackingasaservicetosociety,anddistancethem-selvesfromthestereotypedimageofthehackerasacrackerorpirateandalignwiththetraditionandethicdescribed,forexample,byStevenLevyinhissurveyonthehistoryandphilosophyofhacking.
1Invitedtosetupatemporaryhackerspaceforbio-technologies,namelyabio-lab,andtocoordinatease-riesofworkshopsatKiberpipa,MarcDusseilleraddedhistouchtothelightboxsloganbywritingtheword'gene'beforetheword'code.
'Basedonthecollabora-tionbetweenHackteria|OpenSourceBiologicalArt,theKapelicaGalleryandKiberpipa,inNovemberandDecember2012,theBioTehnalabofferedvisitorsandparticipantstheopportunitytoexperimentwithbio-hackingwhilealsoprovidinganexampleoflaboratorycreatedonalowbudgetandusingsomedo-it-yourselfsolutions.
Betweenthenumeroustools,cables,elec-tronicdevicesandPETbottlescontainingalgae,thebookUnscientificAmericawrittenbyChrisC.
MooneyandSherilKirshenbaumlayonashelfinthelab.
2Atthetimeofitspublication,thebookwarnedaboutthehighlevelofilliteracyinrelationtoscientificeducationintheUnitedStates,anilliteracythatultimatelyharmsthepopulationwhilebenefitingtheprivatecorpora-tionsengagedinscientificresearch,whichderiveadvantagesfromthegenerallackofinterestinandunderstandingoftheiractivities.
Theauthorsconsiderthegovernmentandthemediaresponsibleforthissituationtoacertaindegree.
ThepresenceofsuchabookinthelabclearlysuggeststhatHackteriaconsid-ersworkshopsandknowledge-sharingaspartofabroaderpoliticalagenda.
TheactivitiesperformedbyHackteria,ofwhichtheBioTehnalabisanillustration,areexemplaryofarecentformofactivisminthejointartisticandsci-entificenvironment.
InsteadofproducingartworksFigure1.
EntranceofthehackerspaceKiberpipa,KersnikovaStreet,Ljubljana,Slovenia,2012.
PhotographbyBorisMagrini.
Usedwithpermission.
Hackteria:AnExampleofNeomodernActivism5859THEROOTSOFHACKTERIA:FROMPERFORMATIVEARTTOTACTICALMEDIATheeventsorganizedbyHackteriaarerootedinalongtraditionofmediaartaswellasprocess-orientedandperformativeapproaches.
Performativeartisnotequivalenttoprocess-orientedart;asAndreasBroeck-manncorrectlypointedout,"itonlymakessensetospeakofprocess-orientationincaseswheretheevolv-ingprocessitselfisamainfactoroftheaestheticex-perienceofthework.
"4Nonetheless,neitherperfor-mativenorprocess-orientedartfocusonthecreationofafiniteproduct–adistinctivetraitoftheactivitiesrunbyHackteria.
Furthermore,theBioTehnaproject,forexample,combinesperformative,interactiveandprocess-orientedqualitiesasitisnotthelab,assuch,thatismeaningfultotheartisticintentofthegroup,buttheprocessinvolvedinbuildingandrunningit.
Fromtheflourishingyearsofperformativeartinthe1950sand'60stothemostsociallyengagedactionsofthe'70s,asexemplifiedbyJosephBeuys'swork,per-formativeartbecameestablishedoverthedecadesasanimportantartisticpracticeofthe20thcentury.
Newtechnologiessuchasvideorecordersandcomputerswerealreadyincorporatedintotheperformativeprac-ticesoftheearlyyears,mostnotablybyFluxus.
Itisin-terestingtonote,however,thatperformativeartwasoftendrivenbyastrongrebelliousimpulsedirectedattheartmarket,theauthoritiesandprivatecorpora-tions.
Theuseofnewtechnologieswasoftensubor-dinatedtotheprovocativeordissentingcharacteroftheperformancesandhappenings.
Amongthefactorsthatmadeperformativepracticestheidealtoolforengaginginpoliticaldiscoursewasthefactthattheperformingartistsdidnotaimtoproducecommercialgoodsbuttoengage,quiteoften,incloseinteractionwiththeaudience.
LucyR.
Lippard,forwhom"activistartis,aboveall,process-oriented,"analyzedthecloserelationshipbetweenpoliticalartandperformativeorcollaborativepractices.
5Amongthemostradicalprotagonistsofperformativeartwithastrongpoliticalagenda,AlexanderBrennerandBarbaraSchurerwereascommoditiestobecommercializedorconsumed,Hackteriacreatesworkshopsforsharingknowledgeandbridgingartandscienceinanalternativeandpar-ticipatoryway.
Whilethecreationofprojectsrelatingtoartandscienceappearstobeacurrenttrend,espe-ciallyintheartisticfield,theactivitiesofHackteriadif-ferfromthemanyartandscienceexhibitions,confer-encesandeventsthatofteninvolvelargerproductioncostsandtheparticipationofmanycelebrities.
Ratherthananartistgrouporacollective,Hackteriaisacom-munityplatformthatconnectsartistsandresearchersfromseveraldifferentfieldsandcountries–although,forpracticalreasons,itisalsoofficiallyconstitutedasanassociation.
