Hi everyone,
My name's Michelle Kasprzak, I'm a new media artist and sometimes curator.
Recently I co-curated the Pixel Plunder© on-line exhibition with Michael
Alstad. (http://www.year01.com/plunder)
We held a modest opening event that featured a performance by John Oswald,
creator of "plunderphonic" music. There was one iMac in the space on a
dial-up connection where people could view the site if they liked. Copies
of the essay written by Matt Fuller were available for people to pick up.
Of course, beer was available, and this was a party atmosphere for us to
just celebrate.
The feedback on the online exhibition has been mostly positive, but it was
the launch event itself that stuck in someone's craw. I chanced upon their
comments on an online message board. I thought I would post the exchange,
just as a funny anecdote about curating net.art, throwing a party to
celebrate it, and all the trials and tribulations that brings.
Best Regards,
-Michelle Kasprzak
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Plunder Blunder
on
Topic: Cool Sites, Recycled
bryce johnson writes:
So the popped crew is at the openning of our cohort's art show about
her site Haikoo. The show is called pixel plunder. I swear that some of
these art openings arean excuse for people in their 20's to act like
teenagers and have some crappy party in a loft and feel cool drinking
imported biere. For a show about internet art the fact that there was only
one computer is kinda lame.(It is dark and hard to type) By the way I'm the
guy that screwed up your netsvcape settings. Netscape 4 is for chumps.
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Re: Plunder Blunder(Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Oct 05, 2001 - 10:04 PM
Dear Bryce,
I'm sorry you didn't have a good time. I've met you and you seem like
a nice fellow, so I'm surprised you'd be so sharp about a harmless art
opening, especially one that one of your "cohorts" is participating in.
There's just a couple of things I'd like to set straight...
-I didn't take a census, but the majority of the people I saw in the
room were in their 30s or 40s, not 20s.
-Steam Whistle is not imported. There was no other biere for sale.
-This wasn't a show of internet art, it was just a launch for the
online exhibition. I agree with you completely, typing in the dark (did you
notice the speed as well? You were zipping along on a dial-up connection),
with only one computer, is not an exhibition. Netscape 4 *is* for chumps and
I'm sorry you had to resort to changing the settings. Lots of new media
curators and artists are already very aware that showing net art in a
gallery setting doesn't work. (at the opening of "Bitstreams" at the
Whitney, a 13 year old kid in the net art section of the exhibit was heard
saying to his Mom: "Why do we have to look at it here when we can look at it
at home?") So, rather than making a launch feel like it's a full-fledged
exhibition, the presence was there if people wanted to get a taste, but the
intent was for them to go look at it at home, with their favourite browser,
with their favourite settings, and in their underwear, having a smoke, if
that's how they like to cruise the net.
Hope that clears up any misconceptions. I hope you did check out the
online exhibition, on your own time, and I'd be interested to hear your
opinion of the show itself.
Best,
Michelle Kasprzak
Curator
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Re: Plunder Blunder(Score: 1)
by brycej on Oct 13, 2001 - 10:02 PM
(User info | Send a message) http://www.popped.com
Thank you for calling me on my shit.
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