The Art + Politics of P2P — Michel Bauwens, Matthew Fuller and Olga Goriunova :: March 24, 2009; 7:00 pm :: Arnolfini, Bristol, UK.

The presentation introduces the work of the Foundation for Peer-to-Peer Alternatives – a clearing house for open/free, participatory/p2p and commons-oriented initiatives. The interest is in how P2P networks challenge hierarchical server-client relations and provide an alternative organisational principle for understanding cultural production and the creation of value. In discussion we aim to explore the potential of this way of thinking to re-energise the production of art following the principle that emergent and radical arts practices can be found in social energies not yet recognised as art.

Michel Bauwens is an active writer, researcher and conference speaker on the subject of technology, culture and business innovation. He is the founder of the Foundation for Peer-to-Peer Alternatives and works in collaboration with a global group of researchers in the exploration of peer production, governance, and property. He teaches at the Dhurakii Pundit University International College in Bangkok, Thailand.

Matthew Fuller is author of ‘Behind the Blip, essays on the culture of software’ and ‘Media Ecologies, materialist energies in art and technoculture’ and is editor of ‘Software Studies, a lexicon’ amongst other titles. He works at the Centre for Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths and is involved in a number of projects in art, experimental software and media.

Olga Goriunova is currently a Lecturer in Interactive Media at the Centre for Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths College. She has been involved in the field of software cultures, co-producing four software art festivals Readme and a software art repository Runme.org. She is currently working on a book ‘Art Platforms’.

Organised by Arnolfini and Art & Social Technologies Research (University of Plymouth), with support from the Pervasive Media Studio/Watershed.