Theactivitiesareinevitablycoordi-natedthroughthewebsite,whichstatesitsmissionasfollows:AsacommunityplatformHackteriatriestoencour-agethecollaborationofscientists,hackersandartiststocombinetheirexpertise,writecriticalandtheoreticalreflections,sharesimpleinstructionstoworkwithlifesciencetechnologiesandcooperateontheorganizationofworkshops,festivalsandmeetings.
3Thediversityofthemembersinvolvedmakesitdiffi-cultforthemtoeffectivelypositionthemselvesinoneparticularfield,beitasresearchers,hackersorartists.
Inthissense,Hackteriachallengestheconceptofidentityandtheimplicitcodeofconductdeterminedbyeachspecificfield.
Nevertheless,theroleofHack-teriaispertinentintheexistingartisticcontextandsignificantinthecontextofthenewmediaartfield.
Hackteriaprovidesexamplesofactivitiesthatpushtheboundariesofartisticpracticeinthetraditionofperformativeandprocess-orientedart;moreover,italsoillustratesaformofactivism,or'hacktivism,'thatdiffersfromthetacticalmediapositionsofthelate1990swhichstronglycharacterizedandcontributedtothedefinitionofthenewmediaartscene.
Figure2.
WorkshopBioHackingVs.
BioPunkattheI'MM_Medialab,Zagreb,Croatia,December2012.
PhotographbyDeborahHustic.
Usedwithpermission.
6061notbeingrhetoricalwhentheycalledfortherejection,subversionanddestructionoftheworksofcommer-ciallysuccessfulartistsandtheleadingartinstitutions,bothofwhichwereviewedassymbolsofthehege-monyofacapitalist,globalizedculture.
Intheireyes,"thedemolishingofseriouscultureshouldbetakenliterally.
"6Ifperformative,process-orientedartweretheappropriatepoliticalstepforopposingthecre-ationofcommercialvalue,thedestructionofphysicalworksandinstitutionswouldbeitslogicalfinalact.
Duringthe1990s,newmediaartbecamethepopu-larexpressionfortheidentificationofthefieldthatemergedfromthelongtraditionofartisticexperi-mentswithnewtechnologies.
Newmediaartwascertainlyshapedinthe1990sbythedevelopmentoftheInternetonaglobalscale,howeveritwasalsooneofthepossibleevolutionsoftheapplicationofmediatoolstothedocumentationoftheephemeralactionsoftheperformativeandprocess-orientedartofthepreviousdecades.
7Togetherwiththeprocess-ori-entedapproach,newmediaartinheritedthemilitantpeculiarityofperformativeworks.
Morespecifically,asassertedbyTilmanBaumgrtel,net-art–probablythemostsignificantemergingnewmediaartpracticeofthe1990s–presentedsimilaritieswiththehackerethicsandapproach.
8Itisnotsurprisingthattermslike'tacticalmedia'and'hacktivism'wereusedtodescribetheclusterofworksthatwouldcharacterizenewmediaartinthelate1990s.
Theleadingartcrit-icsandcuratorsengagedinnewmediaart–suchasChristianePaul,InkeArns,GeertLovink,andJolineBlaisandJonIppolito,whohelpedtodevelopavo-cabularyandatheoreticalframe–stressedthefactthatnewmediaartwasmoreaboutaddressingques-tionsrelatingtotechnologyandsocietyratherthancreatingworkswithfascinatingnewtools.
Hence,foranewgenerationofartistsengagingwithtechnolo-gies,particularlycomputersandtheInternet,itwasclearthattousetheminanartisticcontextwouldmeanadoptingasubversivestrategyandworkingagainstthem.
Inthiscontext,theuseofsimpletools,do-it-yourselfstrategiesandlowbudgetproductionswerefavouredbymediaartists,coupledwiththedrivetoopposetheleadingcompaniesthatgovernedtheinformationtechnologiesonaglobalscaleand,moregenerally,capitalisticideology.
ToinfiltratetheInternetsearchengines(DigitalHijackbyetoy),tohackcom-mercialproducts(TheBarbieLiberationOrganizationbyRTMark),tochallengeandalterthecodesofsoft-wareapplicationssuchasbrowsersandvideogames(WrongBrowser,Untitled-GamebyJodi):thesewerethestrategiesthatbroughtmediaartiststotheinter-nationalattentionattheturnofthemillennium.
Itseemsonlynaturalthatwhenbiotechnologiesbe-cameaccessibletoartists,similarstrategiesbegantoflourish.
TheCriticalArtEnsemble,forexample,approachedbiotechnologiesbydevelopingcriticalworksandinstrumentsforeducatingthepublic.
OronCattsandYonaZurrfromTheTissueCultureandArtProjectsclearlyaffirmedtheirintentiontorevealthehiddenfacesandrealcostsoftissueculture.
9Inhisprocess-orientedworkSuspectInversionCenter,PaulVanouserecentlyrecreatedtheOrenthalJamesSimp-songene-codefromhisowntodemonstratehoweasilyDNAcouldbemanipulatedandsuggestthatitshouldnot,therefore,beconsideredtoohastilyasobjectiveproof,particularlyinlegalactions.
