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Save Area10!

Marco Donnarumma — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 09:38:17 +0000

***AREA10 IS FIGHTING TO SECURE TENANCY AT EAGLE WHARF BEYOND 15 JULY 2010
*** PLEASE WRITE YOUR TESTIMONIAL OF SUPPORT ***

AREA10 has for the past 8 years been a monumental project space in London for the development and presentation of artists, performers, actors and musicians.Thousands of artists have been supported to make new work, showcase performance and exhibit within a safe and creative environment. After this 8 year research and development AREA10 is well underway for preparing for the next stage.

Recently Area10 moved the first steps in order to become the first UK hub for free open source culture, promoting plenty of workshops, performances, meetings and many other forms of collaborative actions.
Help Area10 to survive signing an on-line petition here.

Live Media Updates June

Marco Donnarumma — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:21:23 +0000

Brand-new issue of the on-line newsletter brought to you by thesaddj.com; new media and open source related art works, events and people.

Tags: openlab, piksel, re-new festival, mapping festival, arduino, content, live performers meeting, net art, online performance.
Read it here http://www.thesaddj.com/newsletter/june10/index.html.

Openlab Interview on Vague Terrain online Journal

Marco Donnarumma — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:40:36 +0000

Openlab Night | Fave Dave Alex | Live coding

Just cross posting the interview with Openlab I recently curated for Vague Terrain online journal.
Tags: london and Openlab, open source distribution, tech activism, models of social organization.

Interview on Linux Audio Italy

Marco Donnarumma — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:08:06 +0000

I just released an interview for Linux Audio Italy podcast. I had a pleasant conversation with Becks – the mind behind the GNU blog and podcast - about my work and Pure Data, recent projects and the Pd Convention in Brasil. The interview will be broadcasted today at 21.00 (repeated on 13 Oct at 00.00), but you can download the whole podcast here http://gnufunk.org/node/44.

Unfortunately dialogues are only in italian, but you can always listen to some excellent open source music. For my italian readers… be sure to browse the numerous contents of the blog, you will find many interesting news about open source production and techniques.

Live Media Updates Sept09

Marco Donnarumma — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 08:34:14 +0000

I just created kind of online newsletter where to keep you updated about upcoming events and where to collect all the articles from the past months, if you feel like you lost something.

So feel free to enjoy http://www.thesaddj.com/newsletter/sept09/index.html

This page does not substitute the normal newsletter you receive once every two months, but is just a less invasive way to inform more people about what is going in the lab.

Thanks!

Aymeric Mansoux, Marloes de Valk – FLOSS+Art

Marco Donnarumma — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:33:35 +0000

Neural.it reviews on FLOSS+Art, a (free and open source) book which everyone interested in digital arts should read.

via: Neural.it

“Mute Publishing Ltd, ISBN 978-1906496180, UK, 2009, English
Advocacy of FLOSS model in culture is a nodal strategy for change, and is important to keep in mind what the two editors Aymeric Mansoux and Marloes de Valk state in the introduction: “software industry no longer sells software: it sells licenses.” Starting from here their proposed path through all the art-related issues of free software results as a rich end empowering experience.
The collection of essays is the most exhaustive ever published including the analysis of FLOSS and music, video, theatre, graphic design, typography, libraries, licenses, live coding, you name it. This dense book with twenty-four authors is really not an apology of FLOSS models for the sake of an ideological battle. On the contrary, for example, the needed open mind and will to switch operating system, plus the consequent investment of personal time, is not underestimated. But the amount of analysis, practices and stimuli emerging while reading is amazing as a whole new world discovery.
Among the others the book includes the seminal Transmediale award winner text “All Problems of Notation Will be solved by the Masses: Free Open Form Performance, Free/Libre Open Source Software and Distributive Practice” by Simon Yuill, that exemplary and critically analyze the FLOSS paradigm through history and philosophy enhancing its fundamental freedom of production quality.
So it’s a sort of manifesto, chorally written sometimes reflecting the same FLOSS defects (redundancy and enthusiasm) and its unmatchable virtues, but giving serious hope for its pervading potential in every art sector.”

Defend our right to an Internet open and Universal

Marco Donnarumma — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:17:30 +0000

via: http://blackouteu.wordpress.com

On May 6^th, pressure from EU citizens has meant that the Directives that attempted to privatize Internet were not passed in the vote in the European Parliament.

This Autumn the Package will be negotiated again.

IN THE EUROPEAN ELECTIONS ON JUNE 6TH DO NOT VOTE FOR THE PARTIES WHICH WANT TO GIFT OUR RIGHT OF ACCESS TO THE INTERNET TO PRIVATE INTERESTS.

After checking the votes of the Members of the European Parliament in the vote of the so called “Telecoms Package” (explained below) is basic that we remember that the parties that voted against it, both Parties of Government and the Opposition equally, are willing to gift our right to a free and egalitarian communication through the Internet to private multinationals.

