fyi<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Simon Biggs</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:s.biggs@eca.ac.uk">s.biggs@eca.ac.uk</a>></span><br>Date: Mon, Jul 4, 2011 at 10:07 PM<br>
Subject: Re: Welcome to the "empyre" mailing list (Digest mode)<br><br>
<br>
Here are the intro texts:<br>
<br>
July on empyre soft-skinned space<br>
<a href="http://www.subtle.net/empyre" target="_blank">http://www.subtle.net/empyre</a><br>
<br>
Reclaiming creativity as agent of change<br>
<br>
Moderated by Simon Biggs (UK/Australia) with co-moderator and discussant<br>
Magnus Lawrie (UK) and invited discussants�Shu Lea Cheang<br>
(Taiwan/USA/France), Paolo Cirio �(Italy),�Jussi Parikka (Finland/UK), Saul<br>
Albert (UK), Julian Oliver (NZ), Michel Bauwens (Belgium) and Simon Yuill<br>
(UK).<br>
<br>
Dear empyre subscribers,<br>
<br>
Established during the so-called "age of discovery", cities such as London<br>
were not only loci of empire but trading hubs. At that time European nations<br>
exercised power at sea. However, there were other players on the high-seas -<br>
the pirates, portrayed as scavengers and thieves but also as social<br>
innovators and redistributive "Robin Hoods".<br>
<br>
In the context of a rapidly growing global communications network, in which<br>
our IP is traded and which governments and corporations seek to control,<br>
what might be the role of the pirate? The media regularly report examples of<br>
minor IP theft; individuals downloading or sharing content. More recently<br>
the activities of Anonymous and Lulz have gained attention. This raises the<br>
question of piracy as political imperative, social compact and tactic of<br>
economic subversion.<br>
<br>
The UK government's recent Hargreaves Report "Digital Opportunity: A Review<br>
of Intellectual Property and Growth" considered whether "...laws designed<br>
more than three centuries ago with the express purpose of creating economic<br>
incentives for innovation by protecting creators' rights are today<br>
obstructing innovation and economic growth?" (Hargreaves 2011) The report's<br>
short answer was "yes". Its longer answer offers some positive suggestions;<br>
for example, encouraging distribution and open access to orphan works.<br>
However, more disturbing conclusions, driven by vested interests and<br>
political considerations, threaten open access to intellectual property.<br>
<br>
The most worrying recommendation is the creation of an IP commodity market;<br>
bringing together rights' holders and other business interests to create<br>
"the world's first Digital Copyright Exchange", making "...market<br>
transactions faster, more automated and cheaper". This recommendation is<br>
made, by Hargreaves' own admission, after receiving "evidence" from some of<br>
the largest IP holders on the planet, including Pearson, News Corporation,<br>
Reed Elsevier and the European Publisher's Council. Hargreaves proposes a<br>
market "...providing the services global players use to license their<br>
content for world content markets". This would benefit large-scale IP<br>
holders and speculators. "Supported by other moves to achieve easier cross<br>
border licensing in the EU, bulk licensing of large digital collections and<br>
a common code of practice for copyright collecting societies, the UK can<br>
aspire to be the leading service support centre for IP matters in the<br>
European time zone." If implemented this would herald the full marketisation<br>
of creativity and confirm it as a speculative commodity.<br>
<br>
This month's discussion on empyre considers the motivations and potential<br>
value of the pirate ethos as an alternate model of creative and economic<br>
activity, especially in relation to intellectual property - perhaps the most<br>
subjective and transformative of all forms of property. We propose that<br>
piracy, including its modalities of vagrancy and vandalism, offers a<br>
contrasting model that may allow us to reclaim creativity and innovation<br>
from the chilling instrumental visions of governments and corporations. In<br>
what often appears a black and white world pirates come in shades.<br>
<br>
Hargreaves, I (2011) <a href="http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ipreview.htm" target="_blank">http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ipreview.htm</a> - accessed 24 June<br>