Meanwhile,curatorssuchasJensHauserstronglyorientedtheircuratorialpracticetowardsbio-artwhilecriticaltheo-ristslikeEugeneThackerandAlessandroDelfantiana-lyzedthepoliticalchallengesofbiotechnologiesandthedevelopmentofrelatedhackingactivities,therebyprovidingatheoreticalvocabularyfortheartists.
BIO-HACKINGONALOCALSCALETHROUGHAGLOBALNETWORKHackteriacertainlygrewoutofthenewmediaarttraditioncoupledwiththerecentinterestinbiotech-nologieswhile,atthesametime,inheritingthetradi-tion'sdo-it-yourselfapproach,criticalattitudeandhackingstrategies.
DuringthepressconferencefortheopeningofBioTehna,MarcDusseillerexplainedthat,havingobtainedhisDoctorofSciencesdegreeattheFederalInstituteofTechnologyZurichin2005,ittookhimseveralyearstofindoutwhathewantedtodo.
10Havingdevelopedartisticprojectsalongsidehisacademiccareer,heeventuallydecidedtodedicatehistimeandenergytoartwithoutnecessarilyabandon-ingtheknowledgeandexperiencehehadgainedasaresearcher,butbringingittobearinsteadinamorecreativecontext.
However,hewasquicklydissatisfiedwiththeartisticproductionand'buzz'surroundingtheflourishingartandsciencemilieu;theemergingbio-artmovement,aboveall,appearedtohimasbe-ingoverlycompromisedwiththelogicofcommercialproductionwhichregulatedthemoretraditionalcon-temporaryartscene.
11Havingco-foundedtheSwissMechatronicArtSociety(SGMK)withMarkusHasel-bachin2006andcreatedahackerspaceinZurich,togetherwithartistsAndyGracieandYashasShetty,Figure3.
WorkshopBioElectronixforArtistsandGeeksattheBioTehnalaboratoryinKiberpipa,Ljubljana,Slovenia,November2012.
AcollaborationofHackteria|OpenSourceBiologicalArtandKapelicaGallery.
PhotographbyBorisMagrini.
Usedwithpermission.
6263hestartedHackteriain2009duringtheInteractivosworkshopatMedialab-PradoinMadrid.
Thegoalwasto"developarichwebresourceforpeopleinterestedinordevelopingprojectsthatinvolveDIYbioart,opensourcesoftwareandelectronicexperimentation.
"12Today,Hackteriahasbecomeaglobalnetworkofpeoplesharingsimilarideasandgoalsaroundtheapplicationofhackingprinciplestobiotechnologies;currentmembersandcollaboratorsincludeNurAkbarArofatullah(artistandstudentinmicrobiologyandag-riculture),TimbilBudiarto(civilengineer),pelaPetri(microbiologistandmediaartist),researchersBrianDegger,UrsGaudenz,SachikoHirosue,andRüdigerTrojok,andtheinstitutionsLifepatchandKapelicaGallery.
Itiswellknownthathackingisnotsolelyrelatedtosoftware:hardware,wetwareandevensocialdynam-icsaresubjectedtohacking.
However,theprohibitivepricesoftools,gearandproductsrelatedtobiotech-nologyresearchmadeitimpossibleforhackerstoexperimentinthisfielduntilveryrecently.
Today,itispossibletocreateabio-labwithjustacoupleofhun-dreddollarsusingcleverlyhackeddevicesandapply-ingdo-it-yourselfsolutions.
Thisexplains,inpart,thegrowinginterestinbio-hackingandtheflourishingofhackerspacesaroundtheworld,whichareintroduc-ingwetwareresearchalongwiththemoretraditionalfocusonsoftwareandelectronics.
Asalreadystated,hackingisoftenassociatedwithpiracyandcracking;notbythemembersofHackteria,however,forwhomhackingpredominantlymeansmanipulatingadevicesothatitcanperformadifferenttasktothatorigi-nallyintended:tomakeaboileroutofatoaster,forexample,oramicroscopeoutofagameconsolewebcam.
Tothem,hackingisalsointended,however,asaservicetoacommunitybycreatingopensourceanddo-it-yourselfprototypesthatareexplained,sharedandconstructedinworkshopsorganizedwithlocalpartners.
Workingonalocalscaleisanothercharac-teristicofHackteria;MarcDusseilleroftenreferstothebookSmallisBeautifulbytheeconomistErnstFriedrichSchumacher,whodefendedtheimportanceofdevelopingsmalleconomiesandactivitiesonaregionallevel,asanimportantsourceofinspiration.
13Thisbookalsoprovidedsomeinterestingprescriptionsforscientistsandresearchers,consideringthatonlyatechnologywitha"humanface"willbecapableofcounteringtheconsequencesofthematerialisticide-ology.
AsSchumacheraffirms:Whatisitthatwereallyrequirefromthescien-tistsandtechnologistsIshouldanswer:Weneedmethodsandequipmentwhicharecheapenoughsothattheyareaccessibletovirtuallyeveryone;suitableforsmall-scaleapplication;andcompatiblewithman'sneedforcreativity.
