Can one produce an extremely provocative digital artwork about social revolution, against war and suffering of the poor, asking for justice and truth while utilizing proprietary, closed, mainstream software?

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The answer is: yes, of course…

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…but what is it all about it’s just talking.

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A good speech is indeed catchy for the masses, but lacks of the pragmatical aspects which a revolutionary thinker’s spirit is made of.

Originally posted by Tatiana Bazzichelli at Networkingart.eu

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Conference-Colloquium, Aarhus University, June 12 &14, 2010, ADA building, room 333.

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This conference-colloquium at the Humanistic Faculty, Aarhus University, will relate to the widespread use of the concepts event and/or affect in contemporary research of media, art, philosophy, politics and culture. It is the aim to qualify, explore and investigate the scope of the terms event and affect in different analytical fields. We assume that the renewed focus on event and affect is partly due to the impact of new (electronic and digital) media and the new forms of immediacy created by real-time control and transmission.
The conference will therefore investigate two key issues: 1) How can we describe event and affect on philosophical, artistic, political and cultural levels? 2) Has a new paradigm of the signal – related to the bypassing of representation in real-time transmissions – superseded the sign? What characterizes the signal?

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By combining these questions the conference wants to initiate a broader discussion on a paradigmatic transformation from sign to signal in relation to the concepts of event and affect and their use and scope in art, politics and culture.

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[The text above is an extract of the Conference's call. The arrangement team consists of: Bodil Marie Stavning Thomsen, Britta Timm Knudsen, Dorthe Refslund Christensen, Carsten Stage, Camilla Møhring Reestorff, Mathias Bonde Korsgaard and Jonas Fritsch].

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Download the program.

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Keynotes:
Nigel Thrift, Brian Massumi and Erin Manning.
Speakers:
Niels Albertsen, Mads Anders Baggesgaard, Tatiana Bazzichelli, Christian Borch, Christoph Brunner, Merete Carlson, Dorthe Refslund Christensen, Leila Dawney, Carsten Friberg, Jonas Fritsch, Jan Ifversen, Britta Timm Knudsen, Mathias Bonde Korsgaard, Christoffer Kølvrå, Annette Svaneklink Jakobsen, Thomas Jellis, Ulla Angkjær Jørgensen, Thomas Markussen, Casper Høeg Radil, Carsten Stage, Bodil Marie Stavning Thomsen, Anne Marit Waade.
Participants:
Lise Nygaard Christensen, Lise Dilling, Jette Geil, Lars Bo Løfgreen, Kirsten Marie Pedersen, Rebecca Parbo.

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My paper is about networked events as political and social practices of criticism in grassroots communities. Title is: The Network Events. Networked art as a challenge for sociopolitical transformation. I will address some artistic and activist projects as an example of fertile zones of rewriting and experimentation of cultural and political codes. In particular, I will describe the Italian case of Anna Adamolo (2008-2009).

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Read an abstract of the paper by Tatiana Bazzichelli here.

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I don’t want to point the finger at anyone with the following words, its should represent just a warning.
And i know that many artists around the world are doing a great effort to improve this situation. My best estimation and trust to all them.

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“I love the energy of concerts. Music and performing is a primal form of communication, more so than any kind of visual medium.”

Martin Scorsese

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It’s 4 months that i’m on tour, travelling, watching, observing and discovering. Naturally everywhere i go i try to get a glimpse about the local artistic scene. So now i can say i have a discreet (not deep) knowledge of what is going on outta there..ok… (obviously talking about live video digital arts)

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My point is : what about the content?

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Talking globally I’ve seen a huge waste of technology. I mean… we (as human beings) are living in an ugly condition. Planet earth is going straight to death, anyone who has enough money can move a war everywhere, people lives in the fear of future and buy weapons to feel safe.
So, what does an acclaimed artist to face this situation?
Nowadays in most of case he creates a comfortable augmented reality. He creates a flow of images that reassure everybody, huge waste of technology to create virtual enviroment that allow us to wish (NOT TO LIVE) a virtual better life. For half an hour or more spectators can believe in a better, neutral, empty, synthetic world. At the end of the show their mind will be so flashed by this amazing-nonsense-ultraclean shapes that they will come back home having for sure great dreams. But…

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What about the day after?

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Spectator didn’t “learn” anything. He’s thought is the same of the day before… So what? what about content? what about concepts? what about real life? what about Art?
If i could define myself an “artist”, i would do it only if someone come to me saying that my work made his mind move, think in a different way, realize things which were kept secret.
This is really difficult, of course, but i know by my experience, that you, as artist on a stage, have a huge power towards your public. And it’s really easy for an artist at least to force people mind to THINK. Just think. Cause this is what we need to discover again… To Think!
There is no need to educate (also cause it’s quiet impossible), but just let them think! They will learn by themselves.
I’ve tested that when you force someone to think, at first sight he will feel scared, but later, when you will help him during his mental process he will be only glad.
Of course this is just my opinion, and i know many people who will kill me for this words, but i feel this concept as a necessary condition to face nowadays life with the power and advantage of Art.

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If you want to define yourself “artist” you must face your reality and interconnect with it. This is just a fact.
I believe that technology is not a result, it is just a mean.