Artists move further down the path to abstraction

We walked down the massive mouth ramp of Tate Modern on the event of PVA’s 10 year anniversary.
A strange building which reminds us of Homer's nuclear plant in the Simpsons.

This is our coded review. Everything we seemed to have noted fits into the category of a theme, statement or question. This is how we might organise the information if we sent it to a handheld device within an invented tag system.

<Theme>
I
<<Statement>>
I
<<<Question>>>
I
I
I
Paul Howard (Tate Modern curator)
Simon Poulter (artist and PVA collaborator)

<<what remains of community will disappear>>
I
I
I
Anne Nigten (V2_Lab, Institute for the Unstable Media, Rotterdam)

<co-authoring by multiple professions- artists, technologists, scientists, designers>

<<open source programming not just in the hands of technologists- artists are very technically literate>>

<<art can change society- physical space becomes media space>>
eg. Jeanne van Heeswijk
I
I
I
John Jordan (artist, Co-director Platform 1987-1995, Reclaim the Streets 1995-2000)

<ethics, aesthetics, lifestyle as art>

<transform don’t illustrate by using imagination>
eg. Clandestine rebel clown army tackling army recruitment offices

<<mobile phone technology is used to organise such events>>

<<global warming from consumer binge lifestyle is collective suicide we have "0.7degrees to play with">>

<< artists have a valuable place in globalisation as artists can afford to care, unlike businesses.>>

<< it is not statistics that are the most useful tools for change -personal stories and testaments are...>>

<<stories change the world "we are everywhere" with our civil disobedience>>

<<personalising the impact of globalisation makes it seem more real and therefore more motivating>>

<<success of business damaged our capacity to feel the world>>

<<artist role is to humanise be meaningful>>

<<<"so what does John want us to do?" (question via text message from the audience)>>>
I
I
I
Jemima Rellie (Tate Modern Online)

<<Tate Modern programmes ideas>>

<<Tate Online is the 5th gallery>>

<<the web has made Tate more of a global entity>>

<<all museums provide the visitor with an educational experience>>

<<no corporation can be ethical>>

<<not allowed to gaze at things anymore- have to interact>>

<<new access to technology had changed galleries and museums form mealy collections to interactive places that hold programs of events.>>

<<<which part of populations make up audiences isn’t this just the illusion of choice and inclusion?>>>

<<<could Tate programme the clown army?>>>

<<<why do we need museums?>>>

--------------------------b-r e a k--------------------- sounds from modern day Chenoble- coffee lots of-

Tim Kindberg (Hewlett Packard, Bristol)

<<abstractions (computer programmers) v detail of artists>>

<<internet of things- real WWW where phones are mouses and buildings are graphics to access hyperlinks>>

<<relationship art and technology is shortlived + opportunistic eg. Bluefish project >>

<<it is an ironic medium>>

<<Simon Poulter- carbon footprint replaced by a wireless footprint so ecologically significant>>

<<marketers and artists' dream to beam messages direct to handheld receiver>>

<<<is all art live art when it is so linked with our lifestyle? >>>

I
I
I
Bella Dicks (School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University)

<<freedom of location in virtual reality world>>

<<3d wrap around experience - arouses the artist's imagination>>

<<closes distance and masks out the danger of the real world -remove anxieties eg. shopping in a mall with no chance of bag being snatched>>

<<the fantasy of the perfect communication device is shared by artists and business>>

<<the illusion of choice that interaction brings and the means of control of which the viewer sees
things, rather than in the flesh experience where your nervous system edits the experience>>

<<<is virtual reality a form of tourism via a set of body experiences >>>

<<danger of creating a monster>>

<<peer to peer transaction no firewall>>

<<interaction for interaction's sake>>

<<we can always switch off>>

<<<will there be controls in the future?>>>

<<artist and business have an investment to make in globalisation>>

Collection of Questions

<<<"so what does John want us to do?" (question via text message from the audience)>>>
<<<which part of populations make up audiences isn’t this just the illusion of choice and inclusion?>>>
<<<could Tate programme the clown army?>>>
<<<why do we need museums?>>>
<<<is all art live art when it is so linked with our lifestyle? >>>
<<<is virtual reality a form of tourism via a set of body experiences >>>