14Insteadofreactingagainstatechnologythatisoftenassociatedwithcapitalism,alienationormilitarywar-fare–forexamplebyHerbertMarcuse,15JosephWeizenbaum,16andmorerecently,RichardBar-brook17–Hackteriaappears,instead,toputSchum-acher'srecommendationsintopractice.
Throughthecreationofworkshopsandeventsthatinvolvethelocalpartnersofartistsandresearcherswithaviewtoofferingthemanopportunitytolearn,shareanddiscussnewtechnologies,aswellasdevelopingcheapandcreativetoolssuitableforsmall-scaleapplications,Hackteriagivesthesetechnologiesahumanface.
Ifsometools,suchasglass-electrodemicropipettes,webcammicroscopesandhackedopticalmice,areawayofapproachingseriousscience,manyothertoolsaredevelopedinamorecreativecontext,suchasaLo-FisynthesizercreatedinaTupperwarecontaineroranhybridelectronic-livingsystemprojector.
Asal-readyobservedbyDenisaKera,whoaffirmedthatthe"disruptiveprototypeshavesimplyamagicalandanar-chisticcapacitytoaccommodatevarioususes,dreams,goalsandneedsandtoconnectpeople,contextsandvariousmaterials,"18alloftheprototypes,ontheotherhand,shareapunky,rebelliousandplayfulnote.
AgoodexampleisthedeviceFishtobraininterfacecircuitconceivedbytheartistAntonyHall,whowasinvitedbyHackteriatogiveaworkshopattheBioTeh-nalabwhilehepresentedhissoloexhibitionatthenearbyKapelicaGallery.
19Thedeviceisafish-shapedcircuitwithtwolight-emittingdiodes,whichblinkatvaryingspeedsdeterminedbythelevelofhumidityofthefingersthatmanipulatesthedevice.
Itissimplyanamusinggadgettobeplacedinfrontofclosedeyessothatonecanexperienceapsychedelic,unpredictablesequenceoflightsandcolours–awayofbridgingtechnology,mysticismandsubculturehumorouslyandalsosuggestingthathackingisnotnecessarilyalwaysaboutsavingtheworld.
However,themainobjectiveofHackteriaistodemys-tifythetechnologiesthatcontributetoshapingoursocietyandare,nonetheless,stillpoorlyunderstoodbythemajorityofthepopulation.
DenisaKera,Assis-tantProfessorattheNationalUniversityofSingapore,analyzedtherecentdevelopmentofhackerspaces,inparticularinAsia,pointingouthowtheyfulfiltheroleofinformingciviliansaboutscientificresearch,arolethattheprofessionalresearchlaboratorieshavelongrelinquishedduetobeingruledbycommercialandsecurityimperatives.
20Duethelackofknowledgeaboutthem,biotechnologiesgeneratevisceralfearsinthepopulationthatrangefromthePrometheannight-maretotheanthraxdisaster;intheeyesofHacketeria,itispreciselyforthesereasonsthatitisnecessarytoeducatethegeneralpublic.
However,thetaskofcom-municatingthechoiceofapplyinghackingtothefieldofbiotechnologiesandintroducingittolocalcom-munitiesisadelicateone.
Thedangersofbiotechnol-ogy–aresearchfieldthatencompassestissueculture,geneticsandmanyotherwetwareactivities–exist,althoughtheyareprobablyoverstated.
Inthisrespect,themembersoftheCriticalArtEnsemblecollectivehavebeenveryactiveinthrowinglightonfearsrelat-ingtobio-terrorism,suggestingthatitsrealdangersareexaggeratedbytheauthorities–theartistsrefersheretotheUSgovernmentinparticular–intheinter-estsoftheirpoliticalagenda.
21Lackofknowledgeandpersonalexperienceonaspecificmatternotonlyleadstofearandrepulsion,italsoallowsgreatermanipulationofthegeneralopinionofthepersonali-tiesandinstitutionsthathaveavestedinterestonthematter.
Livescienceisahighlycontroversialandmisunder-stoodfieldofresearch;byofferingartists,laypersonsandchildrentheopportunitytoexperimentwithaprovisionalbio-lab,Hackteriawishestoempoweralargercommunitywithsometoolsthatwillenablepeopletounderstandscientificprogressandthecur-rentpoliticaldiscussionaboutnewtechnologies.
AttheBioTehnalabinLjubljana,artists,curatorsandam-ateurresearcherslearnedtosoldercircuits,programFigure4.
DetailoftheBioTehnalaboratoryinKiberpipa,Ljub-ljana,Slovenia,NovemberandDecember2012.
PhotographbyBorisMagrini.
Usedwithpermission.
6465thedevicesthroughtheArduinoplatform,andapplysomesimpletoolstobiologicalresearch.
22Butaboveall,theylearnedthepossibilitiesofferedbyrecenttechnologiesforbuildingabio-labonasmallbudgetandhackingdevicestoreplaceotherwiseexpensiveinstruments.
Duringtheworkshop,andtheseveralcoffeebreaks,someoftheartistsdiscussedtheSoftControlexhibition,whichhadopenedearlieratMari-borandSlovenjGradecandpresentedworksbysomeofthemostprominentartistsinvolvedinbiotechnolo-gies.
