Re: <nettime> Re: Re: net art history

[olia lialina <olialia@teleportacia.org>]

INTRODUCTION

I check my mail, look at my bank balance, I see myself in
the mirror - and I still don't know what you mean by
failures and deaths?


PART I

Net art failed, in some critics and researchers opinion,
because it didn't take over institutions as was expected.
Curators, museums and magazines didn't disappear (sorry).
But don't you see that net art and net artists changed the
landscape of contemporary art? Now, art institutions have to
learn to act as nodes (not as a center). And they do. Those
who are really open become part of complex networking
projects. Those who can't get rid of traditional standards
of beauty and interactivity entertain their audience by
making links to funny web pages.

And Art.Teleportacia --my miserable, small, pale
Art.Teleportacia gallery-- did a great job. It moved
curators of big museums to open their eyes and continue
their work on a new level; with understanding and respect
for works that are not objects, works that are not completed
products.

Institutions correct their positions, collecting policies,
exhibition practices. I would say it's a victory. And a
funny process. It's fun to participate. Fun to observe . And
fun to completely ignore.


PART II

Last September I wrote an article, quite a long one, about
my experiences with the "First Real Net Art Gallery" and the
"Last Real Net Art Museum". About Famous Net Artists, Real
Net Artists, Conferences, Objects and ZOOs. But it's in
Russian <http://www.russ.ru/netcult/20001114_olialia.html>
and German <http://art.teleportacia.org/du.html>. I'd be
happy and grateful if someone would translate it into English.
Title "A Link is Enough"


PART III

"A Link is Enough" was published last November in DU
magazine. On the next page there was another essay on net
art, written by Boris Groys. He writes about his vision.
He's brilliant. His ideas and comparisons are fresh and
unexpected, but after a few paragraphs you see that he has
no understanding of net art and networks. He saw the net art
at ZKM in the autumn of '99 and thought that net art was a
lot of connected computers, blinking screens and
projections. I have a small quotation with me:
<http://art.teleportacia.org/wvn/gr.jpg>. I can imagine
there are a lot of good and influential writers who still
think the same.

It's a pity.

And it's a pity that net art critics who have been working
in the field since the heroic days have reduced their
activity to interviews. Or hurrying and competing to be the
first to announce death and failure. ASCII Paparazzi.

Btw, saying that net art is just beginning isn't very
different from saying it's dead.


PART IV

My students came back from Transmediale in Berlin and said
there was a speaker, Mark America, who was announcing that
net art is dead.

from Mark Amerika's CV:

"Amerika was recently appointed to the Fine Arts faculty at
the University of Colorado in Boulder where he is developing
an innovative curriculum in Digital Art."

I can already see the development, innovation and result.
We'll get a bunch of experts from Colorado writing
necrologues.


PART V 

Discussions about terminology may seem endless and useless.
But I like them and find they create perspective; like a
tool -a magnifying glass- to look at the present and recent
past. Recently, during WRO KULTURA, I planned to make a
tremendous contribution; analysing the development of the
terms web art, net art, net.art - general terminological
issues. But I failed because the previous speakers'
statements made me change the subject of my talk. These
sketches are all that's left:

<http://art.teleportacia.org/wvn/1.jpg> 
<http://art.teleportacia.org/wvn/2.jpg> 
<http://art.teleportacia.org/wvn/3.jpg> 
<http://art.teleportacia.org/wvn/4.jpg> 
<http://art.teleportacia.org/wvn/5.jpg>


forever yours

olia

-- 
Who benefits from the rumour that net art is dead? 
http://art.teleportacia.org/

Your 'W' will be the same 'W' as in original
Will-n-Testament
http://www.totalmuseum.org/webproject8/w/w.html

We try to teleport people 
http://www.teleportacia.org 
But without success 
http://www.teleportacia.org/report.html

Last Real Net Art Museum 
http://myboyfriendcamebackfromth.ewar.ru

Do you keep my photos on your server?
http://art.teleportacia.org/olia.html

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