2011<br>
<br>
This months guests on empyre, in the order of the weeks they will be sharing<br>
their "intellectual property", are:<br>
<br>
Shu Lea Cheang works with net-based installation, social interface,<br>
networked performance and film/digital production. Her work traverses hard<br>
and soft, sex and polities, fiction and reality, fantasia and earth-bound.<br>
Cheang co-initiated Kingdom of Piracy (since 2002), an online, open work<br>
space which explores piracy as the net's ultimate art form. For KOP, she<br>
created BURN (2003), commissioned by FACT, Liverpool and shown as part of<br>
Zone of Urgency at Venice Biennale 2003. �Currently she is working on UKI,<br>
(2009-2012), a viral performance/game project which merges corporal virus,<br>
viral codes and bio-hack in a scenario of code-sexing frenzy.<br>
<a href="http://kop.kein.org" target="_blank">http://kop.kein.org</a> , <a href="http://kop.kein.org/burn" target="_blank">http://kop.kein.org/burn</a> , <a href="http://www.u-k-i.co" target="_blank">http://www.u-k-i.co</a><br>
<br>
Paolo Cirio works as media artist in various fields: net-art, street-art,<br>
video-art, software-art and and experimental fiction. He has won prestigious<br>
art awards and his controversial works have been sustained by research<br>
grants, collaborations and residencies. He has exhibited in museums and art<br>
institutions worldwide. As public speaker he delivers lectures and workshops<br>
on media tactics. His works include Google will Eat Itself, Amazon Noir and<br>
Face to Facebook.<br>
<a href="http://www.paolocirio.net" target="_blank">www.paolocirio.net</a><br>
<br>
Jussi Parikka is Reader in Media & Design at Winchester School of Art<br>
(University of Southampton). His books include Digital Contagions: A Media<br>
Archaeology of Computer Viruses (2007); The Spam Book: On Porn, Viruses<br>
and Other Anomalous Objects from the Dark Side of Digital Culture (2009);<br>
Insect Media: Archaeology of Animals and Technology (2010) and Media<br>
Archaeology: Approaches, Applications, Implications (2011). Homepage and<br>
blog: <a href="http://jussiparikka.net" target="_blank">http://jussiparikka.net</a><br>
<br>
Magnus Lawrie is an artist and PhD candidate at Edinburgh College of<br>
Art. He has participated in hackspaces and wireless networking communities<br>
in Scotland and elsewhere in Europe, including the Chateau Institute of<br>
Technology and the Electron Club in Glasgow. He is the recipient of the<br>
ELMCIP studentship award, researching creative digital writing practices.<br>
<br>
Saul Albert is a PhD researcher at Queen Mary University, London, on the<br>
Media and Arts Technology Programme (<a href="http://qmat.net/saul" target="_blank">http://qmat.net/saul</a>) where he is<br>
working on Conversational Aesthetics. He works with The People Speak<br>
(<a href="http://theps.net" target="_blank">http://theps.net</a>) creating 'tools for the world to take over itself', and<br>
co-organises Dorkbot London (<a href="http://dorkbot.org/dorkbotlondon" target="_blank">http://dorkbot.org/dorkbotlondon</a>), a local<br>
chapter of a global group of 'people doing strange things with electricity'.<br>
<br>
Julian Oliver is a New Zealander based in Berlin. Not just an Artist but a<br>
Critical Engineer, working since 1998. His work has been presented at many<br>
museums, electronic-art events and conferences, including Tate Modern,<br>
Transmediale, Ars Electronica and the Japan Media Arts Festival. His work<br>
has received several awards, including the Golden Nica at this year's Prix<br>
Ars Electronica for a collaborative project with his studio partner Danja<br>
Vasiliev. Julian has given numerous workshops in software art, hacking,<br>
artistic game-development, information visualisation, UNIX/Linux and open<br>
source development practices. He is an advocate of free software, working<br>
exclusively with free and open source software in his own practice.<br>
<a href="http://julianoliver.com" target="_blank">http://julianoliver.com</a><br>
<br>
Michel Bauwens is founder of the P2P Foundation, a global collaborative<br>
interested in understanding and promoting peer production, governance and<br>
property in every domain of human life, as well as open and free (input),<br>