23Theyaskedthemselveswhethertheywantedtobelongtothekindofbio-artpresentedintheshowandtheyquestionedthenecessityofsuchlargeex-hibitionspresentingworksproducedusingexpensiveresourcesandcomplicatedtechnology,butwhichwereveryoftenshallowinvisionandsignificance.
Doesmediaart,andinparticularbio-art,havetopro-duceworksthatarecommerciallyviableandaestheti-callyentertaininginordertoappealtoawiderpublicApartfromthesequestions,theyalsoreflectedmorespecificallyonthemeaningandutilityoforganizingworkshops.
AtLjudmila,thewell-knownmediaartspaceinLjubljana,someinstitutionsthatregularlyen-gageinsimilaractivitiesmetduringthemonthofNo-vember2012tosharetheirknowledgeandexperienceonorganizingworkshopsinthefieldofnewmediaandart.
24Amongthevarietyoftopicsdiscussed,thequestionoftheutilityandthenecessityofworkshopswashotlydebated.
Themembersappearedtoagreethattheirmaingoalistoempowerpeople,tomovesocietyforward,avisionstronglysupportedbythemembersofHackteria.
However,apartfromthisper-spective,someoftheparticipantshighlightedanotherimportantone:workshopsofferthepossibilityofbringingpeoplefromdifferenthorizonstogether,i.
e.
notonlyscientificones,butalsoculturalandethnicalones,forexample.
BojanMarkicevic,acollaboratoratAtelierdesJoursàVenir,presentedthecaseofaworkshopheorganizedinavillageinwhichtensionsrootedintheconflictsintheformerYugoslaviawerestillperceptible.
Theworkshop,whichisofferedtochildrenfromdifferentethnicgroups,givesthemarareopportunitytomeetandworktogetheranditssignificancegoesbeyondthemereaspectoflearningabouthackinganddo-it-yourselftools.
TheBioTehnalab,andtheworkshopsinLjubljana,isonlyoneexamplefromalonglistofprojectsandcol-laborationsthathavebeenorganizedbyHackteriaallovertheworldinitsfewyearsofexistence.
Theplatformhasparticipatedinsomeimportantfestivalsrelatedtonewmediaart,suchasISEAandArsElec-tronica.
IthasorganizedworkshopsandactivitiesinZurich,Ljubljana,LosAngeles,andYogyakarta,forexample.
Insteadofattemptingtobridgethegapbe-tweennewmediaartandthewiderfineartmarket,asseveralartistsevolvinginthisscenearestrugglingtodo,Hackteriapursuesitsphilosophybasedonopensourceandcollaborativeprojects.
MarcDusseilleradmitstoconsideringhisactivityapoliticalone.
Ashestates:Myhopeisthatbyenablingmorepeopletodoscienceintheirgarages,kitchensandbathrooms,andbyenablingmoreartist,designersandsimplyenthusiaststoworkonvariousscientificprojects,wewillcreateascientificallyliteratepublic,whichcandemocratizedecisionsonstemcells,embryos,GMOs,nanotechnologiesetc.
25Elsewhere,hefurthersexplainsthat:"Asaconse-quenceofgreaterknowledge,peoplearealsolesssusceptibletopopulisticideasfrompoliticiansoremp-tymarketingpromisesfromthecorporateworld.
"26GiventhatHacketeriacannotfinanceitsactivitiesthroughtheproductionofopensourceprototypes,itisstronglyreliantonsubventionsfromprivateandpublicinstitutions.
TheBioTehnalabandworkshopsinLjubljanawerefinancedthroughprivateandpublicfundingwiththecollaborationoftheKapelicaGal-lery.
TheSwisscontributiontotheenlargementoftheEuropeanUnion,aprogrammeoftheSwissFederalDepartmentofForeignAffairs,theobjectiveofwhichisto"help[s]toreduceeconomicandsocialdisparitieswithintheenlargedEuropeanUnion,"27whileatthesametime"layingthefoundationforsolideconomicandpoliticaltieswiththenewEUmemberstates"28wasamongtheproject'skeyfinancialbackers.
ThisisinterestingasitindicatesthatHacketeria'sactivitiesarerecognizedbytheSwissadministrationaseligibleforsupportfromaprogrammethatfocusesonsocialandeconomicdevelopmentinforeigncountrieswhilealsoaspiringtoestablishneweconomicpartnerships.
Ontheotherhand,ittellsusthatHackteriamustlookforfinancialsupportincontextsoutsidethetraditionalsubsidiesthatareusuallysolicitedforculturalandscientificresearch.
Hacketeria'spreviousactivitiesinSwitzerlandwerefinancedbySitemapping,thefund-ingprogrammeoftheFederalOfficeofCulture,whichwasdedicatedtonewmediaartanddigitalcultureandranfrom2003to2011.
However,theprogrammewasrecentlyclosedduetoarestrictiononthebudgetallocatedtoculturebytheparliamentandtheconse-quentre-assignmentoftheassociatedresponsibilitiestoProHelvetia,theSwissArtsCouncil.
