August 2007

In this video, Middle East historian and blogger Juan Cole discusses parallels between Napoleon's failed invasion of Egypt in the late 1700s and the US's current Iraq misadventure. Somehow the New America Foundation got around the YouTube 10 minute limit--it's 71 minutes but worth a watch. Cole says after Napoleon lost 12 ships to the British his troops were stranded and the invasion fell apart. Nevertheless the general returned to Paris, claimed he had won and became Emperor based on this perceived victory. This bears keeping in mind this fall as the Pentagon uses your tax money to create a 24/7 public relations "war room" to sell you on the idea that we are "succeeding" in Iraq. Treat all happy talk in the media in the coming month as completely tainted and try to get your news from blogs and the non-US press.

Photos "live" from the Great Internet Sleepover, organized by Bennett Williamson, at Eyebeam art & technology center last night. Paddy Johnson can be seen in the top photo posting the following words: "A discussion panel moderated by Marisa Olson, and including Michael Bell-Smith and Tom Moody was mediated by a noisy crowd who didn’t give a shit. Needless to say, nobody managed to come to any conclusions about whether this is a scene (a word I suspect was being used in lieu of movement, a term so unfashionable no contemporary artist wants their name attached to it.)" It wasn't as bad as all that--although rude NYC crowds never cease to amaze. Owing to the Ringling Bros. nature of the event, it was difficult to quiet the noise makers in Ring No. 2 while a serious intellectual discussion was happening in Ring No. 1. Thanks to Jeff Sisson for his projected surfing during the panel; it helped to have visuals from the various surfing crews onscreen while the panelists were talking.

The evening had a "demo scene" aura, from what I know of those from films and photos. A pleasant chaos of people doing and trying out many things simultaneously. Projected video, music, and various connectivity and cam experiments kept the room buzzing from 8 pm till the wee hours when people started crashing on couches or drifting home. Excellent music and DJing throughout; these photos so far artfully haven't revealed the jamming going on.

Immediately above, from CAB on the Supercentral RSS feed: "jamie and I trying (and failing) to represent at the internet sleepover."

Update: Am adding to this post over the course of a groggy Saturday. Artist and artMovingProjects gallerist Aron Namenwirth has posted some more photos of the event. Pics of the panel and Sisson manning the "projection booth" begin five images down, after photos of Bit Shifter and others performing at the Tank the same night.

And more photos and commentary at Supercentral.

Also Tintype.

Jon Williams' videos.

Nasty Nets: 38 wipeouts (Marisa Olson) / group shot (John Michael Boling)

Scott Kellum's blog / flickr set

ilxor.com thread

flickr sleepover pool

Bosko Blagojevic's pre-Sleepover commentary

Bennett Williamson's del.icio.us links / flickr set

thegreatinter.net/sleepover (photos, gifs, etc.)

Eyebeam's flickr set

guthrie's NN flickr photos

Attended a "pre-sleepover" party last night (thx Marisa) for the Great Internet Sleepover at Eyebeam. The actual event is tonight. Got to meet folks I only know as internet presences from the various Sleepover-participating crews: Double Happiness, Supercentral, Loshadka, and Nasty Nets.
Several people I met were students of an artist I gave a graduate crit to about seven years ago. Didn't realize he was now a go-to guy in a NYC university art department. The crit was kind of a disaster. He had selected me as a non-faculty advisor, which his school allowed, for his final graduate critique. He was supposed to receive it from all three of his advisors at the same time but the two from the faculty went out of their way to avoid having us all be in the same room together. One rescheduled about 3 times before bailing and the other "caught a cold." I ended up doing the crit with him one-on-one, in the gallery where he had his thesis exhibit. I have no proof of this but it sure seemed like his teachers were putting weird academic turf issues and protecting their own egos from a possible, actual exchange ahead of their student's education, for which he was paying top dollar. Seven years on I can only say--weenies.
Tonight should be fun--doubtful I'll do much blogging but I plan to bring my laptop and will hook it up the Internet. At some point I might attempt an MSPaintbrush demonstration.
Not sure what I'm going to talk about on the panel, hopefully I will not lapse into old veteran reminiscences about the world before YouTube and comment spam.