Citizens can remember and check it in this graphic where they can find the vote of all the Members of the Parliament in the Telcoms’ Package vote (100% is the vote more favorable, 0% to private lobbies)

We suggest you send this simple questionnaire to the main candidates in your country to know the their Parties’ position about Internet. and the future of the Telecoms Package. Click here

Internet access is not conditional

Everyone who owns a website has an interest in defending the free use of Internet… so has everyone who uses Google or Skype… everyone who expresses their opinions freely, does research of any kind, whether for personal health problems or academic study … everyone who shops online…who dates online…socializes online… listens to music…watches video…

ÍNDICE

1-WHAT THEY WANT TO ENFORCE
2- CONSEQUENCES FOR ALL OF US
3- OUR VOTES
4- HOW POLITICIANS ACT

The internet as we know it is at risk. The new rules in the EU (the Telecoms package) voted on May 6 and will be negotiated again in Autumn propose that broadband providers will be legally able to limit the number of websites you can look at, and to tell you whether or not you are allowed to use particular services. It will be dressed up as ‘new consumer options’ which people can choose from. People will be offered TV-like packages – with a limited number of options for you to access. It means that the Internet will be packaged up and your ability to access and to put up content could be severely restricted. It will create boxes of Internet accessibility, which don’t fit with the way we use it today.

This is because Internet is now permitting exchanges between persons which cannot be controlled or “facilitated” by any middlemen (the State or a corporation). This possibility improves citizen’s life and makes access to knowledge easier to everyone, but force the industry (telecommunications, entertainment…) to lose power and control. Access providers have now learned that controlling access they can control the Information Society development. That is why they are pushing to act those changes.
The excuse is to promote competition, offering choices to users which better fit their behavior on the Internet and, by collaborating with sectors interested in the promotion of lawful content (aka the entertainment industry), to control the flow of music, films and entertainment content against the alleged piracy by downloading for free, using P2P file-sharing. However, the real victims of this plan will be all Internet users and the democratic and independent access to information, culture goods.

2- CONSEQUENCES FOR ALL OF US

Think about how you use the Internet! What would it mean to you if free access to the Internet was taken away?
These days, the Internet is about life and freedom. It’s about shopping, booking theatre tickets … holidays, learning, job-seeking, banking, and trade. It’s also about the fun things – dating, chatting, invitations, music, entertainment, joking and even a Second Life. It is a tool to express ourselves, to collaborate, innovate, share, stimulate new business ideas, reach new markets – thrive without middlemen..

Tim Berners-Lee, father of the World Wide Web talks about the USA,….but in Europe the same is happening the same.

Just think – what’s your web address? (the one in your blog, your web…) If the Members of the European Parliament agree to the measures proposed in the Telecoms Package, unless people have that address in their “package” of regular websites – they won’t be able to find you. That means they can’t buy, or book, or register, or even view you online. Your business won’t be able to find niche suppliers of goods – and compare prices. If you get any money at all from advertising on your site, it will diminish. Yes, Amazon and a select few will be OK, they will be the included in the package. But your advertising on Google or any other website will be increasingly worthless. Skype could be blocked, (as it is already happening in Germany with the iPhone,). Small businesses could literally disappear, especially specialist, niche or artisan businesses.
If we don’t do something now – we could lose free and open use of the internet.

Our freedom (of choice in information, market, culture, pleasure) will be curtailed.

3- OUR VOTES

They have to remember that they are servants of citizens who vote them, not of the big companies. Internet still gives us the tools to be watching and judging what they are doing!. In the website http://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/Telecoms_package_directives_2nd_reading you may consult the vote of each MEP.
You must know that you are not alone: hundreds of organizations and citizens are lobbying on politicians. To avoid the Directive being passed, last May 6^th thousands of letters were sent. As a result the amendments which intended to limit and privatize the Internet were avoided, at least for the moment.

4- HOW OUR POLITICIANS ACT

The EU proposals hold an enormous risk for our future. If they become Law, it will be virtually impossible to reverse. People (even the members of the European Parliament who are voting on it) don’t really seem to understand the full implications and the legal changes are wrapped up in something called “Telecoms Package” which lulls people into thinking it is just about industry, that it will not affect them.
However, in reality, hiding from public view, the amendments are about the way the Internet will operate in future. Text about your rights to access and distribute content, services and applications, has being crossed out. And the text that has being brought in, says that broadband providers must inform you of any conditions limiting access, or restrictions to your access. It has seriously being proposed that you will be told the conditions of use of Internet services. This is made to sound good – it is dressed up as ‘transparency’ – except that of course it means that the broadband provider will have the legal right to limit your access or to impose conditions, otherwise why would they need to tell you? If the Telecoms Package as it reads now is finally agreed, the changes will not be reversible.

What about the content?

Marco Donnarumma — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 12:21:13 +0000

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.

“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

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)

My point is : what about the content?

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…

What about the day after?

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.

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.