Mark Amerika has been a prolific and creative force exploring the worlds of net art and writing (both offline and online), while developing a theoretical and creative response to the changing media and potential opportunities that those create.

He loves to call himself a "digital jack-of-all-trades", and it is true that his online networking has always been focused on the collection and the remix of images, texts, codes, sounds, multimedia, in terms of literary, theatrical and pedagogical and psychogeography theories.

The following interview took place via email, while Mark Amerika was in the middle of promoting another project "Remixthebook", somewhat representative of his entire oeuvre. A book, published by University of Minnesota Press, which relies on a website (remixthebook.com) as a hub with the aim to digitally remix some of the theories expressed (by authors such as Janneke Adema, Beiguelman Giselle, Julie Carr, David Gunkel, Gary Hall, Frieder nake, Craig Saper Darren Tofts, Gregory
Ulmer, Chad Mossholder, Michael Theodore, Michelle Ellsworth, Rick Silva, Will Luers, Yoshi Sodeoka, Mark McCoin, Curt Cloninger, Kate Armstrong, Maria Miranda) in the book.

You are warmly invited to join us for a lecture by Sue Thomas, Professor of New Media at De Montfort University. The lecture is part of the university’s Professorial Lecture Series for 2011, showcasing and celebrating the academic activities of the university’s professors.

The lecture on Wednesday 30 November will start at 6pm and takes place in our Hugh Aston Building. Tea and coffee will be served before the lecture and a drinks reception will follow the lecture.

Parking will be available at our visitor car park and directions can be found at http://www.dmu.ac.uk/aboutdmu/campuses/maps/leic_campus.jsp

This lecture will explore the evolution of the landscape of cyberspace from its creation as an unpopulated wilderness through its exploration, colonisation, cultivation, settlement and growth, and offers some predictions for the future of this most exotic place.

Sue Thomas is Professor of New Media at the Institute of Creative Technologies in the Faculty of Art, Design and Humanities. She has written several books including the novel 'Correspondence', short-listed for the 1992 Arthur C Clarke Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, and most recently the 2004 non-fiction cyberspace travelogue 'Hello World: travels in virtuality'. She has written about computers and the internet since the 1980s and is now working on 'Nature and Cyberspace: Stories, Memes and Metaphors', a study of the relationships between cyberspace and the natural world, forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. She co-directs the influential Transliteracy Research Group and the DMU Transdisciplinary Group, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Further information about this lecture and others in the series can be found at www.dmu.ac.uk/events

Places for the lecture must be booked by contacting the Events Office on 0116 257 7452 or via email: eventsoffice@dmu.ac.uk. Alternatively, places can be booked online at www.dmu.ac.uk/events. There are limited places available, so if you are interested, do please book early to avoid disappointment.

http://www.boldtendencies.com

A (quasi) annual themed-special edition on independent New Media Art practises. Collected from responses received by periodically posted open Call for Works.

Edited and curated by Andreas Maria Jacobs.

Published by Nictoglobe Online Magazine

Current issue:

http://nictoglobe.com/new/query2.html?d=home&f=rtm

Reclaim the Mind, 2011
Previous issues:

http://nictoglobe.com/new/ainac2010/index.html

Art is not about Communication, 2010

http://nictoglobe.com/new/query4.html?d=submissions&f=text

Investigating Ruptures in the Art-Political Grid, 2009

http://nictoglobe.com/new/query4.html?d=creative-resistance&f=text

Creative Resistance, New Media as Soft Arms, 2007

http://seventeen.fibreculturejournal.org/

http://fibreculturejournal.org/

many thanks to Mat Wall-Smith, the Journal Manager, who has now enabled pdf and epub downloads of all articles and of the whole issue in file.