participatory (process) and commons-oriented (output) paradigms. Its aim is<br>
to see how the p2p ethic, open infrastructures, and institutional ecology of<br>
peer production can become the new core social norm. With Frank Theys,<br>
Bauwens co-produced TechnoCalyps, the metaphysics of technology and the end<br>
of Man, a 3-hour TV documentary. The resource base is available via<br>
<a href="http://p2pfoundation.net" target="_blank">http://p2pfoundation.net</a> - <a href="http://blog.p2pfoundation.net" target="_blank">http://blog.p2pfoundation.net</a><br>
<br>
Simon Yuill is an artist, programmer and researcher who has published<br>
with MUTE, Variant and MIT Press. He is currently working on projects<br>
with Constant VZW (Brussels) and The Strickland Distribution (Glasgow).<br>
<a href="http://www.constantvzw.org" target="_blank">http://www.constantvzw.org</a><br>
<a href="http://www.strickdistro.org" target="_blank">http://www.strickdistro.org</a><br>
<br>
<br>
We would like to welcome our two colleagues for the first week's discussion<br>
for July on empyre, Shu Lea Cheang and Paolo Cirio. Each is an artist who<br>
engages themes and employs methods that directly address issues of<br>
authorship, intellectual property, sharing and open access.<br>
<br>
Shu Lea Cheang (Taiwan/USA/France) works with net-based installation, social<br>
interface, networked performance and film/digital production. Her work<br>
traverses hard and soft, sex and polities, fiction and reality, fantasia and<br>
earth-bound. �Cheang co-initiated Kingdom of Piracy (since 2002), an online,<br>
open work space which explores piracy as the net's ultimate art form. For<br>
KOP, she created BURN (2003), commissioned by FACT, Liverpool and shown as<br>
part of Zone of Urgency at Venice Biennale 2003. �Currently she is working<br>
on UKI, (2009-2012), a viral performance/game project which merges corporal<br>
virus, viral codes and bio-hack in a scenario of code-sexing frenzy.<br>
<a href="http://kop.kein.org" target="_blank">http://kop.kein.org</a> , <a href="http://kop.kein.org/burn" target="_blank">http://kop.kein.org/burn</a> , <a href="http://www.u-k-i.co" target="_blank">http://www.u-k-i.co</a><br>
<br>
Paolo Cirio (Italy) works as media artist in various fields: net-art,<br>
street-art, video-art, software-art and and experimental fiction. He has won<br>
prestigious art awards and his controversial works have been sustained by<br>
research grants, collaborations and residencies. He has exhibited in museums<br>
and art institutions worldwide. As public speaker he delivers lectures and<br>
workshops on media tactics.<br>
<br>
The July edition of empyre " Reclaiming creativity as agent of change" is<br>
co-moderated by Simon Biggs (UK/Aus) and Magnus Lawrie (UK).<br>
<div><div></div><div class="h5"><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On 04/07/2011 15:32, "shu lea cheang" <<a href="mailto:shulea@earthlink.net">shulea@earthlink.net</a>> wrote:<br>
<br>
> hi, maybe this also answers michel's question<br>
><br>
> sl<br>
><br>
><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> Posts are archived here:<br>
>><br>
>> <a href="https://lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au/pipermail/empyre/2011-July/thread.html" target="_blank">https://lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au/pipermail/empyre/2011-July/thread.html</a><br>
<br>
<br>
</div></div>Simon Biggs | <a href="mailto:simon@littlepig.org.uk">simon@littlepig.org.uk</a> | <a href="http://www.littlepig.org.uk" target="_blank">www.littlepig.org.uk</a><br>
<br>
<a href="mailto:s.biggs@eca.ac.uk">s.biggs@eca.ac.uk</a> | Edinburgh College of Art<br>
<a href="http://www.eca.ac.uk/circle" target="_blank">www.eca.ac.uk/circle</a> | <a href="http://www.elmcip.net" target="_blank">www.elmcip.net</a> | <a href="http://www.movingtargets.net" target="_blank">www.movingtargets.net</a><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Edinburgh College of Art (eca) is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC009201<br>
<br>
<br>
</div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>P2P Foundation: <a href="http://p2pfoundation.net" target="_blank">http://p2pfoundation.net</a>� - <a href="http://blog.p2pfoundation.net" target="_blank">http://blog.p2pfoundation.net</a> <br>
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