thingist April 2009

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8 participants
5 discussions

Re: [thingist] mission
by ursula endlicher 23 Apr '09

23 Apr '09

Hi everybody, These are all fantastic news and plans! Glad that THE THING restarted thingist, and specially happy -- and curious -- to hear more about the development of the new project space! And I am glad to hear that others like listservs too, I certainly prefer them to using facebook and et.al... Somehow more handy ;-)...and focused... Bestest, Ursula -- .......................... ursula endlicher www.ursenal.net ...........................

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mission
by arfus greenwood 08 Apr '09

08 Apr '09

a slow start wins the race...right? or other ideas that justify the machination to crank! we love hearing from jerome and ricardo (love it, so good to know) and look forward to more news from anyone/everyone, but it need not be an edict. right? where ever one feels comfortable on the radar. (insert yourself into radar diagram, here, as you would draw it, or maybe its represented by numbers, a calculation?) meanwhile, toward "new thing," we recently had a cocktail meeting developing the new board. It was so phenomenally odd and therefore quite brilliant. but at one point the mission statement was put on the table. now i will take responsibility for this (although wolf and i put pen to paper and artist christoph draeger-our super new energy and partner, who is actually the sunlight to the seed-okay, he is going to hate the way I poeticized that, also helped to shape this) statement that I have already been using for grants.but.at the "approximation of a board meeting" a certain bon vivant's girlfriend suggested that our interest in social activism was trendy. now this is fair when I hear it from one of you. but while enjoying heidrun's incredible pasta sauce (heidrun, a brilliant filmmaker/artist, who is also in the core group to open the new space) I had to pause a serious pause...really. so here it is. let's fine tune our "storefront" motive and then casually move on to more interesting fodder. editable mission: THE THING is a (501c3) non-profit organization committed to the development of new media culture, fine arts and social activism. During its first ten years, it became widely recognized as one of the founding and leading online centers for new media culture, hosting artists' projects in its multimedia lab, discussion forums with notable events and symposia, as well as publishing cultural criticism. THE THING's new project space expands its mission towards the production and presentation of new work in a real physical environment, redefining the relationship of new media culture, fine arts and social activism and continuing to distinguish itself as an essential platform for outsider expression. Through its diverse programs, testing new curatorial methods of presentation including actions and initiatives, THE THING continues to stimulate contemporary discourse specifically between art, media and socio-political culture. we, as in you as the new team, welcome even the most finite of particular ideas. best from the most perfect spring day in Williamsburg, arfus postscript: i know my tone is odd but it is really the way i speak, except that you can not see the ridculous comedic gestures that i make throughout. tak.

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"House Magic: Bureau of Foreign Correspondence" at ABC No Rio 4/17-5/10
by Alan Moore 06 Apr '09