--

We are pleased to launch issue 17 of the Fibreculture Journal—Unnatural Ecologies, edited by Michael Goddard and Jussi Parikka

FCJ-114 Towards an Archaeology of Media Ecologies: ‘Media Ecology’, Political Subjectivation and Free Radios
Michael Goddard

FCJ-115 Autocreativity and Organisational Aesthetics in Art Platforms
Olga Goriunova

FCJ-116 Media Ecologies and Imaginary Media: Transversal Expansions, Contractions, and Foldings
Jussi Parikka

FCJ-117 Four Regimes of Entropy: For an Ecology of Genetics and Biomorphic Media Theory
Matteo Pasquinelli

FCJ-118 Faulty Theory
Matthew Fuller

FCJ-119 Subjectivity in the Ecologies of P2P Production
Phoebe Moore

This issue is an exercise in media ecology that is paradoxically unnatural. Instead of assuming a natural connection to the established tradition of Media Ecology in the Toronto-school fashion of Marshall McLuhan, Neil Postman, and the work of scholars involved in the Media Ecology Association (http://www.media-ecology.org/media_ecology/), our issue stems from another direction; its theoretical orientation is more inspired by the work of Felix Guattari and engages with several overlapping ecologies that are aesthetico-political in their nature. It stems from a more politically oriented way of understanding the various scales and layers through which media are articulated together with politics, capitalism and nature, in which processes of media and technology cannot be detached from subjectivation. In this context, media ecology is itself a vibrant sphere of dynamics and turbulences including on its technical level. Technology is not only a passive surface for the inscription of meanings and signification, but a material assemblage that partakes in machinic ecologies. And, instead of assuming that ‘ecologies’ are by their nature natural (even if naturalizing perhaps in terms of their impact on capacities of sensation and thought) we assume them as radically contingent and dynamic, in other words as prone to change.

The concept of media ecology was revived in 2005 by Matthew Fuller’s theoretically novel take on the idea. His Media Ecologies: Materialist Energies in Art and Technoculture set out to map the ‘dynamic interrelation[s] of processes and objects, beings and things, patterns and matter’ (Fuller 2005: 2) in a culture where the relation between materiality and information has been redefined. Steering clear of earlier celebrations of media as informational environments which dismiss any connection with the physical as for example with the cyberculture of the 1980s and 1990s – Fuller is keen to map out how we can develop a material vocabulary for media ecological processes. The roots of such a vocabulary—that bends itself to the intensive connections of pirate radios and voice, the photographic medium and the Internet as well as such informational entities as memes—come from Whitehead, Simondon, Nietzsche as well as Guattari and contemporary writers such as Katherine N. Hayles. What emerges is a different genealogy for theories of media ecology.

What was demonstrated already in Fuller’s take on the concept was a special appreciation of material practices involved in establishing the regimes of media ecologies. Media ecologies are quite often understood by Fuller through artistic/activist practices rather than pre-formed theories, which precisely work through the complex media layers in which on the one hand subjectivation and agency are articulated and, on the other hand, the materiality of informational objects gets distributed, dispersed and takes effect. Media ecological platforms can be seen to range from network environments for philosophy and media activism as in Rekombinant (http://www.rekombinant.org) to art platforms on the net such as Runme.org (http://runme.org/). Related themes can be detected in the various negotiations of nature being remixed, resurfaced, revisualized or sonified through media environments. Examples include Natalie Jeremijenko’s work, the Harwood-Yokokoji-Wright Eco Media collaboration (featured in Parikka -this Issue), biological art projects such as Amy Youngs’s The Digestive Table (2006, http://hypernatural.com/digestive.html), the work of activist/artistic groupings like Critical Art Ensemble, the Yes Men or the Wu Ming foundation and various bioart projects of recent years. In all these cases a dynamic media ecology is generated, incorporating natural, technical and informational components and giving rise to singular processes of subjectivation that are equally an essential part of the media ecology. (more...)

http://seventeen.fibreculturejournal.org/

-----

The Fibreculture Journal is a peer reviewed international journal, first published in 2003 to explore the issues and ideas of concern to both the Fibreculture network.

The Fibreculture Journal now serves wider social formations across the international community of those thinking critically about, and working with, contemporary digital and networked media.

The Fibreculture Journal has an international Editorial Board and Committee.

