Net Aesthetics 2.0 Panel Invite

found optidisc

Tomorrow, Friday, June 6, at 7 pm at the New Museum, please join me for:

Net Aesthetics 2.0*

The upcoming program in Rhizome's New Silent Series at the New Museum, Net Aesthetics 2.0, will examine the state of contemporary art engaged with internet art. Convening leading artists, critics and curators, this panel will explore salient topics such as the relationship of artists emerging now to the first generation of internet art, the correspondence between online art and offline exhibition (as well as the phenomenon of "internet aware" art), the current role of the artist on the internet, the position of explicit political content in internet art (and the question of whether internet art practice is undergoing a more "formalist" phase), among other directions and challenges faced by this expansive field.

This talk will be the second in a series of Net Aesthetics 2.0 events. Panelists include artists Petra Cortright, Jennifer and Kevin Mccoy, Tom Moody, Tim Whidden and Damon Zucconi and will be moderated by curator, critic and Rhizome staff writer Ed Halter. Tickets available here.

Friday June 6th, 7:30pm
the New Museum, New York, NY
$8 general public, $6 Members (Rhizome and New Museum)
Presented in conjunction with Internet Week

http://www.newmuseum.org/events/190

The GIF above is a found animation that looks sort of like things I've made.

*Update, 2011: The Rhizome link has been changed to http://rhizome.org/editorial/2008/jun/2/net-aesthetics-20/

Net Aesthetics Trial Balloons

Afterthought to afterthought re: Marcin Ramocki's surf club analysis:

Some 20th Century writers complained that reality (in a hypercharged mediated environment) was outstripping their ability to spin fiction.

Artists, too, have to compete with real world content far more captivating than anything they could come up with, which the Internet effectively gathers all in one place (sneezing Pandas, etc). Two possible responses are (1) to continually rise above it through aesthetic and conceptual framing and posturing or (2) to disappear into it and trust the viewer to ultimately sort out what's going on. The Web is a consumer's medium, not a producer's, so the artist is inexorably led to consumption as a "practice." The degree of criticality can only be inferred, not implied.

Related, twitter-like statement:

"Vvork proves the futility of originality; it is the artistic equivalent of waterboarding"

Some discussion of the above and another Vvork quip at Paddy's.

Marcin Ramocki on Surf Clubs

Made some comments over at Paddy's regarding Marcin Ramocki's notes on internet surf "clubs." (Scare quotes used lest some think they are actually clubs, with dues, special beanies, secret handshakes, etc.)

Ramocki's notes were for a recent talk he gave on the topic, and can be read here: [4.5 MB .pdf]