SomeotherprivateinstitutionsstillfinancenewmediaartprojectsinSwitzerland,forexampleMigros,whichdedicatesonepercentofitsincometoculturalsupportwiththeMigros-Kulturprozentprogramme.
However,apartfromtheactivitiesinitiatedbytheinstitutionitselfinthefield,onlyCHF50,000areallocatedtonewmediaartprojectsperyear.
ForMigros-Kulturprozent,supportingMarcDusseillerandHackteriawasalogi-calmovebecause"hisprojectisbasedontheDo-it-yourselfphilosophyandheisbringingbiologicalinsightsandknow-howinmanydifferentfields,alsotothefieldofthearts,"29asexplainedbyDominikLandwehr,HeadoftheDepartmentofPopandNewMedia,whoeditedseveralpublicationsonDo-it-yourselfculture.
Hackteriadoesnotalwaysfitinthecategoryofart,however,sinceitdoesnotproduceworksinthetraditionalsense,anditdoesnotneces-sarilyalwaysparticipateinexhibitions.
Moreover,itsactivitiesareoftenoverlookedbyotherinstitutionsthatsupportculturalprojectswhichdonothaveanadequateknowledgeofrecentmediaartstrategies.
ThisexplainswhyHackterianeedstodevelopotherfundingstrategiestosupportitsprojects,andappealtoinstitutionswithamissiondedicatedtoscientificresearch,economicaldevelopmentorsocialutility.
Forthesereasons,theautonomyofHackteriaregardingthecommercialfineartmarketmaybechallengedbyitsdependencyonjustifyingitsactivitiestothesepub-licandprivateinstitutions,particularlyinaperiodofeconomiccrisisaffectingtheglobalculturalpolicy.
Figure5.
DetailoftheBioTehnalaboratoryinKiberpipa,Ljubljana,Slovenia,NovemberandDecember2012.
PhotographbyBorisMagrini.
Usedwithpermission.
6667BIOTECHNOLOGIESANDUTOPIANumerouscommentatorspredictedtheendofpaintingduringthe20thcentury,aprophecythatremainsfarfrombeingfulfilled.
Likewise,afterthegloriousyearsofnewmediaartattheturnofthemillennium,manytheoristsandhistoriansconsidertodaythatstrategiessuchastacticalmediaandhacktivismarecomingtoanend,whileothersquestionthefutureofmediaartperse.
30Iftechnologiesareevolvingandreplacingeachanotheratanexponentialspeed,itseemsnaturalthatanewgenerationofartistsareinclinedtoappropriatethem.
Overthecenturies,artistsexperimentedwithnewtechniqueswithoutnecessarilydiscardingtheolderones.
Thereisnothingtosuggestthatartistswillsuddenlystopexperimentingwithnewmediainthefuturejustasthereis,equally,nothingtosuggestthattheywillnotdraw,paintandphotographanymore,orevenrediscoverandappropriatediscardedtechnolo-giesina'mediaarchaeology'fashion.
Furthermore,thereisnoreasontobelievethatartistswillstopad-dressingtopicsofrelevancetosocietybysubvertingandhackingthefuturecommunicationtechnologies.
Hackteriaisexemplaryofarecentformofactivismthatusesandappropriatessomeofthemostrecentlydiscussedandcontroversialtechnologiestodevelopperformativeandprocess-orientedactivitiesaddressingsocietalissuesandbridgingthegapbetweenartisticandscientificresearch.
Duetotheirmultiplicityandvarietyofbackgrounds,themembersofHackteriaaredifficulttoclassifyunderasingleheading.
Mostimportantly,Hacketeriaresiststraditionalclassificationbecauseitrefusestofollowtheconventionalprotocolsofscientificresearch,ononehand,andartisticproduc-tion,ontheother.
Fromacommercialpointofview,itisneitheraprofessionalresearchlabnoranartisticcollective.
Inspiteofthis,itsparticipationinimportantculturalfestivalsandsymposiumsworldwidealongwithitssuccessinobtainingpublicandprivatefundingdem-onstratethatHackteriaisfarfrombeinganirrelevantundergroundorganizationandthatithas,onthecon-trary,establishedanameforitself.
ThefactthatHackteriaisinvitedtofestivalslikeArsElectronicaandISEA,thatitisdiscussedinculturalmagazines,andactivelycollaborateswithartistsandexhibitionspacesclearlysituatesitinanartisticfield,morespecificallyassociatedtotheclustersof'newmediaart,''artandscience,'andbio-art.
Itisnotthefirst–orlast–exampleofacollaborativeprojectworkingonaperformativeandprocess-orientedbasisinthehistoryofart.
However,whatmainlycharacter-izesHackteriaistheideologythatdrivesitsactivities.
Hackteriaisaculturalandartisticprojectbecauseitisdrivenbytheideathatknowledgesharingandopen-sourceprojectsandprototypeswillcreateabet-terandmoreequalsociety:abettersocietybecausethedialogueandthenetworkfacilitatedbetweenresearchersandartistswillopennewcreativeapplica-tionsintheuseoftechnologiesthatwouldotherwiseberestrictedtocommercialuses.
