First I heard about this book was just the other day in another similar PR
release. I therefore assume that as I know nothing about the book this means
nobody has approached me about being in it which suggests that I am not in
it. I would hardly consider myself an underground or unknown new media
artist in the UK, so my next assumption is that the publication must
represent a very specific and incomplete snap-shot of an aspect of practice,
probably circumscribed by just the factors that Susan is identifying. I am
not going to lose sleep over it (although, to be truthful, I probably lost 2
minutes worth of valuable sleep writing this - I needn't of bothered).
Best
Simon
> Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 18:04:06 +0000
> From: Susan Collins <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: British New Media Art Gate keeping...
>
> Marc,
>
> As far as I know a lot of people - including people who are being *included*
> in the book - are quite concerned that it is/will be seen in context, and
> not as an inclusive/definitive history of all new media art in Britain...
>
> From what I understand the impetus for the book was to provide a historical
> context for work which was funded by the New Media Projects fund of the Arts
> Council - which ran for a number of years and mostly funded 'distributable'
> media (including net Cd etc).
> Many artists (including myself) received arts council funding during these
> years for major new media projects from other areas of the arts council -
> ie. National Touring, Visual Arts Exhibitions, Artists film and Video etc,
> and not from this one. As far as I know these - other - projects are not
> being covered in this book. Although some of these 'other' artists have been
> brought in in other ways for quotes, comment, or discussion (as I have)....
>
> I have yet to see the book, so I reserve judgement, and in general I think
> its a good thing that much of this work is beginning - finally - to be
> written about, contextualised and documented in some way. However I, like
> you, will be concerned (and annoyed :-)) if it does appear - as the title
> seems to suggest - as if it is a definitive history of the development of
> 'Practice and Content in the UK 1994-2004' rather than what I understand it
> to be, which is a celebration of the (noteworthy) achievements of this one
> particular project fund.
>
> (please someone - lucy k, helen c?? Correct me if I am wrong!)
>
> - Susan
Simon Biggs
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http://www.littlepig.org.uk/
Research Professor
Art and Design Research Centre
Sheffield Hallam University, UK
http://www.shu.ac.uk/schools/cs/cri/adrc/research2/
Senior Research Fellow
Computer Laboratory
University of Cambridge
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