In 2008, the Fibreculture Journal became a part of the Open Humanities Press , a key initiative in the development of the Open Access journal community.
The journal encourages critical and speculative interventions in the debate and discussions concerning a wide range of topics of interest. These include the social and cultural contexts, philosophy and politics of contemporary media technologies and events, with a special emphasis on the ongoing social, technical and conceptual transitions involved.

Please consider adding your support and signing this open letter to the Arts Council England regarding their future policies of funding the digital arts and culture. The letter begins:

"This letter, jointly drafted by a constituency of organisations, artists and practitioners who have been engaged in digital arts development in England, concerns digital culture and its importance to the wider UK arts ecology and economy. We the undersigned believe that clear national policies need to be developed to ensure that the UK can remain at the forefront of digital culture, globally, and that these must take account of the key role creative practices play in driving digital innovation.

Whilst we appreciate that digital technologies have created exciting opportunities to engage with audiences, and to disseminate and distribute arts programmes in new ways, it is critical that funders and policy-makers understand that this is not the extent of digital culture. If we are to make the most of the digital opportunity, it needs to be recognised at a national policy level that digital culture is about more than extending the reach of existing arts practices. It is about entirely new forms of production, expression, practice and critical reflection that digital technologies have made possible."

To read the whole letter and sign please go to: http://www.coda2coda.net

Please forward this notice to people who may be interested.

http://fcforum.net/sustainable-models-for-creativity

Each year, the FCForum brings together key organisation and active voices in the sphere of free/libre culture. It responds to the need for an international arena to coordinate a global framework for action to defend and expand the sphere in which human creativity and knowledge can prosper freely and sustainably. As civil society, it is our responsibility to oppose practices that plunder this common heritage and to block its future development.

The Declaration and “How-to” guide to new models of sustainability in the digital era that we are releasing explain the issues for every "sectors", list several "models" and defend our conviction that:

Copyright as we currently know it is counterproductive, and the restructuring of existing models is inevitable and imperative; attempts by some entities and corporations to profit through the creation of monopolies, often with the active connivance of government, should be brought to a stop; the sharing and exchange of ideas is of vital importance to culture and we must work towards maximising governmental or institutional initiatives that understand and support these dynamics; it is necessary and important that people be compensated for socially valuable creative work.

This document looks at some of the many existing and possible models . We should be encouraging and promoting experiments based on these ideas.

We invite citizens, policy reformers and institutions to take the content of this practical proposal into account and to use its release as an opportunity to discuss the future together.

We will continue to collect signatures and your contributions. With them we will be developing new versions as new requirements and new solutions appear.

Please, contribute to its dissemination.

http://fcforum.net

http://www.emergence.cc/2011/02/the-future-of-art/

What are the defining aesthetics of art in the networked era? How is mass collaboration changing notions of ownership in art? How does micropatronage change the way artists produce and distribute artwork? The Future of Art begins a conversation on these topics and invites your participation.
This video was shot, edited and screened at the Transmediale festival 2011 in Berlin, Germany.

Conceived and Edited by Gabriel Shalom
Produced by KS12 / Emergence Collective
Executive Producer: Patrizia Kommerell
Assistant Editor: Clare Molloy
Production Assistant: Annika Bauer

Featuring:

Aaron Koblin
Michelle Thorne
Caleb Larsen
Régine Debatty
Heather Kelley
Vincent Moon
Ken Wahl
Reynold Reynolds
Bram Snijders
Mez Breeze
Zeesy Powers
Joachim Stein
Eric Poettschacher

Including Video Material From:

Vincent Moon, Achim Kern, Born Digital, Daniel Franke & Christopher Warnow, Memo Akten, Ian Mackinnon, Taj Dhami, Liisalotte Elme, Zeesy Powers, Reynold Reynolds, Patrizia Kommerell & Gabriel Shalom, Aaron Koblin, Alessandro Ludovico & Paolo Cirio, Iepe, Akiz

Music, Sounds and Performances by:

The Arcade Fire, The Crowd, Daniel Franke & Christopher Warnow, Monolake, Daito Manabe, Zeesy Powers, Arlt, Ei Wada, Gabriel Shalom (8 years old), kom.post by Laurie Bellanca

Special Thanks:

Elyse Harrison, Studio Neptune, Cifarelli Art Consulting, Henrik Moltke, Beckie Darlington, Open Design City, Cara Bell Jones, Ela Kagel

CC 2011 BY-NC-SA
KS12 / Emergence Collective

Join the conversation!
#futureofart http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23futureofart

Phoenix Square Film and Digital Media Centre, Leicester

The talks are free but places are limited. Please register online at http://ampleic230211.eventbrite.com/

Through making things, people engage with the world and create connections with each other. Both online and offline, we see that people want to make their mark on the world, and to make connections. David Gauntlett will discuss the rise of a ‘making-and-doing’ culture, where people are rejecting traditional teaching and television, and making their own learning and entertainment instead. David Gauntlett is Professor of Media and Communications at University of Westminster. He is the author of several books, including Creative Explorations (2007), which was shortlisted for the Times Higher Young Academic Author of the Year Award, and Making is Connecting: The social meaning of creativity, from DIY and knitting to YouTube and Web 2.0 (2011). He produces the popular website about media and identities, www.theory.org.uk

Part of a series of monthly talks and conversations at Phoenix Square organised by Amplified Leicester, De Montfort University. The talks start at 7pm and last for one hour. Visit www.amplifiedleicester.com for full details about Amplified Leicester and how to join the online community

Conference 2011: Dialogues

Saturday 19th March 2011, 9-5pm
Rose Bowl, Leeds Metropolitan University
Tickets: £25 / £15 Concessions (Students/Benefits)
Group discount available (5 or more: £20/£10)

Deadline for bookings 28th February 2011

The conference will consists of two keynote lectures before lunch (provided) and seven workshops/seminars in the afternoon to which delegates can attend one each.

Supported by Arts Council England, Northern Arts and Science Network presents a one day arts and science conference.

This conference will provide an insight into the varied types and modes of discourse and conversations that are currently emerging from combinatory areas of arts/science research and collaboration. The conference will ask the core question: How do collaborations of arts and science manifest themselves?

Keynote Speakers

•Dr Julian Kiverstein, Edinburgh University. Teaching Fellow in the Department of Philosophy at Edinburgh University. Julian talk will revolve around sensory substitution devices. This is an example of the extended mind since it is brain, body and technology working together to help the patients to see. There’s actually some debate about whether the user really does “see” and this raises the interesting question of what does it mean to see.

•Dr David James, Sheffield Hallam University’s Extraordinary Moves Project. David will be presenting the project Extraordinary Moves: Science and Art in the Cultural Olympiad. Led by Sheffield Hallam University to explore the myriad of complex ethical and moral questions that arise from scientific pursuit of human enhancement, the project draws together a consortium of leading artists and scientists to create a new body of work incorporating theatre, performance, film, installation, photography and dance.

Workshop/Seminars

•The Science, Ethics and Art of Sport, led by Dr David James — Artist Jason Minsky and sports scientist David James explore the key ethical issues facing the world of sport in this interactive workshop. Wireless voting consoles will be used to quiz participants and gauge responses to a number of ethical dilemmas. Should disabled and non-disabled athletes be allowed to compete together? Why ban the use of drugs in sport? Should we replace referees and umpires with sensors and computers? What will sport look like in 2112?. Jason Minsky is a visual artist who has spent the past 12 months responding to these questions through a residency at the Centre for Sports Engineering Research, Sheffield Hallam University. David James is a leading sports engineer and commentator on the ethics of sport.

•Common Ground, led by Dr. Sophy Smith — A practical and enjoyable insight to working across the boundaries of art and science. The workshop will take the form of a mixture of practical activities and discussion, asking participants to reflect on their preconceptions and experiences of working with scientists and artists, focusing on essential similarities and differences and identifying where common ground can be found, upon which strong projects can be built. It aims to give participants an increased understanding of the working across art and science, practical skills in cross-discipline working and a space to reflect on past and future practice. Dr Sophy Smith is a principle Lecturer at the Institute of Creative Technologies, De Montfort University.