However,alsoamoreequalsocietybecausethewide-reachingem-powermentofcitizenswithtoolsforexperimentingwithnewtechnologiesthroughcheapdo-it-yourselfandhackedsolutionswillenablethemtoparticipatebetterinthepoliticaldebatesaboutsuchtech-nologies.
ItisaratherUtopianvision,yetonethatiscoupledwithapragmaticapproachinvolvingactiononalocalscale.
Thisisinlinewiththepreviouslydis-cussedprescriptionsbyErnstFriedrichSchumacherbutatthesametimeinvolvesthedevelopmentofaglobalnetworkoflocalprojectsandpartners,whoandwhichinherittheMcLuhanvisionofaglobalcom-munitymadepossiblebymoderntechnologies.
ThephilosophyunderlyingtheactivitiesofHackteriacouldbeconsideredUtopiantosomeextent;indeed,therealityconcerningthecostsandtherequirementsofscientificresearchmakesitdifficulttobelievethatanydo-it-yourselflabwilleverprovideasuccessfulsolu-tionthatanindustriallaboratorycannotprovide.
AsMarcDusseilleradmits:"It'simprobablethatideasfordevelopingnewdrugsorsolvingtheproblemofworldhungerwillcomeoutofthisscene.
"31Infact,theactivismputforwardbyHackteriaissomehowmorepragmaticthenthemajorityofthetacticalmediaac-tivitiesofthelate1990s,whichwerestronglyreliantonsubversivestrategiesandconfrontation.
Despiteprovidinganalternativetothedominantcapitalisticsystem,themodelofknowledgesharingandempow-ermentthatitpromotesisnotincompatiblewiththecurrentlawsandeconomicregulationsofoursociety.
Indeed,evenintheageoftheInternetandevenifopen-sourceprojectsandfreesoftwareare,inreality,aproductofafree-marketcapitalistsociety,aslucidlyanalyzedbyLawrenceLessig,theconsiderationofknowledgeandcultureassomethingfreeisnotasevidenttodayasitmightseem.
32AnotherimportantanddistinctiveaspectofHackteria,asopposedtothevastmajorityofactivistpracticesofthe1960sand'70sandevensomeofthetacticalmediastrategiesofthe'90s,isthebeliefthatsocietydoesnotneedtore-fusetechnologicalprogressinordertoimprove.
Whiletechnologyhasbeenconsideredbysomecriticalthe-oristsinthepastasthetoolofacapitalistsociety–asameansofimprovingproductivityandattainingbettercontrolofworkersandtheconsumers–Hackteriaembodiesaneomoderndeterminationtomergetech-nologicalprogressandsocialequality.
AsBrianHolmesassertedinhiscontributiontotheonehundredbooksofthethirteenthDocumenta:"Amovementwithouttechnécan'tconvinceanyoneofitscapacitytomateri-allyreorganizesociety.
"33Oneofthereasonswhy,followinghisinvolvementwiththeSwissMechatronicArtSociety(SGMK),MarcDusseillerdecidedtodedicatehistimeandenergiestoaprojectinvolvingbiotechnologiesisthatthetoolsforcreatingabio-labwerebecomingaffordabletoawiderpublic.
Anotherreasoncouldbethatbio-artacquiredinternationalrecognitionduringthefirstde-cadesofthenewmillenniumandisstillconsideredthemostavant-gardefrontierinthenewmediaartscene,hencetheurgefeltbyyoungerartiststoexperimentwiththesetechnologies.
Aboveall,however,Hackteriawascreatedinthehopeofrespondingtoagrowingdiscrepancybetweentheresearchersdevelopingnewproductsandtoolsandtheauthoritieswhoregulatetheresearchandtheconsumers.
Biotechnologiescon-tinuetobeextremelyobscureandcontroversialandtriggerresistancefromthegeneralpopulationwhichmisunderstandsthem.
Tobringthemclosertotheciti-zensisapoliticalact,regardlessofthefieldinwhichitisperformed,beitartisticorscientific.
ThispositionisdefendedbyAlessandroDelfantiinhisacademicresearchonthebiohackingemergence.
Forhimopenbiology"isopencirculationofinformationthathasimportantpoliticalconsequences,andtheroleofnewmediaastoolsfordemocracyisanimportantdis-courseunderlyingthewholedevelopmentofinforma-tionsocieties.
"34ThesuccessofHackteriasinceitscreation,thenumberofworkshopsithasorganized,thenetworkithascreated,andtheconferencesandfestivalsinwhichithasparticipatedsignalthatthispe-culiarpoliticalactundertakenbyitsmembershassuc-ceededinarousingsomecuriosityamongagrowingnetworkofartists,researchersandavarietyofotherparticipants.
Andifcuriosityultimatelyleadstoknowl-edge,theneomodernhackerUtopiamayeventuallyleadtoabetterworldindeed.
6869ReferencesandNotes1.
StevenLevy,Hackers(Sebastopol,CA:O'ReillyMedia,2010).
2.
ChrisC.
MooneyandSherilKirshenbaum,UnscientificAmerica(NewYork:BasicBooks,2009).
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"About,"Hackteria.
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AndreasBroeckmann,"Image,Process,Performance,Machine.
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OliverGrau(Cambridge,MA:MITPress,2007),201.