06 Apr '09

hi Folks, this is coming up -- if you know this scene and are here in NYC, please come on by and chat with us about it! best, -am 1. PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE _House Magic: Bureau of Foreign Correspondence_ process exhibition at ABC No Rio April 17 to May 10, 2009 evening events Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings The social center movement in Europe will be the focus of a project exhibition at the Lower East Side cultural center ABC No Rio during later April and early May. Images and information, videos and discussion will engage the realities of this vital urban movement. An outgrowth of political squatting, the social center in occupied vacant buildings was a key feature of the Italian Autonomist movement of the 1970s and '80s. Squats on the Lower East Side of New York City in the 1990s borrowed elements of the English and German social center models, including cafes, infoshops (library/bookstores), performance spaces and art galleries. These models also influenced the _infoshops_ of the anarchist movement throughout the U.S.A.. Across Europe, the often short-lived social centers became important organizing foci of the global justice movement during the first decade of the new century. The "House Magic" exhibition will be an open structure, a channel for a continuous flow of information from the social centers themselves. Bulletins will be posted, banners will be painted, soup will be served. Video documentaries will be screened, and guests will discuss their experiences with social centers. The social centers arose out of direct action squatting. In the new century, however, these actions have been less about housing, and more intended to create social, cultural and political space for action in the city. In many cases, social center squatting is a response to gentrifying development in the city, an instance of "bottom up planning and architecture." The social centers are usually well integrated into the neighborhoods in which they are set up, and provide free space for cultural activities to take place. Many social centers work closely with immigrant groups, organizing, supporting and demonstrating to protect their rights. >From April 17 to May 10, we will be working the theme at ABC No Rio, processing and presenting information about the social center movement. A key node in global justice organizing, squatted social centers have sprung up in cities throughout Europe. They represent a new wave of activism, often highly theorized, with participation by both radical intellectuals and grassroots activists.Increasingly architects, urban planners and artists are joining political activists in this movement. "House Magic" is the first step in an ongoing project which invites public participation as we share the stories and synthesize the lessons of the vivid life and often spectacular deaths of these temporary autonomous zones. Among the centers and agencies past and present considered in the show are Bowl Court, Ramparts, CoolTan, ASS and 56a in London, El Patio Maravillas, Seco, Laboratorio, and Caracole (Madrid), La Casa Invisible (Malaga), Krax City Mine(d), (Barcelona), ESC (Rome), Rote Floria (Hamburg), ROG (Ljubljana), and many others. references: "Social Center" on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_center blog of the show, called "Occupations and Properties" http://occuprop.blogspot.com Films about squatted social centers and related questions will be screened on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, accompanied by discussions around a bowl of soup and bread _ an evocation of the VoKu (Volks Kuchen, or people_s kitchen) of German and Dutch squats. A $5 freewill donation is requested to cover the cost of the films. schedule of events FINAL April 6, 2009 APRIL FIRST WEEK Tuesday 21 Germany -- German films to be announced Guest: Michel Chevalier, Hamburg Wednesday 22 United Kingdom -- “Take Over,” directed by Jordie Montevecchi The film follows a group of Brighton, UK, squatters who take over an old church. Thursday 23 Netherlands, Amsterdam – “The City Was Ours,” by Joost Seelen (time?; 1996; Dutch with English subtitles) Amsterdam squatting movement, 1970s to 1980s; short subjects SECOND WEEK Tuesday 28 Spain, Barcelona -- Octavi Royo, "Okupa, Crónica de una Lucha Social" [Spanish & Catalan with English subtitles] Reflexión sobre el fenómeno de la okupación que empieza con el desalojo del Cine Princesa en Barcelona (1996) y termina en la actualidad; Dara Greenwald "Tactical Tourist" [English]; selected bangin' shorts from "Resistir es Crear: 10 años junto al Centro Social - Casa de Iniciativas de Málaga" Guests: Dara Greenwald, Brooklyn, others Wednesday 29 Spain, Madrid -- "Laboratorio 3, Ocupando el Vacio" (66 min.; 2007; Spanish with English subtitles); music videos from Casa Iniciativas, Malaga Thursday 30 Italy – program to be announced MAY THIRD WEEK Tuesday 5 The Art Squat – “Dada Changed My Life,” directed by Lou Lou and Daniel Martinez (2004; time?) about the Zurich art squatting action that saved the Cabaret Voltaire Guest: Olga Mazurkiewicz (invited) Wednesday 6 Open Date Thursday 7 Denmark, Copenhagen -- “Christiania You Have My Heart,” directed by Nils Vest (62 min.; 1991; Danish with English subtitles) talk with Rebecca Zorach on her visit to the Copenhagen free town A rotating selection of videos about squatted social centers will be playing in the gallery, as well as the following artists’ documentaries: Oliver Ressler -- “5 Factories - Worker Control in Venezuela,” 81 min., Span./Ger./Engl., 2004 {with Dario Azzellini}, and “Disobbedienti,” 54 min., Ital./Ger./Engl., 2002 {with Dario Azzellini}; and “What Would It Mean To Win?” 40 min. / 2008 / PAL / Engl./Ger./French (with Zanny Begg), Marcelo Expósito, "Primero de Mayo (La Ciudad-fábrica) [First of May (The City Factory)]" (61 minutes, 2004) Span./Engl. 2. basic CALL FOR MATERIALS For _House Magic: Bureau of Foreign Correspondence,_ a process exhibition on squatted social centers at ABC No Rio in New York City April 17th until May 10th, 2009, we welcome self-representations of social centers worldwide, past and present. _House Magic_ is an attempt to show this vital and inspiring movement to an audience in the U.S. We welcome pictures, texts, videos (any format), zines, posters, stencil designs, and other media that express the special experiences of collective work to open, build and sustain these centers. We would love to receive objects -- but electronic files are okay. We will print them out and display them, and execute your stencil designs. In addition to pictures, posters and texts, the month of _House Magic_ will see continuous conversations at ABC No Rio about social centers, their work and possibilities for the future. If you are in town during that time, please let us know and come by to visit and share your experiences. (Travel venue presentation late April in Chicago for Version Fest 09; second iteration at Sculpture Center, July 2009.) Send files to: housemagicabcnorio(a)gmail.com with a cc to: awm13579(a)gmail.com -- and packages to _House Magic_ ABC No Rio 156 Rivington Street New York, NY, 10002=2441 USA an organizer is blogging the show set-up at: http://occuprop.blogspot.com Alan W. Moore 123 Scribner Ave SI NY 10301 cel : 917 574 8392 working this project: http://occuprop.blogspot.com MWF video archive: http://www.brickhaus.com/amoore