•Visualising the Invisible, led by Karen Heald — Building upon work developed at the psychiatric NHS unit, this collaborative arts and science workshop seeks to present new perspectives into the effects of anti-depressant medications. This collaborative arts/science practice explores these interests through creative, patient lead, artistic expressions of change alongside conventional, reductionist measures of changing depressive symptoms producing sophisticated fusions of art/science. The workshops will consist of a brief introduction, followed by round table dialogues working with either a scientist or an artist and finally there will be an open forum discussion. Karen Heald is an artist, researcher and academic. She also works as an Artist in Residence in a UK, National Health Service, acute inpatient psychiatric department.

•The Emergence of Consciousness, led by Anna Dumitriu — UK based performance and media artist Anna Dumitriu will create a short improvised performance to investigate what it feels like to be a robot. The workshop will include a discussion, a brainstorming session and performance exercises, which enable the participants to focus on how performance might potentially be considered as a methodology for science. Anna Dumitriu is a visual artist working with installations, interventions and performances that use a range of digital, biological and traditional media. She is Artist in Residence in The Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics (CCNR) at Sussex University.

•Return to the Silence, led by Jack Lowe, Curious Directive — The objectives of the workshop are to question how theatre, as a live form of performance, can explore intricate questions of neuroscience and to open up the question of what can be learnt from the processes of the brain when creating a piece of devised theatre and what can science learn from artistic approaches to practise. Engaging participants in exercises which question the creative processes of the brain in a number of exercises – with particular focus on “movement and rhythm?. Participants then will be led by a theatre director, neurologist or composer whilst approaching the same question. Jack Lowe is currently the Trainee Director and Education leader for Paines Plough theatre company.

•The Observatories, led by Julie Freeman — The workshop session aims to explore how smell can be used in a manipulative way, and how an artistic concept and a science experiment can be combined into a participatory public artwork. It will include: a talk including an explanation of The Observatories; a session where participants will feedback on how smell can be used in art, in retail, in public spaces; and further discussion on issues surrounding placing a so-called scientific experiment in a public place. During the session various smells will be used to permeate the room! Julie Freeman is a graduate of the MA in Digital Arts at the Centre for Electronic Arts, Middlesex University, London and currently resident artist at the Microsystems and Nanotechnology Centre at Cranfield University, member of Market Project and Associate Researcher at Goldsmith’s Digital Studio.

•On The Emergence of Artificial Culture in Robots Societies, led by Dr Jenny Tennant Jackson and members of the Bristol Robotics Team — We should say that real robots would actually lead this workshop! They will be accompanied by (human) members of a team led by that has received EPSRC funding for a research project that will look at how ‘artificial culture’ emerges within a group of robots. The robots will be programmed to do simple tasks, and we will observe whatever outcome emerges. ‘Emergence’ is a specific characteristic of complexity science, or complex adaptive systems. It is recognisable as (evolutionary) change occurring within a group of entities or agents: in the way a “whole” acts beyond the sum of its parts; in the emergent moment of change. Observers in the workshop are essential as various subjective opinions of what it is we are observing is integral to the ‘science’. The team comprises: Professor Alan Winfield (Engineer and Roboticist, University of the West of England); Dr James Bown (Complex Systems Analyst, University of Abertay Dundee); Dr Robin Durie (Philosopher, University of Exeter); Professor Francis Griffiths (Social Scientist, University of Warwick); Professor Alistair Sutcliffe (Computer Scientist, University of Manchester); Dr Jenny Tennant Jackson (Art Historian and Cultural Theorist, Leeds Metropolitan University). PhD students: Sajida Bhamjee, Mehmet Erbas and Andy Guest. Post Doctoral researcher: Di Wang.

Conference will be chaired by Dr Jenny Tennant Jackson