November 20, 2006
Defining Lines:
Breaking Down Borders
[image: National Velvet by David Crawford] Defining Lines: Breaking Down Borders :: This exhibition will attempt to present a comprehensive survey of the work of artists who are breaking down the borders or boundaries that define artistic practise in the 21st century. From the computer DESKTOP, to DOWNLOADABLE COMPUTER VIRUSES, OPEN SOURCE AND CODE CRACKING SOFTWARE, and E-BOOKS, to ALTERNATIVE NETWORK BROWSERS, OPERATING SYSTEMS and SHAREWARE/FREEWARE, DOMAIN NAME SERVERS, to GAMING PATCHES, LISTSERVS, ONLINE THEATER (in the form of activism, or ELECTRONIC PROTEST) -- what constitutes "ART" is being re-defined as EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES and mediums are giving artists the "TOOLS" and a new means of expression. In addition, our notions or definitions of the tangible, physical "BORDER" "TERRITORY" or "OWNERSHIP / PROPERTY" is being transformed in the virtual realm of cyberspace. The idea of territory becomes one of "INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY" and "COPYRIGHT / LEFT". Geopolitical, and topographical territories are being replaced with domain of the Corporations and Governmental Agencies (ICANN) who control the "space" of the World Wide Web. Borders existing on the network, tracing the idea of "open" borders vs. "closed" borders, similarly we look at "firewalls", "encryption", "carnivore"; in contrast to "open source", "General Public License" (and therefore the ideas of "authorship") "sharing of files", "data transfer". The "SERVER" or "HARD DRIVE" as the new territory where "HACKING" and "ART" exchange fertile ground in the realm of the digital NETWORK we know as the Internet. Artists and Activists have their say in the wide open territory of the WWW, creating a hybrid art form called "PRACTIVISM" (Paul Garrin). Hackers and Activists merge and become "HACKTIVISTS" (Electronic Disturbance Theater). A new form of electronic theater or digital performance art is developing, that of the Online Protest, or "VIRTUAL SIT-IN".
At the beginning of the 21st century, we see that the words of Joseph Beuys has its corollary in the electronic realm:
"...Social Sculpture--how we mold and shape the world in which we live: SCULPTURE AS AN EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS; EVERYONE IS AN ARTIST...All around us the fundamentals of life are crying out to be shaped, or created." -Joseph Beuys
ARTISTS:
0100101110101101.ORG
Mark Amerika
Betty Beaumont
C5 Corp
David Crawford
Douglas Davis
Andy Deck
Electronic Disturbance Theater(EDT)
Epidemic-C / 0100101110101101.ORG
Fakeshop
Peter Fend
Joy Garnett
Paul Garrin
Marina Grzinic & Aina Smid
Wenda Gu
Ingo Gunther
Fran Ilich
I/O/D
Irational.org
Jodi.org
Eduardo Kac
Yael Kanarek
Knowbotic Research
Tina LaPorta
Jenny Marketou
Jennifer + Kevin McCoy
MEZ (aka Mary-Anne Breeze)
Mark Napier
Netochka Nezvanova
Marko Peljhan
RTMark
Scanner (aka Robin Rimbaud)
Linus Torvalds + others
Stephen Vitiello
Ade Ward
Posted by jo at November 20, 2006 02:19 PM