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list etiquette
by Wolfgang Staehle 05 Apr '09

05 Apr '09

many of the list members have been on this list (and/or other lists) before and know most of this stuff, but there are also some for whom this is new. just as a reminder, here are some points to consider before you start posting. disclaimer: i didn't write this, it's just a quick copy and paste job from various sources with some minor modifications. 1. Remember you are interacting with people. Because you only see letters stringing across a screen, it is easy to forget or ignore that a person sits on the other side of the network. This can tempt people to excess verbal boldness or emotional explosions, leaving readers angry and hurt. Over the Internet, you should consider yourself as having a face-to-face conversation with someone in a crowded room. Cursing and raw abuse are not appropriate. Keep debate civil, and keep it a debate, not a slanderous brawl. Always remember behind every e-mail address is another person. 2. Differentiate between public and private messages. a. The mailing list is public space. Personal messages, such as criticism of a person's writing style or new scarf should be sent to that person only. To broadcast such messages on the mailing list can embarrass and anger. Messages for everyone on the list go to thingist(a)mailman.thing.net. Questions about how the list works (e.g., "How do I use Digest mode?" and "How do I find out who else is subscribed to this list?") can generally be answered by logging into your Members' Option section. General questions regarding the thingist lists should be directed to support(a)thing.net. b. From time-to-time, you may find that a posting is particularly well written or offers a perspective that others you know who are not subscribed to the list might enjoy. Many who post to the list expect that their message will distributed to list subscribers only. If you would like to share a list posting with someone not subscribed to the list, it is common courtesy and best practice to first contact the author privately to ask permission to distribute the message beyond the list subscribers. 3. Make subject lines descriptive. People should have a flavor of the message from glancing at the subject line. "Hello," is not as good as, "my gripe with the altermodern manifesto." 4. Edit the original message in your replies. When replying to a message, re-send a few summarizing lines of the original message so the reader will know immediately what matter you are addressing. The user who receives dozens of messages a day can easily forget what he wrote a couple days before. However, do not re-send the entire original message, especially if long, as it might be unwanted by the receiver, and an unnecessary burden for servers. 5. Sign your postings. It is good practice to include a few lines at the end of your message indicating your name and e-mail address as some mail programs do not automatically display such information. And it is best to keep such electronic signatures reasonably short. 6. Write clearly and logically. Simplicity of expression usually is best. Sudden poetic bursts intended to "impress" usually do not impress, and may bother the reader. 7. Be prudent with speculation. On the Internet, rumor can grow extravagant and spread like fire. Remarks beginning with, "I have a feeling that . . ." or, "I think that . . ." are usually suspect. 8. Be cautious with humor and sarcasm. Typed language is naturally colder than spoken language, because it is stripped of voice inflections and body language. Quite easily, humor can be taken as insult, especially if subtle. Some users prefer to use symbols that hint at tone, such as the smiley face. 9. NEVER send attachments to lists (they will often appear as pages of code and may introduce viruses). Instead, place the attachment on a web page and give subscribers the URL. 10. NEVER send messages in HTML or "enriched text." Some subscribers may receive your message interspersed with HTML tags so that it is difficult to read. Check your mail-system's settings to be sure you are NOT sending mail to discussion lists only in HTML. 11. Give URL's as "<http://www......>" (note the angle brackets) so that they will survive line breaks and are hot-linked [note that <www.....> is NOT hot-linked]. Double check all URLs in your message to be sure they work and do not have a misspelling or typographical error. 12. Carefully proofread posts prior to posting - check spelling (especially NAMES) and grammar. 13. E-mail lists are as good, and only as good, as the subscribers make them. Lists work best when intelligent people bring fresh knowledge and ideas to the table. New ideas can stimulate discussion. Trivial or inane comments often kill discussion. Write meaty, thoughtful things and everyone will benefit from the list. --- of course rules can be broken, but it's better to know them before you break them. later, wolfgang

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Re: [thingist] mission
by James Moening 03 Apr '09

03 Apr '09

Names, cities, ages and areas of expertise of the "new board" please. I want to make mention of the listserv's revival -- and Thing in general -- on the newspaper-sanctioned blogspace I maintain at blog.lehighvalleylive.com/mixed-bag.

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thingist April 2009