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Lippard,"TrojanHorses:ActivistArtandPower,"inArtafterModernism:RethinkingRepresentation,ed.
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,oder,WasIstRadikal-demokratischeKultur,undWemDientSie=or,WhatIsRadicalDemocraticCultureandWhoDoesiIServe:ili,ShtotTkoeRadikal'no-DemokraticheskaiaKulturaiKomuOnaCluzhit(Wien:EditionSelene,2000),100.
7.
Foranhistoricalanalysisoftherelationbetweenmediaartandprocess-orientedart,seeRudolfFrieling"NoRehearsal–AspectsofMediaArtasProcess,"inMedienKunstInteraktion–die60erund70erJahreinDeutsch-land/MediaArtAction–the1960sand1970sinGermany,ed.
RudolfFrielingandDieterDaniels(Wien:Springer,1997),163-169.
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TilmanBaumgrtel,Net.
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OronCattsandIonatZurr,"TheEthicsofExperientialEngagementwiththeManipulationofLife,"inTacticalBio-politics,ed.
BeatrizDaCostaandKavitaPhilip(Cambridge,MA:MITPress,2008).
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MarcDusseiller,presentationattheBioTehnapressconfer-ence,Ljubljana,November21,2012.
11.
MarcDusseiller,interviewedbytheauthor,October1,2012.
12.
Hackteria,"About.
"13.
ThebookismentionedbyMarcDusseillerduringtheaforementionedBioTehnapressconference.
14.
ErnstFriedrichSchumacher,SmallIsBeautiful:AStudyofEconomicsasifPeopleMattered(London:BlondBriggs,1973),29-30.
15.
HerbertMarcuse,One-dimensionalMan:StudiesintheIdeologyofAdvancedIndustrialSociety(Boston:BeaconPress,1964).
16.
JospehWeizenbaum,ComputerPowerandHumanRea-son(SanFrancisco:W.
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FreemanandCompany,1976).
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RichardBarbrook,ImaginaryFutures:FromThinkingMa-chinestotheGlobalVillage(London:PlutoPress,2007).
18.
DenisaKera,"NanomanoLabinLjubljana:DisruptivePro-totypesandExperimentalGovernanceofNanotechnolo-giesintheHackerspaces,"Jcom11,no.
4(2012):4.
19.
TheexhibitionEnkiinauguratedonNovember22,2012,attheKapelicaGalleryinLjubljana,Slovenja.
TheartistAnto-nyHallpresentedtheworkconsistingofadeviceenablinganinteractionbetweenthespectatorandanelectrogenicfish,resultinginavisualandacusticexperience.
20.
DenisaKera,"HackerspacesandDIYbioinAsia:ConnectingScienceandCommunitywithOpenData,KitsandProto-cols,"JournalofPeerProduction2(2012),http://peerpro-duction.
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CriticalArtEnsemble,"BioparanoiaandtheCultureofControl,"inTacticalBiopolitics.
22.
TheBioTehnalabranbetweenNovemberandDecember2012attheKiberpipahackerspaceinLjubljana.
Duringthelab,severalactivitieshavebeenorganized,suchastheworkshopsBioElectronixforArtistsandGeeksandBrainHacking,thesymposiumWorkshopology,theworkshopforkidsBioCyberKidzzandthelectureKapitnBiopunkbyartistJulianAbraham.
23.
TheSOFTCONTROL:Art,ScienceandtheTechnologicalUnconsciousexhibitioncuratedbyDmitryBulatovtookplaceattheKorokaArtGalleryinSlovenjGradecandattheAssociationforCultureandEducationKIBLAinMari-bor,Slovenija,betweenNovember14-December15,2012.
24.
ThesymposiumWorkshopologytookplaceatLjudmila,inLjubljana,onNovember24,2012.
Theparticipantswere:BojanMarkicevic(AtelierdesJoursàVenir),MarcDusseiller(Hackteria),DeborahHustic(I'MMmediaLab),KristijanTkalec(HiaEksperimentov,Kiberpipa),MihaTuri(InstituteCulturalCentreofEuropeanSpaceTech-nologies),BraneZorman(RadioCona),AntonyHall(artist),BorutSavski(artist),TinaMalina,RobertinaSebjanicandUrosVeber(Ljudmila).
25.
"Hackteria:InterviewwithMarcDusseiller,"bySaraToc-chetti,MCD-Musiques&CulturesDigitales,no.
68(2012):47.
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MaxCelko,"TheRevoltoftheHand-crafters:InterviewwithMarcDusseiller,"W.
I.
R.
E,no.
8(2012):88.
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"TheSwissContributiontoEUEnlargementtowardstheEast,"SwissAgencyforDevelopmentandCoopera-tion,http://www.
contribution-enlargement.
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ch/en/Home/The_Swiss_contribution(accessedJanuary2,2013).
29.
DominikLandwehr,e-mailmessagetoauthor,January7,2013.
30.
See,forexample,thewarningcallbyGeertLovinkinhisrecentpublicationconcerningthenecessityofarenewaloftacticalmediastrategies:GeertLovink,ZeroCom-ments:BloggingandCriticalInternetCulture(NewYork:Routledge,2007).
31.
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