Dear Emma and List
It is disturbing, but not surprising, to hear of the kind of  
short-sightedness and ill-conceived departure of live & media arts  
from the ICA, especially under the misleading tag line of those arts  
no longer being 'cutting edge'.  We find at the Univ of Greenwich in  
London that our MA-PHD Media Arts Philosophy and Practice Programme  
has increased over the years by 300%, with huge home, EU, and  
international interest.  We have just established a cross-fertilizing  
Media Arts Production BA/BSc with two Schools: The Humanities and  
Social Sciences and School of Computing Mathematical Sciences.  The  
cutting edge work of artists, combined with philosophers, journalists  
and scientists has been and continues to be exciting and provocative  
-- and our situation is not unique.  There are many universities,  
post-academic and creative commons environments that are doing  
precisely this kind of combination -- led by the live arts and  
encompassed in the broad term of 'media arts', where the latter  
('media arts') points not to a 'sub-set' of technologies, but names  
the paradigm shift of our age (eg, after 'liberal arts'), where speed,  
energy, space, time embed themselves differently in the visual and  
sonic arts, or what has been termed elsewhere as the 'altermodern'.

How this substantial and lush environment could have escaped the eye  
of the Director at the ICA is not clear from his letter.

However, what is much more obvious is that the role of the 'art  
institute', and especially the ICA, seems to have lost its shine.   
Perhaps art galleries/ contemporary art institutes never did encourage  
cutting edge works -- but now, at least in terms of the ICA, it  
definitely is not encouraging it.  The Gallery/institute appears to  
have recoiled back to the safe shores of being a service sector  
environment to the usual suspects of capital, industry, and banality.   
Pity, really.

Guess we'll just have to go elsewhere -- but then, isn't that the  
usual story for  
artists-philosophers-scientists-designers-curios-thinkers-doers?

Johnny de Philo



----- Message from [log in to unmask] ---------
     Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:23:43 -0700
     From: marcialart <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: marcialart <[log in to unmask]>
  Subject: Re: Live and Media Arts at the ICA
       To: [log in to unmask]


> Dear Emma,
>
> Sorry to hear about this.  It's sad for you and the ICA, and  
> astonishingly short-sighted on the part of the director, especially  
> as the ICA was THE germinal institution for new media / computer  
> based art with its pioneering 1968 presentation of Cybernetic  
> Serendipity curated by Jasia Reichardt.
>
> Best regards and good wishes to you in the next phase of your   
> career, and congratulations on your accomplishments @ the ICA.
>
> Marcia Tanner
>
>
> On Oct 17, 2008, at 10:11:13 AM, "Emma Quinn" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> From:   "Emma Quinn" <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject:    [NEW-MEDIA-CURATING] Live and Media Arts at the ICA
> Date:   October 17, 2008 10:11:13 AM PDT
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Apologies for the blanket e-mail and any cross postings
>
>
>
> It is with sadness that I am writing to announce the closure of the
> ICA's Live and Media Arts Department. I have included a statement by
> Ekow Eshun, the Artistic Director of the ICA below.
>
>
>
> I am continuing with the programme here until the end of November 2008
> and will then be looking to develop and expand the programme with other
> partners and venues.  I will of course update you on new developments as
> they occur.
>
>
>
> Thank you for your support and interest in the department's projects
> during my time at the helm, and please do make the most of the rather
> full line-up running over the next couple of months. It would be
> wonderful if you could continue to show your support by attending what
> will be an exciting finale.
>
> http://www.ica.org.uk/?lid=12173
>
>
>
> I have enjoyed my time at the ICA tremendously and this has been a
> direct result of working with some fantastic artists and practitioners.
> The opportunity and privilege to work on the many exciting,
> thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable projects over the last 3
> years, has provided me with new challenges, joy, energy, pride, insight,
> thrills and above all has made me very very happy! I am very much
> looking forward to continuing with these established relationships as
> well as generating new ones in the next stage of my career.
>
>
>
> I will be contacting everyone again before I leave with my personal
> contact details should you wish to stay in touch.
>
>
>
> Thank you for your time.
>
> Kind regards
>
> emma
>
>
>
> --- From Ekow Eshun, Artistic Director of the ICA ---
>
>
>
> Following a review of the ICA's programming activities I have taken the
> decision to close the Live & Media Arts department from the end of
> November 2008.
>
> The ICA has led a pioneering role in new media arts practice over the
> last decade and more.
>
> We are proud of that legacy. However times change. And I no longer feel
> that the artistic rationale for devoting considerable institutional
> attention to that art form - to the extent of maintaining a dedicated
> department to its pursuance - can be strongly made.
>
> As an institution dedicated to the contemporary moment it is important
> that we continually review the timeliness and relevance of our
> activities and at times make decisions on that basis.
>
> New media based arts practice continues to have its place within the
> arts sector. However it's my consideration that, in the main, the art
> form lacks the depth and cultural urgency to justify the ICA's continued
> and significant investment in a Live & Media Arts department. Following
> discussion with the ICA Council and the Arts Council - and agreement
> from both bodies - I have decided to close the department.
>
>
>
> It's also my view that the sheer breadth of activity that our artistic
> programme encompasses means that we are often stretched too thin as an
> organisation. Our technical, building and financial resources are under
> considerable strain and it is hard for us to communicate our aims to our
> audience with directness and clarity.
>
> In closing the Live & Media Arts department, we will be able to invest
> greater resources in a more concentrated programme of activities,
> allowing us to create a more ambitious artistic plan for 2009/10. And in
> communication with the public, the focus of our activity will be
> exclusively on Visual Arts, Cinema, Talks and Music.
>
> In addition, these changes will offer the opportunity for the Digital
> Studio to be reconstituted as a dedicated Education space, offering a
> valuable benefit to an important and growing section of our audience
>
>
>
> ---End---
>
>
>
>
> Emma Quinn
> Director of Live & Media Arts
> ---------------------------------------
>
> Institute of Contemporary Arts
> The Mall, London, SW1Y 5AH
> ---------------------------------------
> t: +44 (0)20 7766 1415
> e: [log in to unmask]
> w: www.ica.org.uk <http://www.ica.org.uk/>
>
> Dogs Ears
>
> Online Art
>
> www.ica.org.uk/dogsears
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


----- End message from [log in to unmask] -----



-- 
_______________________________________________________________________
Professor S Golding
Professor of Philosophy in the Visual Arts & Communication Technologies
Head MA Programme in Media Arts Philosophy & Practice Programme
      MRes/MPhil-PHD Media Arts Research
Office: King William, Rm 130    Tel: +44 (0) 20 8331 8948

Dept of Creative, Critical and Communication Studies
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
University of Greenwich, Maritime Campus
Old Royal Naval College, Park Row
Greenwich, London SE10 9LS
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