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INFOWAR: Re: What do Metropolis
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ARS ELECTRONICA FESTIVAL 98
INFOWAR. information.macht.krieg
Linz, Austria, september 07 - 12
http://www.aec.at/infowar
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I largely agree with Brian's analysis (as below) of the Ars 'InfoWar'
debate. More so, 'war' as a theme seems to be used in the Ars Electronica
context more like a brand than a defined thing. You are using it in
relation to new media - I would argue - as a way of 'sexing-up' a subject
- a subject whose essential definitions (that is definitions of 'what new
media is?', 'who is an author?' and even 'what are authoring tools?')
haven't even been stated let alone agreed.
Interesting to note one of the contributors was somewhere described as a
"media activist" - no doubt we will be hearing from "CD-Rom terrorists",
"Hypercard guerrillas, and "Special Operations Web designers" (who execute
their work with 'maximum prejudice' no doubt?)
Before anyone responds I have both a creative new media background (Royal
College of Art etc - for what that's worth - and work as a commercial new
media producer within a consumer environment). I think I've seen and
experienced both sides of the fence.
As Brian points out the constraints that you organisers have imposed - in
terms a) not making clear what the hell you are talking about b) limiting
how we should speak and c) controlling what we should speak about - all
imposed over a set of nebulous criteria seem nonsensical. I'm interested
in Ars E. but I don't have time for debate of this poor quality. It's
interesting that as soon as a lot of graphic-design Window-dressing is
removed from new media publishing (which e-mail does) underneath there
doesn't seem to be much of a skeleton which makes sense, in terms of form
or function.
I'm not saying I'm right, but I've made an attempt to at least define some
of the fundamental underlying issues about what we are discussing (and if
there is a 'war' I'd suggest that it is implicitly defined as one fought
between where on a scale new media is accepted as a commercial form of
publishing or a social tool of new dialogue ('discuss'!) at the following
web site: www.paperwork.demon.co.uk and at
www.paperwork.demon.co.uk/milia.html.
Let's talk - but please apply some vigour to making sense!
Nick
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