Afterthought

The debate could have carried on all night but the live art event (Worlds Collide) moved us from the auditorium to the restaurant- a different kind of fish tank. People from the outside, on a very quiet bank holiday South bank, could peer in and see the event unfold. By then our heads had collided with the ambitious nature of this event. Whilst today we might say ‘Mayday what Mayday!?’ these issues of lifestyle and globalisation won’t go away even if they don’t appear as fashionable as they once were around the time of the release of ‘No Logo’ by Naomi Klein. Technology is a rich ground for artistic endeavour – whether open source or protected source. However it is not just the politically extreme that raise doubts about working with the latter.

Summary Index

<<Statements>>

<<what remains of community will disappear>>

<<open source programming not just in the hands of technologists- artists are very technically literate>>
<<art can change society- physical space becomes media space>>

<<mobile phone technology is used to organise such events>>
<<global warming from consumer binge lifestyle is collective suicide we have "0.7degrees to play with">>
<<John Jordan started his work from a small artist-led initiative.>>
<< he made the point that artists have a valuable place in globalisation as artists can afford to care, unlike businesses.>>
<< he also noted that it is not statistics that are the most useful tools for change -personal stories and testaments are...>>
<<personalising the impact of globalisation makes it seem more real and therefore more motivating>>
<<stories change the world "we are everywhere" with our civil disobedience>>
<<success of business damaged our capacity to feel the world>>
<<artist role is to humanise; to be meaningful>>

<<Tate Modern programmes ideas>>
<<Tate Online is the 5th gallery>>
<<the web has made Tate more of a global entity>>
<<all museums provide the visitor with an educational experience>>
<<no corporation can be ethical>>
<<not allowed to gaze at things anymore- have to interact>>
<<new access to technology had changed galleries and museums form mealy collections to interactive places that hold programs of events>>

<<abstractions (computer programmers) v detail of artists>>
<<internet of things- real WWW eg. cows tags, GPS, barcodes, phones are mouses buildings are grahics to access hyperlinks>>
<<eg. Bluefish project - 7% Bath scannable, 80% / 90% on Bluetooth changed their name addressing the watche>>
<<relationship art and technology is shortlived + opportunistic>>
<<ironic medium>>
<<Simon Poulter- carbon footprint replaced by a wireless footprint so ecologically significant>>
<<marketeers and artists' dream to beam messages direct to handheld receiver>>

<<freedom of location in virtual reality world>>
<<3d wrap around experience - arouses the artist's imagination>>
<<closes distance and masks out the danger of the real world -remove anxieties eg. shopping in a mall with no chance of bag being snatched>>
<<the fantasy of the perfect communication device is shared by artists and business>>
<<the illusion of choice that interaction brings and the means of control of which the viewer sees
things, rather than in the flesh experience where your nervous system edits the experience>>
<<danger of creating a monster>>
<<peer to peer transaction no firewall>>
<<interaction for interaction's sake>>
<<artist and business have an investment to make in globalisation>>

<<<Questions>>>

<<<"so what does John want us to do?">>>
<<<which part of populations make up audiences and just who can gain access the illusion of choice and inclusion>>>
<<<could Tate programme the clown army?>>>
<<<why do we need museums?>>>
<<<is all art live art?>>>
<<<form of tourism-> body experiences is this the emanicipation of communication?>>>
<<<will there be controls in the future?>>>

W-o-r-d-s
tower of babel
brick
lobby
squeaky stairs
turbine
slide
nordic receptionist
badge
picnic with john and a clown driver connection
red cinema
mayday mayday
bed arts/business get in and they all rolled over